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<issue_start>username_0: At one school I worked at the strategy for dealing with poor teaching was to get feedback from students around midterms. If the students criticism was strong enough the teacher was pulled from the class and replaced by someone else in the middle of the semester.
Naturally this led to administrative and departmental chaos when, at times, a handful of teachers would be shuffled in the middle of a semester.
I would like to know if this is common practice at other schools and if not, what mechanics do other schools have to support teachers struggling to perform well and ensure the quality of the courses assigned to them?<issue_comment>username_1: This is the first time (in 45 years) that I've heard of acting on a mid-term teaching review. Even a mid-term review is, I think, very rare. At least in the US. Students here usually provide a course evaluation at end of term and the department head is open to student complaints at any time, but I think that any formal system of supporting struggling teachers is also very rare. Prior to obtaining tenure, you are subject to being fired for poor teaching at many places. But, in general, it needs to be a pretty clear cut case for that to happen.
Instead, poor teaching is dealt with at the time of hiring and often as part of the tenure process, including at mid-tenure review. At most places, poor teaching is a mark against you, though at some universities a star researcher will still be hired. Such a person won't normally be put in a class room with novices, however, and teaching will be at upper levels where advanced students may be more able to deal with it.
Generally, though, if a major part of the job is teaching, you are expected to already be good at it in order to be hired. In many of the top research institutions where teaching isn't really expected of researchers, there is a special faculty track for teachers who handle much of the undergraduate program. These jobs can come with (eventual) tenure and a different set of responsibilities from those on the research track.
In many fields people are employed as TAs as part of the doctoral education and some of these positions involve actually teaching a course. Thus, you can get some experience teaching before entering the job market. That isn't universal, of course. If a TA turns out to be a poor teacher, they won't be put back in a classroom (one hopes, at least) and will be given other duties.
There are also, in some fields, special interest groups who hold conferences dedicated to teaching that subject: SIGCSE as part of ACM, for example, which holds several conferences per year. Here teachers can learn about the craft of teaching. But it is up to the individual, with encouragement from the administration, to participate in such things.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: My short answer based on my experience in mathematics is "often not well". It's a very hard problem.
Longer version.
I've never heard of switching instructors mid semester based on evaluations. Even multiple delegations from the class to the department chair are unlikely to lead to that, although they may have some effect for future semesters.
Supporting
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> teachers struggling to perform well
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is difficult, but rewarding. Colleagues talk with them about teaching, visit classes, share difficulties and experiences. What's harder (for a chair) is working with poor teachers who don't know or can't admit that they are not doing a good job.
Student evaluations (customary at the end of the semester) are generally not a good way to measure teaching quality, for many reasons discussed in many places.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In some cases a university will choose to do nothing in regard to the quality of an instructor's teaching.
This can be for several reasons:
* The professor is very good at research and brings in a substantial amount of grant money.
* They have tenure and are practically untouchable.
* They are placed to teach lower level classes and will weed out less capable students.
* The instructor is a graduate student and they will only be teaching a laboratory. In this case the university will care more that they are progressing on their thesis.
This comes from my personal experience in multiple US research focused engineering universities.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: There is a classmate who repeatedly interrupts the flow of lectures in various ways. We assume he has learning difficulties of some kind due to how he acts and because he has an assistant with him in most lectures.
Generally, it will be things such as asking an excessive number of questions. Often, in the middle of going through something, he will interrupt and ask the lecturer to repeat something said or written half a page ago–or will interrupt to try and jump in with the answer to the problem we are working through as a class. Or a question on a semi-unrelated topic, or on a different method of solving the problem will be asked.
The issue with these questions is they will be blurted out in the middle of an explanation, breaking the flow, and are extremely common, taking valuable time away from the lecture.
Additionally, he will often tell the lecturer to stop or go back a page so he can take a photo of the screen with his phone–and will often take up to 4 minutes before the lecture can go ahead.
Our lectures are recorded and posted on the student's area of the university website within a day, and previous years lectures are also available–with both the written and spoken information.
Overall, I would say these disruptions take up around 15 minutes of each 50 minute lecture.
It is probably useful to note here that I myself have learning difficulties–which means these are incredibly distracting and disruptive to me personally, more so than my classmates–although in conversations I have gathered that several others are also feeling this is impacting negatively on their education.<issue_comment>username_1: You would handle this the same way you would handle anything in class that impacts your ability to learn. You contact the instructor, and suggest that there is something disruptive going on.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: I've unfortunately been on the other end of this as a lecturer in a very similar situation. In that case, I had a perception that it might be creating problems for the other students, but couldn't really do much about it since no students actively said it was an issue. If they had, I could have likely then sat down with the disabilities service coordinators and hashed something out. A few students finally did come forward at the end of the semester but by then there was only a short amount of time left in the semester so there wasn't enough time to deal with it. In that context, you should talk to both the instructor and the service coordinator (or equivalent) especially since you have needs yourself. And make sure to do it sooner rather than later.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: We have a saying here: Don't throw out the baby with the bath water. I don't want to minimize the problem here and do accept that the student is, perhaps unknowingly, going beyond acceptable bounds, but students in general, who ask a lot of questions can be an asset to a course.
I was one of those students, in fact, but didn't just blurt out questions or behave in a disruptive manner. But I did have my hand up quite a lot of the time. When I was a kid, my mother though I was a pain in the butt because I asked so many questions: Why ... Why ...
But when I was a graduate student, my fellow students thought I was a lot smarter than I really am because I asked so many questions in graduate level math classes (Measure Theory, Topology, ...). In fact, those other students were often too reticent to actually ask the questions that they, like myself, needed answering. I found later, when teaching, that very few students are willing to interrupt you when you make a mistake, or ask a question when you have made an unwarranted assumption. The students that are willing can actually be an asset, provided that the flow isn't unnecessarily interrupted - unlike the description given by the OP.
But occasionally the flow *needs* to be interrupted because the instructor has taken a wrong turn or made an invalid leap - or just one that the students don't have the level of knowledge to follow.
The required balance here is normally manageable if class sizes are reasonable. But when they reach a hundred it is pretty disruptive to ask questions or do much of anything at the moment. Hopefully in those cases students can learn to record and save their questions and issues for a smaller "recitation" section. I strongly disfavor such large classes because in these sorts of situations it is all too possible for a student with a serious question to not have it answered at all. Maybe worse is when that individual student gets and answer and other students don't, when all needed the extra information. That can be managed, I've found, but it takes attention to process to assure that bringing everyone up to speed actually happens.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: As a classmate and a student I would strongly suggest you try connect and talk to your colleague. I am often amazed by the amount of issues people have which were completely left untreated with the directly concerned person. How would you feel if all of a sudden you are getting called out by some high authority because of something you did over and over again, but never though to be a problem? It may sound harsh at first, but people with a minimal level of maturity know that is better to respond well to a peer criticism than to an authority's warning.
That being said, such conversation should be conducted with care, patience and an open mind. You may find out he has reasons to behave as he does, and you may choose yourself to tolerate it. Truth be told, you'll likely just conclude that you fulfilled my "professional courtesy" recommendation.
Then you should talk to some authority, in a regular school this could be the Principal or vice-Principal, your university could have some teaching supervisor. Ideally this should be some one with authority over the teachers and with some responsibility level over the quality of the course you are taking.
I'll suggest you rehearse that conversation in front of a mirror. It will help scrapping argument parts which would sound like whining, and also avoids sounding emotional during the explanation. You should make it clear that *some* measures have already been taken, that the problems are recurring, and even if up to some point his situation may be understandable, it is poor practice to allow one student's behavior to severely penalize other students quality of learning. Be open-minded again, since in this case the authority may have better information on *why* the student behaves as described, and may not be ethically allowed to share it with you. You do not need the authority to commit to solve the issue, you need to make sure that a person with the proper tools to address the issue has knowledge of it. Try as well to give hint and suggestions on how this person could look into the issue and observe it first-hand.
That being said, and depending on the tools available, actions might only be taken by the authority if the complaint comes from some independent source. So try to influence other people into complaining to said authority as well. The point is, if any kind of measure that may be understood as a punishment would need to be taken, no authority figure should do it over a single person's word alone. You would be lucky enough if this authority conducted any *investigation* to sanity-check your complaint, hence why I suggested giving hint on how to do so.
Then wait, and try to be satisfied with any sign of improvement, these things may improve gradually rather than abruptly.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I've Been in a similar situation when I was in college. We had a student that clearly had autistic traits and blurted out just as you describe and often interrupting as you described. Every answer he provided or shouted out in class referred to a Star Trek episode (which he would even quote the episode title and number) or he would talk about BBQ food. It was fairly hard to concentrate and it was clearly annoying most of the students.
Myself and a few others approached the teacher about this but he said there was not much he could do since the student was not technically under learning disabilities. The teacher then went on to inform us that he was the son of a local politician who did not want to officially list his son as handicap out of fear of his political career. So there was little the teacher could do to find accommodations without it being made official.
I would definitely recommend talking to the teacher though. That is absolutely the right path. Talking to the student in this situation will likely get no where as they probably don't understand how their actions are distracting. If the teacher is unable to help, I would then go talk to the dean's office about any accommodations that could be made. It's possible, though unlikely that you may be able to get a transfer to a different class/time slot or the Dean may be capable of working a solution with the student that the teacher may not have the ability to do.
Either way, definitely talk to the teacher!
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I think, in our current education system in universities, there are lots of problems, some of which are listed below, and I think we are wasting lots of time by repeating (possibly a worse version of) the same course each year. That is why, I have the following solution, and I'm curious, what flaws does this system have.
Problems:
1. For example, in some departments, some of the courses are given by the same faculty each semester/year because there is no one else to offer that lecture, or only a single faculty wants to do it. However, after some time, the way the lecturer teaches the subject becomes "sloppy"; s/he does not make enough effort to explain the topic clearly. I guess, after some time, they also get bored from teaching the subject, and they just read/write their notes.
2. Even the lecturer makes great effort to teach the subject clearly, sometimes the way the lecture thinks does not match with the student's, which makes harder to understand what the lecturer is trying to explain. That is why, for a specific course, most of the students decision to take the course depends on who is teaching it.
3. In a lecture, given a question, the solution is given to student without student having enough time to think on it by himself/herself; for example, you give a theorem in the lecture, and explain why it says, what are its implication etc., and then you just prove it. Another example, you just demonstrate the gyroscope in the class, and then explain them how can we analyse it. However, this kill the creativity in student, because you just show them how to think without letting them search for how they can think in such a case.
4. In a 14 week semester, after 5th or 6th week, there is at least one midterm each week, and directly after the midterms, there is 2 week final week. I think any professor, or student is well-aware that in a week where there is a midterm (even if there is only one, which is not the case most of the time) the attention of the student are diminished toward the courses, and most of them anxious etc.
For these problems, I have the following education system, and I think it would be a great system to have in a university. However, the idea is not unique, and I do not know why it haven't been implemented before. That is why, I would like to ask what problems would arise in such an education system ?
System:
1. For each course in the department, there will be form a committee consisting of people working in similar areas and the department chair/advisors. Then 3 different member of the committee will be chosen, and their lectures will be recorded; of course, the content will be determined priori to the recording by the committee. Then the recordings will be revisited by the committee. Mistakes will be corrected if any etc. These 3 lectures will be used in each term for the actual classes; there will be no classical lectures, only the online recording which has been recorded only for once. Instead of lecture hours, there will be more office hours, by taking appointment individually from the instructor/TA.
By this way, each terms, the student will have to choice to follow one of the 3 lecturers online recording, which is not something we current have as students. Moreover, department can be sure that the education level given each term will be the same throughout the department. Moreover, student will have the chance to follow the lecture in the pace that they are comfortable.
2. Since for each course, there is no lecture hours, in a single term, a department can possibly offer more courses; for first and second year course, even student assistants can help about the office hours.Moreover, for each course, there will be an online from where students can ask/answer questions, so that, you can have to answer the same basic question again and again; you can just refer to the corresponding thread as a first answer. If they don't understand again, they can come and ask.
By this way, before coming and asking a question, student have the chance to think themselves, and discuss with their friends. Moreover, by using the from, student will have the chance to answer their peer's questions, which is something most of the student don't have such a chance in the classical system.
3.There will be one a single midterm in the middle of the term and a single final exam for each course. There can be some homeworks (at most 4 in a single semester), but those questions should not be some exercises in the book; they have to have an original in most of their content.<issue_comment>username_1: Sorry, but it will fail. I suspect, miserably. Your first "problem" implies the impossibility of your first "solution", in fact. But it is worse than that. I think you have the wrong idea about what education consists of. You seem to view it as "efficient information delivery and occasional testing". It isn't really about that. Wikipedia and any good library have all of the information already pretty well packaged. Testing (especially twice a term) is really only good for sorting people into grade "buckets", not for educating them.
In order to learn, a person needs to engage with the subject and reinforce that learning. Taped lectures don't really encourage engagement any more than streaming movies does. It is fine for the moment, but not for true learning. Testing does too little to encourage real reinforcement, especially if it is at such long intervals.
Instead, the current system *is supposed to* provide an environment in which a student can explore a subject with a professor and be individually guided when necessary. Taking away the ability to ask questions is a big issue. Making near continuous feedback both ways nearly impossible is a killer.
Your "system" would advantage a small (perhaps infinitesimally small) subset of students and disadvantage everyone else. People don't learn by seeing once. Many don't learn by "seeing" several times. It takes more. There are many learning modalities (the term of choice) but for most, the learning actually happens in doing various appropriate exercises and getting feedback on what was good and bad.
I'll note that many video courses have a terrible completion rate. Those that can stick it out to the end may learn something, or not. It is difficult to say and there is no real follow up.
While it is true that the ideal suggested above for university education isn't always met, it is still preferable to be able to have a relationship with someone who has been there before and who can guide you.
If your personal learning style is compatible with what you suggest, there is no reason that you can't actually implement it for yourself, even in the context of a course. For much of the "content" of an undergraduate education, multiple sources are available. The stated curriculum can be your guide to what is important, but you can get the "content" anywhere. Getting the skill, however, takes a lot of discipline if you don't have the goad of regular assignments, nor the feedback about how you are progressing.
As to your second suggestion, again, the courseware is available for a lot of things as long as they aren't very advanced. You can "take" a lot of courses by self study. There is no real barrier. But for advanced material, the expert may well be the only available source as the market may be too small to justify the expense of your first solution for arcane, but important, ideas.
If you want to positively change the problems you see at the start of your post, then work to improve the training of university teachers. Not all have been trained to do that and may be valued more for research than teaching. There are well known ways to improve things in the classroom. The mismatch between how the instructor teaches and how the student learns is a big one. Lecture, IMO, is a failure in many situations as it is, like video, too passive. An Active Classroom can be much more effective.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Some elements of what you describe is known as "[the flipped classroom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipped_classroom)", and is indeed currently fasionable with a section of the progressive education community in the UK. Instead of your extended office hours (office hours are not usually a thing in the UK), lectures are generally replace with problem solving and "activity" based classes.
It can be successful, we have a very successful catch-up math module in our department run along these lines. I even toyed at one point with running a masters exactly along these lines - basically students would be paying for one-on-one tutorials about an online MOOC.
Proponents argue that while it shouldn't be the case, most lectures actually are treated as static content delivery mediums, and in this day and age there are more efficient ways of doing this. username_1 about suggests that "the ideal suggested above for university education isn't always met", i'd go further and say that actaully its rarely met. To be fair, its hard for " a student can explore a subject with a professor and be individually guided when necessary" when there are 250 hung-over students in your class. (also note that however much you extend office hours, your not going to see 250 students indevidually, without an expensive and difficult to quality assure army of TAs).
However, my own experiments with flipped learning have shown that if you ask students to watch a video lecture before coming to an activity class, at least 50% of those that show to the class won't have watched it, and only 50% of those that should come will have shown. The rest presumably think that watching the video the day before the exam is enough to pass (hint: it isn't). Even those that come to both don't seem to take things on as well as those taught in a traditional manner. Perhaps its harder to given a video your full and undivided attension than a real life person. Of course all our lectures are videoed, and some students choose the videos over the real lecture anyway.
In thoery videos should be usable from one year to the next, and so this should cut down on the work by lectuers. However, it turns out that preparing a video class actaully takes quite a lot more time that a live class (particulalry if you have someone else review them and suggest changes), and this probably outweighs the advantage. This is important as most lectuers already work about 50% more time than they are paid for, and many are continually on the edge of failing to cope.
In the end I suspect that those lectuers who put insufficient effort into their lectuers would put in sufficient effort into their videos. A lecture can be a lively engaging, and *interactive* experience when given by a skilled and chaistmatic teacher, while a video given by a bored resentful researcher is going to be just as much of a turn off as the lecture is.
Finally, you'll never get departments to record three different versions of a lecture. Firstly I'm pretty much the only person in the department qualified to teach what I teach. There is one other person who could teach some of what I teach, but they already have more than enought to do, and for the rest there is no one who understands it well enought to teach it. Same goes the other way around, I don't have a good enough grasp of what most others teach to teach it myself. Secondly it would be seen as a waste of effort - when there aren't enough hours in the day already, doing something three times seems like unneccsary effort, even if you could find three people who understood the same material and could come to an agreement on which parts of it should be in a class.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: My coauthor and I submitted our article for publication to one of the best journals in our field. After a long time of review, we got a rejection decision by the editor based on the referee report which we received. After that we wrote to the editor and explained to him/her that the referee arguments to reject our paper are wrong and provided point by point evidence to support our conclusions.
However, the editor did not accept our arguments so we then sent our paper to another journal which is also among the best in our field. After waiting for considerable time, we got a rejection decision from the second journal and the **same** referee report as the first journal. I repeat the two reports which we received from two journals are completely identical! We have asked the editor of the second journal for explanations why we got the same report and so far we have not heard any reply.
Based on these facts, we believe that our paper is being rejected for some unknown personal reasons not clear to us rather than objective reasons connected with our work. In between the two submissions, we have revised our paper based on the first journal referee report.
Have your ever experienced such a situation?
How should we behave in this case?
UPDATE:
Based on some comments below about this post, I want to express my opinion in more details about this issue. I am an expert in my working field and have reviewed several papers too. However, if somebody is asked to review the same paper more than once from two different journals, it is ethical that the referee rejects to review the paper and gives the possibility to another referee to do it. The referee can have an option to explain to the second journal editor the reasons why he/she rejected the paper initially and also point out the comments which he/she received back from the authors through the first journal (as in our case) that his/her conclusions might be wrong.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, I have experienced the same situation. You can revise your paper explicitly explaining why the criticism of the reviewer is wrong. Then write a cover letter explaining all previous history of submissions and rejections and emphasise which changes have been made. Then submit the paper and the cover letter to another journal.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: As a reviewer, when I get asked to review a paper the second time I will see whether my comments from the initial review were addressed. If not, then I will submit the same review. Why should I update my review if the paper has not been updated?
Getting the same reviewer is a very common occurrence. Perhaps in your situation the reviewer is misguided. However, when re-submitting a paper you should make every effort to address previous reviews. And, in any case, legitimate issues raised by the reviewer should be addressed. Even if you think the reviewer is confused, you should seek to clarify the confusing points. They may be confusing to others too.
In your position there is probably not much you can do other than write to the editor explaining the situation. The best argument you can put forth is to explain that all of the points in the review have already been addressed in the submission. That makes it look like the reviewer didn't read it, which means the editor may side with you.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Based on these facts, we believe that our paper is being rejected for some unknown personal reasons not clear to us rather than objective reasons connected with our work.
>
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I see no justification at all for that conclusion.
In many cases, there is a fairly obvious person whom one would ask to review a particular paper – for example, if you write a paper extending my work, there's a good chance that I'll get asked to review that. As I recall, there's a paper that I was asked to review three times.
The reviewer rejected your paper the first time and you feel they were mistaken, but you couldn't convince the editor of this. You revised the paper and submitted to a new journal which, by chance, chose the same reviewer. In my opinion, the most likely thing is that the reviewer didn't notice you'd changed the paper to address their comments and they thought, “This hasn't changed, so my old review still applies.” They would not have seen the rebuttal that you sent to the first editor; all they have seen is what they mistakenly believed to be the same paper, twice.
You should email the editor and explain that you received this exact review the first time you submitted the paper and that you have already revised the paper to address the comments made. Ask them to ask the reviewer to re-read the paper.
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Your edit to the question claims that there is an ethical requirement to decline to review a paper for the second time. As far as I'm aware, no such ethical obligation exists. Science is not a democracy. If a reviewer finds a genuine problem with a paper, it doesn't matter how many other reviewers vote "accept" because they missed that problem: the paper should not be accepted until the problem is fixed.
Your claimed ethical obligation would mean that the authors of a paper with a hard to spot error could just resubmit to another journal, knowing that the reviewer who saw the mistake can never review the paper again.
Your claimed ethical obligation also would give a perverse incentive to *accept* bad papers. A referee who recommends rejection knows they're disqualified from reviewing the paper again, and other reviewers might recommend acceptance. But a referee who recommends accepting with revisions will get to review those revisions and, hopefully, ensure that the problematic content is fixed.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: Based on your statement
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> In between the two submissions, we have revised our paper based on the first journal referee report.
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It seems like there are only three possibilities
1. Your revisions did not address the reviewer's concerns adequately, and so the reviewer submitted the same referee report
2. The reviewer saw the same title, and perhaps skimmed the paper quickly and didn't realize you revised the manuscript.
3. The reviewer accidentally sent in an old review because the file names of their two reviews were similar on their computer
Many authors don't address reviewer concerns when switching to a new journal, so unless your paper clearly addresses the concerns in the exact place they'd expect to find the revisions, the reviewer might send the editor back the same review, even if you did revise the manuscript.
Solution: If you truly believe you substantially revised the manuscript to address the reviewers initial concerns, then write to the editor. Say something like the following.
>
> We believe Reviewer 2 accidentally sent you a referee report for a completely different version of this manuscript submitted to another journal on XX/XX/XXXX. We believe this to be true because the review is an exact, verbatim duplicate of a review we received for the old version of this manuscript. In response to that review, we heavily revised that manuscript incorporating the vast majority of the reviewer's suggestions. As evidence of this point, note \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ in the review. These places in the review suggest that either the reviewer did not read the new version of the manuscript that already incorporated their suggestions or that they accidentally sent in the same referee report for our old version of the manuscript due to a file naming mixup on their computer.
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> We do hope that it is Journal \_\_\_\_\_'s policy that all referee reports are made by reviewers who actually read the paper, and gave it a fair evaluation. Can you please contact the reviewer to inquire why their review is identical to a review they made for a substantially different manuscript.
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Surely if you did substantially modify your manuscript, there will be aspects of the reviewer's comments that make no sense. So it will be easy to fill in the above blanks. For example, it might be the case that the review indicates issues with phrases that don't match the new line numbering, or even phrases that no longer exist. Any reasonable journal would follow up on your request if you brought this type of evidence to the editor's attention.
However, if you only made minor changes that didn't address the reviewers comments, they are well within their ethical rights to send in the exact same review.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: Just ask editor for another reviewer, saying this is second journal you have had same individual block the paper. If a new reviewer blocks it again (and you really think the review would weaken the paper), just drop to a lower prestige outlet or even Arxive.
It's a little strange that you don't mention how the other reviews went at first and second journal (how many were there and did they recommend publishing)?
While I think the reviewer should have notified editor that he had rejected paper before with identical review (for one thing editor might want a new opinion), I don't see any point in getting into this. Just ask for a new review (is a reasonable request, especially if other reviews have been positive.)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: *However, if somebody is asked to review the same paper more than once from two different journals, it is ethical that the referee rejects to review the paper and gives the possibility to another referee to do it.*
Well, no. The person thinks: "This is the same d\*\*\* cr\*\* I have seen before, I have spent time explaining what's wrong with it and why it should not be published, and I happily furnish this explanation once again."
You fundamentally fail to understand that the reviewer's report is a communication of from the reviewer to the editor, who has solicited the reviewer's opinion. The editor customarily shares it with the authors since they may benefit from the reviewer's insight, but this is by the by.
If the editor of Journal 2 decides to solicit the opinion from the same person as the editor of Journal 1, then that is perfectly fine, and if you did not improve your paper between 1 and 2, then that judgment will not have changed either.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I recently applied for a national scholarship at my university. My application was accepted internally as one of few to be sent to the organization hosting the scholarship. However, the people screening applications at my university were slightly concerned about one of my reference letters from my last advisor, and sent it to me to show me what he wrote (I'm pretty sure those letters are supposed to be confidential, but that's beside the point). A brief summary of the letter is that I'm only slightly above average, and 1/4 of the letter is about his previous research accomplishments. I can't change referees since my application has already been screened. My question is, can I ask my previous advisor to improve his letter of recommendation?<issue_comment>username_1: You can certainly ask, and might be successful, or not. It is impossible to say. But a better approach might be for the scholarship people to ask the professor for a better letter on your behalf, explaining the reasoning and perhaps the fact that his is an outlier.
Having an advocate may be more effective in a situation like this. Another professor might also prevail upon your advisor, but it would be impossible to hide the fact that you'd seen the letter.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> (I'm pretty sure those letters are supposed to be confidential, but that's beside the point). ...
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>
>
Actually, it is not. You may have signed a waiver when you applied for the position. If so, you have *absolutely no recourse* to ask for anything. If so, the person who sent the recommendation to you may be in violation of privacy guidelines that were been established for your previous advisor as part of his/her submission process.
When I would be the advisor whose letter was submitted under a waiver of right to see by the student and I discovered that letter had been disclosed back to the student, I would be raising holy heck to the Chair of the Committee if not the Chair of the Department if not further up the chain.
As noted, your first call was to refuse to review the letter until you had the "pretty clear" part clarified beyond a reasonable doubt. Until such a time, you best not be asking anyone anything about changing the letter.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: Assuming the home university only pays 1/2 of 9-months salary in the period of one-year sabbatical.
Can it be legally allowed? or does it violate any rules in general? What would be the worst consequence if doing so?
Thanks.<issue_comment>username_1: The only legal rules that are likely to apply here are the contractual rules for the terms of the professor's employment with the university, combined with the university's policy/contract relating to sabbaticals. Whether or not this is allowed would depend on the terms of the sabbatical, as set out in the appropriate university policies and employment contract.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It is possible; ask your HR department whether it is possible for you.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: It is famously known that “visibility” of an article influences its citation count. Is it true that articles cited in Wikipedia page get more academic citations?<issue_comment>username_1: There appears to be some literature comparing citations on Wikipedia to citations in academic journals, but I have not been able to find any randomised controlled trial (RCT) on the matter. For example, in a comparison of Wikipedia citations to journal metrics, [Nielsen (2018)](https://arxiv.org/pdf/0705.2106.pdf) found that "[t]he Wikipedia citation numbers showed high correlation with the [Journal Citation Report's] numbers for the total number of citations to a journal" (p. 4). If go broader than Wikipedia, [Lawrence (2011)](https://www.nature.com/articles/35079151) finds that free online availability is positively correlated with citation rate. Both of these studies use observational data and show correlation between the outcomes, but they do not rule out other causal relations that would lead to correlation (e.g., if papers are more likely to be made available online, or added as citations in Wikipedia, if they become more cited).
If there are any enterprising researchers reading this post, this sounds like a good research question for a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Since Wikipedia can be edited with a free account, it should be possible to set up an RCT where you add a randomised set of presently uncited academic articles to Wikipedia and track their citation progress in academic journals against a control group. First find a set of articles relevant to a subject that are not presently cited on Wikpedia; then randomise them into a control group and treatment group, and add the articles in the treatment group into Wikipedia articles; then watch changes in the citation count in the academic journals over time, and then test for a difference in the groups.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes.
I once edited an article into Wikipedia. I needed a source for a generic claim (something reasonably well-known to experts in the field, such as "the question of whether P = NP is a major unsolved problem"), and I just cited something I was familiar with. It wasn't even a good source for the claim - the paper didn't aim to prove the claim, it just contained one line that confirmed that the claim is true. But since I was familiar with the paper I didn't bother looking for something else.
A few months later, it turned out that the source, along with others in the Wikipedia article, had been cited by others for the same claim.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: A research paper of mine has been accepted at an IEEE conference. Although I submitted my best work as a research paper, my best was not good enough and the reviewers threw it with the poster papers. So, it will get published in the conference proceeding but will NOT get uploaded to Xplore Library.
Now if I go with this, can I try submitting the same paper (as it won't be online) to other IEEE conferences or reputed journals or do I have to change it substantially before submitting to other publishers? This would be a problem because I can not work on it any more without a top-notch laboratory with chemical equipment; I already did what I could with just a PC and a lot of time (I am an undergraduate student in a developing country btw).
Or keeping this in mind, should I simply withdraw the paper and try elsewhere from scratch?<issue_comment>username_1: There appears to be some literature comparing citations on Wikipedia to citations in academic journals, but I have not been able to find any randomised controlled trial (RCT) on the matter. For example, in a comparison of Wikipedia citations to journal metrics, [Nielsen (2018)](https://arxiv.org/pdf/0705.2106.pdf) found that "[t]he Wikipedia citation numbers showed high correlation with the [Journal Citation Report's] numbers for the total number of citations to a journal" (p. 4). If go broader than Wikipedia, [Lawrence (2011)](https://www.nature.com/articles/35079151) finds that free online availability is positively correlated with citation rate. Both of these studies use observational data and show correlation between the outcomes, but they do not rule out other causal relations that would lead to correlation (e.g., if papers are more likely to be made available online, or added as citations in Wikipedia, if they become more cited).
If there are any enterprising researchers reading this post, this sounds like a good research question for a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Since Wikipedia can be edited with a free account, it should be possible to set up an RCT where you add a randomised set of presently uncited academic articles to Wikipedia and track their citation progress in academic journals against a control group. First find a set of articles relevant to a subject that are not presently cited on Wikpedia; then randomise them into a control group and treatment group, and add the articles in the treatment group into Wikipedia articles; then watch changes in the citation count in the academic journals over time, and then test for a difference in the groups.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes.
I once edited an article into Wikipedia. I needed a source for a generic claim (something reasonably well-known to experts in the field, such as "the question of whether P = NP is a major unsolved problem"), and I just cited something I was familiar with. It wasn't even a good source for the claim - the paper didn't aim to prove the claim, it just contained one line that confirmed that the claim is true. But since I was familiar with the paper I didn't bother looking for something else.
A few months later, it turned out that the source, along with others in the Wikipedia article, had been cited by others for the same claim.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I have written a peer-reviewed paper for an Australian academic conference. The reviews are favourable with a number of small and helpful suggestions. However, one reviewer has criticised the use of the word "amongst", saying it is archaic and should not therefore be used in a technical paper.
In British English, "amongst" is more commonly used in everyday and technical language, and to my (British) ear, it fits better than the alternative "among" in the context that I have used it. In fact, it was introduced to the language more recently. However, in US English, it is less often used and could be considered archaic. Australian English has many similarities with American English, so it may be considered archaic there too.
My question is whether the paper should be "corrected" to Australian English as it is an Australian conference, or if "correct" UK English should be allowed from a UK writer?
I am not trying to pick a fight, and the acceptance of the paper is not at stake - this is merely a suggestion from the reviewer - but I am interested in what would be considered the correct approach.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> My question is whether the paper should be "corrected" to Australian
> English as it is an Australian conference, or if "correct" UK English
> should be allowed from a UK writer?
>
>
>
British English is acceptable in US-based or other places conferences that do not use British English. Each conference writes their requireements in the Call for Papers. Mostly, international conferences require English. But it is unreasonable to require specific English. Even if it Australian-based conference. Any English is acceptable. Just be consistent in the whole text on the English you choose.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: If it is just the one word `amongst`, change it and move on. I doubt that the strength or validity of your paper hinges on use of that word.
Now, if they said the paper in its entirety is in the *wrong* English it would be best to ask the editor whether the journal/conference agrees. It would take a considerable amount of work to rewrite a paper in an unfamiliar dialect, and the strength of the paper could suffer.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> I am not trying to pick a fight, and the acceptance of the paper is not at stake - this is merely a suggestion from the reviewer
>
>
>
I think you (and some of the other answers) are overthinking this. Suggestions from reviewers are precisely that - suggestions. Some are good, some are less good, and you are free to adopt or ignore them at your pleasure. There is nothing at stake here no matter what you decide. Hence, I feel that the analyses of the relative frequency of usage of “among” vs “amongst” in British English, and other such considerations being brought up, are simply beside the point. This is one occasion where *you can literally do whatever you want*. Feels nice, doesn’t it? ;-)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Until the 70s in Australia we spoke officially in Received Pronunciation and Received Standard was our official grammar standard. Those days are past. And 95% of Australians did not speak that way.
The most official standard is the Australian Government Style Guide. However most organisations do not follow it. Harvard and Chicago are both more popular.
The second most official is the Macquarie Dictionary. See <https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/> (but it's not free).
This is Oxford's Dictionary take on it. <https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/02/05/among-amongst/>
The practise in Australia is to simplify older longer words with shorter words. Having said that, not everyone agrees.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Generally, unless there is a specific rule in the call for papers, any geographic variety of English should be acceptable, particularly if it conforms to the formal usage of a country with large numbers of native speakers (i.e., the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa). When there is such a rule, it is most likely to be confined to matters of spelling and punctuation, leaving aside issues of vocabulary and grammar.
The reviewer in this case is likely to be American, as we Americans, forming the overwhelming majority of native speakers and lacking as strong a cultural connection with the U.K. as the other English-speaking countries have, generally have the lowest awareness of usage in other countries. Even if *amongst* were uncommon in Australia, which it isn't, few Australians would be so unfamiliar with British usage as to comment on it.
It's true that a number of words commonly used in Britain, *amongst* among them, sound somewhat bookish to American ears. That's because we read them but rarely hear them. "Archaic" is a real exaggeration, though.
I think a tactful reviewer reading a mostly well-written paper with a handful of things that sound odd to them should ideally be aware of the possibility that these might be legitimate geographic variants. Realistically, this won't always be the case.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm just curious to know what are the most important requirements for filling up Ph.D. application, generally. is job resumes important if available? Or for example GRE, Publications or Research interest? What is more important?<issue_comment>username_1: Acceptance into a doctoral program isn't a matter of accounting and counting chits. Someone, or a group, needs to make the assessment that you are highly likely to be successful. To that end your GPA is relevant, but so is everything you write or say as part of the process. If you are considered to be a serious candidate with a fairly easily predictable good future, you will be considered.
After that, it can be a matter of competition. There will be a lot of other candidates that have excellent records and they are also being "weighed".
But certainly, anything that shows past success in the kinds of things that doctoral students actually do (pubs, research) is a big plus. But don't neglect your SOP, where you talk about your envisioned future.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Taking a graduate student is a big investment for a PI. That person will consume financial resources, affect lab culture, and will be responsible for forwarding the PIs own agenda and reputation. And, grad students stick around a long time, so personality/fit is important.
Aside from test scores, most PIs want someone who
1. Has demonstrated interest and capability in the field (demonstrated through publications, manuscripts, or personal conversations)
2. An understanding of what they’re getting themselves into (demonstrated through undergrad research, conference attendance, etc)
3. Passion to work hard and grow intellectually and professionally (demonstrated through personal conversations and letters of recommendation)
I would say these points weigh equally if not more than raw test scores. I have no shortage of examples of highly successful students with less than stellar test scores (though institutions also have their own bar for that).
Most important is that you pursue a personal approach. Call the PI personally and express your limitless interest and excitement.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Or for example GRE, Publications or Research interest? What is more important?
>
>
>
Previous publications can be a very strong indicator of ability to do well in a PhD program, particularly if they are well written and in reasonable journals. When a student applies for a PhD program with published papers already under their belt, this can be a strong factor.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: The ability to conduct high-quality independent research is probably one of the most important aspects most advisors (PIs) look for in potential candidates. Of course, there are several ways to gauge that aspect; for example, prior research experience, publications, the ability to formulate research problems, etc. After all, your PhD success will depend on how good you are as a researcher.
I should also add that the answer will probably be field-dependent.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: **Recommendation Letters and Research Experience**
The PhD admissions committee wants to know if an applicant will be a successful researcher. That is a nebulous quality. GPA, GRE, and other numerical scores only give a partial picture, since coursework and exam-taking are very different from open-ended research.
The best indicator of research ability is prior research experience and how well that went. How well your prior research went is best indicated by the recommendation letters of the people who worked with you.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I already asked [a question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/114271/what-kind-of-knowledge-is-required-to-do-a-phd) in the past about the requirement to join a PhD program, but I am now wondering what makes a PhD thesis what it is. As seen on a lot of different websites and for example on [this post](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/108804/96420), one of the goals of a research thesis is to contribute to human knowledge by researching and documenting said research.
My personal goal is to contribute to human knowledge, and I feel like some researches in computer science (from different offers and thesis I saw) don't create **knowledge**, but are rather focused on creating **a product** that could as well be developed by any company with a research and development field. Because of this, I have trouble visualizing if there is really a knowledge creation in those PhDs, as I feel like those are not in a "science" related field but rather in a technical field (even though it's in the name "computer science").
Just to be clear, I'm not in any case questioning the benefit those research made, I think I am misunderstanding something in what a PhD is, and want clarifications to make sure I'm joining a PhD program with the right state of mind.
* Does a PhD thesis have to be theoretical ?
* If not, what is the benefit of developing a technical product in a academic environment rather than in a private environment ? (for both the doctorate and the academic world)<issue_comment>username_1: While doctoral degrees in some specialized fields have a different designation, you can get a PhD in many non-scientific fields. English Literature or Philosophy to name just two.
But even in those other fields, a dissertation is normally theoretical in some sense appropriate to that field. Many are more like mathematics, actually, extending a thread of thought, rather than gathering data and applying statistical methods or other tools.
I question the premise that most CS dissertations are "product development" actually. None of them in my particular purview have been. All have contributed to knowledge, though that knowledge can often be commercialized in some way.
Some CS research in the language area results in the development of a new language, of course, but that doesn't mean a commercially viable language. They are normally written to test out some ideas of semantics or implementation and so really do extend the range of human knowledge.
But CS, in general, has been concerned for a long time with building things, so research that is closer to the "real world" is natural. But companies find it difficult to justify doing "pure research" that can't be turned into a revenue stream in a predictable way. That sort of thing is left to universities and to doctoral students.
And, of course, there are many CS topics if that is your chosen field. You can be as theoretical as you want to be. Some subfields are nearly indistinguishable from mathematics.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: At my University, a Phd requires to contribute a substantial, original extension to existing computer science theory. Examples of said contributions are new approaches to solving problems, highlighting problems in existing approaches, etc. Many times tools are developed to demonstrate the new concepts and approaches but they're far from being a product in any shape or form. And the purpose of the research is by no means to develop said tools but only to use them as a means to an end: e.g demonstrate a new concept.
Exceptionally some of that research leads to a product being developed by sponsorship of an industrial partner or/and the University but it's a whole new, and completely different phase than the research task, and specifically the research that a Phd candidate would do.
Your mileage may vary at other universities. However developing a product requires a complete different approach than research. A product may draw knowledge from many innovations from research but most importantly is driven by user need and demand. Research on the other hand is a narrow innovation, hardly useful as a single product on its own, and typically not driven by user need or demand but rather as gaps in existing research.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: For example PhD scholars working on ML/AI algorithms need a lot of data to train and test their research. Research on distributed systems might require terabytes of data to test.
Where do these scholars get so much data i.e. the scale which is only produced in big companies?<issue_comment>username_1: The question is very vague. For some fields such as linguistics/language there are huge open-access research corpuses available such as the [British National Corpus](http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/), maintained by academic or charitable organisations. For some things, e.g. images, you can also use open, permissively-licenced sources like [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page), which offers a lot of APIs for searching and processing; the [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/) has a huge collection of video, texts, audio, etc. For some subjects it is possible to use internet searches or other archives. Many commercial entities will have large databases and research project are often done in conjunction with a commercial partner, as mentioned in a comment. You can also purchase data, but that will probably require a commercial partner to pay for it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: One of the things you should remember is that nothing in life is free, especially not data. I have seen instances of inexperienced students/postdocs reaching out to companies asking for their data (without informing their advisors). These requests go either ignored, or politely refused. The company needs to know that there is some real benefit in working with you, whether it is an improvement to their current processes or a monetary incentive. In either case, it often involves the university's lawyers making sure that the transaction is
1. Legal/ethical - the data you're getting doesn't require someone's consent and is indeed owned by the company. You may need to get IRB involved too.
2. Transparent for both sides - what are you going to do with your analysis? Will the data be published? Will it be anonymized? Can you patent the results? If so - what part of the patent is owned by the university/company/yourself?
3. Modes of compensation for the company, if any.
(this is a partial list, I'm not a lawyer)
This is even less fun when one works on data provided by a government agency. This is why often enough researchers either work on public datasets (e.g. those on Kaggle/Github), collect their own, run simulations, or just go on research visits to Amazon/Uber/Google/Facebook to get access to actual data, see that their models make sense, and get a nice paycheck while doing so.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm currently in the process of appealing a termination from my PhD program and although there are many facts concerning my case that I feel are relevant and important, I'm not sure how relevant they are in the consideration of my appeal.
My question is: how do I present my appeal in a way that ensures I have the best chance of success?
This may seem subjective, but there may be some objectively unsuccessful approaches to appealing such a decision. Are there any objectively successful ones?
The main thrust of my department's decision to terminate my candidacy is that I lack basic competency in topics related to my research. The issue is that the way my competency was evaluated was not in line with university and department guidelines (generally we are evaluated based on reports and formal meetings), I was evaluated based on my response to an email requesting more information from me about my research. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small part of the processes leading up to my termination, but it's what initiated the process. Would it be reasonable to appeal such a decision?
It is true that I don't have competency in the topics I was evaluated on, but these were part of one project I was working on and not related to the main thrust of my research, so I'm afraid I'm almost like a "fish" that was evaluated on its "climbing" ability (if that makes sense). I am confident I can "swim" quite well (meaning, I have other research merit as a PhD student), but there is no way I could "climb" in the time I was given.
It's simply nerve-racking and difficult consider my own assessment of myself over the assessment of experienced professors that seem to be making objective decisions about research ability, so I'm not sure whether my concerns are valid or not.
FYI - this is in Canada.<issue_comment>username_1: Rightly or not, one of the goals of making a decision to terminate is to avoid having a student spend time and yet fail to make sufficient progress. If you truly do lack the necessary background or are seen as such you have a very hard (and long) path forward. If your advisors agree, then it seems fruitless to try to push through.
I wonder if a better path isn't to just withdraw and somehow gain the necessary competence or change the situation to one that suits you better. This might entail moving to a different university, but it might be a quicker path forward. If nothing else it would let new people look at you with a fresh perspective.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Typically, successful appeals happen when another advisor is willing to take on the student after the appeal. This creates an ally during the appeal process. It also creates an "out" for the department. I have two friends who were able to appeal by finding an alternative advisor. I know no-one who was able to appeal with their original advisor UNLESS the advisor was actually using the process as a "wake-up call" rather than an authentic attempt to force the student out.
In the cases where an advisor is using the process as a real authentic attempt to force a student out, the advisor is communicating that they no longer desire to have you as a PhD student. The department is going to be reluctant to force that advisor to continue with you, despite the soundness of your logic. The reluctance is partially because it creates an uncomfortable/unproductive mentoring situation when one party is not enthusiastic. The reluctance is also related to an overall ethos of not wanting to oppose faculty on issues of academic judgement.
The presence of another ally/advisor who will take you on as a student after the process is concluded allows the department to evaluate your claims independent of their reluctance to force your original advisor to take you back. It allows everyone to put this down to a matter of "fit" rather than genuine problems with your work or your advisor's judgement.
IF your advisor is actually on the fence about this, you could attempt to convince your advisor that you now are "awake" to the stakes and they will find working with you to be much better/more productive in the future.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Although this may not be the fairest of systems, you are up against a situation where the department (and its faculty) are both your judge, prosecutor, and jury. The truth is that you're unlikely to succeed in an appeal.
One could decry this as unfair, but my best guess is that in reality, the vast majority of such decisions are based on a correct assessment of a student's abilities. That's because nobody really wants to make this kind of decision. It is far easier to just drag along a student and see them through getting some degree than having to fight this, document every step, and make sure a student gets dismissed. So my recommendation to you is to not focus on the formal steps that may have led to your dismissal, but why your department initiated them in the first place. For example, what gave them the idea to ask you for an email after which you ended up being "evaluated based on my response to an email requesting more information from me about my research"? This request likely did not come out of nowhere, but someone, likely multiple someones, will have had concerns about your technical abilities. This prior knowledge will then clearly have entered into the conclusion that you really did not have the necessary abilities to successfully complete your degree. So when you say "In the grand scheme of things, this is a small part of the processes leading up to my termination, but it's what initiated the process.", then this does not make sense to me -- there must have been a prior story (which you may or may not be aware of).
In other words, what you will have to do is to convince your department not that their process was flawed, but that you really *are* competent and have the skills to complete your PhD. Just relying on process arguments is not likely going to succeed. If you don't know your stuff, you may simply be given some other kind of test that you will fail -- with the same result that you find yourself in at the moment.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I hope this is not to much rambling, but there is a concrete question in the end. I really like being a mathematician. I like the constant learning, I like working on problems at research-level and I even like teaching university students. I did my PhD and definitely had fun, but during the time, I have also seen aspects of academia that I do not like, most of which fall under "publish or perish", namely the constant struggle for grants, publications and the all-elusive tenured positions.
I'm obviously not alone in this, but let's assume that I have some money, not enough to be overly rich, but enough to keep a modest standard of living without ever having to work. (The details of this are not part of the question, just assume that salary will not be much of a job-motivation.)
Now this got me thinking. I would never want to "retire" at an early age, but on the hypothetical, what if I do not join the fight for tenure and instead effectively tenure myself?
I know that there are many people without university affiliation, who occasionally publish some papers, but are there any who do this full time? There would be enough time to talk with collaborators, write articles I am actually interested in, visit guest lectures at the local universities and the occasional conference on a holiday. Apart from teaching, I would do what everyone else is doing, just on my own. But would it work the same? A possible doubt is, would many people even be interested in working with me? I'm a reasonably competent mathematician but would probably be ineligible for many sources of funding, couldn't offer a big name or any return visits, and would be less motivated to get joint work published in the best possible journal. To put the question succinct:
**Is life as a full-time "independent researcher" feasible?**
What are other pros and cons? Are there precedents (apart from bored 18th century noblemen)?<issue_comment>username_1: I think this is completely feasible for a mathematician and maybe several other fields. No academic affiliation is needed to attend academic conferences or to publish papers. What you need is some means of collaboration to help firm up your ideas, nothing more, really. For that you need to meet people and to exchange ideas.
What would be frowned on, however, is replacing a paid faculty member with a volunteer. Most people do need that paycheck and it seems somehow *wrong* to deny someone that opportunity. You aren't suggesting that, of course, so I see no issue.
The easy way to achieve it, assuming that you live near to some large university (preferably) with a large faculty, is just to go and introduce yourself. You might need an invitation first, arranged by email, campus security being what it is today. If you can interest a member of the faculty (or a few) to talk to you about common interests you could probably get a standing invitation to participate in research seminars and such. If your ideas are sound, people will be happy to work with you.
Since internet communication is easy these days you could even use a conference to meet people and then work remotely. Or use your Alma Mater as a source of contacts.
One possible negative, however, is the level of commitment you are willing to make. If you are working on joint research, you need to do your part so that others aren't let down. I don't see that as a big issue in mathematics, but it might be in some fields.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> I know that there are many people without university affiliation, who occasionally publish some papers,
>
>
>
sounds a bit like me (I'm still working, a lot actually - started freelancing/my own business which is still quite close to research. I'm chemist specialized at data analysis, so can do with an office. At the moment have an academic side job, though.)
Here's my experience:
>
> There would be enough time to talk with collaborators,
>
>
>
As a lone wolf worker, you may be in more need for that than they are, though. Personally, after seeing former colleagues I'm quite happy that now I'm not subject to certain quite stressful experiences they have. Like having to write articles they are not actually, let's say, interested, in (or convinced about the scientific merits).
>
> write articles I am actually interested in,
>
>
>
(somehow less than I thought I will - they still don't write themselves)
>
> visit guest lectures at the local universities and the occasional conference on a holiday.
>
>
>
:-)
>
> Apart from teaching,
>
>
>
(Well, I still do that as part of my business)
>
> I would do what everyone else is doing, just on my own.
>
>
>
I'm far more independent than I was before. That is, I found that academic independence is mostly reserved to the professors over here but at the same time that any "career advance" above postdoc positions involve a change in profession from researcher to manager of researchers. For me personally, I thought it is easier and faster to achieve independence outside academia (starting a business is not without burocracy, administrative stuff or writing grant proposals [called offers] - but at least the financial results go into my own pocket).
>
> But would it work the same?
>
>
>
(I think it's a bit different)
>
> A possible doubt is, would many people even be interested in working with me?
>
>
>
I find they are. And if you are financially independent, probably even more so. I do have trouble to convince some academics that if they want my *services*, they should actually pay me.
>
> I'm a reasonably competent mathematician but would probably be ineligible for many sources of funding,
>
>
>
Funding tends to think of employee researchers (or students) mostly - at least for the research part of a project. That's why I have that academic side job right now - a project grant where we figured that it would have been too much administrative hassle to try and get the existing funding released so they could hire me as consultat - so instead I'm employee with highly non-standard contract...
(Being SME industry is a funding category as well, though - but being an SME that provides research instead of getting research input is again outside the box)
>
> couldn't offer a big name
>
>
>
(neither can I)
>
> or any return visits,
>
>
>
I try to drop by colleagues whenever the occasion allows that.
>
> and would be less motivated to get joint work published in the best possible journal.
>
>
>
I wouldn't say less motivated - it doesn't have the same prioritypressure as before.
For me also: if it is unpaid, then it has to wait until there's time for it. But most of my academic colleagues understand that - after all few of them would continue to work with the same priority if their institute didn't pay them.
However if a professor with permanent position comes along and thinks they can get significant amounts of free consulting and data analysis because they mention a co-authorship on some possible future "paper" I usually answer by sending an offer for a consulting contract which includes a paragraph stating that authorship for possible publications is decided strictly according to the [DFG](https://stats.stackexchange.com/a/104750/4598) authorship rules (or COPE - doesn't matter, the rules are the same).
That's another interesting finding: [some academics seem to think that the usual authorship rules don't apply](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/119699/725). to me - presumably because I'm outside academia now (I had collaborations with them before - this is new).
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/13
| 2,012
| 8,519
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<issue_start>username_0: When I was taking my gen-ed classes for nursing school (anatomy, microbiology, etc), I could go to the end of the professor's Powerpoint and click on any of the references if I wanted to find out more information about a subject.
When I got to nursing school, I discovered that their Powerpoints were a disaster. When I click on "file" in the Powerpoint, I see that the Powerpoints were originally created by another faculty member as far back as 1998. No one has updated the textbook pages referenced within the PPT to reflect the current textbook (very frustrating when you're trying to study for a test). No new drugs or conditions have been added. We're getting 1998 information.
I also noticed that some of the "facts" listed in the Powerpoint were changed to 2016 or 2017 (example: "According to a 2016 study, 1 in 10 nurses will be subject to violence from a patient."- a completely fabricated "fact"). Bored in class, I ran a search on the "facts" and discovered that most of them were either made up, or if they were true, the date had been changed so that the Powerpoint appears to be current. There are no sources listed at the end of any of the Powerpoints.
I complained about the textbook pages in the Powerpoint not matching the current text, and received a "disciplinary memo" in my file because my email was considered "incendiary", even though it was factually written and non-accusative.
When we write papers, we as students can be expelled for plagiarism or lose the grade if we invent facts or fail to cite sources correctly. Shouldn't instructors be held to the same standard?<issue_comment>username_1: You have quite a few assertions in this question that seem to reflect a misinterpretation of information that you have obtained.
To answer your specific question: No, lecture presentations are summary material meant to help you (as a learner) identify and understand the important points in more detailed material from your textbook, personal reading and other materials. There is no requirement to reference them.
But you appear to be coming from a perspective where you are disappointed in the quality of the materials (understandable) and therefore attributing things you notice to a cover-up. It is much more likely that your lecturer simply hasn't been able to produce high quality resources due simply to a lack of time and potentially skills. But you can still use the lecture materials as a guide, not a complete set of knowledge as you seem to want to do.
For example, when you check the powerpoint File menu and see 1998, that does not mean they haven't been updated since 1998. That means the first version was created in 1998. You have no idea whether any of that content is even still in the slides. In fact, it is obvious that they must have been updated since 1998 as nobody would have reported a 2016 statistic in 1998.
You can be very confident that your lecturer is not making up statistics. They may have mistyped the year and meant a 2017 study, accidentally typing 2016. While it is true that there are examples of making things up, there is no benefit in doing so for lecture materials. More likely, they are referring to a study that you haven't seen. The difference between 1/4 and 1/10 is likely due to different definitions of violence (for example, does it include verbal abuse?).
You are a student at an educational institution. To get the most out of your education, try a more inquisitive approach. For example, ask for a reference to the violence study so you can understand what is covered by violence. You need to think about the information, not just remember it.
Being confrontational does not help you resolve the situation. If you hadn't already lodged a complaint, you could have sent an email to the lecturer noting that the page references are to a previous edition (which is probably the edition that the lecturer has on their bookcase) and providing new page numbers. After all, it's probably not too hard to look the topics up in the index. You could have also sent an email saying that it would be helpful to have references to the studies so you could get further information on those you found interesting and perhaps noting a couple of studies you wanted to look up and ask for those references even if the lecturer was unable to provide a complete list. However, I would recommend against doing that now.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The situation you are describing is not very pleasant. I try to cover most aspects in order of appearance.
* First of all, everyone citing work must reference it (including images). It is not just helpful for you as a learner to find the original material, but also a legal liability.
* A ppt creation date or author is not a helpful information source. The date of the most recent change and most recent author might be helpful, but maybe the ppt style (corporate design) was created long time ago by the named autho. I just checked one of my very recent ppts which was created 2011 by a person I don't know - and I created every slide in it by myself and it was updated very recently.
* If the slides do not reflect the current textbook you are recommended to use it might be on purpose (which would allow you to ask why this is the case) or just lazyness of your teacher - which is just frustrating since you can not force them to update their slides. It the later is the case, try to compare the content of slides and textbook and try to figure out which information is true (or more relevant) - sometimes slides are only an excerpt of a textbook to reduce complexity. This allows you to make the best out of a bad situation.
* If there are really made-up facts in the slides, this would be a matter of academic misconduct. You should be very sure about it and if you are, report it to a person responsible for academic misconduct. Every insttution should have one.
* The fact that you recieved a "disciplinary memo" is disturbing. At my institution we are glad if students bring up issues with lecture materials and we try to improve constantly. If this is a generally accepted behaviour a your institution, I would consider finding a better place to study. If it's only one teacher, I would recommend to swallow it and move forward, you did your best to improve the situation and if they don't want to improve, you can not force them to do so.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Bored in class, I ran a search on the "facts" and discovered that most of them were either made up, or if they were true, the date had been changed so that the Powerpoint appears to be current. There are no sources listed at the end of any of the Powerpoints.
>
>
> I complained about the textbook pages in the Powerpoint not matching the current text, and received a "disciplinary memo" in my file because my email was considered "incendiary", even though it was factually written and non-accusative.
>
>
>
If you made the same claims in the email as you are making here then that does indeed sound incendiary and accusative. (Note this this does not mean your accusations are false.) It is not clear from your question how you determined that facts were "made up", as opposed to just being things taken from studies that were not referenced, and that you could not find. (Since the date is recent, it is even possible that the factual assertion might come from a study not yet published.) In any case, where an assertion is made without reference, and you find its authenticity to be dubious, the usual first step would be to *inquire* as to the source of the assertion. If you leap straight to an accusation that facts were fabricated, this skips intermediary steps that could allow you to hear from the other side. In such a case, if your accusations turn out to be wrong, it is unsurprising to me that this could lead to disciplinary action.
Notwithstanding this, I want to be clear that it is certainly sloppy work for your teachers to present factual assertions without any referencing that would allow you to check the source of the claim. To some degree, they share the blame if this leads you to claim that they are making things up. However, in these cases 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." Start by making a polite inquiry about the source of asserted facts before you leap to an assertion that facts were fabricated.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/13
| 602
| 2,656
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<issue_start>username_0: I am midway through the third year of a five year graduate program. Grad school has been fine and I am not struggling academically but there is a full-time job offering in my city (in a field related to my program) that is very interesting to me. If I take this job, I will leave my graduate program. I am not considering leaving my program for any other jobs.
What is the best way to go about applying for this job? The application requires two references and I will have a challenging time finding references that are not professors in my program. I would prefer that these professors not know that I am considering leaving the program, as I would like to stay in school if I am not offered the job or if I decide that it is not for me after all.<issue_comment>username_1: I'll assume that you have a great relationship with your professor. Otherwise this would be riskier. Just tell him that an "interesting offer" came up that you think would be worth exploring, though it might require dropping out of the program. I assume that he will have advice for you, which would be good to follow in general. But if you present it in such a way, he and others may be happy to help you with your "exploration".
If you have obligations (family, etc) that make employment rather than continuing more desirable, you could mention that, of course.
But it would be a mistake to telegraph that you are tentative about the degree. People have the right to explore their options. Other people generally recognize that right.
But if your relationship with your advisor or other professors is, in any way, tenuous, you should probably seek recommendations elsewhere.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Sorry, but your problem is overconstrained. If you need two references, and all your potential references are professors, well, obviously at least two of your professors will know about your application. You could ask them not to tell others, but that's about it. In case you don't get the job you'd have to rely on them being professional about it. I'd generally expect them to be, but you know your professors better than we do.
Basically, you'll have to decide what you want the most - the job or no one to know that you're interested in the job. Alternatively, see if one or two constraints can be relaxed, including the constraints you haven't mentioned explicitly. For example, would the company be interested in waiting to hire you after graduation? Can you graduate earlier than planned? The latter is done every now and then when people are leaving for postdocs, so it's not out of the question.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2018/11/14
| 2,364
| 9,988
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<issue_start>username_0: I have been recently thinking about the role of a university curriculum in CS. Computer science degrees immediately offer their graduates a lucrative position in industry; this is obviously making them highly attractive to prospective students who want to get in on the action, and as a result they often care less about their foundational education (say, computational complexity, Turing machines, logic, calculus, proper algorithmic analysis), and more about getting hands-on experience.
I am leaning very strongly against this trend - I believe that at its foundation, our purpose as a faculty is to train computer scientists, not programmers. If they end up being proficient software engineers as a result, this is a bonus, not the main goal. This line of thinking has some very real implications on how courses are taught, what courses are taught and what opportunities we offer our students.
For example, we are at current flooded with requests from other faculties to offer 'low-level' courses to non-CS majors so that their students get the basic training they need in order to code in ML/AI environments. These requests can't merely be ignored.
My question is this: are other CS departments under similar pressure to produce programmers rather than computer scientists? What will be some of the long-term effects of this trend?<issue_comment>username_1: I can only speak for the US, and I'll limit my remarks to undergraduate education there. I've been a student or faculty member at a wide range of colleges and universities from tiny (few hundred students) to massive (tens of thousands). Also a wide range of college focus, including liberal arts colleges, specialized focus colleges, and comprehensive universities. Not everything I can say is current, of course, since the participation started in the early 1960s.
Undergraduate education in the US, is normally very broad, encompassing much of the knowledge of "Western" (now broader) thought. The goal is to "produce" an "educated person generally" and one who is well placed for a lifetime of productive activity. There isn't a focus on "training for the job market", but many of the skills are useful there - thinking, writing, analyzing, debating, etc. In addition to the general education requirements, students normally have a major (possibly two) in which they focus more deeply. Computer Science has been a potential major for only about fifty years and the education has changed as the field has changed. Of course, it is still changing at a rate faster than many other fields.
The "hot job market" for CS graduates is an incredibly transient thing. The market runs both cold and hot. Students are a bit fickle about what majors they want to study based on news reports and such. Sometimes it is CS and other times it is Finance, depending on general economic conditions. Other fields don't seem to have these extreme cycles. I can't remember a "hot" market for mathematics since the early Sputnik days. I have also lived through periods in which you couldn't find CS students anywhere.
But, I don't know of very many places in which the faculty that design curricula think of their job as vocational. While most of our students do wind up working in the field, the faculty really wants to position their students for a wider range of option, primarily advanced education. If we don't make it possible for our students to enter an advanced program, we have failed. That, at least, is the perception that I notice.
Vocational education does occur in "Junior Colleges" of course, some of which have that mission (though not all do).
Also, I wonder about a perception that companies simply want colleges to teach students the latest tools and languages. I actually doubt that is true. I think they want intelligent people who can fairly quickly be productive, but who have the depth to grow with the future needs of the company. They don't really want "just programmers", though when you pin down the people who do the hiring that is what they say - since that is their job. What the company really wants is someone who can think, write, analyze, .... More important, that is what they need.
An anecdote. I once had a class of technical wonders who did essentially everything you asked of them. Mixed in was a student with somewhat modest technical skills. My prediction for her was that she would eventually wind up being the boss/manager of the whiz kids since she was the one in the class that always asked "why are we doing this? why is it important?". I still think that perspective is what leads to success. Not just "how does this work?"
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I am strongly opposing this trend of making "programmers in [whatever]" in higher education. I [think](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/118984/can-a-lecturer-force-you-to-learn-a-specific-programming-syntax-language/119006#119006), one should teach concepts.
A short trip to a CS brick-and-mortar library (if you still have this section there at all) shatters any illusion that a technology in CS can be somewhat long-living. Almost any 10 years old book on practical programming is pretty much useless now. Most 5 year old books on the same subject are like this, too.
One can impossibly hope that teaching a practical subject to someone would help them last their career long. We don't have that many COBOL jobs out there, you know.
Of course, it's impossible to teach *only* concepts. We need some kind of a practical application to practice them. But right now, my students learn Haskell. And the concepts from my lecture would make them better programmers, irrelevant to what they'd program in their later life: C++ or Kotlin or *(gasp)* JS.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You appear to have framed this as a spectrum between vocational and "academic" emphasis in undergraduate studies. I think it is an interesting exposition that can shake loose the failings of each extreme but I have to reject this premise of your question.
First, taking it as true, I have to argue that a vocational focus should be preferred. We live in a market-driven economy which is just as forceful with human skills as it is for competition between Apple and Samsung. Students choose to **SPEND** 4 years of their lives pursuing various branches of knowledge -- the choice of which should not be made absent an understanding of this fact. There may be a benefit to society in having academics pursue purely theoretical works (not the least of which is the potential that that research might get swept up into something with practical benefits) but this cannot be the focus of every, or even most, students.
Now rejecting this premise, I have to say that the two go hand in hand with one another. Taking Turing machines as an example; there is a wealth of practical knowledge that share a common framework with Turing machines (e.g. regular expressions). You can teach Turing machines until the cows come home -- so long as you are also teaching regular expressions and compiler theory, you can serve both objectives. What I found in my undergraduate studies, was that the intuitive basis of Turing machines (regular expressions) was omitted to give the course the air of intense academic theory; the approach was dishonest.
This was consistent with what I found in a lot of courses after first year undergrad; professors stop teaching from first principles and expect students to absorb the subject matter from a conglomeration of theoretical rhetoric. For instance, neural networks was taught as a complex modelling of the brain when in reality its simplest exposition is in optimization of simple functions.
If one were to "leanvery strongly" against the vocational trend, I fear that the result would be this "Emperor's New Clothes" scenario I've described above. It takes its seat in the same ego-driven nonsense that allows for [Star Wars fictions being published in scientific journals](https://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/four-scientific-journals-accept-fake-study-about-midichlorians-from-star-wars/).
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> My question is this: are other CS departments under similar pressure
> to produce programmers rather than computer scientists? What will be
> some of the long-term effects of this trend?
>
>
>
With respect to the first part of this question, I think the answer is undoubtedly yes. As discussed on the SIGCSE mailing list over the last year or so, the field is presently in a "capacity crisis" (a good summary [here](https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/CSCapacity.pdf)). Every practically institution with a strong reputation in the field has seem explosive growth in enrollments. Even at lesser-known colleges and SLACs, it's common to hear of doubling or tripling demand. Accompanying this is increased demand from non-majors. For example, the biology department at my college would like most of their students to take a computing course.
As to the long-term trends, opinions differ. Roberts (of the article I linked to above) points out that this is not a new phenomena. The current expansion is preceded by one in the 80's, and another in the 90's. Both of those ended when CS departments began to impose strict admissions criteria, and greatly scaled back their teaching loads. By taking only the most experienced and/or gifted students, it became easy to teach in a more rigorous or foundational way again.
It's not clear what will happen this time around, but ultimately there are only two possible options: supply will expand to meet demand, or demand will shrink to meet supply. The former seems likely to lead to the hiring of many more instructional positions, "Professors of Practice", and other roles with a focus on practical skills. The latter seems likely if there's a tech crash again, and could plausibly lead to CS education's demand looking more like mathematical education again.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/14
| 579
| 2,474
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm about to write a paper that includes extensive searches on google with different queries. Is there any ways for me to show in my paper that this search provided these results at the time being?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Is there any ways for me to show in my paper that this [Google] search provided these results at the time being?
>
>
>
**No**, this isn't possible: the *same search* can simultaneously produce *different results*, because Google considers factors beyond the supplied search term, e.g., location.
That said, solutions are possible if you are willing to consider just the results of a single search. (Perhaps that's what you meant anyhow.) Leading to:
**Yes** (partly), you just need to record the raw result data (which will be authenticated, hence, cannot be forged\*), which you can (probably) do using [curl](https://curl.haxx.se/) (with option `--trace` ), for instance.
Ultimately, **reproducibility is unattainable, but you can prove your results were derived by your method**, as I have explained. (Your work might be useful without such proof.)
---
\*There are some caveats.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: **I think copy and pasting the text or making screenshots is enough.**
Google search results are out of your control, therefore not deterministic from your perspective.
If you want an additional integrity or certification, I think you are asking for too much. No research that I can think of comes with this kind of attestation. A biological research paper does not have an appendix with a sworn and signed statement saying: "*I, cell 4588, hereby solemny swear that I divided 20% faster after being injected with chemical X.*"
Strictly speaking, nobody believes you until your results have been reproduced by other parties, anyway. Until then your paper is just a claim.
Seeing how Google search results are out of your control, the best you can do is describe what observations and deductions you made and then theorize on the hidden (deterministic?) model behind them. Screenshots or text results would then merely serve to illustrate your observations.
This is why having a detailed methodology section is important. The more details you provide, the better other scientist can approximate the circumstances of your experiments. Details could be your location, time, whether you cleared your cookies, whether you were signed in, operating system, etc.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/15
| 340
| 1,488
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm planning to apply to a number of university (public policy) programs in US and I do not know how to express my dismissal from public service following the political turmoil in Turkey. I was dismissed with a decree law, no charges, without being questioned like tens of thousands. How can I state this situation?
Also, how can I include the gap resulted after dismissal?<issue_comment>username_1: I think that under the circumstances you can just tell it truthfully and completely. The recent political turmoil in Turkey was widely reported here, and I think most people would both understand and sympathize with it.
You might also point to the fact that you weren't alone and that the dismissals had nothing to do with the competence of those dismissed. There are plenty of news stories that could be noted.
We aren't perfect here, but so far, our political institutions are holding up.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: For positions of this type, I would include 2-3 bullets on the CV describing your work/accomplishments. In one of those bullets, you would say something about the circumstances of the position ending (in this particular case). As @username_1 says, US academics are broadly familiar with the circumstances.
It might also be something interesting to work into your Statement of Interest. Including the story may be appropriate if it is relevant to your reasons for pursuing the degree and plans after degree completion.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/15
| 992
| 3,768
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<issue_start>username_0: For whatever reason, authors are occasionally able to guess who the reviewers of their papers are. Sometimes these guesses [have even gotten published](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/best-academic-acknowledgements-ever):
>
> "We appreciate the very candid critical insights of 2 anonymous reviewers, <NAME>, and <NAME>." In [Conservation Biology](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.12327/abstract).
>
>
> "We do not gratefully thank <NAME> for his useless and very mean comments." In [ESA](http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2006ESASP1306..453G).
>
>
>
What is the best way for an editor to handle these not-necessarily-correct guesses, if they are noticed:
* during peer review (e.g. in the cover letter or author response to reviewers)
* after acceptance?<issue_comment>username_1: I suspect this is rare enough that there is no "standard procedure".
If I were the editor, I'd ask for #1 to be deleted as the authors presumably cannot really be sure who the reviewers are (unless they are known to have voluntarily revealed their identities).
I'd ask for #2 to be deleted as it is simply in poor taste. If they want to complain publicly about the review, they can do so in the "letters to the editor" column (if they are more polite about it), but it doesn't belong in the paper itself.
If the authors make guesses about the reviewers in the cover letter (not in the manuscript itself), I'd just ignore them, or perhaps say something like "Obviously, I will neither confirm nor deny your guesses."
(Disclaimer: I'm not an editor.)
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: **Editors need not respond to author guesses.**
Regarding,
>
> We appreciate the very candid critical insights of 2 anonymous reviewers, <NAME>, and <NAME>.
>
>
>
There is no suggestion that either <NAME>, <NAME>, or both were anonymous reviewers. Actually, [the serial comma suggests they are not](https://www.google.com/search?q=serial%20comma%20jokes). (Even if the comma were absent, I'd perhaps assume authors were unfamiliar with its need.) Similarly,
>
> We do not gratefully thank <NAME> for his useless and very mean comments.
>
>
>
Gives no suggestion that <NAME> was a reviewer.
*(Useful) insights and comments are provided beyond the reviewing process and should be acknowledged*.
---
There might be exceptions -- e.g., if authors are claiming reviewer bias, having correctly guessed the reviewer's identity -- but the OP doesn't provide sufficient details to determine whether that's the case here.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: What gets published:
* The paper itself - **gets published** (if it passed review).
* The guesses themselves - **don't get published**, i.e. the naming of people gets removed from the acknowledgements.
* The positive acknowledgements - **get published**.
* The negative acknowledgements - **published after editing the snideness out**. This kind of oblique comments are not appropriate in a scientific publication.
I would also do the following:
1. Talk to the reviewers, preferably in an audio conversation rather than an email exchange, to try and feel out whether you believe there was some clear bias in the review which also led to them being found out, or whether it was innocent (e.g. because so few people on the PC are capable of reviewing). This is particularly important in case of a *rejection*.
2. Suggest to the authors to replace the negative acknowledgement with a letter to the editors and/or a blog post. Argument: "Do you think that people 100 years from now need to read jabs at dead people within last century's scientific community? It's unbecoming and cheapens your work."
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/15
| 1,250
| 4,903
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<issue_start>username_0: In my Literature Review, I mention the authors of the published papers I use and the results found in their study. My question is whether I should reference the author's credentials alongside the field in which they belong to or is this unnecessary?
Ex.1 (With)
"<NAME>, a researcher in the department of economics at Gothenburg University, studied the effects of refugees on public finance, finding similar results."
Ex.1 (Without)
"<NAME> studied the effects of refugees on public finances, finding similar results."
Ex. 2 (With)
"In contrast to the conclusions drawn by Ruist, <NAME> Hammarstedt, and Storesletten, <NAME>, Professor in Political Science at University of Gothenburg, argues the sustainability of the Swedish welfare state is not under threat by refuge migration."
Ex. 2 (Without)
"In contrast to the conclusions drawn by Ruist, Alden and Hammarstedt, and Storesletten, <NAME> argues the sustainability of the Swedish welfare state is not under threat by refuge migration."<issue_comment>username_1: What matters is the work presented in the paper. So you just write
>
> Ruist [1] studied the effects of refugees on public finance, finding similar results.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: There are occasions when inclusion of author credentials is useful (especially in the general press), academic publications (generally) aren't such an occasion and I've never seen such an inclusion in academic publications. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a discipline that includes author credentials in publications.
**TL;DR: Without**
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: I have the impression the academic discipline may factor into this. I cannot recall ever reading a phrasing like your "with" examples in any STEM publication, but in the social sciences this may easily be different. From my limited experience with social sciences, many papers seem to have a bit more of a "conversational" tone to them, and your "with" examples would probably fit in more in such a style than with the fairly dry and reduced style of writing that is often preferred in STEM.
That said, what I have sometimes seen as a mixture, as in:
>
> Conversely, researchers at the University of Gothenburg [1] have stated ...
>
>
>
That is, I have seen people mention the place where the research was conducted, but not the credentials. Obviously this would happen if it could have at least some tangential relevance where this research has been conducted. In your example, if the other researchers were outside of Sweden a reader may be inclined to put more trust into a statement on the Swedish welfare state from researchers actually working in Sweden versus people who only look at it from the outside. It goes without saying that this is simply not the case in most STEM publications (although, as I wrote, I have seen it come up very occasionally).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I also have never seen in a literature review mentions of an author's credentials unless it is directly relevant to discussion. For example, during certain periods of time two different universities might have had different approaches to a philosophical orientation. In that case, noting where an individual was located at a given time *might* give some insight. So, an individual at the University of Chicago for Economics (neoclassical approach) might be contrasted with someone from the Austrian approach. So:
>
> <NAME> [1], while lecturing at the University of Chicago, astounded his colleagues by suggesting massive federal expenditures.
>
>
>
Without some note about the UofC, the astonishment would not make much sense.
The American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines suggest that academic credentials are omitted. There is [a blog post here](https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2017/05/whats-in-a-name-names-with-titles-in-them.html) where the guidance is that:
>
> Typically APA Style reference list entries and in-text citations do not include the authors’ academic credentials or professional titles.
>
>
>
This assertion is somewhat associated with section 2.02 (APA 6th edition). The MLA has similar guidlines.
There is a note that if the credentials "are relevant to the discussion" they may be included, which I think follows with my opening observation. [This blog post on the MLA](https://style.mla.org/author-credentials/) also suggests the omission of qualifications unless it directly makes a point:
>
> You might, however, explain the qualifications of an author in the body of your essay if they are helpful in making your point or refuting a claim
>
>
>
So, based upon the OP's examples, the answer would be "without" as the titles and affiliation are not directly relevant to the discussion. The APA and MLA guidelines are in agreement on this point, I think.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/15
| 904
| 4,078
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<issue_start>username_0: One of my faculty, during a lecture, told the following lines
>
> some good journals and conferences even consider the country of
> authors and sometimes they think that the research papers from a
> particular country may be not good. So, we need to be more careful
> while writing the paper and regarding its novelty.
>
>
>
Is his claim true? Does the reviewers and editors of the journal consider the country as one of the factors in the decision?<issue_comment>username_1: I am not sure that I ever seen any substantiation statistical research on it, but it is definitely believed that researchers from some countries are under pressure to generate large quantities of research papers, but not necessarily under the same pressure regarding the quality of their research. The lists are subjective and vary from one researcher to another, but often include China, India, Russia and post-Soviet countries, etc. So, yes, peer-reviewers may have a subconscious bias against research papers from these countries. This bias may be further amplified by the language barrier — if the paper is written in sub-par English, it may reflect on the perception of research explained in the paper.
However, reviewers should not allow their bias to affect their decision and there are systems in place to ensure they don't. Good journals have good policies which encourage reviewers to work with their bias and also involve a diverse panel of reviewers to consider the merits of the paper more objectively.
Regarding your last statement, yes, it is always good to carefully check your paper before submission and stress the novelty and usefulness of the proposed research idea.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: You won't find any editor willing to say that they are influenced by the authors' country. It's both something that's politically incorrect and something that people don't want to think is true for them. But that's not to say subconscious bias doesn't exist. Similar to gender bias, nobody is willing to say they're biased, but somehow, at some level, they exhibit biased behavior.
I'd say that there is some level of bias in respect to an author's country, but it's small and no "good journals and conferences" will ever state that they consider the author's country in a negative way (they might, however, consider the authors' country in a positive way, viz. "authors from developing countries are especially encouraged to submit").
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: When reviewing a paper, you subconsciously have an expectation of how good it is. If you know previous work by the authors and liked that work, you expect to find good work in the paper under review (and you are much more disappointed if this expectation is not fulfilled). This can affect the way the paper is read and hence the review as well. Similarly, the institution names of the authors induce some expectation of quality if the institution is known to the reviewer. Double-blind review is supposed to minimize this effect, but there are always some hints left in the paper.
Now a western reviewer may be less likely to know for the majority of Asian institutions how well-reputed they are. This means that the authors do not get a subconscious bonus here. This is normally not a big deal if the paper is good enough, but for journals with low acceptance rates, this can be problematic for papers that are close to the borderline of acceptance.
Likewise, language may be a big deal here. For instance, experienced US-American reviewers may have seen all the usual writing errors that French, Italian, and German native speakers typically make, and because of this these do not obstruct their understanding of the paper content. But for the typical errors made by Asians, this may be different, and a reviewer who is not certain about the meaning of some statements in the paper is just less likely to write a very supportive review. Local customs in structuring the paper and building up a compelling argument may also lead to a similar effect.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am working as a young scientist after finishing my masters in physics in India. In last three years, I have published 12 research papers (Quantum theory) with my collabrators. I am facing problems in registering for PhD in my institute.
How can I get a Doctrate degree based upon my research papers without registering for PhD. ??
Is there any such degree in India or abroad which can be awarded to me based upon my research papers ??<issue_comment>username_1: The only way to get awarded a PhD without registering first is to have a University regard your work so highly that they offer you an "Honorary PhD". You usually see mention of these in the press sometimes for celebrities who have done things over and above the normal...
You may find that a University will take the papers you have produced as some equivalent towards what they will accept, but you will have to apply.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I doubt that you will find such a thing anywhere. An earned doctorate almost always (I know of no exceptions) requires an official registration and most likely, your presence at the institution for some period of time. There are normally qualifying examinations and often (not always) some required coursework.
Your publication history, however, would be a very positive factor in obtaining admission to a program in most places. You don't say why you are having difficulties, so it is impossible to say if there is some impediment.
But the only way to know about your chances are to apply to a program somewhere other than your institute, and possibly in another country. But a research background would help your chances.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: These answers are actually not correct. I received an honorary PhD at the same time as my Masters. From the same school, I proved my experience in the field was more than enough to show my mastery of the industry/field at their research PhD level. I was beyond it and many of those professors actually asked me questions about the field of study in the past. Never took one class at their school at a Doctoral level. I've been to a few other schools at a doctoral level and constantly called out fake schools that were teaching undergraduate topics at that high of a level. lol
If you have publications already, you just need to approach the schools and ask if they have honorary degree programs. Use your publications (as long as they are REAL research and not some fake story nonsense like a lot of people do today). Ask for free tuition to their school to write more publications on the topic. You could land a research job with them and an honorary degree and title. They can pay you to do more research. But the idea of India, being a nonsense place to get a PhD anyways. You will be better off going to the UK, Aussie, or USA to get into a school there on merit and free ride for the doctoral. In anything STEM, get the degree. there is a lot you are missign in current and updated materials in your papers that are already answered and researched by others, that you will never know about, until you go to a Doctoral program and you get access to that material.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Short answer: Yes you can (but not in the manner you requested ... *without registering* ...)
NB: I realised this was ask some years back (2018). This answer can assist others in future.
>
> *How can I get a Doctrate degree based upon my research papers without registering for PhD. ??*
>
>
>
You cannot get a doctorate without registering, except for Honourary Doctorate.
You can however get a doctorate degree based on your research papers through the route describe here.
>
> *Is there any such degree in India or abroad which can be awarded to me based upon my research papers ??*
>
>
>
Outside NA, you have the **PhD by Publication (retrospective route)**. This allows you to ***weave a golden thread (theme) around your publications***. You'll need to register officially though.
NB: there might be some in NA, but I've not come across 'em in the States or Canada.
The PhD by Publication (retrospective) is also referred to as PhD by prior published work, PhD by Published Work, and other names.
NB: the PhD by Publication (retrospective) is different from the PhD by Publication (which technically is the prospective route).
In the prospective route, you publications during your doctoral candidacy/residency counts towards your thesis. You'll write an introduction and conclusion, or you write introduction, literature review and conclusion. In some places, it is referred to as thesis by article.
In your case, if your publications are in credible outlets (typically journals) and if there's a sustained theme across them, you can approach universities.
They'll require you to submit a 7500 to 20000 words exegesis or commentary or summary or synthesis. The name, format or length varies from institution to institution.
You can look at the UK and Australia. There are others though.
You might need to note that some restrict the PhD by Publication (retrospective) to
* their staff
* their alumni
* their associate (those with strong affiliations to them).
NB: the PhD by Publication (retrospective) describe here is not the same as PhD by practice, or practice-based PhD (which are common for artefacts based disciplines; fine arts, fashion, curating, arts-writing, music et al)
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I need to submit an assignment and I need to copy some part of my friends thesis with his consent because I do not have enough time to write in my own words. Another issue is that his thesis is not available online to refer it.
So, it it ethical to copy information with consent?<issue_comment>username_1: Plagiarism (other than self plagiarism) is representing another's work as your own. It is never permitted. However, you can incorporate ideas and even some quotes from the work of others as long as you cite it properly and don't give the impression that the ideas are yours.
You can cite unpublished work by giving the author's name, title, date, etc and marking the reference as "private communication" or "unpublished work".
Just be clear that the work is that of your friend and not your own.
If you quote too much of it, while it may be ethically allowed, with permission, it would be looked at in a negative light by many.
And don't confuse copyright with plagiarism. Having the right to republish doesn't give you the right to misrepresent the source.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: No. If you don't cite, you're still passing off this work as your own to others, chiefly to whoever grades the assignment. That's pretty much the definition of plagiarism; consent of the author doesn't change this aspect.
If you cite your source clearly (whether it's available online or not) and format what you copy as a quote, it wouldn't be plagiarism, but chances are the instructor expects you to put in the work yourself.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> I need to submit an assignment and I need to copy some part of my
> friends thesis with his consent because **I do not have enough time to
> write in my own words.**
>
>
>
Careful. Even if you did, that would **still count as plagiarism**. I highly recommend you study the rules of plagiarism as it may affect your credibility in the future.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Because [@username_1 answered](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/120122/64647), and what they said was 100% true, but in my view could be misconstrued given the background you offered, I am posting a separate answer:
No
==
No, you cannot do what you want to do. What you want to do is effectively submit your friend's work as your own. You want this because you don't have time to write it yourself, you say.
Which means: you didn't do the assignment, and now you can't. You want to work around this inconvenient truth by submitting another's work as your own.
You **don't have a paper to submit**. Full stop. That's the reality, and you have to contend with the consequences of that reality.
Here's a test. If you properly quoted, cited, and attributed the work to your friend, which you are obliged to do¹, what mark would your professor give you on this paper? Would it be the same as the mark you'd get if you *didn't* mention the words were written by him²?
Doing the arithmetic, the difference in the marks is the precise value of your plagiarism.
---
¹ Plagiarism isn't about *consent*, it's about *attribution*. You can very often quote someone without their explicit consent, but never without their permission.
For example, <NAME> said "Borrowed thoughts, like borrowed money, only show the poverty of the borrower". <NAME> didn't give me her permission to quote her here. I didn't even ask. But it's not plagiarism because *I attributed the words she wrote to her, and didn't try to pass them off as my own*.
Now *copyright* is another issue. It may be that one day Lady Blessington's estate may sue me for *copyright* violations, because I didn't get their *consent* to use her words in this post. But I'll never be sent up the river for *plagiarism* for it.
² Addressing a smaller matter in your question: would it surprise you to learn that it's not only possible, but extremely commonplace, [to cite material that is not online](https://libguides.scu.edu.au/harvard/theses)? It may even be that when your prof got his PhD, not one of his citations was online. But he managed it still.
"It's not online" is not an excuse to avoid citation; it's almost absurd. Though I suppose it makes it easier to get past online plagiarism checkers, if that's something you're considering.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: No
==
I think that the main reason why we get questions like this one is that **people in the anglosphere misuse the word "plagiarism" to refer to "cheating by copying your homework"**.
This creates the idea that the main problem with this conduct is lack of attribution. It is not; the main problem is you not doing your homework yourself. Even if you have the consent of the authors, or if you correctly attribute what you submit to them, it doesn't fix this main issue.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: **No. It’s most definitely not ethical and not recommended.**
You are misunderstanding *whose* consent matters here.
Plagiarism is an offense that has multiple victims. The person whose work is being used without attribution is one of the victims and may potentially be harmed by the act. So, the fact that he is giving you his consent actually does matter a tiny bit, and it may be reasonable to argue that it makes the offense a tiny bit (a *very* tiny bit, to be clear) *less* unethical than it would be otherwise.
But while your friend may be the most visible and obvious victim, there are many other victims who may be harmed by your act as much as, or even more, than your friend. By not attributing the source of your text you are defrauding the university into giving you a grade that you have not earned. Then because of those fraudulently obtained grades you are defrauding all future employers and other people who will use those grades, and the degree that you will (hopefully) attain, as a basis for making decisions about employing you, what salary to pay you, whether to be your friends or date/marry you, etc. You do not have “consent” from all of those people to perpetrate such a lie against them, nor is there any conceivable way to get their consent.
The conclusion is that your friend has no more authority to consent to you committing plagiarism using his work than he has to consent to you robbing his grandmother. If you thought that you found some kind of loophole in the system, well, you were wrong.
Good luck with your studies. Be safe, and ethical.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm highly considering attending smaller, lesser known private university to pursue a PhD in cognitive psychology. The university gives full funding, I really mesh the with the professor I'd be working with, and the area is beautiful. The advisor I'd be working with came highly recommended to me by a professor I work with at my current university.
Compared to a lot of the other universities I've visited, the program is much smaller - with about 20 graduate students in total in the whole psychology department. This greatly appeals to me, as I just came from a tier 1 research university with over 60,000 students, and I've been really wanting a more close knit atmosphere.
Ultimately, I think I want to pursue academia, although I'm open to the possibility of industry. My concern is that while the university itself is touted as a "hidden ivy", it's not well renown for its psychology department. The university is not a tier 1 research facility, and the department isn't highly ranked. I'm worried I'm shooting myself in the foot in terms of job prospects later on. How important is the prestige of the program in the grand scheme of things?<issue_comment>username_1: I guess that if you want to teach at Princeton (or Oxford) then go to a place just like Princeton (or Oxford). Otherwise, I think that what you do and the work you complete will have a much bigger impact on your future than the prestige of your institution, which may be overrated. There are a number of R1/Ivy graduates in the news that I consider to have the intelligence of rocks.
Having an advisor with lots of ideas, wherever they are, is a big advantage. Being able to work closely with your advisor is a big advantage in doing good work, provided the advisor does good work.
And, your future may be determined as much by economic conditions as anything. You get no guarantees. In fact, even if you go to Princeton, expecting to teach there later, there is no guarantee that any suitable job will be available there (or at a similar place) at the time you need it.
Choose your institution on a more sophisticated set of criteria than it's perceived reputation.
I went to a big place with a lot of faculty and grad students. But the number of people doing anything that I was seriously interested in was very small. Three or four faculty and half a dozen students.
---
Actually, I should note that many universities (not all) have a policy of not hiring their own graduates. This is to make it more possible to bring in new ideas from the outside, as well as spread their own reputation more widely. Some will make exceptions, but only for the most exceptional candidate. As an aside, I recommended that my own BS and MS students go elsewhere for their next degree, just to be able to bump up against fresh ways of thinking.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Prestige does matter to a certain degree, especially for schools that are rich in tradition and prestige. (E.g. Harvard is not likely to hire someone with a PhD from North Dakota State). We fool ourselves if we believe that prestige has no impact on the hiring process in academia.
I will even admit, when I receive faculty applications to make reviews and suggestions on, I look at the university the applicant went to and make a judgement on a candidate based on how prestigious the institution they received their PhD from is. *I do not use this as my only basis for making a decision on fitness for hiring of course.*
However, all this being said, there are broad bands which universities fit into. A program ranked 105th in the nation is likely not going to be able to place their graduates at a program ranked 5th. But if you went to the 35th ranked school and have a good publication record and potential, getting a tenure-track position at the 20th best school is certainly within the realm of possibility.
Overall, someone who went to a smaller school, yet has published widely and influentially in the field, is much more likely to obtain a quality faculty position than someone who went to a top tier school and has no publications.
As for your personal situation, I feel that it is always better to go to a program that balances education and employment opportunities with program "likability" (if there is such a thing). You do not want to end up in a program you hate just because it is at a better known school.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I study in an institution that never provided me or any other student with an institutional email address. I feel that this is highly prejudicial to my academic success because
1. it does not allow me to access closed content, unless I'm accessing it through an institutional computer; and
2. it prevents me from being acknowledged by the scientific community.
Because I don't have a valid institutional email address, my profile at Google Scholar doesn't on searches. I cannot create a Scopus profile for the same reason. I really feel that it's holding me back when it comes to fully participating in the academic sphere. I've already filed 2 requests with my institution for an email, but they simply answer that they don't hand them to masters' students.
My question is whether there are alternatives that are suitable to my case that don't involve arguing with the dean about it, because I'm literally days away from my graduation, and if I'm not mistaken, I believe those expire when you graduate. Am I wrong?<issue_comment>username_1: To respond to your question at the end of the post: Yes, your email address with your institution would most likely expire after your graduation. For that reason, I barely used the email address provided by my University.
Without going into detail of benefits of an email with your institutions domain, I would suggest creating an email account that you will keep throughout your carrer. I think its nice to have one that wont change if you change the institution you work for.
Personally, I created an address with startmail.com. I felt like it looked more professional than a @yahoo or @gmail address.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Some scientific organizations like ieee provide an life-long (or membership-long) e-mail adress which can be used in an academic context. The advantage is, that it will stay valid even if your affiliation changes. The downside is, you will collect spam forever ;-).
In our university, all students are in a dedicated "<EMAIL>" scheme, and they are deleted a few months after graduation. This does not help for long-term communication issues, but allows access for restricted content during the time of study.
In general, I believe your institution should provide an e-mail address due to many reasons (e.g. authentification, ease of communication, etc.), honestly it is hard to imagine how we would run our institution without.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: First off, sorry to hear that your institution is being unreasonable. They really should offer an institutional email address.
In addition to the other answers, another option is to buy a personal domain and set up email. That costs about $1/month. That gives you `<EMAIL>` or similar. I use this (and also have a website) and consider it a good alternative to ever-changing institutional email addresses.
*Answering your other questions:*
Either your institution provides institutional access to various services or it doesn't. An email address will not change this. You need to work with your institution to see what options there are for off-campus access. Most places provide off-campus access through a proxy service. Check the library website for such information. The alternative is to pay for such services yourself.
The expiry of institutional email addresses is a matter of the institution's policy and this varies from place to place. Some will expire immediately when you leave. Some will remain active for, say one year. Some will continue indefinitely. I have experienced all three policies. Many people prefer to use personal email addresses wherever possible in order to avoid dealing with expiring email addresses.
*Regarding your concerns with Google Scholar:*
To have a public Google Scholar profile, you only need a Gmail account. There is no need for an institutional address. The verified address can be a personal domain (I just checked).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Have you asked your institution's librarians about getting access to databases via the library when you're not using a campus computer? My institution lets me log in to its library from anywhere, using my computer access password. Once I'm logged in I can access all sorts of databases through the library's subscription.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: It’s becoming more acceptable to use non-institutional email addresses to contact collaborators or prospective employers. For example, I use my Gmail account frequently and know several others who this as well. You can create an account for free and even have it forward to your existing email address (or forward your existing address to Gmail).
However, for the purposes of having an “institution” email for academic services, you gave a valid reason for getting one. These do not typically expire after your candidature but it is worth checking University policy on this. In my experience, so do allow you to use them for personal reasons and to continue to access them after you graduate or take up another job. As a researcher, it is in their benefit to support you to do your research, including participating in conferences, publishing on journals, and establishing a reputation with citation tools etc. This means that your email address on your publications should reflect your affiliation with them and you should be able to be contacted with it to support the publication, such as answering questions about published methods and data.
You can dispute their rejection of including you. I did the same when I was a postgraduate student. I was mistaken for an undergraduate and denied an institutional email address. I had to explain that I am conducting research as part of my project which will benefit the University. The status of my course was being changed at the time and there was a lot of confusion about it. I think now those enrolled in it are issued postgraduate email addresses automatically.
In my case, I did not have to involve the Dean. I just had to clarify the status of my course. They handle a huge number of emails each year so there should be no reason that they cannot add an account for you. It will cost them almost nothing. You may need your supervisor to vouch for you that you will comply with university policy for using an email address. As you are not a staff member, it is more difficult to hold students accountable. They may want to ensure that their servers are not used to distribute spam or such things (it’s a huge inconvenience to staff if their domain is blacklisted). There may be some minor paperwork involved. Just ask what you need to do to.
Make sure that you are polite. University administrative staff may not fully understand the details of your course. They handle a large number of students requests per day and likely mostly deal with undergraduates (so they may not understand that the needs of postgraduates are different).
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am looking for some specifications on how to use the alphabetic style for citing properly. I know that there are different solutions and that this is highly related to personal preference or specific requirements. But maybe there is some common way to do it. Consider the following three examples:
>
> 1. [...] was already shown in 1998 by Johnson et al. [JHS98] to demonstrate the specific deployment.
> 2. [...] was already shown in 1998 by Johnson et al. to demonstrate the specific deployment [JHS98].
> 3. [...] was already shown in 1998 by [JHS98] to demonstrate the specific deployment.
>
>
>
Which one would you consider the most standard or most used way?<issue_comment>username_1: **I recommend (2)**, followed by (1) then (3), but my answer is subjective. The citation breaks the flow in (1) and (3), and I consider (3) bad form because the sentence doesn't make sense when the citation is removed.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Numbers 1. and 2. sound perfectly fine to me and are a matter of your personal style. 3. sounds a little unpolished to me and an editor or copy editor might smooth it to one of 1. or 2.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: What is a good way to license your research projects?
Diving into the details of most licences, a lot of their wording and concerns seem centered around 'redistribution', and are not so much driven by the concerns of the spirit of academia.
Personally, I have been active in diverse fields; from fields with great standards in terms of code dissemination, to fields with abysmal or almost complete absence of any standards of code dissemination.
When it comes to making code available for academic use, I am somewhat opposed to 'permissive' licenses, and id prefer to release under the absolute most aggressive 'copyleft' principles. I resent the idea of other so called 'scientists' cranking out non reproducible papers that make use of my carefully packaged and documented work, in any way whatsoever. Yet going over for instance the AGPL, considered one of the most 'copyleft' licenses, it seems to be barking up all the wrong trees.
For instance, technical details concerning 'distribution' like static versus dynamic linking are completely unimportant to me. In fact that whole debate about what constitutes 'redistribution' is rather moot when it comes to research I think. Claiming you did something using some piece of software is arguably always fine under any license that seeks to restrict redistribution; since none is involved.
All I care about is that if you seek to build on my work in any way, that you are bound by the same standards of dissemination. That is, not just some passive duty to make code available upon request (I know how that pans out in practice); but a proactive duty to have your code available on a publicly accessible service, and to have it contain runable examples that I can get going with minimal effort on at least one major platform. That is, without spending days to reverse-engineer your development environment. I suppose that could be formalized by requiring use of some CI service; if you can run some tests automatically, everything needed to run your software must be available as code.
For the specific library I have in mind, I am actually quite happy if people adopt it for commercial use free of charge, and redistribute it in whatever way. Id prefer if they contribute back but whatever. But I am absolutely not fine with perpetuating some of the abysmal code dissemination standards going on in some fields of academia.
Is there any license that covers such an intent? Or is it about time one gets written?<issue_comment>username_1: The short and to the point answer is that no currently existing licence does what you want. If you wanted to do as you say, you'd need to write a new licence. That would probably mean employing lawyers.
The long answer is that I doubt whether any such licence would be enforceable in practice. Further, in general scientific software that is released under restrictive or unusal licences is generally not well used by the community. [See Lior's Pachter experience](https://liorpachter.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/i-was-wrong-part-2/). Important here is not that this was about for-profit vs not-for-profit use, but that when people are unsure about a licence, they just won't use your work.
If you don't care that people won't use your work you must ask why you are releasing it in the first place. One hopes that you are releasing it because you wish to further the horizon of human knowledge and believe that your library has a role to play in doing that. If nobody uses your library, you are not meeting your goal any better than if people used the software in non-reproducible science. I you do not want people to use your library then you are not doing science, anymore than those that refuse to release their data or methods are.
Putting all that effort and cost into inventing a new licence, which in the end might lead to people not using your software is a poor use of resources to achieve your ends. Much better to expend that effort convincing journals not to accept non-reproducible things, reviewers to actually review the reproducible of the code and into creating infrastructure that makes it easy to do.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you want to prevent somebody from incorporating your *code* in further work without also making their code available, then AIUI the GPL (not LGPL) does that.
But you seem to be saying "any scientist who makes advances *based on* the work I have done must do what I say". And that isn't your choice to make. If you publish your research, then (short of patents and the like) you are implicitly giving the rest of the world permission to use your conclusions to make further discoveries in the future. That's sort of the point of it all. You don't get to specify who can use the knowledge you provide, or in what manner. If you don't want other people to build upon it, don't publish it.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I decided to go study Ph.D. in the United States. Is it necessary that my wife be good at English?
I am expressly interested in *legal* and *statutory* requirements of English proficiency for a spouse if I am going to be studying in the United States.<issue_comment>username_1: The short and to the point answer is that no currently existing licence does what you want. If you wanted to do as you say, you'd need to write a new licence. That would probably mean employing lawyers.
The long answer is that I doubt whether any such licence would be enforceable in practice. Further, in general scientific software that is released under restrictive or unusal licences is generally not well used by the community. [See Lior's Pachter experience](https://liorpachter.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/i-was-wrong-part-2/). Important here is not that this was about for-profit vs not-for-profit use, but that when people are unsure about a licence, they just won't use your work.
If you don't care that people won't use your work you must ask why you are releasing it in the first place. One hopes that you are releasing it because you wish to further the horizon of human knowledge and believe that your library has a role to play in doing that. If nobody uses your library, you are not meeting your goal any better than if people used the software in non-reproducible science. I you do not want people to use your library then you are not doing science, anymore than those that refuse to release their data or methods are.
Putting all that effort and cost into inventing a new licence, which in the end might lead to people not using your software is a poor use of resources to achieve your ends. Much better to expend that effort convincing journals not to accept non-reproducible things, reviewers to actually review the reproducible of the code and into creating infrastructure that makes it easy to do.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you want to prevent somebody from incorporating your *code* in further work without also making their code available, then AIUI the GPL (not LGPL) does that.
But you seem to be saying "any scientist who makes advances *based on* the work I have done must do what I say". And that isn't your choice to make. If you publish your research, then (short of patents and the like) you are implicitly giving the rest of the world permission to use your conclusions to make further discoveries in the future. That's sort of the point of it all. You don't get to specify who can use the knowledge you provide, or in what manner. If you don't want other people to build upon it, don't publish it.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/15
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<issue_start>username_0: I often attend talks given by famous presenters in which I’m pretty sure that the presenter has no idea about the topic. By have no idea I mean if you are an attendee that just attracted to this talk because of its title or somebody else told you this is a interesting talk you will be impressed deeply by the high quality of talk, pictures, video, etc. But for me cause I’m part of that research I know that’s just a show and the presenter is not aware about our real problems, concerns, accomplishments, etc. So I would say the whole presentation is just like a movie show not something really scientific. I could understand sometimes these kind of presentations will be given to broader audience to just impress people and maybe attract new opportunities like funding. At the end of the talk I have a lot of questions about the topic and how the things works and I know a lot of things are not clear, accurate, or simply is just wrong, but I give up my question cause I know it will not change anything and it will just create a bad reputation for me.
So my question is should I give up my question because of fear of creating bad reputation or politely ask my question which in most cases I know a general answer without any details will be given by the presenter and no further discussion is possible cause again will create bad reputation that I don’t agree presenter and may think I know more than him/her. Any idea or suggestion is appreciated to give a method to how to deal with this kind of situations.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I often attend talks given by famous presenters in which I’m pretty sure that the presenter has no idea about the topic.
>
>
>
The fact that you say the presenter "often" has "no idea" about the topic does not have the ring of truth.
* I can believe this happening occasionally
* I can believe famous professors giving talks without enough preparation, making simple mistakes, etc.
But for them to "very often" have "no idea" about the entire topic under discussion is difficult to believe. Is it possible that you are fixating on a few minor errors or a poor presentation and missing the significance of the talk?
>
> So, my question is: what should audience members do in such a situation?
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For now, let's assume that you're right and the talk is truly awful. I wouldn't comment on low-quality talks; everyone in the room likely knows that the talk sucked, no need to point it out. Instead, I would ask "clarifying" questions.
* "I was under the impression that..."
* "Didn't [blah] show that..."
* "How does this topic relate to..."
* "Sorry, I'm not understanding. Are you saying that...? What about...?"
that kind of thing.
It's worth giving the speaker a chance to address your questions and perhaps they'll be able to connect the "missing link" that was preventing you from enjoying the talk. But if they can't address your concerns satisfactorily after one or two questions, then I wouldn't engage further; either you are talking past one another or the presenter is an idiot, but debating in the conference will not accomplish anything.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Something similar to this happened recently. <NAME>, a famous mathematician who has won the Fields Medal & the Abel Prize, claimed to have proven the Riemann hypothesis. He gave a talk on it. Suffice to say, few others believed him. You can read about how others dealt with it at e.g. [Science](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/09/skepticism-surrounds-renowned-mathematician-s-attempted-proof-160-year-old-hypothesis) and [New Scientist](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2180504-riemann-hypothesis-likely-remains-unsolved-despite-claimed-proof/).
My summary would be, you're allowed to be critical, but you don't have to point it out to the speaker in person during the talk.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/15
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a first year recent science/STEM international PhD student. My advisor has mentioned to me that it is my responsibility to come up with a project all on my own. I believe the understanding is that I come up with a project and only will receive help when I'm stuck. I'm wondering whether this is normal? I've asked every student in my cohort how they came up with their project and they said it was a mutual thing between them and their advisor. They both sat down and bounced ideas around or their advisor had a grant and they are taking a sub-portion of the grant idea and they will later on in their fourth/fifth years add more to it on their own merits.
I'm very worried about this, because I was always under the notion that in graduate school you receive guidance from your advisor is what projects might work from their experience. Later, at the post-doc level, the person is experienced enough to master their own project from scratch.
I'm in an unfunded lab and don't have access to protocols/money for wet lab. I have come up with multiple ideas, but they don't seem promising. My advisor only liked one of the ideas, however she is not sure that it will work. I spoke with other professors and they don't think my previous ideas will lead anywhere.
There are two other PhD students in my lab. They have not taken their quals yet and are in their fourth years. I'm worried about my future outlook since my advisor has not had a graduated PhD student yet. We are her first ones.
What is my best course of action?
Thank you in advance.<issue_comment>username_1: I would say it is not typical to expect a student to come up with their project completely on their own, although I will admit that I have done this with one particular PhD student who had already demonstrated in his master's project that he was sufficiently capable that it made sense to let him "drive" the project so long as it was something I felt comfortable advising. This was also possible because he had a secure source of funding that allowed us to do this.
However, for a typical student, such a route would be very risky and quite prone to failure, especially if she is just beginning her graduate work. I would not expect the student to be able to come up with independent ideas for a project until well into the course of the PhD program.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I suggest trying for a compromise. Think of some ideas for a direction. When you have a few sketched out, ask for a meeting with your advisor to discuss them. Don't wait until you have selected one of them and worked it up into a research proposal because you will have wasted a lot of time if your advisor rejects it.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/16
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<issue_start>username_0: I am writing a handwritten thank you letter to my professors who wrote the letter of recommendation for me, and I am also buying them a small gift because they really helped a lot throughout the application process.
I'd love to deliver the letter and gift to them in person, but that's just not the option for me now.
I am wondering will the professors receive my letter and gift if I mail them to their department in the university? or should I drop them off at the department reception?<issue_comment>username_1: You can definitely mail the letter and gift to the department. In fact, if the professor isn't on vacation/sabbatical/traveling etc, the receptionists are more likely than most to know where the professor is.
In my experience, there are letterboxes for everyone, so if your letter & gift are small the receptionists will put them in the letterbox; otherwise they'll email/call the professor and tell her there's a package for her.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: As Prof. <NAME> said, just ask for their mailing address, or look it up online.
As a note for other readers, I would say that, at least in the US, many professors might find a small gift a little weird, depending on your relationship. Someone who has mentored you (like it sounds like they have) would be less unusual than someone who has just taught you in a few classes.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Another important point to mention is that you should make sure that your gift is not *too* generous. Some universities have rules in place against personal gifts that exceed a certain monetary value (I think that in my university it's $100 or so). Anything more than that, and the professor will have to (a) report the gift to HR and (b) most likely won't get to keep it. These rules are in place to prevent academic misconduct, so I would really make sure that your idea of small fits university guidelines on what small means.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/16
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<issue_start>username_0: **Context**: I work for a small private company in the US energy sector. Recently, my colleague found an application opportunity for the tool I developed as my PhD dissertation. We tested it out with a public utility to great success, and it's getting some press. There is a high likelihood of future business.
**Lack of citation**: The company is trying to represent the work as a "Company Project" and they have removed all citations and mentions of me individually. I am worried that if I leave the company at some point, they will continue using my science, continue not crediting me, and I will feel cheated, even though I brought up the idea of using it while working here.
**Lack of public voice**: In addition, I was told all press contact must go through our Marketing department, even though I have been contacted independently by journalists that saw me present this project / my science at conferences earlier this year. I am not supposed to speak with them, and instead redirect them to our Marketing group. I find this very odd.
**Question**: On one hand, I am an employee of this company where the project was carried out. On the other hand, I did not develop the tool while in this role - I developed it as a PhD student five years earlier. I feel that because of this, I should receive due credit. The company doesn't own my dissertation knowledge - or do they? What should I do?<issue_comment>username_1: I think that your best bet is to contact the IP department at the academic institution where you did your PhD:
* They can inform you about your rights concerning the work you did there as a student
* Potentially it's also in their interest to get credited for the work done by their PhD students, so they might be your ally in case there is a legal case.
*Edit (addition):*
Alternatively, you could try to negotiate internally with your company, they might be open to offering you something. But in this case you wouldn't be in a strong position, so it depends how you think the company might react.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm not a lawyer, but assuming you're in the US there are some basic protections you have. Your company does not own your intellectual property unless you have explicitly given it to them. Your company cannot control your behavior unless you voluntarily agree to abide by certain rules (such as in an employment contract or employee handbook). If you violate such a contract then they may have grounds to sue you for damages, but realistically the biggest threat they hold over you is termination of employment. You should assess what is it you really want to achieve and what that is worth to you.
That said, if push comes to shove there are specific protections you have over your work:
If they're reproducing or distributing elements of your dissertation or other written works, such as written passages, charts/graphs, user manuals for your tool, etc. these things are protected under copyright. They would normally need your explicit permission to reproduce and distribute these things, and for-profit businesses usually have a very hard time claiming the fair-use exception.
If they're using software you have written then copyright law protects you in a different way. You have the copyright over software you have written, and you control how this software may be reproduced and distributed. Copyright is very powerful in the software realm, since even making a single digital copy for a co-worker is considered reproduction and distribution. However, the way you made your software available is important: if you published it online under any specific license then the terms of that license will dictate how the company can use that software. If you put it online or gave it to them with no specific agreement or license in place then you probably retain all the normal copyright protections.
If your tool is not software but rather a physical tool or a conceptual method, you may have protections under patent law. However, patent protections are not automatic, so if you never filed for a patent then this does not apply to you.
If any of these cases apply then you probably have quite a bit of leverage over the company, if it's really true that your work is an avenue to future business.
Even if you're not protected in these specific ways, you are presumably the expert on your tool and the most capable person when it comes to using it. It took you years to get to the point where you could create and employ your tool effectively, and your refusal to cooperate with your employer could represent years of development time for them. At worst, your current position means that any competitors in the marketplace are facing years of their own development if they want to have someone like you working on their staff.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with username_1 that you should contact your university.
If you feel uncomfortable contacting them, you can always first refer to their policies on intellectual property. It should be available online on their website, and if not, you can always contact them but only ask about intellectual property policies regarding dissertations without giving any information.
If your tool was developed without assistance from sponsored research funds or using school funds or facilities, your university is not likely to claim IP rights. If other people were heavily involved, then credit would obviously have to be shared with them. One thing to be cautious about is that because it's from a Ph.D dissertation, there is a chance that you may have signed something giving the university IP rights or distribution rights. If you received, say, a tuition waver in exchange for work hours, or if it was developed as part of work carried out for the university, that would also make it more likely to be university property.
Now, data obtained from the "project", which I assume refers to the testing of the tool at the public utility, belongs to the company, since you gave them permission (I am assuming) to use the tool for that purpose. However, since the company was in no way involved (I am assuming) in the development of the tool, nor did you transfer IP rights to the company (I am assuming), they can't claim IP rights over the tool itself.
If you signed something that effectively hands over the IP rights of the tool to the company, of course, that's a different story.
That said, I should note that it is likely to be in your best interest to consult your university, because it could save a lot of hassle later down the road. It would be a nightmare if you released a commercial version only to have the university claim ownership.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: You are in an very difficult situation here.
The first thing to realise is that, unlike academia, companies make a point to decouple service from the people who provide it.
This is the opposite from the academic position where you as individual are entitled to be cited properly when your work is used in public. PR of a company does not count as academic work, so the fear of being seen as 'plagiarisers' will not scare them, and as you never mention a patent, there is no infringement there that the company has to be afraid of, either.
Furthermore, your company, I suspect (but IANAL), is entitled to control your public marketing-relevant communication.
I do not think that you can easily force the company to credit *you* as developer of this method. Companies are not academia. They are interested in keeping the credit for themselves, because this means raw money.
If you do not have a patent, the most you can do is to leave them and offer your know-how elsewhere (but again, your methodology/idea of using your technique in this particular context may now contractually "belong" to the company, via NDA or even possible pending patent, so you cannot even suggest this idea anymore to a competitor).
You could consider consulting a lawyer. But, if the matter is only about credit and not money, I do not really see how they can be of much help.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: Claim the tool as your intellectual property, then license or sell it to your company.
The IP to your tool could be held by a few people: you, your university, your funder, maybe even your professor, but it's certainly not held by your company. So unless the tool was released for free (e.g. a CCBY license), you should be able to derive royalties for it. I would speak first to your alma mater's IP office to establish who owns the intellectual property, and then negotiate with your employer.
I'll say though it looks like the conflict of interest will be tremendous. Some employers might argue that you're supposed to do your utmost for your duties (there's such a clause in some of the employment contracts I've signed), which might include using IP owned by you. Even if the company is OK with paying you a royalty, there's still a significant conflict of interest: what if a better tool comes along, would you resist using the better tool because you want to be paid royalties? It heavily depends on you and the company's character, of course, but you might ultimately find you have to work elsewhere.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: **You may not have any rights**:
You invented a tool\*, during your PhD. Presumably you didn't file a patent for your invention and presumably your university didn't either. This severely limits any rights you have.
**I suspect the *knowledge of your dissertation* is public domain: It is not owned by you nor your university, it can be used freely.**
Using your tool as a foundation, your company developed an application, which has been well received. (Developing the application is merely your job.) The company is rightly promoting the application as a "Company Project" and rightly gagging you from speaking to the press, that's the marketing department's responsibility. The application is the company's intellectual property, not yours. You most likely have no right to use the application outside of your employment, e.g., if you leave the company.
>
> The company doesn't own my dissertation knowledge - or do they?
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>
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No they don't, but I suspect the knowledge is public domain.
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> What should I do?
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**Do nothing**, I suspect, but, you haven't given us enough information and you might want to speak to an IP attorney.
---
\*What do you mean by *tool*?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: To some extent, this depends on the *value* of the product, and what you'd like to get out of it.
If the product was developed outside of the company, they have no right to it. They are also unable to protect themselves against claims from you (or maybe your university), as you (or maybe your school!) have every right to just sell the product to a competitor (if you dot a few i's and cross a few t's). If your employer really wants to develop on this idea, and put resources into it, and incorporate it into their plans, it is clearly in their best interests to deal with IP issues up front. Surprises down the road that have to do with these issues are often very unwelcome.
Now, the hard part! These are your employers, and I suspect you would like to maintain a nice relationship with them. Opening this can of worms, however nicely you approach it, does have some likelihood of souring this relationship, so as you go along, you have to think about whether your rewards are worth this risk.
One approach would be to start with your manager, and say "if anyone thinks this software is important, I'd gladly work with you and my school to make sure that we have a solid legal platform to protect the company investment." If they think that's important, they should welcome this. They may also look into this, and say "not worth the trouble" and drop the project. If your ask is simply recognition, and not bucks, I think everyone would end up happy (though be ready for your university to throw in a monkey wrench if they expect licensing fees -- there is certainly a chance that they dig in their heels if the idea has real value).
If your biggest concern is your job, you should consider dropping the whole thing.
All this is complicated. You should certainly consider finding an appropriate lawyer to help your with these issues (I am not a lawyer).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: >
> tool I developed as my PhD dissertation.
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What kind of tool? Over here (Germany) the copyright (i.e. the economic exploitation rights) for *software* are by default owned by the employer, i.e. possibly your university if you had an employment contract for your PhD work. If we're talking about a software tool, they need a license by the owner of the copyright.
Copyright wrt. the dissertation itself is not of importance here unless the company wants to make copies of the dissertation or quote/reuse parts of it (as opposed to using the methods described).
Methods and knowledge described in the thesis: unless there's a patent (which would grant the patentholder the exclusive right to use e.g. that method), everyone is free to use whatever they learn from reading your thesis. Just as you are free to use everything you learned from reading any other book or paper.
Thus:
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> The company doesn't own my dissertation knowledge - or do they?
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No, but they also don't need to own your dissertation knowledge in order to use it. (With the exception of their employees including you) they also cannot forbid anyone else to use that knowledge: they'd need to own a patent on that knowledge (or the copyright for software) to do that.
The important idea behind the patent is that the exclusive rights are granted in exchange for making the content of the patent *public*, i.e. from the point of view of patent law, you had the choice to keep it private (unpublished). But patent law requires you first to think: if you want a patent, i. e. to forbid others to make use of your knowledge, you need to declare that before making the knowledge public. If you don't want your knowledge to be public, keep it secret and neither ask a patent *nor* publish your knowledge. If you want to make the knowledge public, but don't want to forbid anyone to use it: fine, no need to file a patent, just publish it.
Which is what you did:
A normal PhD thesis is public (and published) in every sense of the terms, and so are your research papers.
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> I am worried that [...] they will continue using my science, continue not crediting me, and I will feel cheated, even though I brought up the idea of using it while working here.
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No point in feeling cheated here, see above. *If* there's anything you could feel cheated about it's that you did not file a patent (in case that was possible: not all gains in knowledge can be patented or protected by copyright).
Any other company, including competitors of your current employer and any future employers of yours can use the knowledge they get from reading your thesis, just like your present employer.
Still, you may want to consider whether you like to work for an employer who turns out not be very generous (after all, saying thank you and that your contributions are valuable and publicly crediting you for your contribution costs more ego than money).
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> Lack of citation: The company is trying to represent the work as a "Company Project" and they have removed all citations and mentions of me individually.
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Unless they try to get publicity by writing a scientific paper (where the usual academic standards for citing the source of ideas apply), they are bound by copyright. I.e. they need to cite (and possibly obtain a license) only if they quote or reuse tables or graphs from your thesis. Copyright btw. does not cover fact knowledge (if you measure and publish the density of pure water at 4 °C, others can use and quote your numbers without the need to obtain a license. Databases are different, though, and may not be reused without license)
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> I was told all press contact must go through our Marketing department, even though I have been contacted independently by journalists that saw me present this project / my science at conferences earlier this year. I am not supposed to speak with them, and instead redirect them to our Marketing group. I find this very odd.
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(Side note: I found it even more odd, when I encountered a similar situation in an *academic* research institution)
IMHO it is within the rights of your employer to decide who the contact/spokesperson for the *company project* is. IANAL, but I don't expect\* the company can forbid you to talk to journalists about your *PhD thesis*.
Whether you want to ruin your relationship with your employer about this question or whether it would be strategically a much smarter move to say that as you are interested in that project since long before they ever became aware of it, you'd like to be more deeply involved in this - and this way try be the important guy first marketing talks to about the project and after a while try to get a sufficiently public position.
The other recommendation I have is: try to find out *why* you are not supposed to speak to the journalists. A couple of reasons that for me would lead to totally different conclusions come to my mind:
* Your company may be working towards a patent right now. That hypothetical patent needs to achieve a certain non-negligible advance over the state of the art. Everything described in your thesis is already state of the art, so they can patent only new inventions on top of that. But they may be afraid that you accidentally reveal relevant internal information to the journalist - and that would make that revealed knowledge also state of the art and thus endanger the patent. The marketing guys may be pros in realizing what internal knowledge must be kept internal - wheras your employer may (rightly or wrongly) think that you are still more in academic mode and tend to tell things.
(I'd probably try to be involved in any such patenting project, but think this a sensible reason)
* It may be the general policy that marketing/PR is the *only* point of contact of the public.
(Whether I'd think this a sensible reason or not would depend - but if the general PR policy of the company doesn't suit you, this should enter your thoughts about what you want for your professional future)
* They may try to gag you and get out all your knowledge and then ditch you.
Of course, not sensible/acceptable.
---
\* For Germany I have learned that broad gagging clauses in the employment contract that try to forbid more than what an employer can claim legitimate interest for are totally void. Together with the extremely employee-friendly court rulings we have here, I'd feel completely safe talking about my thesis work of 5 years before joining my current employer.
For the whole answer: keep in mind that I'm most used to Central European (German) legislation and working customs. Your legislation and work culture may have a different view on some of these aspects.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/16
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<issue_start>username_0: As a follow up on [this question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/23884/is-it-ethical-to-accept-small-gifts-from-students) I am wondering whether it is ethical to receive gifts from students before grading their MSc thesis (or any other project where students feel like they need to thank you for).
Lately I have encountered this situation where a student gave me a present before I was able to fully grade his work. The student had to go abroad and wouldn't be able to drop by after grading. The gift was rather small, just a few bottles of good quality beers which are not that expensive where I'm from. He also said: "you can drink this when grading my work, ha ha". We got along quite well, so at that time I didn't feel like it was some sort of bribe (which I still don't feel like it was).
Generally, I don't have any problem in accepting gifts as they tend to be rather small. However, a month after receiving this gift and finishing my grading for his work I was starting to think whether I have made the right decision by accepting his gift.<issue_comment>username_1: Most students know that you grade according to the marking scheme and they offer the gift unconditionally.
It is the "other" students who you have to be careful of, and you get a "feeling" about those - a rare case usually.
Edit based on comment:
There are policies dealing with this in some institutions, where, if the value of the gift is below a given amount then it is fine and accepted by all parties including management.
However, if the value is above that limit then it must be declared and the line manager or line manager +1 makes the decision as to whether the gift can be kept or it has to be returned or held by the department etc.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In my opinion you are asking yourself the wrong question. The important problem is not if it feels like a bribe to you, but if it could look like a bribe to others.
Let's say you have another student whose thesis you are grading at the same time and he ends up with a worse grade. This might have been an objective decision, but still, if this other student now hears about the gift you got, he will start to wonder if maybe giving you a nice gift would have gotten him the same grade.
Since the gift is quite small, you are most likely legally in the clear, however in my opinion, ethically it wasn't the right thing to do. It is probably to late to return the gift right now, but for similar future situations, it is probably better to decline gifts until the grade is set in stone. Not only from an ethical point of view but also since it will give you an aura of fairness and incorruptibility at the low cost of a few cheap beers.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I'll give you a corporate point of view.
Many companies are required to have *compliance* programs, which include establishing clear policies for many situations, make the documents for such policies accessible for everyone (sometimes public even for people outside the company), and ministering presentations for all employees (required to sing an attendance list).
So, you can probably check one of these policies from a company whose reality you believe is representative of yours.
A common rule in corporate compliance is that you can accept gifts from bidders. It would often sound rude if you rejected them. But there is a limit to the likely value of a gift you can accept. Where I work it is 100 dollars. And the case is pretty much analogous, if we're talking a bidder, this person represents a company whose offer you'll need to evaluate. Though usually you need to pick a winner, rather than grading his proposal.
If a gift is known or discovered to surpass the limit value, one option it to auction the item and donate the value for charity. Of course this is expected to be done without the gifter's knowledge.
Sometimes there are specific policies against accepting alcoholic drinks, but this is not so usual.
Up until here, I would said you pretty much should have clearance to accept this gift. And I would accept it if I was a teacher, given one last condition:
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> How fair and objective is the grading system?
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Could you be accused of favoring the student's grade because of his gift? If you are a math teacher who practices binary grading (i.e. each question is right or wrong, only the final result counts), no one would expect a test grade to change over a gift. If you are correcting essays which are related to subjective topics, the type where student would often argue that better grades are attributed if "guessing the teacher's opinion on the topic", then care should be taken.
Even for the latter case, further trouble could be precluded by formally delivering a grading reference to the students, showing their graded papers/tests/homework such that any unfairness, if suspected, could be pointed out, clarified and corrected. Which sounds like good practice to me.
In the end, don't put yourself in trouble, have decent practices and nothing wrong should happen for accepting a small gift.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: ### No, this is not ethical; don't accept such gifts.
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> Whether it is ethical to receive gifts from students before grading their MSc thesis
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It is not. A gift influences the receiver in favor of the giver. It also carries an implicit indication of the assumption the receiver will give a high, pleasing grade; you wouldn't gift someone who stuck it to you in grading and made you appear incompetent, would you?
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> (or any other project where students feel like they need to thank you for).
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This is the more serious problem. The gratitude an M.Sc. candidate feels towards his thesis graders/readers/examiners is not the kind that should translate - in practice and in their minds - to personal gifts.
I would try to reflect upon why that is that such gifting seems like a reasonable thing to try and do - to students, and apparently to you. I would then think of how to educate students and faculty that this kind of gratitude should be expressed by, say, contributing to the faculy/department; volunteering for some academia-related cause etc. - something roundabout and diffuse in a larger community of people.
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> Lately I have encountered this situation where a student gave me a present before I was able to fully grade his work.
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You're implying that it matters very much whether it's before or after. This is part of the work you are (hopefully) paid to do, and part of your duties towards the larger academic community. You're not doing a favor here.
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> The gift was rather small, just a few bottles of good quality beers which are not that expensive where I'm from.
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So, multiple bottles of somewhat-expensive alcoholic beverage. Totally inappropriate, even if you're in a beer-drinking culture.
>
> He also said: "you can drink this when grading my work, ha ha". We got along quite well, so at that time I didn't feel like it was some sort of bribe (which I still don't feel like it was).
>
>
>
You should have told him: "I appreciate the sentiment, but you know, there is at least the appearance of an ethical issue here, so please don't be offended, but I have to decline. I suggest you bring the beer to your thesis presentation" [assuming you have that custom, where people give a seminar-style talk about their thesis] / "farewell party."
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I want to ask generally, do most U.S. universities offer on-campus accommodation for International Ph.D. students **Who are married**?
If the student is benefitted from scholarships `{Free tuition and fees + 2k monthly stipend}` will he/she need to pay an extra to use not-shared on-campus settlements?
Without any self-funding and other support, is the stipend enough to pay for it while taking care of food, health care, etc. at the same time?<issue_comment>username_1: Most students know that you grade according to the marking scheme and they offer the gift unconditionally.
It is the "other" students who you have to be careful of, and you get a "feeling" about those - a rare case usually.
Edit based on comment:
There are policies dealing with this in some institutions, where, if the value of the gift is below a given amount then it is fine and accepted by all parties including management.
However, if the value is above that limit then it must be declared and the line manager or line manager +1 makes the decision as to whether the gift can be kept or it has to be returned or held by the department etc.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In my opinion you are asking yourself the wrong question. The important problem is not if it feels like a bribe to you, but if it could look like a bribe to others.
Let's say you have another student whose thesis you are grading at the same time and he ends up with a worse grade. This might have been an objective decision, but still, if this other student now hears about the gift you got, he will start to wonder if maybe giving you a nice gift would have gotten him the same grade.
Since the gift is quite small, you are most likely legally in the clear, however in my opinion, ethically it wasn't the right thing to do. It is probably to late to return the gift right now, but for similar future situations, it is probably better to decline gifts until the grade is set in stone. Not only from an ethical point of view but also since it will give you an aura of fairness and incorruptibility at the low cost of a few cheap beers.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I'll give you a corporate point of view.
Many companies are required to have *compliance* programs, which include establishing clear policies for many situations, make the documents for such policies accessible for everyone (sometimes public even for people outside the company), and ministering presentations for all employees (required to sing an attendance list).
So, you can probably check one of these policies from a company whose reality you believe is representative of yours.
A common rule in corporate compliance is that you can accept gifts from bidders. It would often sound rude if you rejected them. But there is a limit to the likely value of a gift you can accept. Where I work it is 100 dollars. And the case is pretty much analogous, if we're talking a bidder, this person represents a company whose offer you'll need to evaluate. Though usually you need to pick a winner, rather than grading his proposal.
If a gift is known or discovered to surpass the limit value, one option it to auction the item and donate the value for charity. Of course this is expected to be done without the gifter's knowledge.
Sometimes there are specific policies against accepting alcoholic drinks, but this is not so usual.
Up until here, I would said you pretty much should have clearance to accept this gift. And I would accept it if I was a teacher, given one last condition:
>
> How fair and objective is the grading system?
>
>
>
Could you be accused of favoring the student's grade because of his gift? If you are a math teacher who practices binary grading (i.e. each question is right or wrong, only the final result counts), no one would expect a test grade to change over a gift. If you are correcting essays which are related to subjective topics, the type where student would often argue that better grades are attributed if "guessing the teacher's opinion on the topic", then care should be taken.
Even for the latter case, further trouble could be precluded by formally delivering a grading reference to the students, showing their graded papers/tests/homework such that any unfairness, if suspected, could be pointed out, clarified and corrected. Which sounds like good practice to me.
In the end, don't put yourself in trouble, have decent practices and nothing wrong should happen for accepting a small gift.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: ### No, this is not ethical; don't accept such gifts.
>
> Whether it is ethical to receive gifts from students before grading their MSc thesis
>
>
>
It is not. A gift influences the receiver in favor of the giver. It also carries an implicit indication of the assumption the receiver will give a high, pleasing grade; you wouldn't gift someone who stuck it to you in grading and made you appear incompetent, would you?
>
> (or any other project where students feel like they need to thank you for).
>
>
>
This is the more serious problem. The gratitude an M.Sc. candidate feels towards his thesis graders/readers/examiners is not the kind that should translate - in practice and in their minds - to personal gifts.
I would try to reflect upon why that is that such gifting seems like a reasonable thing to try and do - to students, and apparently to you. I would then think of how to educate students and faculty that this kind of gratitude should be expressed by, say, contributing to the faculy/department; volunteering for some academia-related cause etc. - something roundabout and diffuse in a larger community of people.
>
> Lately I have encountered this situation where a student gave me a present before I was able to fully grade his work.
>
>
>
You're implying that it matters very much whether it's before or after. This is part of the work you are (hopefully) paid to do, and part of your duties towards the larger academic community. You're not doing a favor here.
>
> The gift was rather small, just a few bottles of good quality beers which are not that expensive where I'm from.
>
>
>
So, multiple bottles of somewhat-expensive alcoholic beverage. Totally inappropriate, even if you're in a beer-drinking culture.
>
> He also said: "you can drink this when grading my work, ha ha". We got along quite well, so at that time I didn't feel like it was some sort of bribe (which I still don't feel like it was).
>
>
>
You should have told him: "I appreciate the sentiment, but you know, there is at least the appearance of an ethical issue here, so please don't be offended, but I have to decline. I suggest you bring the beer to your thesis presentation" [assuming you have that custom, where people give a seminar-style talk about their thesis] / "farewell party."
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/16
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<issue_start>username_0: I have been forced to leave my previous institute by my former principal investigator.
At the institute I have solved problems regarding the software, and I enjoyed giving help as much as I can to many users, even after resignation. I had a request from users to do a tutorial video.
I was thinking of that before resignation, but I am afraid that could be not favourable by the ex-PI. Although, a week ago I have received a message from him apologizing for what he did and wishing me good luck. Despite his behaviour, I forgive him.
I would really like to do that video voluntarily, but I am not belonging to the institute anymore and I would like to keep things good and not fabricating sensitivity. Should I ignore the request of those potential users or do those tutorials on my own?<issue_comment>username_1: I would strongly recommend to ask your former PI, mentioning that many users asked for a video and that you would volunteer to produce it without any strings attached.
If he agrees, go for it. If not, move on.
I would not do it without consent (even though you might have the right to do it as long as you don't mention secrets).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Personally, I think you should focus that time and effort into getting another position, if you have not got one already.
If you have a new position already, well done, then focus that time and effort into where you are now. They, hopefully, will appreciate that effort and motivation.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: First, sorry that you were being forced to leave, hope you can find a better place to work.
As for your question, I'd like to think more objectively by asking these questions:
1. Do you feel you will enjoy creating that tutorial?
2. Will that tutorial be useful?
3. Do you have time for creating the tutorial?
If the answer to those questions are "yes", then I guess it would be good for you to create the video tutorial, as it will also help users in fully utilizing the software, which will help their work as well.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I strongly suggest you to move away from this person (your ex-adviser). Your relationship past history says it all, from your other posts.
He only seeks to exploit you and couldn't care less about your wishes and opinions. Manipulative people are simply like that. Apologizing letters, a friendly smile, a tap on the back, a small gift, some unexpected public compliment, these are all bait. As you see, it's all of matter of giving them whatever you can.
Focus on yourself and aligning with positive peers. Find the good collaborators.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
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2018/11/16
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<issue_start>username_0: I am writing my statement of purpose for my Ph.D. and I want to work in a specific field with a specific professor in the department that I am going to apply for and I have a very good experience in this field. I sent an email for that professor asking if he/she is accepting Ph.D. students and he/she did not respond. I built my whole statement of purpose based on my previous achievements and future plan for that specific area. I also mentioned that I am willing to work with that professor. My statement of purpose tells that I am very passionate about this field and I am only willing to work with that professor (if there were more than one professor working on the same area, I would mention all of them). if that professor doesn't accept new Ph.D. students, will I risk my admission to that school?
Will the committee response be something like this: "the applicant really knows what he/she is going to do and there is a specific future plan and he/she also got a good experience in this field, but he/she sounds very strict to his plan and doesn't show any flexibility...REJECTED"?<issue_comment>username_1: If you tell a department that you only want to work with a specific individual professor and, for some reason, that opportunity does not present itself—perhaps the professor does not have funding for you, or is not looking to take on new students, or will be on sabbatical—then it is unlikely that you are going to gain admission, since you've already stated you only want to work with one individual in the program.
You have the right to be limited in what you want to work on—if that's all that you want to do as a graduate student, then make that clear. But you also have to accept that instituting limitations on what you want will have consequences on your ability to gain acceptance to do it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Stating specific professors you want to work with can be a good idea usually I feel. It shows that you have researched the school individually and are not just sending out blanket applications. It also allows for the admissions committee to see a developed idea of what you plan on studying. Whenever I review applications for graduate school, I always like to see that an applicant has given some thought to *what* they actually want to specifically study. Even if their listed topic is not what they end up studying, I can at least see that they are capable of determining a specific research direction.
All of this being said, it can be a bit risky as an applicant to base your entire application on a single professor and topic. You ask the following question:
>
> If that professor doesn't accept new Ph.D. students, will I risk my admission to that school?
>
>
>
The answer to that question is unequivocally "yes." An admissions committee is not likely to accept a student who is extremely rigid in their proposed plan of study if said plan of study will not be feasible. (E.g. saying "I will only work with Dr. McDonald because she is the expert in the field of rubber chickens. This is only topic I am interested in." when Dr. McDonald is not available to take on more students). Departments on the whole do not like students (or professors) who are inflexible in their research (and teaching) goals.
My advice would be to present your first choice professor as just that, your leading choice. I would then also present one or two other options as backup plans of sort.
>
> I am quite interested in doing research on polymer composition of imitation foliage with Dr. <NAME>. His latest paper on the subject is exactly the type of project for which I want to develop a greater ability. Fake plastic trees is a field that I foresee myself enjoying immensely and I believe Dr. York to be one of the principal leaders on the topic. I am also intrigued by the work of Dr. <NAME> and Dr. <NAME> on kettle drums. I have taken several classes using kettle drums and would enjoy pursuing research on the sociological implications of taking kettle drums to funerals. Dr Petrovic's work on the topic introduced me to several questions I had never considered before.
>
>
>
You will ultimately need to decide whether it would be better to be admitted to the school of your choice and potentially not study your chosen topic, or to be rejected from the school of your choice and maybe study your chosen topic elsewhere.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: Something that is not clear by any kind of research is this:
>
> Is associateship (which waives tuition and fees) stipend enough (annually 20k) for a student and his wife to take care of all their necessities and carry on during the whole Ph.D. period, without any other financial support?
>
>
>
I'm just asking in general and I know costs may vary a lot between different places. But since being a bit more specific is better, let's talk about the cities with medium cost of living according to [Cost of Living Index 2018](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/region_rankings.jsp?title=2018-mid®ion=021). For example, Columbus or Minneapolis is around 60 vs. New York that is 100.<issue_comment>username_1: If you're not in one of the big metro areas of Bay Area, Seattle, NY/NJ, SoCal-LA, DC etc. and you don't have children during this period, you should be able to survive. You'll have to watch every expense, esp. try to save on housing by living in a small apt. and not the most desirable area. This is assuming health insurance is fully covered for both of you. Housing and health insurance can be the biggest chunks of expense.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I am hoping to start a grad program in one of those medium cost-of-living cities, and have been doing lots of research. Since it sounds like I'm more familiar with the US than you, I'll give you what I've learned.
This will of course depend on your standard of living. I assume because you are married, you would like to live in your own apartment/house and not live in one bedroom in a four-bedroom house. This answer is based on that.
As another caveat, I would say I'm moving from a very expensive area, so it's possible I'm overestimating other expenses based on my experience here.
At more than $30k (the value of some awards), I feel like I could minimally support myself and my wife (who is also going back to school). We also have a nice chunk of savings that we've been accruing for two years that helps me feel better about living on the stipend.
At less than that, around $25k, we would plan on my wife working 8-12 hours a week to supplement my income.
Those numbers are totally unlivable in high cost-of-living areas, like where I live now. I couldn't imagine trying to live here on less than $50k combined; and that's a totally unachievable PhD stipend.
**Tl;dr:**
* < $20k - Not a chance, would expect my partner to work at least part
time
* $20-25k - Doable, with decent savings and a few hours of work on your partner's side.
* $25-32k - Much more doable, but still tight living
* >$35k - As comfortable as you can be on a PhD stipend.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm applying for PhD programs at the moment in pure mathematics and was wondering if there was any sort of general wisdom regarding mentioning bad things that happened to you that have negatively impacted your grades. In the winter and spring quarters of my junior year my father was in and out of life threatening surgeries and it generated a lot of anxiety in my life that made it difficult to keep up with school the way I had in the past. He is thankfully doing alright now and is only getting better, but it was really touch and go for a while.
Before those terms I had taken a lot of graduate level courses in mathematics and consistently got As, but there was a dip during that period to B+s and Bs. The difficult thing for me is that, now that I'm not dealing with those things anymore, I don't really have time to show on my applications that it was a temporary issue for me. Is this sort of thing worth mentioning on my applications?
Personally I'm a very private person and the thought of mentioning it makes me a little nervous, but my application before this happened was quite unambiguously strong and I don't really know if it's appropriate to mention or if people would take it into consideration when looking at my transcripts.<issue_comment>username_1: Mentioning a factor that caused your grades to drop would be appropriate in this situation. One (short) paragraph would suffice.
>
> During Spring 2017 and Winter 2018 quarters, my father was hospitalized and needed several significant surgeries. Because I devoted my primary attention to my father's health, I was unable to commit my fullest efforts to school and my grades were slightly lower than I would have preferred them to be. My father has since recovered [from what I can deduce?] and I do not foresee any further issues with this matter. My grades outside of these aforementioned semesters indicate my strong capabilities in mathematics and I believe that I am an excellent candidate for the University of XYZ PhD program.
>
>
>
That is all you have to say really. Since you got a few B/B+ grades, your situation is not even that bad. I got a B+ in linear algebra and went on to write a master's thesis on the topic. A few B/B+ grades will not be too detrimental to your application, even if the admissions committee does not know your situation.
If your application came across my desk and had a paragraph such as the one I have included above, I would be entirely satisfied with your explanation and would not dwell on it further. (I honestly might not even dwell on your grades on those semesters in the first place). Moreover, by the time you entered the program in the fall, I would have likely forgotten that I even read that your father has suffered health issues. And even if I did remember, I would not bring it up ever. It is a student's private life and I would leave it at that.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In the graduate school I manage (UK Russell Group), you will need to meet specific requirements to even be considered for a place in the PhD programme. If your grades (or English proficiency or industry experience or any other prerequisite you choose to identify) do not meet this threshold, no amount of explanation in your personal statement will be satisfactory. This is the first hurdle.
If you are able to surmount this first hurdle, then no specific explanation is necessary to include in your personal statement about the reason you feel your grades were negatively impacted. You are only required to state that there were personal circumstances of a limited nature that were the cause of the dip in your performance. There are three reasons for this:
1. Your grades have already been determined. An explanation will not change them. We will use your grades plus other evidence to rank you against all other applicants. Your reason will not be relevant in this ranking process. You will fall into one of three categories. If you are in the "clear accept" category or in the "clear reject" category, then your explanation is irrelevant to us. If you are in the "more information" category, when we will seek further information from you in the form of an interview, for example.
2. We have no way of confirming that the explanation you provided in your personal statement is accurate.
3. Your reasons may be highly private. If so, they will be difficult for you to write and difficult for us to read.
Please be clear about what I am saying. I am **not** saying that the reason is immaterial. Quite the contrary, in fact. What I am saying is that the reasons you declare will be considered in due course and we will invite you to respond and provide evidence if and when we require it. We will also specify the nature that evidence is to take.
Thus, in response to your question, I would advise the following:
1. **DO** mention that your performance over a specific number of semesters was atypical and impacted your overall GPA negatively.
2. **DO** mention that the reason for this atypical performance was of a significant personal nature.
3. **DO** mention that this issue has since resolved.
4. **DO** mention that you will be able to provide evidence should we require it.
5. **DO NOT** provide us specific details.
An example of such a statement is
>
> During two trimesters in academic year 2016/17, my academic performance was affected by a serious personal issue that has since resolved. This has negatively affected my overall GPA. The academic performance improved in the next academic year. I will be able to provide relevant evidence for your review upon request.
>
>
>
Finally, it is quite common for us to issue offers conditional on the receipt of further evidence. Not knowing your specific circumstances beyond the information you've already provided, it is likely that this will be the result that you will receive.
I wish you the best of luck.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I suggest not to mention, they generally don't like straight A students as they may think that you are doing nothing but studying. Maybe only mention if you apply MIT, Berkeley or the sort of top 10 schools.
In my case, I have graduated from chemistry with 3.10/4.00 GPA, a very good score for my university in Turkey. Yet, this took 6 years and first 2 years were simply filled with N/A and FF grades, and the third year was a transition. I, usually, meet all the criteria for graduate applications but when I send my transcript they sometimes ask whether I took any courses more than once, since there are even courses with 4 or 6 times replacement in my transcript, only for that first period.
I simply answer that I needed to work more than 36 hours/week in those times due to the economic problems, which is the real thing. No one asked any solid proof for that, and it would be difficult since all of the works I have done were without a legal binding. The issue then closes at that point. If they don't trust your words and recommendation letters and scrutinize it to the point of demanding evidence for your father's unfortunate condition, you should try somewhere else.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/17
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<issue_start>username_0: I might soon teach at a university which requires that I record attendance of students, as follows:
>
> Attendance is a requirement for the course. A person with at least 75% of attendance is eligible to take final exams. A person with an attendance between 65% and 75% is required to submit a medical certificate. A person with less than 65% of attendance is not allowed to write the exam and has to do recourse.
>
>
>
The university has no explicit rules on *how* attendance should be recorded. I can take attendance at any time (though the start of class is recommended). Hence, I am looking for best practices about how to handle latecomers.
I studied many courses, and the behaviour of faculty in this particular aspect varies from one another. The following are the behaviours of faculties I observed mostly:
1. Allowing the latecomer into the class at any time and giving attendance to the latecomer.
2. Allowing the latecomer into the class at any time, asking a reason for being late, and then giving attendance to the latecomer.
3. Allowing the latecomer into the class, but giving attendance based on the reason the latecomer gives for being late.
4. Disallowing the latecomer by closing doors or with strict instruction.
So, I came to the impression that it totally depends on the particular faculty. Mostly I observed 1, 2 and 4. I observed 3 very rarely.
**What is the recommended and proper behaviour towards latecomers?**<issue_comment>username_1: At university level students are adults. It is their choice, their life, their responsibility.
If they decide to come late and miss things this is their choice and their personal consequences. It is not the responsibility of a teacher at university level (Bachelors, Masters of Doctoral) to discipline them as schoolchildren or parents.
The only proviso is that they must not interfere with the learning opportunities of other students in the class by being disruptive. If they arrive late, they should do so discretely and give appropriate apologies if convenient.
I know many students who have family commitments (such as children's doctors appointments) or travel long distances to class and suffer the vagaries of the public transport system. It would be quite unfair and prejudicial to single them out with negative comments.
You should reflect on your attitude to student learning and teaching, and not those of your class.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: *This is an answer to a previous version of the question, where it was not clear that recording attendance was mandatory at the asker’s university. Therefore my answer does not cover the specific situation of the OP, but may still help others in a similar situation.*
0) Allow all students in class and do not monitor attendance.
They are adults and they come to learn. As long as they do not disrupt the class they are free to come and go as they please. I do not see which purpose the monitoring of attendance serves. It sends the wrong signal and focuses students on signing the register sheet rather than on the objective of the class.
I do, however, start each class by thanking students who attend and come in time. Latecomers will miss this part.
Upvotes: 8 <issue_comment>username_3: In this case, attendance is a requirement mandated from above. You could ask for clarification from the powers that be who set the rule. For example, you could ask ... Is attendance to be recorded at the start, middle, or end of class? In other words, you could push the decision process back up the chain from where it came.
This approach is likely best done only when you have lots of free time, you have a thick skin, and you just want to annoy your superiors.
The inference is that you have the freedom to define your approach to how you record attendance. Dissecting each of your options, I might see them this way ...
1) You record attendance at the end of class
2) You record attendance at the start or end of class AND either do not ask the latecomers for excuses or ask the latecomers for excuses that you then ignore anyway
3) You record attendance at the start or end of class AND ask the latecomers for excuses AND try to parse the excuses based on a matrix that relies on other potentially unclear and arbitrary rules AND use an on-the-spot decision from that ruling to erase attendance
4) You record attendance at the start of class AND shut out latecomers from even entering the class which only serves to annoy the "honest latecomers", stoke your ego, and count attendance twice because the latecomers may also be shut out of the final exam
I hope that, with this analysis, you see the excess overhead and futility of using options 2-4.
Let's presume that you do not have the option to IGNORE taking attendance. Perhaps for example you are mandated to make a report that proves that you did record attendance in some manner. In this case, I suggest, with the freedom that you have to define attendance, you have perhaps two different approaches.
Attendance Means You Were Here for a Certain Portion of the Lecture
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Record attendance at a certain point in time near start of class or near the end of the class and then be done with it. Latecomers should be allowed a certain grace, for example perhaps either to the middle of class. After that grace, they can show up but they will be recorded as having been absent. In addition, if students leave after you take attendance, they will still be recorded as having been present. Attendance then becomes a consistent message, both in what it means and in when it is recorded. You don't bother yourself with policing attendance on-the-spot, either by parsing excuses, by shutting out latecomers, or by glaring at early-leavers.
When you would do as above, figure out how you will handle students who ARE late yet will try to say "I *was* there by the time the attendance was recorded and you missed me." On the other side, you will have to accept that you allow students to leave with no penalty after attendance is taken. The clicker system that is oft-used in US classrooms can be a great resource for taking attendance ... With due diligence, it should not be easily cheated. Other methods have their pros and cons.
In the end, whatever you decide to handle such cases, keep it simple and consistent.
Attendance Means You Were Here at the Time the Lecture Started or by the Time the Lecture Ended (PERIOD)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Record attendance either at the start or at the end of he lecture and be done with it. The message again is consistent ... be here at the start or be here at the end.
Summary
=======
When the rule is only that you take attendance, whatever you do, keep it simple and be consistent. Avoid trying to close every loophole with yet more regulations and oversight.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: While my preferred method is to just leave attendance up to the student entirely, recognizing that "things happen" and "people can learn differently", for the situation in which you *must* take attendance, you want a method that is painless and flexible.
One way is to require that students give you an *index card* with their name and date for each class. You can do this for the latecomers only, or actually for everyone. When they come in, they hand you a card. This assumes, of course, a suitable scale. I wouldn't require a card for everyone for 100 students, but for 30 it is fine.
If you want/need to make judgements about excuses, then latecomers can write their reason for lateness on the card.
In this way you don't need to interrupt the class, just collect the cards for later processing. You can also make notations on the cards as the class proceeds if you want to record in-process events of any kind.
My students typically would have cards as a matter of course for note-taking and other in-class activities, but you can provide the cards yourself.
For an especially small class, say a dozen or so, I would just carry one card for each student while I was teaching. I could easily sort the cards into those present and those not and annotate absences on the card after the class ends.
Of course, you may need to worry about people turning in cards for others, but a count will tell you if that has happened. And, of course, you must deal with "early leavers" with a different method, but if you know the name-face correspondences it isn't too hard to handle.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I'll try to provide an answer in light of the fact that many answers here will come from professors who do not realize how common it is for some college institutions to have mandatory attendance-taking policies. First, I'll quote from the help page on the [Blackboard Attendance](https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Grade/Attendance) feature, as it explains the different use-cases that made that feature necessary:
>
> Many instructors who teach face-to-face and blended courses use
> attendance data as part of their students' overall grades. Also, some
> institutions and programs have attendance policies that require
> instructors to track the number of class meetings students have
> missed.
>
>
> Instructors and institutions also use attendance data in these ways:
>
>
> * International students who must maintain visas may need to meet attendance requirements.
> * Institutions may need to prove “seat time” for federal funding or accreditation.
> * Many institutions and instructors use attendance as they focus on student retention.
>
>
>
Now, the OP's question is this:
>
> What is the recommended and proper behavior towards late comers?
>
>
>
My answer would be: **Whatever is least disruptive and takes the least time away from focus on the academic subject matter.**
As you can see from other answers, many professors are actually aghast at the idea of taking time to track attendance for adult college students -- and reasonably so. However, I understand that the OP is at an institution where attendance-taking is mandatory (possibly via a policy by the academic department, college administration, funding agency, or state government, as above).
Most professors will, I think, agree that attendance-taking is a distraction and painful loss of time from focus on the academic subject matter that we are there to share. So -- granted your institutional parameters -- I recommend that you should minimize such loss of time as much as possible. Some suggested options:
1. If it is in your power to waive attendance-taking, then do so.
2. If you must take some kind of attendance records, consider exactly what you can use for the definition of "attendance" in your course. Perhaps attendance (course participation) is adjudicated by the most recent work submission, or weekly activity in an online discussion board. (Note that such work products are considered sufficient proof of attendance under U.S. Federal Law [Title IV](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/34/668.22), section 34-CFR-668.22-L-7; search for "academic attendance". This language is likewise used verbatim as the official definition of attendance at my institution, for example.)
3. If you must take actual attendance in-class, then find the protocol that you spend the least amount of time adjudicating (incl. time on excuses/arguments/challenges, etc.). Perhaps this is easiest via a sign-in sheet, simultaneous with a practice exercise, or at the end of class.
4. Possibly there is a software solution which is convenient for you to use, such as the feature built into [Blackboard](https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Grade/Attendance), or a similar LMS in use at your institution.
Regarding the specific issue of latecomers, note that options 1-4 above are progressively less generous towards latecomers. If your institution makes it inescapable that you absolutely must spend time personally recording individual attendance every day, then I would do so at a single time that is convenient for you, and not cycle back afterward to deal with latecomers at all, so as to make the most efficient use of your time.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_6: Students are adults. It is their life and their choice. In some countries they pay thousands of dollars to be there which means they do care about being there. Maybe they are late because of a doctors appointment, they have to take care of their own children, they have to take care of their parents, they can't afford to live in the same city as the university and have to commute and got stuck in traffic. It is none of your business what their reason might be. Your job is to just teach and not to be their parents and not to teach them about responsibility. If they miss too much of class they will face the consequences on the exams.
I will mention to those who commented that the faculty don't have the option to show up late, that the faculty GET PAID and IT IS THEIR JOB to show up and lecture. Being a student is not a job it is a means for getting a better job in the future. This means many of your students are probably working to put themselves through school and you better bet that they show up on time for that.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Mandatory attendance institutions are quite common in some parts of the world. I used to study in one.
We used to have a roll call. If you are present while your number is called out, your attendance is marked. If you are not, then it is not. Exceptions were made for some known problems like heavy rain or bus/train strikes, and people were always welcome to sit through a lecture without their attendance being marked if they wanted to. This system is prone to a lot of problems though. For example, politically well connected students were able to bully some professors into marking their attendance (yes, this happens).
The most effective system I heard implemented (not in my institution) was to **take it out of the hands of the professors**. One institution had some helps (or 'peons", as they are called locally) that they employed. Say a lecture starts at 1:00 pm. The helps used to run around their sections of classes at around 1:10 pm and collect all the attendance sheets. They had later started to up their tech and had fingerprint readers to mark attendance which were powered off remotely 10 minutes into every lecture.
There's (hopefully) no way to make a change after that. This system is less prone to manipulation. Few, if any, had the political clout to challenge a higher up to whom these sheets were submitted. More importantly, it keeps the relationship between the professors and their students healthy.
I will admit that most students never liked the mandatory attendance policy. But there certainly are good reasons for its existence in some countries. Those reasons are outside the scope of this answer.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: When you are a TA, you have to follow the local rules and will have little power to change them (although you have every right to discuss them with colleagues). The way to do so, and the choice to do so in a more general situation, is an important matter.
Many colleagues, and many answer above dismiss the need to bother with attendance and lateness ("as long as it does not disturb the class"), on the ground that students are adults. I very much **disagree** with this argument. Since this is not a popular opinion, I feel the need to give some context and justification.
First, recall that there are many many situations where rules are made for people own good, even adults - mandatory belts in cars, for example (as in France, I do not know the law in other countries). When first enforced, this kind of rule tend to be rejected as treating people as children; after a time, they often get adopted and become obvious. Did people get more adult in the meantime? No, but our behavior, and what we consider proper behavior, is shaped by what others do and what rules (explicit or implicit, legal or traditional) are in force.
Second, recall that this applies to us academics, however grown up we are. Do you think that the attitude of staff when you turn your paperwork for your next conference late past the deadline has no bearing on your behavior next time? If administrative staff simply treats this as if it where normal, don't you think you would probably miss the deadline quite often? On the contrary, if they (respectfully) mention how much more difficult it makes their job, wouldn't you be more careful? Do you think it is necessarily treating faculty as children to have rules and deadlines for paperwork? Or can you see it is (in good cases) about all of us to interact smoothly and work efficiently? We all act according to a large set of rules, and good rules are those that have a good incentive/heaviness ratio. The most permissive rules are not necessarily optimal.
Similarly, students attitude toward "going into class" will be shaped by what they see other student do, and how teachers react to what they do. Simply ignoring late students, or student that only show up every other class, will send a very clear message: that it is okay to do so. In most cases, this message is actually **detrimental** to their study.
Teachers should not ignore that the way they react sends a message, and they should thus choose how to react in a way that sends a message they believe is accurate and supports our goal: to have student learn. Since I believe the correct message is that showing up in class on time is an important part of studying, I try to adopt rules consistent with this message (one can feel differently about importance of showing up in class on time, but beware that a small proportion of student that can dispense from it should not hide a vast majority that cannot afford this).
The precise rule I adopt has changed over time. Lately, I have settled for the following: whenever a student shows up more than (literally) 1-2 minutes late, I ask her or him to wait outside; I finish what I was saying and let a little something to think about to the class; I go see the late student, and ask why he or she is late; I *always* let her or him get in, but make sure to mention being late is not a good thing; then I carry on with the course. This has I think a good balance, even in amphitheaters (first lectures I usually get a dozen late student at a time, then they mostly show up on time - or not at all).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: Most of the answers are very tolerant. Since this is obviously a matter of preference, I always went for 4 (close the doors and nobody comes in after my lecture started).
Missing one class is not the end of the world for them. It will, however, teach them something: that time is valuable and that they must make whatever they can to be on time. Even if it means being there 15 minutes early because of an unfortunate train connection.
Being late of course happens, and the world will usually not be waiting for you. You were late for the plane, it is gone. You were late for a doctor appointment, the next patient jumped in.
This is simply life and **being late is often a decision, and sometimes bad luck**.
If being late means that they will get sick, die, or miss a once-in-a-life opportunity then laxism is welcome. Otherwise this is just teaching them that the world is what it is, and being on time is an asset.
Today, outside of academia, I start my meetings sharp. If someone is late then I never summarize what happened earlier in the meeting (I do not usually have, technically, the possibility to block them).
One last point to take into account is the commute between courses or meetings: people building timetables think that this is done over teleportation and do not add buffers between classes. They should not work where they work because they are simply incompetent.
I finish the meetings / courses I am in control of a few minutes early but if I stuck with one which finishes sharp and the next one starts sharp as well, I make decisions: to leave early or to be late (and possibly miss the meeting). Be nice and if your course is right behind the one of someone who has no understanding that commute time is necessary then you may start yours 5 minutes later (I did this a few times not to penalize the students because of decisions outside their control)
One last edit: I strongly believe that we should treat students as adults and leave attendance to the students. If the rules are different though, they should be enforced (for their own good - and apparently [they are not such grown up adults yet](https://www.bbc.com/news/health-42732442))
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: I taught at the university level for years and disagree with most of the above. Yes, students are "adults" but the ones traipsing in 5 or 10 mins late rarely are acting like them. They disrupt the class, and more importantly miss important notes or announcements, requiring YOU to consistently do extra work. If they are adults, they can decide whether to come to class or skip it, but if they come, they shouldn't be arriving after the door closes (give a couple minutes' grace period) and they shouldn't be asking YOU to handhold them the entire semester while they figure out to set their alarm clock.
And since taking attendance is a requirement as noted by the OP's edit, his or her implementing of this will be evaluated and possibly become a part of the decision to rehire. So being lax about this or deciding to secretly not do it seems unwise.
Anyone who's fine letting kids come in late doesn't understand how distracting to the REAL adults (instructor and kids who got there on time!!!) that policy is. And while you can certainly make an exception for the good student who has a flat tire that one day, being the prof who everyone knows will let you arrive any time will be a Pandora's Box that once opened, will be hard to close.
Whatever policy you choose, make sure it's clearly in the syllabus and that you stick to it. But think about the students who CARE about your class, getting there on time, eager to learn, who have to put up with you admitting and addressing a stream of stragglers who arrive whenever they feel like it each time.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_11: >
> But, I need to clear this doubt for myself, when I need to start and teach a class as TA or in some other position.
>
>
>
So is this a hypothetical question? As in, you're not actually a TA yet?
>
> Note: Attendance is a requirement for the course. A person with above
> 75% of attendance is eligible to take final exams. A person with a
> percentage of attendance between 65 and 75 is required to submit a
> medical certificate. A person with less than 65% of attendance is not
> allowed to write the exam and has to do recourse.
>
>
>
In my experience as a student in the US, TAs were Teaching Assistants--they were responsible for running science labs, discussion groups, and tutoring sessions for a specific professor. The quote above makes it sound like you'd be in a similar situation. **So ask your supervising professor how they want you to handle it, or ask your fellow TAs what that professor prefers.**
If it's up to you, find a method for taking attendance that works for you. Assigned seats, roll call, exit tickets, retinal scanners, whatever. The last university I taught at actually implemented a custom Bluetooth-based attendance app that we were all supposed to use. Any student more than 15 meters away or not logged in at the same time as the instructors was counted absent and actually lost points. I've also seen QR codes posted by the doors that linked to Google forms.
If you're responsible for making the quizzes and exams, warn your students that a certain percentage of the questions (like 10%, nothing too high) will come purely from lecture and won't explicitly be in the textbook/posted notes. Or give some sort of incentive for perfect attendance. One school I've taught at had a limit on how many A's and B's I could award--I often awarded the higher grade to the student with the better attendance because they put forth more of an effort.
**How do you feel about your fellow students when they arrive late? How do you feel about the current policies you've experienced?** What seems least disruptive/most fair to you? When you start TA-ing, your feelings may change. As an instructor, my annoyance reflects the disruption the latecomer causes. I really don't care most of the time. But if I have to wait for them to catch up, or if they ask questions/interrupt me to discuss something we covered before they arrived, then I get annoyed.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_12: Announce to the students that because of the requirement of the institution you have to track their time of coming, and create a journal where each latecomer writes down his name and time of coming. So the student tracks his own progress and you can simply verify that the time written is correct. After that calculate the exact percentage of a students presence, as required by the university.
In my mind punishing latecomers is a faulty practice, but for some reason your institution requires that. I assume that the reason behind this is to make students more responsible. By using the method described above you actually do your best:
1. Get the absolutely correct individual percentages of attendance.
2. Make students as much responsible for this as you ever could, because they will fixate and confirm the fact of their latecoming by their own hands.
3. At any given moment any given student is perfectly aware of his status and can project and manage his time and plan for himself/herself. You give them freedom and help (as much as possible while respecting the rules).
4. You avoid taking on the moral role you are not inclined to.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_13: This is up to you to decide. You are the teacher. Follow your compass.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_14: Ask the one whose signature is at the end of the document. They made the rule, whatever it is, and they are responsible for it. The moral dilemmas are on their heads. If you have doubts, ask them because they are entitled to demand the rules and change the rules. Each and every strategy has their pros and cons and it was considered and decided.
After the discussion, stick to the rules you both agreed on as firm as possible. Describe the rules to the students and you can tell them you are not the author and uncover them the consequences.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_15: Personally, I have used two strategies when taking attendance.
1. Taking attendance at a random point in the class. Usually at least 15 minutes into the class. Try to do it in a natural stopping point between topics. If this is a small enough class, call out all names and mark the attendance then. If someone was not present during this time, they will be marked absent. I find that a random point works better since if you made it fixed (say, 10 minutes after class starts), this will encourage more students to be a few minutes late.
2. Passing a sign-in sheet between the students. This will be less disruptive to the flow of the class (since you won't have to pause to take attendance). The latecomer may not look for the sheet when they come in late. They will have to wait till the end of the class to add their name. This method is prone to student manipulation since someone may mark their friend as attending even when they are absent.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_16: >
> As the university has no explicit rules on how attendance should be recorded, I am asking about this... I came to the impression that it totally depends on the particular faculty.
>
>
> **What is the recommended and proper behavior towards latecomers?**
>
>
>
There isn't one
---------------
By omitting this from the policy **they intend to leave it up to you.**
As evidence, you've noted four different ways that you've seen it done. The only option you *don't* have is skipping the attendance taking.
**If you want to be strict,** call out the names in the beginning. Set the policy that latecomers have to come to you after class if they want credit. This has the benefit of encouraging them to be on time (minimizing class disruptions). You can answer all questions before addressing attendance as an additional incentive.
**If you want to be quick,** assign seating and check attendance quickly by noticing which seats are empty. See above about latecomers. If the class size is above 75 this probably your best option.
**If you want to be loose,** at some point during the class estimate the number of students in the class - if it looks like the right number, they are all present. Mark students that are absent instead of ones that are present. Maybe you shouldn't do this because it is skipping attendance taking... which they're clear that you have to do. But if you forget to do this some classes, then I guess they are all present, right?
Again, my point is that **they left it out of the policy because** they either didn't want to put it in there or **they don't care how you do it.**
As to whether late students get credit, this is also unclear so you could count 'show up', require they be on time, or require that they be there half the time. Your choice.
Don't ask anyone about it.
--------------------------
IF you ask THEN you put them in the awkward position of having to answer you *when they don't want to*.
Personally, I'd say attendance is irrelevant because if your tests cover the material and they pass the test, then they pass - because they know the material. But that isn't the policy, the policy considers attendance.
Take attendance in some way (because you have to) and **spend your time and energy teaching those that show up.**
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_17: I do tutorial and practicals but not lectures, so your mileage may vary. My method is to arrive early and leave two sign in sheets near the door, watching what's going on to make it more difficult for students to sign in their friends. About five minutes after I start I remove the sign in sheets, and at the end I draw a line under the current point and allow students to approach me to get their name added - I'll ask them why, and then let them sign in. I personally give them full credit since they at least turned up, but this is certainly modified because I know why we're forced to take attendance.
Why, then? Problem is that a fair number of so-called "students" enter the country on student visas, turn up to the first week, and then are never seen from again. By the time the government is notified they have failed their course nine months later, they've effectively removed all trace of themselves and no-one can find them. As a result my institution has to report regularly through the year to immigration the attendance record of holders of student visas, so immigration can attempt to find them before they've managed to vanish.
This behaviour isn't victimless - we have a maximum number of students we can teach with the resources we have, and because international students pay more they often get priority over local students in courses we have quotas on.
I find it heart-breaking when a local student not doing as well as they should in course B says they're having motivation issues because they really wanted to be in course A but didn't make quota, when you know how many people in course A on student visas haven't turned up since that first week.
Clearly my approach is modified by why I'm forced to take attendance. Personally I believe is someone is nailing their course and far ahead of everyone else, it doesn't matter so much if they skip the odd class.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_18: Use a sheet of paper where the students mark their attendance. That way, you are doing your job to record the attendance and have a proof about it, while still giving the students some leeway at what time they appear at class. It also makes it possible for the occasional friend to help another classmate with marking their attendance without really allowing it, if that's what you desire.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_19: Follow your instructions to the letter.
---------------------------------------
Attendance is binary. They either attended or did not attend. If they turn up to your class and the class has a non-zero length of time left, then they attended.
Lateness is neither here nor there. You've been asked to record attendance, not lateness.
---
Useless anecdote:
In the 1990s, my school was one of the first in the country (UK) to record attendance electronically.
Unfortunately, attendance was recorded in the first few minutes, and any late arrival was recorded as being absent for the entire half-day period.
I didn't agree with this policy.
Therefore, in the 1990s, I became one of the first in the country to hack their electronic attendance records.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_20: Treat attendance and lateness separately. When I was a TA in graduate school, part of the students' grade was a participation grade, and this grade was given somewhat subjectively. In my class it was related to several factors, including lateness. Every day they would get some amount of participation credit, out of 10, say. The amount I would deduct from their total ten points of participation was proportional to how late they showed up. They could redeem themselves by participating in other ways. This made it so that showing up late was basically a handicap worth avoiding.
Attendance, on the other hand, is binary. If they don't show up, they should get no points for attendance that day. In my days as a TA, there weren't points related to attendance though, that's just how I would treat it if I were you.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_21: I solved a similar issue in a different way when I was a graduate TA, though of course it was a number of years ago.
I had been reading about the benefits of quizzes to help reinforce previously learned material (I think it was from the high school teacher and Calculus, but time and memory...). So, at the start of each class I had a < 5 minute quiz that asked about topics from the previous week. As a side-effect (though there was some time dilation; we didn't have such nice things as in-class electronic scoring), I was able to find areas where I didn't communicate a topic effectively. I could then -- prior to a mid-term or final exam -- circle back to topics where a majority of the class had issues to try to address this gap between what I had intended to communicate and what the class actually perceived.
I tied 15% of the final grade to these quizzes (with adjustment when it was clear I had failed in some fashion, but it was essentially 1%/week), so failing to show-up to take the quiz would have an adverse outcome for the student's final grade. But I also had an "attendance" record, and those who arrived late were, in effect, excluded from the count.
Now, I am of the belief that <NAME> was wrong -- timeliness is an important aspect of society; one simply cannot go through life being forever tardy to meetings in the professional world. Ergo, tardiness was equivalent to missing a part of the class, and would have been marked absent (and the grade would have also been adversely affected).
I agree that taking attendance *per se* is kind of obnoxious, but if I fail to make a meeting with a client (or am late), there are repercussions for that action. I do not see a reason that a penalty applied to the late student should be different.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_22: If you are a competent teacher, don't worry about recording the attendance (students dont want to miss your classess). If you get fired for violating the policy, there are plenty of jobs for competent people.
If you are not a competent teacher, go ahead and record attendance, block late comers, etc. This the way for you to keep your job inspite of being incompetent.
Whatever you do, remember that the money you are eating is coming from the fee paid by the students!
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_23: Mark them as being present, for fire evacuation purposes.
=========================================================
None of the other answers I can see mention one good reason to take attendance: to produce a list of people present, so that in the event of a fire evacuation, it allows the university officials responsible for managing the evacuation to produce a list of missing individuals by comparing the attendance list with the list of people present at the fire evacuation site. That way, the fire fighters can know if they need to look for anyone in danger, and possibly where they would need to look for them.
As a result, if a student were to arrive late, but not be marked as present, it's possible that they might be lost if a fire evacuation were to take place, in which case it's possible that the university might be liable for an injuries they suffered as a result of the university's failure to do due diligence.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I illegally download almost all the books I need for my studies. While I'm more than happy to give a middle finger to the publisher mafia, it does of course mean that the author of the book is not appropriately compensated for their work.
But: it is well-known that professors do not make substantial amounts of money for each copy sold of their textbook. Perhaps 5–15 % of the sales price of each unit sold. This usually corresponds to roughly 5–10 dollars.
With that in mind, would it be appropriate to simply send those odd 10 dollars to the author of the book that I am illegally downloading? If you are a professor who authored a book, how would you feel about this?<issue_comment>username_1: Actually, what you should do, if you want to behave ethically, is purchase legal copies of the books you've stolen.
---
This answer has generated a lot of controversy. Let me explain a bit of the background and thinking behind it. It will take me more than one edit to be complete, so please be patient. Most of this annex is derived from comments I've made elsewhere here.
First, I don't make any *legal* argument at all. Everything I've written here is that it is *unethical* to unilaterally break a social contract, substituting your own terms, taking something that isn't yours and benefitting from it without compensating the producers (both authors and publishers) who have expended resources in its creation. It is an insult to creators. I haven't discussed legality. Others here seem to be trying, like the OP, to find a way to make it sort of ok, when there is an obvious, clean, and simple solution. Purchase a legal copy. Other "solutions" are just self delusion.
The OP and others here seems to believe that the publishing industry is itself immoral and should be combatted. I agree in part with that, but only in part. But that doesn't change the ethics of this action (downloading without payment). But most people who think that publishers just rip them off, haven't thought about the problem very deeply. The main costs in publishing (paper or electronic) are acquisitions, reviewing, editing, layout/graphics, manufacture/hosting, and marketing. This in addition to the time and effort of the author(s) who produce the work. All of these are expensive undertakings and require skilled professionals.
Some of the work is done by volunteers (often reviewing). But copy editors, who improve the language and layout/book-designers etc. need to be paid. Many of the people in acquisitions, editing, and marketing need to be on the road visiting (and paying for) every conference they can find. And the marketers give away a lot of books, also.
Some here seem to think that the costs of books etc are just too high, but they have always been high. I just read that textbooks account for about 1% of the cost of education. A Calculus book (e.g. Stewart) now costs about 10 times what mine did in the early 1960s. But so does everything else. Food, housing, transportation, etc. The kindle edition of Stewart is only about 5-6 times what my hardcover was back then. I remember spending about $100 for most of a year's books and was horrified. Now is is said to be about $900. BTW, I still have that book, so it was a good investment.
Note also that the price charged on successful books includes the amortized cost of creating, but not manufacturing, the ones that never sell. It is hard to predict a winner so publishers create a lot of failed books; several for every successful one. If the price difference between ebooks and hardcovers is an indication, about half the cost is due to manufacturing. Which means that much of the cost of trying to develop *most* books is never recovered. So publishers absorb those costs initially, but include it in price of books that sell. This is the "cost" of choice that we pay. One model is to charge back the development cost of a failed book to the author. A clear disincentive to write.
Another reason for the high cost of all but elementary books is that the total market is both small and divided up by the presence of several book options. Choice again. If we all used Johnson & Kiokemeister's *Calculus with Analytic Geometry* from 1960 (a good book) then the cost would be very small. But there are new books to choose from, increasing the cost of all since most are unsuccessful, but still eat up development resources.
Some have stated that publishers have a monopoly and that they exploit it. But publishers don't have a *legal* monopoly. Anyone can attack their business model. Anyone can offer competition. If their profit margins are outrageous then someone has a lot of incentive to do it. But no one has yet been able to put all the pieces together (from acquisition to distribution) to make it any cheaper for buyers. Some models replace paid employees with volunteers and that works up to a point, but hasn't been shown to scale. Apple's profit margin is 22%. McGraw is 25% (one of the highest). Creating things is hard work from a lot of people.
Don't get the idea here that I'm against a system in which IP is free to use. But there needs to be some incentive to produce it or it won't get produced at all. I've written some ebooks, actually, and have produced software that has been downloaded (free) more than 15,000 times. But that was my choice to do, not someone else's decision who tried to override my wishes.
My preferred solution is to work toward a system in which authors are compensated separately from book sales, say via grants funded via tax revenues. This makes the creation of IP truly a social good and a shared responsibility. Books could then be distributed for free or sold for manufacturing cost, or whatever.
My biggest complaint about the publishing industry, actually, is simply that they don't spend enough effort on marketing their titles after two years. Most authors get almost all of their revenue in those first two years because of this. Always on to the new thing.
But still, my argument here is an ethical one, not a legal or economic argument. It is wrong to substitute your decision for that of the creator of something of value - especially if it is of value to you.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> With that in mind, would it be appropriate to simply send those odd 10 dollars to the author of the book that I am illegally downloading?
>
>
>
First, **I would be concerned about your legal exposure**. You would be effectively admitting piracy.
Second, **you cannot unilaterally change the terms of sale.** When the professor published the book, they agreed to sell it through the publisher in exchange for certain terms. The legal and (in my view) ethical options are to accept or decline these terms; you cannot invent and execute your own terms instead, even if they seem reasonable. In short, this is a rationalization. (That said, I personally am sympathetic to your concerns about publishing companies exploiting college students.)
**Thus, the "appropriate" thing to do is to buy the books through legal channels.**
>
> If you are a professor who authored a book, how would you feel about this?
>
>
>
Not a professor, but I have taught and written a book with thousands of copies sold. I'm sure I am losing money due to piracy, but I have never received a payment like you describe.
* Realistically, if I were to receive cash anonymously, I would probably chuckle and pocket the cash, or maybe set it aside for a few years to see if anything came of it.
* If I received money from a known student, I would be very concerned about the appearance of impropriety, and would not accept it. I would also be concerned about whether I should report the piracy, though I probably wouldn't.
* If this "caught on" and I was receiving a non-negligible amount of money from many pirates, I would have to talk to the publisher and seek guidance.
Upvotes: 8 <issue_comment>username_3: After thinking about it a bit more, I wouldn’t do this. Here’s a few reasons:
* The professor will have to waste their time trying to decide whether or not to accept your offer, and surely they have better things to do.
* They may have to declare such sources of income if they become large enough, so you’re creating issues for them without offering much help.
* You need to hide your identity otherwise it will be obvious you’ve breached anti-piracy laws.
* The publisher may or may not have contributed considerably to the book (e.g. editing, advertising) and cutting them out of the picture goes “too far” in the direction of rewarding the content creator and denying rewards to the content distributor.
In short then, I wouldn’t do this.
However, also I disagree with username_1’s answer. Ebooks are a [non-rival good](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivalry_(economics)). Hence the ethics of “stealing” them is pretty complicated, and in my view there are situations where “stealing” a non-rival good is permissible or even obligatory. It’s inaccurate to call this “simple theft” in my opinion. In any event, whether you send them money or not, I wouldn’t feel too guilty about this¹.
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¹ Roughly: If an ebook is on sale for $70 and it has $90 of value for you, buy it. If it has $50 of value for you, then obviously you’re not going to buy it. So you either get some value from this ebook (by “stealing” it) or you don’t (by not “stealing” it.) Therefore you should “steal” it, since society ends up $50 better off overall if and only if you “steal” it. And if, upon reading it you find that the total value to you has exceeded $70, then you should buy it.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: I find the moralistic tone of some of the other answers a bit distasteful, and also unhelpful. It’s pretty clear to me that you didn’t come here to ask for a general lecture about the pros and cons of piracy of textbooks and other digital content, and that is the sort of knowledge that already exists in a zillion different places and isn’t worth repeating. You had *specific* questions that *aren’t* addressed anywhere else, so I’ll try to answer them.
>
> With that in mind, would it be appropiate to simply send those odd 10 dollars to the author of the book that I am illegally downloading?
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I don’t find anything inappropriate *about the act of sending $10 to a book author*, no matter the reason. However, I should emphasize that that doesn’t mean that I think everything you’ve described yourself doing is “appropriate”. And to the extent that some of the other things you are doing are inappropriate, *they will still be inappropriate even if you send $10 to book authors.*
>
> If you are a professor who authored a book, how would you feel about this?
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Well, I am a professor who authored a book.\* I would be a little amused, but mostly indifferent. I wouldn’t think more of you for doing it, but I wouldn’t think less of you (compared to my opinion of someone who pirated my book but didn’t send me $10, that is) either. I would likely think that you had decent intentions, but were expressing them in a way that was somewhat misguided.
>
> Should I send professors 10 dollars for illegally downloading their books?
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The sending of $10 to authors by itself is not a terrible idea and on the face of it is mostly just harmless and inconsequential (as opposed to the act of piracy itself, which is a lot more consequential but is not what you asked about, so I won’t discuss it). I’d still advise against it, but not for any of the reasons other people mentioned. Mostly I think that if you went ahead with it it would be a way for you to delude yourself into thinking that this act cleanses your conscience and absolves you of ethical responsibility for the act of illegally downloading the book. It is a kind of a cop-out: you want to download books illegally but also want to think that you’re an ethical person, so you’ve come up with this plan to allow yourself to think that you’ve achieved both goals but for a fraction of the “normal” price. Well, I’m afraid you don’t get off so easily. Ethics doesn’t work that way.
To summarize, I can’t tell you what you *should* do, but whatever you do, my advice is, *own* your actions. If you choose to download books illegally, do so after informing yourself about precisely what that means and what the consequences (ethical and otherwise) are — for yourself, for book authors, for publishers, for other readers and people who would have become readers of books that might never get published, etc — and make sure you can defend your decision and be at peace with it. But don’t go for half-baked solutions like sending some pittance to the book author to help yourself feel better and pretend you don’t need to think about the issue anymore. The truth is, you *do* need to think more about the issue. It is a complicated issue and the level of thinking about it where I think you’re currently at is only beginning to scratch the surface of its true complexity.
Thanks for the interesting question!
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\*Actually my book cannot be pirated since I give the digital copy away for free on my website (for a variety of reasons, including the knowledge that if I don’t then a pirated copy would likely be available anyway), with my publisher’s permission of course. What I wrote above about how I would feel refers to my best attempt at imagining a hypothetical scenario in which I wrote a book that I was *not* giving away digitally for free. But I think it’s a fairly accurate guess anyway.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_5: >
> If you are a professor who authored a book, how would you feel about this?
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I'd feel extremely annoyed. You're not only doing something illegal, you're cheating someone of their work. This wouldn't be because of money - it's very unlikely I wrote the book to make money. It'd be about justice and fairness, concepts which are too core to my values to compromise for $10. Plus the fact that you pirated my book means someone with even less scruples than you could also have pirated it.
My likely reaction is to notify the publisher at once, and if it comes to a lawsuit, I'd testify against you.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: I think a reasonable answer would be to create an anonymous email account and ask those authors this question. That said, I wouldn't worry about any full (tenured) professors' going hungry, nor would I worry about the publishers, who have an obscene profit motive with hugely inflated costs (and a very wasteful business model). There is a reason why there is huge consolidation in publishing: it is a capital intensive, highly profitable business. If you've got money burning a hole in your pocket and a desire to make a contribution, then find some way of puting that money toward the book purchases of someone less able to afford them.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_7: Undertake a sincere and useful civic action as penance for your (somewhat self-righteously defended) abuse. Collect all the students at your university. Sign a petition to your state representative (or equivalent for outside the US). State your case with proof rather than subjective statements such as "... it is *well-known that*". Demonstrate why you believe that publishers hold the equivalent of a virtual monopoly on textbooks, for example because they keep the costs to enter the textbook publishing business at a prohibitive level. Demonstrate where you find their business model has increased the expense of textbooks unfairly, for example because relatively higher portions of the costs for a textbook are going to pay salaries at upper administrative levels. State a case for how this is causing the cost of education to be well beyond the means of today's college students even with loans. Propose and demand appropriate legislative action to fix the problem.
Start a movement that will do something beyond raising a (rather disrespectful) attitude about the problem and then asking for moral support in a discussion forum for what amounts to a penny that will be given in disdain. In other words, as much as I emphasize with the pain any student faces with covering the costs of textbooks, my proposal absolutely will not make right the action of effectively stealing a textbook. If nothing else, it is only a far better penance than sending money to the author.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_8: You got a textbook illegally, without paying, but you are thinking about giving some money to the author. That puts you ahead of many people.
The implementation is not too good. If you send $10 to the author, that is income to the author, which needs to be declared if the author wants to stay legal himself.
I would recommend that you figure out how much the book was worth to you, and donate that amount of money to a charity.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: It sounds like you would be sending the money anonymously, presumably cash in the mail, and that raises another point: receiving anonymous mail can make people nervous.
My instinctual guess on receiving an anonymous envelope would be that it's going to be something unpleasant: a scam, or hate mail, or sexual harassment, or crazy ranting, or (in this day and age) maybe anthrax. "Money from a reader who pirated my book" is not going to make the top 10. There's a fair chance that I might destroy it without opening it.
At the very least, for many people, it'll cause them more than $10 worth of anxiety. If your goal is to do something nice for the author, this seems likely to achieve the opposite.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: ### Absolutely don't do it!
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> I illegally download almost all the books I need for my studies.
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Don't be so sure it's illegal. You didn't specify where in the world you live, nor where the books were published, but in some countries it's perfectly legal, and in some other countries it's a gray area, despite opinions to the contrary.
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> While I'm more than happy to give a middle-finger to the publisher mafia, it does of course mean that the author of the book is not appropriately compensated for their work.
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You seem to be assuming there is some damage or loss to the author of someone making a copy of his/her book, for which s/he needs to be compensated. That is the subject of philosophical, political and at times legal debate.
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> But ... it is well-known that professors do not make substantial amounts of money for each copy sold of their textbook.
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No, this is not well known at all; some academics *lose* money due to publishing books and/or get no money per copy sold. What is, however, generally the case is that Professors are employed full-time and need not worry about their material welfare due to more or less money coming in from book sales.
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> With that in mind, would it be appropriate to simply send those odd 10 dollars to the author of the book that I am illegally downloading?
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So, this would probably not be necessary even from a moral/social/political perspective. But more importantly: It would be quite **dangerous**, since you would be waving a flag above your head calling to be investigated for copyright violation. Regardless of what such a turn of events will result in, it would mean hassle, stress, expenses and discomfort for you and your family, roommates, friends etc.
>
> If you are a professor who authored a book, how would you feel about this?
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I would feel sorry for having put a student of my work at risk of legal action, fine or jail time; and I would also feel sorry for having taken 10 dollars from a likely much less well-off person who probably needs the money more than I do.
### ... instead, do something else:
You know, ["pay it forward"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward):
* If you know of a cause the author supports - consider donating to it.
* If you're writing some academic material or software - consider making it freely-downloadable, officially.
* If you're just an undergrad - perhaps do some kind of volunteer work, like helping high-school students who are having trouble keeping up, with some tutoring. Many universities, student unions and out-of-academic social structures have this kind of volunteer programs, I'm sure you can find one.
this would not be "penance" for your download. On the contrary, it would strengthen the same principle you applied in downloading the book in the first place, which is that knowledge, research, insight should be shared more freely, and that the more-established should help the less-established (e.g. in terms of knowledge).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_11: There is a financial aspect you should also consider: these professors will receive unexpected money they need to somehow
* declare or not
* explain the provenance of, if someone (tax office, financial fraud groups, etc.) asks them
Both cases are probably over the top for 10 USD (and you will likely be only one to send them the money) but can be stressful to them.
Send the money to a charity instead.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_12: TL;DR:
Ask your librarian how to obtain mandatory textbooks, articles etc. You will be surprised what they can actually do for you.
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I doubt you are obliged to *buy* the book but rather *bring* the book with you to the course. Am I nitpicking? Probably yes.
There is a significant difference, tough. In the second, highly probable, case you can borrow the book in the university library for a whole semester, month, week, etc. for "free" and the books lended by the library were paid fairly through their budget. Usually, textbooks are published within the university publisher and the library usually keeps enough copies to supply the students. Do go ask your librarian whether they possess the textbook needed and borrow it.
When you are there, do yourself a favour and ask for online access to scientific journals and publisher houses outside your university. As a student you should have some access to such resources as well - your university is paying A LOT for such access. In the end you can find you didn't pirate at all. You should find that - the school shall provide you anything mandatory to the whole study - books, hardware, software, and tools.
I have also heard many times "You should buy this textbook..." but it was in lectures the teacher expects we, students, will use the book not just in one semester and/or we will write notes in there. Many times they were right, sometimes they weren't.
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"free" means that you may be obliged to pay annual access to the library, you are paying for the course and the access is a part of the package provided. At least you or your parents pay taxes that contribute to the university budget and the library is an unsignificant part of it.
Actually, you have payed for the book the day you become a student and even notice that.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_13: As many people have already mentioned, you want to absolve your guilt of pirating a thing by sending a meager amount of money (that you can afford) to its creator.
**I would say, don't do it. Don't send money to the creator.**
The legal/ethical concerns have been addressed in other answers/comments. I download pirated books too. They are very costly and I can't afford them as yet. So, if I like a book & it really helps me in my project/work, I leave a detailed review
of the book on Google, Amazon et al. I also mention it to my friends in my social circle.
**Basically, I take up the role of an advertiser for the book/author.** My review/recommendation can attract more people to this book & some of them, more ethically inclined then me, will choose to buy this book from the publisher.
Piracy is a very complicated topic. One way I try to uncomplicate it is by advertising it (the thing that I pirate) to more people & leaving detailed review & rating on the internet. There are no legal/ethical hassles to you or the creator with this approach.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_14: It is not appropriate.
Apart from anything else you are putting the Professor in a difficult position. They have a contract with their publisher to distribute the books for a share of the proceeds, in bypassing this arrangement you are effectively making the professor complicit and potentially putting them in breech of contract.
It is also worth mentioning at this point that academic and technical books are expensive to buy because they ere expensive to publish, requiring a lot of specialist editorial oversight and usually fairly sophisticated formatting and tend to sell in relatively small volumes. If the author wanted to put the text up on a website or otherwise self-publish for a lower price they had the option to do so.
Equally ignoring known breeches of copyright can be seen as tacit permission so you may be harming their copyright claim by admitting to piracy and effectively putting them in a position of either condoning piracy of their own work or reporting you neither or which they will particularly want to do.
You could argue that these are trivial concerns and accepting £10 dollars isn't going to cause them any real harm but you are also questioning their integrity by offering them what could well be considered a bribe to ignore copyright infringement, something which tends to be taken very seriously in academic circles.
There are also potential ethical and professional concerns for professors receiving money from students for legally dubious activities.
So quite apart form the legal moral issues associated with the original piracy giving the author money under the counter is then forcing them to make an ethical judgement and probably causing them much more hassle than it is worth.
They would also be very foolish to accept as you are putting them in a position where you could cause them serious harm by revealing the transaction. For example if you told the university authorities that a professor had been taking money to ignore copyright infringement it would at the very least be very embarrassing for them, probably a lot more so than it would be for you. I'm not suggesting that you intend to do anything of the kind but it creates a situation where you could.
Equally while academics may be prepared to turn a blind eye to *suspected* pirating textbooks by students, offering them money more or less forces them to take a position on the subject.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_15: If someone illegally took your intellectual property and decided for themselves how much they should pay for it, and on what terms, would you be happy with that? I suspect not, in which case you probably shouldn't do it to other people. The golden rule ("do unto others") is a good basic start for academic ethical issues, and it applies to the publisher as much as to the professor.
Edited to add. If I were the author, I would not want to be sent money for my book, other than via the publisher to whom I have presumably already transferred the copyright in return for payment, as accepting it would be a violation of the "golden rule".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_16: Understand that you are not negotiating a price with the author, you are giving them an arbitrary amount of money which doesn't entitle you to legally use the books you've downloaded. What you do is essentially a **gift** and I suggest you label and treat it as such. Giving a gift makes it clear there's no obligations for the receiver for accepting it (like granting you a license to use the pirated book) which they wouldn't be able to fulfill. Small gifts also have no impact on taxes (AFAIK in US gifts are only taxed when they exceed $15K/year), so there's no good reason to refuse them. Especially if you tell the author that you'd like to thank them from the great book they have written, without specifying how you obtained the book.
If you phrase your money transfer as "Here's $10 for your book which I got from a site so-and-so", then strictly speaking, the author will not be able to accept your money. You clearly sound like you're **paying for a service** (granting you the rights to use the book), which the author will most probably not be able to provide because that would be forbidden by their contract with the publisher. The only reasonable thing the author can do is to refuse your payment.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_17: As the author of a book that has sold quite well, but is no doubt also pirated a fair bit, I would say that receiving a small sum like this in the post would create an ethical dilemma far exceeding the actual value.
(a) should I declare it to the taxman?
(b) should I declare it to my publisher? After all, I now know that you have stolen $50 from them and they might want to take action.
(c) should I inform the police? After all, I have become aware of a crime.
Quite apart from that, converting $10 into my local currency isn't worth the hassle or the bank commission.
Incidentally, don't underestimate the contribution of the publisher to the total value of a technical book. They have delivered a far more useful product than I could have achieved on my own, both in terms of the textual content but also in terms of the value added by effective presentation.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: Many people have said that having a good putnam score could improve one's application for PhD programs in Math / Theoretical CS.
I have certain putnam score, and I am wondering whether to include it in my applications.
In other words, what is the cutoff percentile, where you would / would not include the score in an application to a PhD program?
For context, I am applying to programs in CS Theory such as: UIUC, Rutgers, Cornell, Maryland, Princeton and UTAustin.<issue_comment>username_1: I cannot speak directly about the programs in question: I was on a committee that did admissions for a masters program in math which had some students who went on to do PhDs in math (and occasionally CS). In that context, I would have looked favorably on any Putnam score of 10 or above (because that means you probably solved at least one problem or nearly solved 2). But you are applying to top programs which are likely going to be higher. I would sit down and discuss this with your adviser or with people in the CS department at your current school. I don't have a firm cutoff, but my guess would be that any school, even a top school would look favorably at any score of at least 20 or so.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I think saying you were among the top "N" participants where N is something like 500, 200, 100, or less would be the right way to phrase the accomplishment.
The (anonymized) scores and rank of all participants are published, so you can find your exact rank. Very roughly, I'd say top 50ish programs in math would view a top 500 rank favorably, top 20ish would like top 200, top 10 would like top 100, and the most elite would only view Putnam fellow or one of the (next "X") categories as noteworthy. I think CS theory views math contest ability in a similar manner to pure math programs so that this mostly still applies.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I hold a PhD in computer science. I've been travelling to conferences presenting my papers and sometimes as part of my teaching assistance duty, I had to give some very simple lectures to students.
I found a position as professor and researcher in a university, and I've been asked to deliver a "test lecture" on a subject I don't know to students from a different background than mine. There will be a body of professors evaluating my teaching skills as well.
I am in the process of preparing the lecture, and realised I am preparing it as a presentation. I was wondering, what should I keep in mind when preparing the lecture? I am used to present in front of (a lot of) people, so that is not a problem. I am also used to prepare presentations for my work, so I was wondering if there is something I should keep in mind while preparing/delivering a lecture which is different from delivering a presentation.
Thank you!<issue_comment>username_1: IMHO, Professors tend to teach into one ear, and most of it comes out the other ear. You'll be lucky if the brain in the middle processes the information.
I would focus on giving your class the opportunity to *learn* something they would never know on their own.
That being said, if you want the position, perhaps it might be better to find out what criteria you're being evaluated on, and what would be a 10/10 score for each category? In academia, positions are more about whether or not you satisfy some or other criteria than actual learning. I personally love the Stamford computer science teachers because of their focus on real-world problems and understanding their audience.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Off the top of my head, things that are different about a lecture rather than a presentation:
* You're not simply relating stuff you did to your peers : You're teaching people who know less about the topic than you do (even if you only know what you got from the textbook when preparing!). So think carefully about the intended audience, and how to explain the concepts at the right level. This will take time. Fortunately...
* You have time. You have an hour or more rather than (say) 15 minutes. This means you need to convey less content per minute, and you can spend more time building understanding step by step. Try to think about helping your students to develop a mental model that they can fit the new concepts into, rather than just telling them facts.
* Because the students are having to assimilate completely new concepts, don't overcomplicate - keep the necessary cognitive load to a minimum by omitting unnecessary details. Don't lie to them, but it's OK to say, for example, "this is a simplification, but it's a useful way to think about it at this level. We'll come back to it in more detail later.".
* Because you have more time, you'll also need to think more about (and spend more time on) structure. Think about pacing - don't talk for an hour. Instead, especially if you have a relatively small class, try to get some discussion going, or set an exercise. This may not be applicable for a demo lecture during recruitment, though.
If you have a small group (<25 or so, as may happen for postgrad courses) then it's more like a lesson than a lecture and things can be far more interactive.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: The more you know about your audience the better your presentation/lecture/class will be (not just on this occasion).
Will this be a regular class in a regular course, or a simulated class with some students and some volunteers or (I hope not) a group of professors pretending to be students?
Can you politely ask your prospective employer for information about your audience and the context? Is this a regular lecture? For what course, at what level? What have the students covered recently?
At the lecture, be sure to involve the students. Check that they understand the prerequisites for what you are covering. Ask if your notation matches what they are familiar with. This will take time. Don't worry about "covering all the material" - pay more attention to keeping the students engaged.
I have often thought and said, only half jokingly, that you should think of each hour's class or presentation as live theater. Your responsibility is to assure that your audience leaves thinking it was an hour well spent.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Is it true that you have been asked to deliver a "test lecture" on a subject **you don't know**?
I find it highly unusual that you would be asked to lecture on something which you do not know well.
Lecture does a pretty poor job of conveying information. You want to think about crafting an educational experience for your students. A good term to google is "active learning".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I would like to stress [username_2's answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/120282/50010)'s last point — especially as OP stated *"[I] realised I am preparing it as a presentation"*.
A lecture is (at least to me) not a keynote; **you are not here to deliver** knowledge (you then could just have them read a good book instead), **but to make students gain knowledge**/skills. There is a slight difference. This implies using educational techniques (pop-up quizz, Q&A, "off-line" exercises), and *a lot* of interactions.
It is then better (in an ideal world where you are not constrained by the limited number of lectures you can give to teach a subject) to teach well "5 points" only and students get 80% of it, rather than teaching "10 points" and students getting only 30% of it.
*You should thus design your lecture keeping in mind: "Is this making my student get more knowledge out of my lecture?"*
However, **a test-lecture is not quite like a lecture** neither. Your objective is not to make students get the most of your lecture, but to **make attending professors think you are a good teacher**. (The former is just one — *among others* — objective coming from the latter.) I would thus keep following points in mind:
* make sure you **master the subject you're teaching**. You don't want to be telling false things (unless if you explicitly state it's a simplification for the sake of the argument, as discussed by username_2).
* **demonstrate a large range of education techniques**… but avoid turning your lecture into a showcase neither.
* show that you **care about students**: interact with them, make them feel safe when they're asking questions, etc.
* **don't care about** what students get from this lecture: I think it is more important that you don't "lose" any student (by, for example, teaching only "four points"), than wanting to **make geniuses in one hour**.
* HOWEVER, you also want to **show attending professors that you are a smart person**. So you might not want to only skim the surface, but get technical at some point.
* depending how you "feel" attending professors, **either ignore them or involve them**. I would rather advise the former. A good idea to know how you should involve them is to check where they are seating: in the back of the room (lecture is for students only — they are here only to observe) or at the front row (lecture is for them — students are just here to "fill the room").
I hope this helps. Here are some more concrete advice:
* During the first 3–5 minutes, **create a connection with the students**: tell them about who you are and what is going to happen during the lecture, that they can ask questions… but most importantly, make *them* speak: what's their background, what they've learned so far, etc.
* Dedicate a good 10–15 minutes to **"funnel" into the lecture's subject**: start with a very broad view of your discipline and zoom step by step into the subject of the lecture, so that it is linked to something and doesn't appear out of nowhere.
* **Pop-quizz** at 2/3rd of the lecture.
* Make them **learn a small but non-trivial technique** (depending on the context), so that you can easily quantify your added value ("They didn't knew how to do this, now they know"). The idea is that it's non-trivial (thy couldn't have easily figured by themselves), but easy enough so that 85%+ of students get it within 10mins.
* Give examples. Tons of **real-live examples**, real case application of what you're teaching.
* Spare 5 minutes at the end to **wrap up** and answer potential questions.
* **Finish on time**.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: As a student one format that I really enjoyed was:
1. Overview and background on topic
2. Explanation of problem
3. Multiple examples
4. Let students try one problem, usually this was different to the other problems, like with an edge case.
5. Walk through problem with students.
For example:
1. Overview of Automata in CS (what are they and why are they useful?)
2. Explanation of Finite Automata
3. Examples
4. A slightly trickier one for students to try
5. Walk-through
Change depending on time and some topics take multiple lectures to cover. Hope this is helpful ^.^
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: You sound like you have a good grasp on how to present information to a large group, so I expect that you've already begun to find a style that works for you. I won't address those elements, then, even though they're important.
A presentation at work often involves people who are already attached to the project you're working on, and a presentation at a breakout session of a conference often involves some self-selection in the audience. You can already assume some level of professional engagement with your topic (or personal interest in it) from the people you're addressing. Academic lectures are different, though. One might think that students who have paid tuition to attend class are already motivated toward the topic, but that's not the case at all.
Accordingly, the most significant recommendation I can make is to address yourself to **student motivation**. How does your presentation matter to them or to their interests? To their patterns of thinking? To their work? Why do they need to hear what you'll be saying?
In other words, *Why are you not wasting their time?*
There are a lot of different reasons why people fail to address student motivation, but they invariably all end in the same place: disengagement. Even entertaining or clever presentations that feature the latest pedagogical practices fall flat outside of the few students who are intrinsically motivated or manage to grasp the material's importance without it being explained. *It's not just making application.* You need to connect it with something they already care about.
I often find that it's helpful to start with a set of questions or a brief exercise that exposes a common misunderstanding about the topic. Even better, this introduction will demonstrate that our usual approaches/analyses are contradictory or otherwise problematic. Once it's established that--"Yes, you too!"--the students have something to gain (or lose) from the presentation, then they're motivated to engage with me for the rest of the presentation. The exact nature of your demonstration-to-prove-relevance depends a lot on your specific subject, but I encourage you to construct it in such a way that the students *discover* its relevance rather than *being told* its relevance.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am applying to a master program. The application requires a pre-proposal for a project that is relevant to scholarships. Although I have a specific topic to write my pre-proposal about, I am not totally aware of the latest research in this very special sub-field. Is it acceptable for both the university I am applying to, and a professor working on this field, to ask for help and clarity on my chosen topic? First, should the pre-proposal be originally my own idea? Second, do professors think it is okay to give me hints on writing my pre-proposal? Of course, in the end, I will write the pre-proposal by my own.<issue_comment>username_1: What you propose seems fine to me. Make sure, however, that the professor understands why you are asking and that his/her help doesn't become authorship. Academics work together, especially at the idea stage.
Some departments provide a coffee room with a table and whiteboard just to encourage this sort of collaboration.
Note that the answer might be different if you had no ideas at all about where to start. But the prof can, as a minimum point you to places to help you develop the proposal. I think that most professors would consider this to be fine, or would tell you (gently) if they didn't. Ask.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have some basic answers and responses to your post:
1. **Talk to potential advisors or other faculty about the application AND your research idea(s)**. Chatting with potential advisors or other faculty in relevant fields is a great way to approach this application. You're an undergraduate (I assume), so no one on the application committee will expect you to be "up to date" on the readings. However, researchers (like potential advisors) might be able to guide to people or papers that could help you learn the basics/necessities.
2. **Do #1 *immediately*!** The sooner the better. As @username_1 suggests, collaboration, especially in the outlining/planning stages is key to developing successful proposals. You can't (well, you probably can but shouldn't) do science alone.
3. You have nothing to lose (by doing #1)!
4. It is likely that you will not be bound to your pre-proposal (but this is program-specific). If accepted, this project may devolve, evolve, or you may scrap it entirely and move in a different direction. Don't be afraid to play around with multiple ideas. **Doing #2 will expedite this process**.
5. If you don't want to do #1, at a minimum, ask someone in your field to review your pre-proposal for content.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I am wondering if private religious universities consider hiring faculty members who are clearly not affiliated with said religion. For example, someone who is clearly Muslim applying to a Jesuit university for a tenure track position. Is it a waste of time for the very obviously Muslim candidate in this example to submit an application?<issue_comment>username_1: In the US, yes, it is pretty common. I think a Jesuit institution especially would welcome diversity. Most, but not all of the students are likely to be co-religionists at religious colleges, but not necessarily the faculty.
There are some extremely conservative places that would have exclusive policies, but I think they are in the minority (so to speak).
Back when I knew them, the Jesuits were very open. They have an *educational* mission in their colleges. You will find just about the same diversity of thought there that you find in secular colleges and universities.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You should check the particular university in question. They will usually make it pretty clear in their job postings and/or application process.
Some will say explicitly "We welcome applications from all candidates regardless of faith", or "We do not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, ..., religion, ...". The Jesuit institutions with which I'm familiar are of this kind.
If they say that, it's likely that they mean it. They'd have no particular desire to get applications from candidates that they don't intend to consider; it would just be more work for them. If they did want to discriminate on the basis of religion, they wouldn't have to hide it, since it's perfectly legal under US law for religious institutions to do so.
You might still be asked to demonstrate that you share their *values*, even if you don't share their religion, and that you will be comfortable working in that environment. You might look up the university's mission statement (they pretty much all have one) and see if it's something you can get behind.
Conversely, universities that only accept applicants of a particular religion will typically signal this in the job posting. (Again, they want to avoid wasting your time or theirs.) A common way is to require a "statement of faith" as part of the application, in which the applicant is expected to demonstrate adherence to the appropriate religion. I recall another posting that asked the applicant to state their religion, "for instance, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, ..." - their list only included denominations of Christianity, making it pretty clear that non-Christians need not apply.
You might also find this explained on a generic "about the university" page on their website.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: As faculty at a Jesuit institution I can say that religion is not a factor in hiring at my school. I work with Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus that I know of, including some in leadership (department chair) positions. You also don't ask about these specifically, but I also work with gay and transgender faculty, political liberals, political conservatives, and people of every nationality. In short, our university's faculty looks a lot like any other university would, and as far as I can tell people's personal lives do not influence their professional lives here.
I can't speak to the university as a whole, but the hiring process in our department looks the same as my graduate institution and sounds the same as what I hear from colleagues at other schools. Our first goal is to find the most highly qualified people that compliment our current faculty. We primarily evaluate candidate faculty on their research record, their professional history, and their personal statements (generally in that order). We take the pool of applications and come up with a dozen or so phone interview candidates, and then we select three candidates for on-campus interviews.
The only place that religion may play a role in this process is that we are concerned about a candidate's "gettability". We understand that we're not the most highly ranked institution, and when we hire our dean/provost is only willing to pay for three in-person interviews. Thus, we don't want to "waste" these opportunities on candidates that are obviously superstar candidates who are likely to go elsewhere. In that light, we do sometimes get candidates whose personal statement says that they're specifically looking to teach at a Jesuit institution. But, we also get people who say they're specifically looking to teach in our city to be close to family, or because it is their hometown, etc. Whatever the reason, religious or otherwise, people can influence their gettability by saying they have a special reason for wanting to be at our institution.
But with all that said, we don't hire or interview bad candidates just because they're gettable.
Anecdotally, I'm not a Catholic, but I am Protestant and I do like to think of myself as socially and civically minded. I liked the idea of a Jesuit institution that might place more value on the ideas of "doing good in the world" rather than just doing research for the sake of doing research. When I interviewed at my current institution I asked the dean what it meant to work at a Jesuit institution, thinking that it was an opportunity for him to tell me about all the great ways this school would be special. Instead, he immediately started talking about how they don't discriminate in hiring based on religious preference. I now know that he's very proud of the Jesuit heritage, but he apparently must get your question a lot for his mind to go straight there.
In general, in case you're interested, the Jesuit tradition seeks to be different from traditional higher education by focusing on the education of the whole person: intellectual, spiritual, and physical. The faculty are exhorted to practice "care of the whole person" when dealing with students, with emphasis on driving students to a place of fulfillment, and we are encouraged to develop mentoring relationships. Occasionally our faculty development people will use a learning process called [Ignatian Pedagogy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatian_Pedagogical_Paradigm) as a model for developing coursework and curriculum (named after St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order). This is method that focuses on using reflective meditation on past experiences and future goals to determine your next course of action, and while it was developed to enable theological and spiritual growth it is applicable anywhere.
In practice we look more like other universities than different. The biggest difference is our undergraduate core curriculum includes 12 credit hours of theology and philosophy for Bachelors of Science, or 18 hours for Bachelor of Arts students. (At many other universities the requirement in these subjects is usually only 3 or 6 hours total.) There is a required class "Foundations of Christian Theology," which is some history and critical perspective of Christian (heavily Catholic) theology, with the last few weeks being a compare/contrast to other religious perspectives. Of course, if you wanted to get into Christian theology then our university has many more resources than a comparable secular institution as well, up to and including formal training for the priesthood.
We get a few days off in the Spring semester for Easter, and there are a few other days throughout the year where class is not canceled but the administration requires us to excuse student absences for a few special observances. One of the biggest perks in my mind is that the school is very respectful of Christmas, meaning that I'm often done at the university by December 15th-20th and I'm not expected back on campus until January 15th or so. It's really nice to have so much time with the family and with friends over the holidays. At both my graduate and undergraduate institutions I remember things like taking a final exam on December 22nd-23rd, which I absolutely hated.
Our administration is fully staffed by lay people, not officials of the church. We do have some faculty who are ordained priests and part of the Jesuit order, but these faculty are treated as though they were any other faculty when it comes to academic affairs and they take on additional duties voluntarily. As far as I know the church has no official authority over how we operate outside of the Jesuit training programs.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a beginning graduate student in Mathematics. I have a professor who always brings up the fact that my GPA is not great in my undergraduate degree even though my performance is above the norm in the institution I am enrolled at the moment, so far I got straight A's in the graduate courses that I have completed. He always tries to point out at my flaws in my undergraduate years to humiliate me in front of other professors and my colleagues. What would be a wise reply/reaction to such abuse?
I feel bad about it cause I feel like I am harassed and I don't reply.
I am also currently taking a course with that professor.<issue_comment>username_1: There are several possibilities. Some may be appropriate. Some may work. Or not.
**Avoidance**. If possible, just avoid this person. Don't have anything to do with him. Difficult, I know. There are probably limited options to do that.
**Ignore his taunts**. My guess is that he disgraces himself when he does this. If he does this publicly, other students probably see it for what it is. But a public, angry, response from you would probably do yourself more harm than it is worth.
**Formal Complaint**. This will have consequences all 'round, but might be effective. His department chair might be interested to hear what you have to say, especially if the professor is un-tenured. But a complaint from a group of students would be more effective than one from a single student. And make the complaint in person or using a formal mail. Email is too easy to ignore, for this.
Try not to feel bad. The actions of the prof are inexcusable and aren't due to anything in you or that you can actually correct. Know it for what it is: unprofessional behavior.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: It would appear that he is trying to shame you to make himself feel better. This is not unusual behaviour, though you would hope for better from a senior academic. One solution is to call him on it enough to stop it but not enough to make an enemy of him:
"Yes, my GPA was indeed 3.0. That seems to have really caught your attention because you've mentioned it the last 9 times we've met."
I would not try to emphasis that you are getting great grades now. The important bit is to call him on his GPA-focus, particularly if there are other people around. Do it in a manner which suggests that you are genuinely curious about why he is mentioning it, rather than letting him know that it irks you.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: As I understand you, you are being *publicly* shamed (in front of fellow grad students) by this professor by dint of your undergrad record.
If you are in the US, this is violating FERPA by revealing your academic record. Other countries have similar privacy laws. File a FERPA complaint and wipe that smug smile off his face.
I'm no expert and I suspect each school is different. But this is a federal law and I think most schools would take such a blatant violation seriously. I'm pretty sure this prof would get his leash yanked pretty hard.
Note that it could backfire. You could an enemy who will make your graduate experience miserable. But I'm betting against it. There have been a number of times when I just let a jerk be a jerk because I thought my life would go more smoothly, but found out later that if I had stood up for myself, I would have gotten a standing ovation from 99% of the people around me. This prof is a jerk and his colleagues will likely appreciate him being called out.
Also, in the case of harassment and rights violations, the perpetrator is warned against retaliation in any form. And someone will be watching for it. Someone behind those closed doors will tattle. I think you are perfectly safe.
### My experience
When I taught small classes, I would write all the test scores on the board, so that students could see where they ranked. One young lady thought I was violating FERPA with this tattled on me. I got hauled into the chairs office where he was accompanied with one of those university JD types (the law students who never pass the bar, but get jobs at universities being annoying.) and the dean. They were ready to have a field day with me. They had already talked to other students and had corroboration that I had, in fact, written all the scores on the board. The JD was salivating.
We talked at cross purposes for a while, then they figured out that I was writing numbers only. No names. No personal information was being displayed. They were so disappointed. An administrator gets to be administrative so rarely and here they had an open-and-shut case go up in smoke.
So the point here is that at this school at this time, FERPA violations were a big deal. I suspect that in the current safe-room environment, they might be a bigger deal. Telling the class that that guy right there has a low GPA could traumatize him for life, eh?
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: Seek advice from a trusted mentor.
If you have another professor or advisor who you believe you can speak to about this, I would encourage you to explore that option. Not only is it important to have a positive influence to counteract the negative impact of this professor in your personal development, but quality mentorship is also a component in your future career success.
A mentor who has already passed these trials and tribulations in their career may have very well witnessed and experienced these same behaviors. They can offer a more informed plan for how to treat this with your best interests in mind. What your mentor advises may boil down to the same options @username_1 has laid-out. In the case that you should choose formal action, a mentor supporting you in this could be very influential in how it concludes.
One of the unfortunate realities of academia currently is that institutional mechanisms to discourage and rectify this type of behavior are (in my opinion) rare and frequently ineffective. For better or worse, your professors often have an inordinate amount of influence on your career once you are at the graduate level. For this reason, it's really difficult for a student to utilize formal recourse options. Some schools do have specific [anti-bullying resources](https://graduateschool.vt.edu/student-life/we-hear-your-voice/disrupting_academic_bullying.html), and you should investigate if these exist at your institution.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: I will copy on [B.Goddard's answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/120346/9200) - wipe the arrogant smile off their face.
On the other hand, this will backfire to you in a matter of seconds, maybe sooner. So be ready for that.
* File as many instances as you can of when you were mocked by that professor.
* Look for a different advisor, discuss your issue with them honestly. (Do not mention the mocker's name until directly asked for it)
* Look for a different university to minimise the mocker's/bully's options to interfere with your career.
With the backup plan go for the complaint and leave. Take your lesson and forget about this professor.
It is highly probable that you were not the only one to be bullied by this professor so there is a chance you will start an avalanche of complaints against them. This might lead not only to wipe the smile off their face but to wipe them off their position as well.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I feel you have to be careful not to go nuclear, because if he is your professor you have to be careful not to move from "annoyance" to "threat" in his eyes, given he presumably grades your work. However, it seems like he's already put himself in a bad position since you said he "tries ... to humiliate me in front of other professors", not just in class.
I believe to reduce risk of this going nuclear, you have to present as though you're concerned and not accusing.
So go to his boss. Say you're trying to look out for the organisation as a whole. Point out he's breaching privacy laws by repeatedly bringing this up in front of other professors, and if anyone makes an official complaint for any reason then things aren't going to end well for anyone. Ask his boss if they can have a quiet word to "nip this in the bud" and mitigate reputational risk to the organisation, and by implication also to this guy's boss.
Play up your concern for the organisation and try not to get personal. Mention some of the other staff members he's done this in front of. Stress that you believe it's better for all concerned if this just quietly stops happening.
Afterwards, write down what you believe was discussed in the meeting as clearly and succinctly as you can. Send an email to the person you've just met with, thanking them for their time and including your notes on the "informal meeting" (that is, you're explicitly not making a formal complaint right now) "just for their reference" and to "clear things up if I misinterpreted or misunderstood anything".
Assuming this person's boss doesn't argue your email, you've now established yourself on record as trying to deal with it quietly without reputational risk to the organisation. If it escalates or you need to file a formal complaint later, you've established the moral high ground.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: I've gone through this nonsense before. Here is an interaction I had with one of my professors regarding an assignment I had in college, around 20 years ago:
>
> Me: Sir, I know what pride is but what is prejudice?
>
> Him: Prejudice means, "what I have against you"
>
>
>
Best part is, I still did not understand.
That professor is looking for a reaction from you. Detach from the negative experience, don't react negatively and you will stop the very thing that feeds their ego.
You have to attack the core of his belief system.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: Maybe you could be interested in Non Violent Communication.
From wikipedia:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_Communication>
>
> It is based on the idea that all human beings have the capacity for compassion and only resort to violence or behavior that harms themselves and others when they do not recognize more effective strategies for meeting needs.
> Habits of thinking and speaking that lead to the use of violence (social, psychological and physical) are learned through culture. NVC theory supposes all human behavior stems from attempts to meet universal human needs and that these needs are never in conflict. Rather, conflict arises when strategies for meeting needs clash. NVC proposes that people identify shared needs, revealed by the thoughts and feelings that surround these needs, and collaborate to develop strategies that meet them. This creates both harmony and learning for future cooperation.
>
>
>
The idea behind this is that the behavior of the professor is, in some kind of way, the expression of an unmet need. This perception can help you to externalize the problem from yourself and to get out of the mental game.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LuPCAh9FCc>
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I’m not quite sure how to handle this situation and hoping you may be able to help!
I am over a year into my PhD and have supervisors who, although we don’t have a bad relationship from their point of view (they would likely say it is good), in my opinion I have a very formal, structured and slightly cold relationship (comparing to previous managers in other jobs).
At the beginning of my PhD they were keen to get me involved in projects they have going on in their department that would help them analyse data and produce papers, I was told this was my way of saying thank you to the team (I assumed saying thank you for supervising me) and this would not gain me a name on their paper. Admit-ably at the start I was very keen to impress them and additionally thought getting stuck into some work for them could also help me get in the flow of what I might do for my own thesis. Over a year later and these projects continue and are only getting bigger each meeting we have. The tasks (and timeframe expected) mean I would need to spend on average 10-15 hours a week on these projects to get them anywhere near completion. I have noted to them in my last meeting this is a lot of work and I think I am unable to meet their desired deadline but this is not really taken on board. As our relationship is extremely formal I feel like I can’t really explain how overwhelmed I feel or how unfair I feel like this is. Its never been an option as to whether I want to or can take these projects on, they are expected to be done ASAP and I feel like I am being treated how you may a member of staff whose sole role it is to complete this additional work.
Having talked to friends and other PhD students they would call this unfair, toxic and flat out refuse to do it. However I am really mindful I want to keep in good faith with my supervisors, they are experts in the field I want to work in and there is no option of another supervisor to switch to without completely hindering my thesis and remainder of my PhD. I’d be better off quitting.
My idea would be to give it my best shot with finishing the majority of the project (even if it will be tough to do) , ensuring I am keeping minutes from our meetings which highlight that this is their project. Hoping that in future, if I've done a good chunk for them, they will let me away with not finishing acknowledging I have bigger priorities (my thesis). If this doesn’t work I would consider getting my university involved however I’d really rather not resort to this.
I know I’m being a wuss with this approach but I want to be diplomatic.
Any advice? Do you think it is normal for (some, I am aware not all) supervisors to do this?
p.s I don't care too much about not being mentioned in authorship for their papers, I'd much rather get on with my own project and have my thesis run smoothly. I just want to try and finish and be unscathed!<issue_comment>username_1: Best advice I can give is to use a positive attitude. Rather than wait for meetings where (I'm assuming) you speak nothing or little about your thesis and other people's work gets tossed around, start talking more about your work! Show your advisor what you've been doing and ask his opinion, maybe show the entire team and ask for feedback or help.
People get their mindset stuck in their own problems very easily and start ignoring other's need for their space and attention. But if you start telling them about your work and if you are able to seize their interest, they'll start understanding that you have you work to do. Maybe suggest someone else helps you with your experiments. As long as someone has stakes on your project (either because they want their opinion to be followed or just curiosity about what results you'll get) the treatment you can expect is much better than that of secretly kept activities.
Take care of at least once every two months having a discussion about the full schedule of you PhD program, milestones and current progress.
Regarding names on publications, you can straight out talk to the advisor and ask him to explain to you what is the common practice around him for people having their names on publications. I do understand that each place may have its policies, but I've heard of labs where almost everyone would have their names on almost every publication. In the worst case, when asked to do menial tasks for someone else's publication, try to come up with suggestions, deliver more than what was asked from you (and not the bare minimum). I can hardly image your name being left out if you do so.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This is an unpleasent, but not uncommon situation. You say you "feel like I am being treated how you may a member of staff", and in fact many supervisors, particularly in the bio-medical world do treat their students exactly this way. For many students are the only mechanism to get any hands to do research. It is a bad thing, but it is common.
Firstly, no one should ever ask you to do work that won't get you an authorship, unless its group maintenance sort of work (organising the seminar rota, or making sure there is always milk in the fridge etc, monitoring everyones disk space usage). I know you say you don't care about this, but you should. Authorship is the currency of academia. It is how we are paid for our work.
Secondly SOME amount of off-topic work helping others is part of the payment you make to them for training you. When the time comes, you might need help from someone else to achieve something your project requires, but you are not capable of. However, you need to be careful of this becoming too much. In the run of things, your 10-15 hours a week is probably on the edge of what might be considered too much. If you are work 50 hours a week, then thats 20%-30% of your time. Not nothing, but not leaving no time for your own work, probably just starting to interfere.
Finally, expecting someone to do something immediately, when they are doing it as a favour is plain bad manners.
You have two approaches. First, if your supervisors are being cold and formal, then be formal back: arrange a set of expectations that both sides are expected to uphold. This doesn't have to be confrontational, it can be approached from a neutral stand point.
You time scales make it sound like you are in the UK. In which case, you should have an adviser - an academic in the department that is not scientifically related to your project. They are there for exactly this reason. The way this usually works here is that we have meetings with our advisees and if they report this sort of worry we go to their supervisor and say "I ask student X about their day-to-day and the answer made us worry that they are spending insufficient time on their primary project" - makes it sound like the advisor worked it out rather than you complained.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I have just received my reviews for a paper I submitted to a CS conference. I would like to address the concerns of the reviewers, but doing so would require adding new results. For example, if Reviewer 2 says, "This method looks great, but it lacks X and Y evaluations", am I allowed to perform that evaluation and say, "Thank you for this feedback. We totally agree. We have run X and Y evaluations and can include it in the final copy."
I can do this extra work, but adding such evaluations would represent a modification to the final paper—in my case, probably adding one plot and one table of evaluations.
I've only submitted to journals before, in which case the above was the norm. In the context of a CS conference, it is not clear whether or not I can modify the paper in this way.<issue_comment>username_1: This may depend on the conference. You can contact the program or conference chair for guidance. However, I suspect that the answer will be yes. They want high quality papers presented in the conference and in the proceedings, which is why you get reviewer feedback not just an acceptance/rejection decision.
But don't expand the length of the paper too much or change its structure more than necessary. If you do, it may need additional review, and then you run up against conference deadlines which might result in rejection.
But it is the committee that decides these things, not consensus here. Ask.
And it is probably best not to think of the changes as a "rebuttal". Disputing the referees is a bad choice to include in a paper, though I realize you aren't suggesting that. Revisions is a better way to think of it than rebuttal.
But note that the referees are offering advice, not instructions. You are free to accept or reject that advice. But you should neither just ignore it, nor dispute it (in the paper). Just use the advice to improve the paper as you see fit.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You should check the conference's policy on rebuttals.
In general, you can add results in the rebuttal, but they may or may not be ignored. A rebuttal should be equivalent to a minor revision, not a major revision. That said, there is not much harm in trying as an author to promise more in the rebuttal.
The problem is that rebuttals sometimes promise amazing improvements to the paper, but there is no way for the conference program committee to evaluate the promised improvements before making an accept/reject decision. So the general policy is that authors should ensure that the original submission is up to scratch and not rely on the rebuttal to make major improvements. Reviewers are instructed to evaluate the submitted paper on its own merits.
In your case, the reviewer has explicitly asked for something -- that is a clear license to provide it. If space allows, you can include that in the rebuttal and promise to add that to the final version of the paper.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: Our second semester group project is to bid for, develop, and attempt to "sell" a software solution. Local companies are the customer that provide the brief, and that we attempt to "sell" to.
I was under the impression until recently these were dummy projects, something the company already has so that our projects can be compared to their own as an additional method of measuring how well we did.
However, it turns out this is not the case, with one project going as far to say in the brief;
>
> "CompanyX would be interesting in commercialising any suitable finished products, or projects that could easily be finished to industry standards."
>
>
>
So essentially we're required to work for free.
Is this legal (in the UK)?
I've heard a bit about anything created for Uni work being the Uni's IP, does that come into this at all?<issue_comment>username_1: Don't automatically assume malice. The statement doesn't say that CompanyX isn't paying for the product. In fact if you own the intellectual property (if you created it, there's a good chance you do; if not then at least your university/professor owns it) then you can reasonably demand CompanyX pay royalties.
Viewed from this perspective, this is not only legal, it's advantageous to both parties. You get to apply what you learned to a real-life scenario, which are usually more complicated than textbook scenarios. If you make something successful, then you're 1) able to state that on your CV, 2) CompanyX might be interested in hiring you, 3) you might derive royalties from it. Meanwhile CompanyX is able to talent scout and potentially find a solution to one of their problems.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This question splits into a few parts.
First, are there malicious arrangements where people abuse students as labor?
Yes, there are. and this fear seems to be motivating what you are writing here.
There can be and have been instances where professors collude with companies to use their students' code or other forms of labor with the only compensation being credits. Chinese graduate students often described such things to me when they were in the US (particularly when they had advisors who also spoke Chinese and threatened their visa status and continued education to get them to cooperate).
Second, is this arrangement (the one you describe in the question). such a malicious arrangement?
That's not completely clear, but the answer is probably no. (1) there's nothing per se wrong with having your projects be used or evaluated by companies. If anything that's a great opportunity for real world exposure. (2) you can ask the professor in charge or speak with the IP office at your university and see if all of this is happening in accordance with UK law. Assuming you're not being forced to abandon your rights to take the class, there's no obvious abuse here. Presumably, you can even refuse to sell / grant rights even if a company is interested.
tl;dr - the mere fact companies will consider what you produce is not enough to constitute abuse.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I’m about to finish my PhD in Sociology. I’m from Pakistan, and I’m totally blind. My PhD research was quite interdisciplinary. I studied factors influencing environmental concern about environmental problems in Pakistan, as well as factors influencing environmental behavior at home. Now I want to do a post doctorate from anywhere in Europe, North America, Australia or New Zealand.
Can my blindness be a factor in acceptance / rejection of my application?
If not, what should be my first step for finding a post doctoral opportunity? My research interest is in the domains of environmental sociology and environmental psychology.<issue_comment>username_1: In the United States there's what is known as the [Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990)
which prohibits discrimination based on disabilities and mandates reasonable accomodations. Full or partial blindness will definitely fall under that category, and so they are legally prohibited from discriminating against you and if hired will work with you to help out. Many other locations have similar laws. In Canada the laws vary from province to province, but most of Canada has similar laws. Many (although not all) European countries have similar laws or regulations as well.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> Can my blindness be a factor in acceptance / rejection of my application?
>
>
>
As others have said, most Western countries have laws preventing discriminating against you due to blindness. However, the standard is that they you must be able to do the work given a "reasonable accommodation" -- i.e., they could reasonably prevent you from flying a plane or being a sharpshooter, as there is no reasonable way they could enable you to do the job. Since you did your PhD research already, it seems likely that you can do the work despite your handicap.
Note, however, that most post-docs are filled (at least in my experience) by interviewing with a professor or small group of professors. Most professors want to do the right thing; however, it is difficult to do an apples-to-apples comparison between two candidates at the best of times.
At any rate, all you can do is apply and hope for the best.
>
> Are there any helpful websites that I can frequently check for available post doctoral opportunities?
>
>
>
I don't know (and "shopping questions" are actually not allowed here).
>
> Is it necessary that my research should be on a population of a country where I’m studying for my post doc? i.e., if I’m studying in New Zealand, and I want to collect data from people in Pakistan, is this discouraged?
>
>
>
I don't know your field, but I seriously doubt this would be a problem. Here in the US, at least, there is plenty of research into different regions of the world.
>
> What should be my first step for finding a post doctoral opportunity?
>
>
>
I would start by talking to your advisor, trusted old professors, or friends to find out where such jobs are typically announced. They may also be willing to introduce you to their network.
If the goal is a faculty position, I would consider reading <NAME>'s book -- plenty of advice there about best practices for preparing for and interviewing for a faculty position; though the book is widely written, she is an anthropologist and has lots of advice that seems like it would apply well to your situation.
Upvotes: 5
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2018/11/19
| 1,688
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<issue_start>username_0: I worked in some universities in Europe and currently work in Australia. All the universities I have been into supply their PhD students with a PC or a laptop. However, I recently started working with a collaborator in Canada and came to know that his university asks the PhD students to bring their own computers/laptops.
Are there many universities that do not allocate computers to PhD students? If so, why? and how does it work?<issue_comment>username_1: Although your question references Europe, Australia, and Canada, I will answer from a U.S. perspective.
In the U.S., universities providing students with *laptop computers, particularly for their sole use* is unusual. Some may do it, but those would be special cases.
For *research that depends on computer resources beyond basic word processing/spreadsheet/statistics programs*, especially in the sciences and engineering, individual labs typically have their own computing resources for student use, and there may also be university-wide computing resources (clusters, supercomputers, etc). In computation intensive labs, there may be a computer (probably a desktop) available for every person, in others they may be shared resources, but it would be unusual to expect a student to bring their own hardware.
In areas with less research funding, like the social sciences or humanities, departments may have neither office space nor computers for students.
Even when equipment is provided, however, many graduate students (and undergraduates) in the U.S. do have their own computers, whether desktops or laptops, and some may do the bulk of their research work on those resources even if others are available.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Based on my work experience and from talking to people, I support Bryan's answer. Universities in Europe (not including the UK) virtually universally provide personal IT equipment (typically at least a laptop and a desktop display, plus some peripherals) to every student, while universities outside of Europe, at least often, do not. I do not really know about the UK, but my suspicion is that they may not.
To add to Bryan's answer, I will speculate a bit on the **why** part of your question.
I think there are is one fundamental underlying reason.
PhD students in Europe are salaried employees of the university first and foremost. This is well documented in many questions here, for example [this answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/111397/10094). Every reputable company will provide their employees work equipment rather than expecting employees to bring their own, so it is not surprising that universities do the same for their research assistants / PhD students. Contrary, master's students (who are usually not employees in Europe) basically never get a laptop to work on their master's theses, and are instead asked to use their private equipment or the public computer rooms of the university.
Along with this long-standing tradition to see PhD students as employees also comes a different mindset. Universities in Europe typically assume that all resources required to conduct the PhD project should be provided by the university. After all, we don't expect students to pay for trips to conferences, open access charges, or time on expensive experimental hardware out of their own pocket, so why would we assume that they pay for their basic work equipment?
Finally, it's also a question of basic economy. In Sweden where I currently teach, a PhD student costs me more than 350k USD over 5 years (the normal PhD duration in my department) in salary, social security, benefits, and overheads. Spending another 3k to provide the student with good hardware to work with really does not make a whole lot of difference in the overall project budget, while contributing quite positively to the overall PhD experience and likelihood of success for the project (or at least we think it does).
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: >
> Are there many universities that do not allocate computers to PhD
> students? If so, why? and how does it work?
>
>
>
Usually this depends more on the PhD funding scheme rather than the university. There is a wide variety of PhD funding types with different modalities regarding the legal framework (e.g. employee contract or grant), the amount, the duration, rights and duties, etc. Nowadays most PhD schemes would cover costs for hardware and traveling to conferences (another important cost btw), but this is something to check with the institution providing the funding.
Some universities have a policy in place to cover these costs in case the PhD funding doesn't, but it's rarely automatic: students have to apply for it and their request might be rejected.
Why? Well it's quite simply a matter of where the money comes from. If neither the university nor the PhD scheme have a budget for it, then people have to use their own device or collect an old one from a sympathetic colleague.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: I am a PhD student at a Canadian university and I had several options to get computing equipment I need for my research. In my case, my supervisor provided the
workstation for me, and, upon my request, my department (Computer Science) provided the laptop. I requested it because I need a laptop when I'm teaching and also when I'm traveling for research. As a side note, many graduate students at my university are not aware that they can get the equipment from the department. My research is computationally intense and it makes sense for everyone involved (aka me, my supervisor and my department) to provide me with good equipment so I can invest more time into research. However, I don't think this is necessarily a standard practice as it might depend on things such as the supervisor's attitude toward grad students (I know of cases where supervisors could not or simply did not want to this), or their/department's funding situation.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: This is a function of the country, university and the lab you work in. Here in Israel- atleast in my university, all graduate students (Masters & PhD) usually get provisioned with a decent desktop- atleast in the hard sciences. Laptops are usually not given out although if your work requires remote computing power, a laptop can be purchased as well.
Also, if the work requires intense computing (CFD simulations for example), workstation computers are purchased (provided the professor has money in his grant for that).
A lot depends on your advisor as well: some advisors don't have ample funding or have short-term post-doc students for whom they don't wish to purchase computers. I know one whose advisor asked him to work out of his own laptop.
As for other countries, in the US, it varies from lab to lab. Laptops are almost never given out. Some students have their own desktops while others share a common desktop, but in most cases, when high-intensity computing is required, a beefy workstation is usually provided.
**In any case, if you are part of a well-funded lab, expect to be provisioned with a decent desktop. Most cost $1.5-2K which is paltry compared to most decent research grants and the increase in student productivity more than justifies the price.**
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/19
| 881
| 3,721
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<issue_start>username_0: I hate my thesis and I hate my supervisor for he is one of the most manipulative and insensitive human beings I have ever met. He forced me to work on his ideas which I never liked. I could not quit my Ph.D. because I had some bigger problems of my own in personal front and cannot afford the pressure of being jobless. And there was a serious lack of alternative in my university so could not change supervisors, not that there was any support.
I have somehow completed my thesis.<issue_comment>username_1: I see two extreme possibilities. Unfortunately I don't have enough information to choose which is closer to the truth. Based on this and other questions you've asked here, you've been unhappy for quite a while.
**First Extreme**. You are completely accurate here and your advisor is a complete abusive jerk.
Your best option, I think, is to swallow your anger, take his advice, finish, and find a position in which you can be your own person. This is a strategic move suggestion. It doesn't have to be "right" in any other sense than that i gives you a way forward.
**Second Extreme** You are completely wrong and your advisor is giving you excellent advice that will ultimately advance your career. You are just being obstinate, refusing good advice.
Your best option, I think, is to swallow your pride, take his advice, finish and find a position in which you can prosper.
I don't know whether either extreme accurately describes the situation, with so little to go on and not knowing any of the personalities. But the fact that the solutions are essentially the same, suggests that if the real situation lies between the extremes then the same solution is probably the best one.
Getting out with your degree is your best option. Just do it. Keep your eye on the prize.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Based on your post history you've had some issues with this PI over a long time but you haven't moved to another lab. Either the problems were big enough and you should have moved or quit, or they were manageable.
At this point, you sound very close to finishing your degree, and you need to just finish. Of all the ways a PI could potentially be exploitative, giving you direction to work on a project to the point of having a completed thesis isn't really even on the map. It seems like you are describing a conflict of expectations, which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with exploitation, it's just a conflict of expectations and should have been addressed long ago, not now.
The specific issues you raise in your post: the title and acknowledgment of your thesis, are simply things that don't really matter much. You're describing some struggles with mental health: try to see a counselor/therapist of some sort, especially if your institution has support for those sorts of resources, and get your own head sorted out, but as far as your thesis just finish and let yourself move on to another situation that you will hopefully be happier in.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Take your life into your own hands. **You're responsible.** Don't play sheep.
You have made a number of mistakes. Who hasn't? The quintessential one is unfortunately widespread and a big problem in academia: **working towards a degree is not a job**.
You must decide what you need and go for it. Do you need a degree? Go for it.
You have made the mistake of choosing a bad adviser. Now *you* deal with it. Realize he did not truly force you into doing anything.
**Defend whatever you did, deliver your papers and get out of this place.**
Next time you need a job: find a *real* job! Is a postdoctoral fellowship a real job? Think about it.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/20
| 1,016
| 4,365
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<issue_start>username_0: There are at least four benefits of releasing the code and data produced during a thesis or research project (citing textually [this laboratory](https://lcav.epfl.ch/reproducible_research)):
* Allows to reproduce figures in the revisions of a paper
* Other people who want to do research in the field can start from the current state of the art, instead of spending months trying to figure out what was exactly done in a certain paper
* Makes easier to compare the method to existing ones
* Increases the impact of the research
This is really cool for someone trying to develop its own study as he/she can have access to world-quality material for free. However, I have observed that this is a practice followed by well-known universities, with federal financial support, and that usually host international students. Is this practice also recommended for universities with little or no federal financial support and no grants for students?
I am curious if a student from a university like the latter would improve his/her chances to work in academia by releasing his/her material in this *reproducible research* modality.<issue_comment>username_1: I see two extreme possibilities. Unfortunately I don't have enough information to choose which is closer to the truth. Based on this and other questions you've asked here, you've been unhappy for quite a while.
**First Extreme**. You are completely accurate here and your advisor is a complete abusive jerk.
Your best option, I think, is to swallow your anger, take his advice, finish, and find a position in which you can be your own person. This is a strategic move suggestion. It doesn't have to be "right" in any other sense than that i gives you a way forward.
**Second Extreme** You are completely wrong and your advisor is giving you excellent advice that will ultimately advance your career. You are just being obstinate, refusing good advice.
Your best option, I think, is to swallow your pride, take his advice, finish and find a position in which you can prosper.
I don't know whether either extreme accurately describes the situation, with so little to go on and not knowing any of the personalities. But the fact that the solutions are essentially the same, suggests that if the real situation lies between the extremes then the same solution is probably the best one.
Getting out with your degree is your best option. Just do it. Keep your eye on the prize.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Based on your post history you've had some issues with this PI over a long time but you haven't moved to another lab. Either the problems were big enough and you should have moved or quit, or they were manageable.
At this point, you sound very close to finishing your degree, and you need to just finish. Of all the ways a PI could potentially be exploitative, giving you direction to work on a project to the point of having a completed thesis isn't really even on the map. It seems like you are describing a conflict of expectations, which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with exploitation, it's just a conflict of expectations and should have been addressed long ago, not now.
The specific issues you raise in your post: the title and acknowledgment of your thesis, are simply things that don't really matter much. You're describing some struggles with mental health: try to see a counselor/therapist of some sort, especially if your institution has support for those sorts of resources, and get your own head sorted out, but as far as your thesis just finish and let yourself move on to another situation that you will hopefully be happier in.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Take your life into your own hands. **You're responsible.** Don't play sheep.
You have made a number of mistakes. Who hasn't? The quintessential one is unfortunately widespread and a big problem in academia: **working towards a degree is not a job**.
You must decide what you need and go for it. Do you need a degree? Go for it.
You have made the mistake of choosing a bad adviser. Now *you* deal with it. Realize he did not truly force you into doing anything.
**Defend whatever you did, deliver your papers and get out of this place.**
Next time you need a job: find a *real* job! Is a postdoctoral fellowship a real job? Think about it.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/20
| 2,091
| 9,232
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently pursuing a physics major in college. My question mostly applies to those working in STEM, but I am definitely open to hearing answers from others.
Right now, in college, most of the work I am doing involves solving math/physics problems. I have an easy way of measuring my success on this work: if I get the "right"/"correct" answers (or at least one that agrees with my professor's answer), I can say that I am doing "well".
This ability to measure success keeps me motivated. I was wondering what the analog to this in the real world is? When working in academia and pursuing unsolved problems, how do you measure your success to remain motivated? There is no answer key for you to check at the end of the day, so how do you know if you are "right" or "doing well"?<issue_comment>username_1: Unfortunately, and as it happens for most jobs, there is no such a thing, or at least, not as immediate and clear as a grade of an exam.
While one can argue that the number of publications, and the quality of the journals\conferences you publish at, can be good ways to measure your worth, this can often be biased by many factors.
1. If you do not work completely alone, publications are often the result of team work. There are cases where it is hard to see who worked the most, or who gave the key contribution that made the paper be accepted. I have seen people with many published articles move to another group and loose productivity all together. This probably because the previous group supported the PhD way too much and they did not learn from their colleagues. I have also seen the opposite.
2. Despite everything, publishing papers to journals or conferences (even the best ones) can really feel like a lottery. Usually, when you study a lot for an exam, you are almost certain that you will get a good mark, this is not true for publications on any level. A paper can be hardly rejected by conference A and, instead, accepted by conference B. This can be because of many factors. Maybe conference A was not the suited one, or reviewers just did not like the paper despite its contributions, in any case, as you can see you cannot really value your work on this type of outcome. You can, for sure, improve from reviews, but I would never use it as a way to evaluate yourself.
3. Depending on the specific topic of your PhD, there are different standards expected regarding the number of publications you should have. Maybe, you just need a couple and, in that case, it is pretty hard to motivate yourself for years with just two inputs (two accepted papers). Moreover, even the best PhD students have to deal with rejected articles, sometimes, even more than they have to deal with accepted ones.
I would also like to add that PhD students are pretty prone to mental illness such as depression, anxiety disorders and so on [1]. In my modest opinion (as an academic), these problems are also caused by the fact that many doctorate students evaluate their worth depending on this hard numbers (number of publications, number of paper not accepted).
Overall, I think that self motivation is a very personal thing. It is up to you to decide what motivates you and what makes you worth.
[1] <http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2018/03/graduate-students-need-more-mental-health-support-new-study-highlights> (one of the many)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: *My answer is focused on research in the context of UK universities although it may hold more generally.*
I sometimes find it useful to consider an employers view point for successful academic staff members. Usually this comes down to how much money you bring into the department you are working in. (In the UK) this comes from three main sources:
* In many countries there are mechanisms for giving funding to universities based on how many good publications are written by their staff. In the UK this is called [Research excellence framework](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_Excellence_Framework). So writing *good* papers means more funding for the department.
* Most research requires some external funding, either for extra researchers, specialist equipment or travel and collaboration. This can come from many different sources. Built into most grants is some extra funding which is paid directly to the department for admistration/overheads (in theory things like heating, electrics, library access, ...). In more applied fields this can be done after the research has been performed with patents and spin off companies too. So getting people to fund your research means more money for the department.
* The biggest contributor to (UK) finances is student fees. If you do some teaching your are doing your bit for the department to justify these fees. If you are a good teacher (making sure the students are happy and well educated) this leads to good feedback scores which potential new students will see and judge a course/department/university on. So doing *good* teaching means more students and more money for the department.
There are other income streams by doing things such as outreach activities, knowledge exchange or generating impact of your research. These all count to generate more money for your department.
In summary, you are a successful researcher (academic) if you write good papers, bring in grant money and do good teaching. Of course these are quite broadly defined criteria (how do you define a good paper? how much is enough grant money? what is good teaching?) but should give an idea of some metrics which you can use to judge yourself. In fact, these are often the criteria which job applicants and promotion panels will consider so these really are the way the employers think about defining a good researcher.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Unfortunately in academia there is really no objective way of measuring your success to keep you “motivated”.
Many factors that most people would think as indicators of success such as; grades in graduate school, number of publications, praise from advisor, praise from colleagues, number of grants obtained etc, although shows maybe you are on the right track, does not necessarily indicate eventual success. The main reason for this is that not all research activities or papers may be recognized immediately. They may be overlooked for many years before their worth is truly appreciated. In that case, a person measuring their success by acceptance of their work in academia or number of publications might draw the wrong conclusions.
Also work that has been praised for long years may turn out to be incorrect or incomplete eventually. In that case the apparent success of the author/group may be diminished.
So as you see, one sort of accepts the fact that there may not be measurable success when going into academia or carrying out academic activities (research, writing papers etc). As a result, the motivation does not come from success. The motivation comes from within the person (it sounds cheesy, I am cringing while writing it, but it is truly the reality of academia). If the motivation for understanding the world around you or contributing to the science is not within you, it is possible to become demotivated and leave academia (which occurs more often than not).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: In order to remain motivated in academia, it is important to keep the goal of becoming a renowned professor and maintain an inner belief that this goal can be accomplished. This motivation should be one's ultimate aim – not fame or fortune per se but recognition for making contributions to our understanding of how the world works, which will help shape the future. In short, you need a sufficient amount of passion for your field.
It is also important to develop a strong work ethic. You should learn from your teachers and experience what it means to be an active researcher in academia, developing strategies for doing research and cultivating the skills required for success. For this reason, you should not spend too much time on social media or idle chit-chat with friends but try to focus on research as much as possible.
There are three keys to success in academia: hard work, passion and diligence. You must work as hard as you can every single day, never giving up or running away from the challenges that life throws at you. This will help develop your character and allow you to rise above mediocrity.
It is important to stay focused on your goal, which means not wasting time on distractions such as television, video games or social media. These things are fun and can be entertaining but they will take away from the amount of time you have available for doing research.
It is important to develop a strong passion for your field of study. So what if you aren't the best in the world, as long as you love it, right? I am talking about true passion – an unquenchable desire to learn more and do better.
I am not going to say that you should never be afraid of failure. However, there are two things to remember: First, if you have failed a few times and given up on your goal, then it's time to take a break and reflect on whether or not this is really what you want.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/20
| 669
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<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for a PhD program in Computer Science. The university asks each applicant to hand in an optional personal history statement. I have detailed my research experience, career goals clearly in my statement of purpose. Hence I don't really know what I should write in a personal history statement. I am an average Asian student and do not have anything special. Any ideas on this essay?
EDIT: below is what they actually require:
>
> The purpose of this optional essay is to get to know you as an
> individual and as a potential graduate student, and to understand how
> your background will add to the **diversity** of our school. Please
> describe how your personal background has motivated you to pursue a
> graduate degree. You may discuss educational, familial, cultural,
> socioeconomic, or personal experiences or challenges; gender identity;
> community services, outreach services, first-generation college status
> or other matters relevant to your decision to pursue graduate
> education. Please note that the Personal History Statement is not
> meant to be a general autobiography.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: **Concisely and honestly.**
You'll look like an idiot if you cite your love of [insert minority] or your [questionable claim] heritage or your vast experience with [sympathetic cause].
Instead, just write a brief statement that explains how you'll bring "diversity" to the program through your interests and experiences. You can also briefly mention your cultural background. The key thing is to keep this concise and not to say things that you wouldn't feel comfortable saying to a professor in person over a conversation. The common trap is to "pour your guts out" or to pander by making tenuous claims.
If this is an optional statement, you can skip it (particularly in STEM fields), but most people use this as an opportunity to "humanize" themselves by telling non-work-related stories.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Don't focus overly on diversity. US universities are more than happy to have diverse faculty and student body and spend some effort to achieve it, but not every member has to be "diverse" on any scale.
More important, focus on what you *are* rather than on what you are *not*. You don't even need to mention your ethnicity, though there is a check box in which you can. Focus on the things you have *done* and the things you *hope to do* in future. Why are you highly likely to succeed at this, rather than why you are different from (some) others.
For undergraduate admissions, even such things as sports and debate club can be important. This is less so (even unimportant) for doctoral study.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2018/11/20
| 842
| 3,644
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<issue_start>username_0: We had a paper accepted to a reputable IEEE conference.
We have completed the copyrights form and one of the authors have registered and presented the paper at the conference.
After a couple of months, the conference proceedings were uploaded to IEEE Xplore but without our paper.
1. Is there anything to do about this? Is it possible to check (with the PC chairs?) why it is not published?
2. If the paper stays left out of the proceedings, can we resubmit it to a different venue?<issue_comment>username_1: Welcome to copyright hell! Mua-ha-ha...
More seriously, though, do the following in parallel:
### Copyright re-acquisition and free publication
I assume that just before signing the accursed "copyright form", you gave a copy to someone else, and agreed to grant him/her rights of copying, distribution, and subsequent granting of the same rights (e.g. you licensed your work to them under one of the free licenses, such as Creative Commons or GNU FDL, etc.). If you think this did not happen, try jogging your memory a bit, I'm sure it will come back to you. And I'm sure that person will later be able to attest to this having happened. Now, have that person make you a copy with the same rights you gave him. You can now publish that copy wherever you like, and IEEE can't do anything about it. Also, in practice and from (limited) experience, IEEE doesn't try to harass authors who publish a copy of their work for free online. (They might come after you if you publish it commercially somehow.)
### Interaction with IEEE
Write:
* IEEE Xplore (I'm sure they have a contact form)
* The conference chair, or whoever is personally in charge of the conference proceedings (check on the conference website)
and ask them why the proceedings have not yet been published, and to try and make that happen ASAP.
---
I'll add that, personally, I don't consider a "publication" on IEEE Xplore as a publication per se, because people who didn't pay the IEEE (a significant amount of) money can only get your paper via [SciHub](http://sci-hub.tw/), which doesn't always have absolutely everything available, and some people are worried about the legality of getting papers through there. So it's important you also follow the parallel course of action and properly publish your paper online - make it accessible by the *public*.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: If you were reviewed and accepted, signed the appropriate forms, paid to attend the conference, and presented in an IEEE conference, then you should expect to be included in the proceedings.
If you aren't, then most likely it is a result of a mistake, and can be corrected by contacting the conference publications chair. The publications chair of the conference should have an IEEE publications contact, who has the right combination of authority and connections to help get it sorted out. If they agree that you should be in the proceedings, then you can treat your paper as being published at the conference even if before the fix propagates to IEEE Xplore (which can sometimes take many months). Importantly, this includes posting copies on your own site, where they can be easily accessed, [per the standard IEEE copyright agreement](https://www.ieee.org/publications/rights/author-posting-policy.html).
On the other hand, if there is some reason that you actually did get dropped such that they are *not* willing to officially include your paper in the proceedings, then they are effectively relinquishing any claim on the paper and you may do with it as you wish, just as though it had been rejected in the first place.
Upvotes: 3
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2018/11/20
| 984
| 4,238
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm on a short-term contract with a local state university. I have been teaching there as an adjunct for a while, but a full-time faculty needed to take emergency leave so I was asked to cover their courses.
As part of my full-time responsibilities, I was asked to a meeting for some administrative work that I know something about. There were four faculty members: the head of department, a recently tenured faculty, and a tenure-track faculty. During the meeting we divided up the work and said we'd meet in two weeks or so to review it.
There was some discussion about who did what, but the recently tenured faculty said very little.
The next day, that recently-tenured faculty sent an email saying that they had "felt uncomfortable" with how the work was assigned and had a "clear vision" about the part of the work that I had volunteered for. As I said, the recently-tenured faculty said very little during the meeting and seemed to agree with the outcome.
In addition to the four people who were at the meeting, this email was CCed to the Dean and the rest of the department.
Coming from a commercial, rather than academic, background I found this behavior disturbing and unprofessional.
My full-time contract ends at the end of the calendar year, but I am wondering if you have any advice regarding how I should deal with this recently-tenured faculty apart from doing the work that I was asked to do during the meeting? I'd rather have nothing to do with them and, were they in a commercial environment, they would probably be on a PIP (performance improvement plan).
The head of department has been supportive. The Dean has not weighed in.<issue_comment>username_1: Actually, I would ignore it. It is fairly typical behavior among some faculty. It might not even be abuse, but just the other person having time to reflect after the meeting. If the comments made were on-topic and not a personal attack, then you have nothing to gain in your current position by doing anything beyond arguing for your position. It could even be that the other person is uncomfortable in meeting generally.
I once found that offering suggestions for improvement of policy, as a new faculty member, is sometimes definitely *not appreciated*. I suffered setbacks because I suggested that "the way we do things here" was counterproductive. People don't like to hear that from a new person or an underling.
But yielding graciously, even if you don't feel it, could put you in a better position for future employment there.
On the other hand, you are justified in responding to a personal attack, but do so through "channels".
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I suggest checking with the department chair to find out what he wants you to do --- continue with your part of the work as agreed during the meeting? trade assignments with the recently tenured person so that he can develop that "clear vision"? do nothing and let the newly tenured person do your part of the work in addition to his own?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: An earlier comment was removed which said that such a head-over-heels turn would deserve a PIP in industry is far over the top. I do not know why this comment was removed, I thought it was perfectly apt. Yea, it is not nice when somebody tries to underhandedly and one-sidedly modify an agreement decided publicly, but it is far from an actionable offence.
As response, it is perfectly sufficient to say that if they disagree with the outcome of the meeting and want to change it, and OP is unhappy about this proposed change, it would need renegotiation.
So, an answer could be: "In our meeting, we agreed to which seemed to be all right with all participants; this included me - and, given that you did not express anything to the contrary, also you. If you wish to modify this outcome now, this would need to be coordinated between all parties; in this case, I suggest you call in another meeting of all the parties to realign the duties."
I very much doubt that that person would dare to do that, given that the others will ask themselves why they have to waste their time again on a question which already had been decided and closed.
Upvotes: 3
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2018/11/21
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<issue_start>username_0: I don't know if this is the right place (or the right tags) to ask this question or not so please tell me.
I am doing a research project related to computer science in my university. This is my first research project and it's really hard.
How can I manage my big research project? I have a lot of ideas and in each one there are a lot of issues.
The problem that I am facing is the uncertainty, I don't know the specific required time to finish something (because I don't really know it)
**for example** : I can't say "I will finish A thing in 3/12/2018 and then I will finish B thing in 17/12/2018" because I don't know those things(I have to learn them)
How can I put a time plan for such things for my research? and How can I manage it?<issue_comment>username_1: If it is truly a research project then for most of it you can't manage time since you are, in the nature of it, dealing with the unknown. Somethings can be managed, such as obtaining necessary equipment or software, but not the core of it.
*Development* projects can be managed, up to a point, since they deal with things that can be estimated, more or less. But getting insight into the core issue in research may come instantly or not at all. Some problems in CS have been around for a long time and are still unsolved.
What you *can* manage is how much of your time you devote to the project and how you deal with your other tasks in that context. You can also manage, up to a point, how effectively you use that time.
One thing you can do, perhaps, is to work on more than one aspect of the project at the same time. Whether this is feasible or not depends on the project itself, but if it can be done, then work on one aspect may give insight into others, and may also permit some of the work to be completed even if the overall thing is intractable.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Unfortunately, this sort of uncertainty is just part and parcel of the life of a researcher. I've been doing research for 15 years now, I run my own research group and this is still a problem for me.
1. With this in mind, my first piece of advice is not to feel alone in this. The uncertainty is not because of your inexperience. We never know how long research will take because, by definition, we don't know the answer yet, thats what makes it research.
2. Keep a notebook (real or computational) for each project/idea category and write your thoughts in them.
3. Celebrate any concrete progress however small.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Planning research projects can be hard and you are not the first one to face this problem. One method to plan is to break your work down into smaller steps. Even if you do not know how long each step will take, just seeing smaller steps can be less intimidating than one large project.
Graduate students (and experienced researchers!) also face this challenge. To help students, the University of Minnesota offers a [Dissertation Calculator](https://www.lib.umn.edu/ac/dissertation-calculator). This calculator would be a starting point for a planned timeline for you and help you explore uncertainty in steps.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/21
| 2,488
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<issue_start>username_0: I rejected a paper after careful review and consideration, writing six pages to justify my decision.
In less than 24 h I have received a petition to change my verdict to major changes. The rationale is that the other two reviewers have given major changes and that my review is too harsh and not well enough substantiated.
* Is this normal?
* Is this ethical?
* Any further thoughts?
Thank you<issue_comment>username_1: In my experience, the decision whether to reject an article or request major changes is up to the editor. You, as reviewer, give input on this but the editor has to take the final responsibility. In particular, this means that you don't have to change your verdict for the paper to be given major changes.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: Outright rejecting a paper denies authors the opportunity to correct issues raised by reviewers (and to publish at that venue). By comparison, major revisions afford such an opportunity. Authors might not be able to make the sufficient corrections, hence, reviewers may still reject. But, if they do make sufficient corrections, then the community benefits from the value added by reviewers. By comparison, no such value is guaranteed from an outright rejection, because authors may simply resubmit elsewhere without modification.
Perhaps the editor is trying to maximise community value.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: Ultimately, the decision is up to the editor and in this case they disagree with your assessment. This is not uncommon -- sometimes the reviewer is wrong or it could simply be that the reviewer has high standards and this is a low-quality journal. It sounds like the editor thinks the authors should be given an opportunity to address your concerns, which is reasonable.
*Is this normal?* Yes. The editor makes the final decision and often deviates from the reviews (indeed reviews are rarely unanimous, so deviation from some reviews is necessary). The editor wants to send the authors more consistent reviews, in order to minimize author complaints. And if your review seems excessively harsh, the editor may want that toned down to spare the authors' feelings (they are human too).
*Is this ethical?* To some extent it's just necessary. Some reviews do need to be fixed. If you feel that it is going too far and you are being asked to lie, rather than just change the tone, then you can push back and explain why you disagree. If you really feel that your input is being ignored, then refuse to review for that journal again.
*Any further thoughts?* Editors might even edit the reviews themselves without consulting the reviewers, since that might be quicker and easier. However, I think that is a bit inappropriate and disrespectful to the reviewer.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: This isn't normal. The process I'm familiar with is to simply forward the reject review to the authors along with a letter by the editor saying that "we find your paper acceptable if the reviewers' comments are addressed" etc.
I'd tell the editor your comments are what they are, and he/she doesn't have to follow your recommendation. You might also want to check if they're a predatory journal. I'd probably do the same thing if they are predatory, but it'd still be a good thing to know.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: I have written quite a few reviews, with a significant percentage of them recommending rejection. Editors often made the decision to reject; sometimes they deviated and asked for major corrections. This is normal — editors have to take reviews into consideration, but are not bound by them. Not a single time have I received a request to change a review.
* *Is this normal?*
**No**, this is not normal, in my opinion. There is no good reason for the editor to ask you to change the review. If the editor believes the paper deserves a major correction, they simply have to make their decision, noting your recommendation.
* *Is this ethical?*
**No.** Under no circumstances should an editor disclose the recommendation of other reviewers to you to ask you to amend your recommendation to join the majority. You were asked to express your own opinion, which you did. The editor is trying to receive an unequivocal agreement, which is not necessary and not fair to you. The editor does not have to follow your recommendation, but they have to respect it.
* *Any further thoughts?*
Please make the name of the journal known. I would refrain from ever using the journal(s) which allow such reviewing process to take place.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I have received a petition to change my verdict to major changes. The rationale is that the other two reviewers have given major changes and that my review is too harsh and not...substantiated.
>
>
>
A more precise understanding of the circumstances is necessary to answer your questions. I wonder whether the editor is trying to establish whether to outright reject or whether to offer major corrections. Since you're the only reviewer that recommends rejection, it is absolutely normal (and ethical) that the editor is consulting you. They want you to further help them in making their decision.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: You should change your review if and only if you are honestly convinced that your original review was wrong.
As a reviewer, I have no objection to being overruled by the editor --- even if he accepts without changes a paper that I said should be rejected (or vice versa). That is his right as editor. I would, however, object very strongly to a request to submit a review that does not represent my honest assessment of the paper. In my opinion, it is unethical for an editor to make such a request, and it would be unethical for me to comply with it.
(In your situation, I would also feel somewhat insulted that a six-page report is considered insufficient substantiation.)
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_7: >
> * Any further thoughts?
>
>
>
1. I recommend giving yourself a minimum of 24 hours before you send back a reply. This will make sure you don’t do anything rash or allow emotional issues to dictate your actions.
2. Just in case you’re one of those people who have a hard time saying “no”, especially to requests coming from figures of authority, it’s good to remind yourself (multiple times if necessary) that **you are not required to comply with the request**.
3. Regarding the ethics question, others have addressed this, but I think it’s worth sharpening the ethical lines here a bit. If the request is simply that you *reconsider your position* (since it is perceived as too harsh by the editor and other reviewers), I think that’s an unusual request but not an unethical one. It is fine (if usually futile) for either the author or the editor to push back and ask you if you might revise your position based on new arguments or because they believe you haven’t given the matter sufficient consideration (which sounds unlikely in this case, but I suppose it’s theoretically possible). The point is that in that case they are asking you to actually change your opinion, not to change your recommendation to something that is different from your true opinion. People do make mistakes and do change their opinions about things in response to feedback. I’m not saying you *should* change your opinion, just that if you did, I wouldn’t see anything wrong with that.
Now, if on the other hand the request is simply that you revise what you wrote to some specific recommendation regardless of what you actually believe, then such a request is blatantly unethical. Being a reviewer is a position of trust, and the whole refereeing system is built around the premise that editors, authors and readers can trust that referees are stating their true opinions rather than being influenced by irrelevant factors. Writing something that is not your opinion would be a betrayal of that trust, and undermines the entire system of academic publishing. I assume that such a betrayal is not something you would want to be a part of.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_8: First of all, I am assuming that the editor is explicitly primarily asking you to change your verdict, and not to reconsider specific rationales of your review in light of the other reviews or to phrase your review more friendly or to substantiate some of your claims.
If this is the case, then it indeed raises some red flags as it is completely unnecessary in a healthy situation:
All decision-making processes I know do not allow reviewers to decide a paper’s fate directly.
Instead the editor decides on base of the reviews or it is even the editor-in-chief who decides on basis of the editor’s recommendation, which in turn is based on the reviews.
Thus, if the editor wants a major revision, there is no need to change your verdict – in particular since this is the least surprising decision anyway, given two reviews recommending major revision and one recommending rejection.
This poses the question why the editor would like your verdict changed, and all I can think about is that they want to bypass some sort of quality control, for example:
* The decision is upon the editor-in-chief and the editor wishes to illegitimately improve the chances of the paper.
* The journal is one that publishes reviews, and the editor expects that accepting this paper given your current review could negatively affect them.
* The journal is rather competitive and has some strict unpublished rules that would force the editor to reject the paper with only one reject recommendation. In this case, it would be completely out of line for the editor to meddle like this. Of course, one may consider such rules harmful, but if that’s beyond your responsibility.
I would thus recommend to do the following:
* Double-check your interpretation of the mail.
* Consider asking the editor for clarification as to what they want.
* Look for further red flags, e.g., that the request was sent privately and not via the journal’s channels (does not apply to those journals that do not have a respective system).
* Escalate the situation to the editor-in-chief, publisher, or public (in that order if the previous escalations did not yield a satisfying outcome).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: Given that journal editors are notorious for (almost surely) never changing *their* "reject" verdict (which is a policy originating in the long-held belief of *publishers* that writers of any sort are "immature" creatures even though talented, and so they are to be treated with strict authority to keep them in check), it is poetically unjust for editors to ask from reviewers to change *their* reject verdict.
Serving poetic justice alone demands from you to reject the editor's submitted request, let alone all the other aspects of the matter already analytically discussed in the answers here.
Upvotes: -1
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2018/11/21
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<issue_start>username_0: It has been 4 months that I have started my master's degree in North America. I got my funding letter from my supervisor when I was in my home country, in my letter it was written that I will be a fully funded student. Now I am here and he does not pay that amount money. even for my first semester, I paid all of my expenses and tuition fee from my pocket. I finished those amount of money that I brought from my home country. now my supervisor does not pay properly. Life became difficult for me, even the university restricted my access to add and drop due to the hold. I am a good student who cares about studying, I hate thinking about money and tuition fee. I am not the guy who can study and do research like this. My prof pays other classmates more than me. This situation really disappoints me and overwhelmingly hard for me. Several times my parents wanted to send money but I did not let them. (transferring money is difficult from my home country.)
I feel like crying these days and I could not stop it.
Do you have any recommendation or sample letter? how can I make him understand?
+edited: I tried to talk my classmates about this issue. But when I am explaining this issue to them they think that there is something wrong with me and my classmates do not offer any collaboration with me such as publishing something or studying together. This payment issue affected my self-confidence completely.<issue_comment>username_1: I am sorry you find yourself in such a situation. Unfortunately, salary abuse of overseas students and postdocs is becoming increasingly common. Typically the whole "scheme" relies on your silence and submissiveness, which means the most efficient way of defending yourself is by being vocal about this.
You say you're avoiding approaching the topic directly because you want to "preserve your relationship" with your adviser. As you noticed currently your relationship is openly exploitative. There's no way of changing that without displeasing your abuser. In fact I believe **your relationship with your adviser is already broken**, regardless of whether this person smiles back at you at the intersections and/or *taps you on the back*.
You must find out the extent of this situation. Reach out for other overseas students and postdocs and inquire them directly. If they seem to avoid the topic altogether, they are likely in a similar stand. Go immediately to the administration and open out. Find the Principal. Have you considered contacting the Consulate of your country? Usually the right phone call can solve almost any situation.
You might like to read about my [recent similar experience](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/104541/persistent-issues-with-salary-pay-as-a-postdoc-in-china-what-can-i-do) as a postdoc.
Since you're a Master student, if you conclude the situation won't change, I strongly suggest you to quit, take some time off to digest this mess, and try again elsewhere. Life's long and you don't want to let the bad attitude of others to ruin your plans.
Start *now*! Good luck.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: This is a really unfortunate situation to be in, I'm sorry to hear about your situation...
I would discuss this with your advisor and the administrators immediately. It could be that there is some HR issue/misunderstanding (either on their part or on yours). It is often the case that some salary is contingent on you completing some initial courseload, taking up teaching duties etc., it could be that the gross amount stated in the letter does not include taxes/tuition fees. If this was not properly explained to you it is a bit odd, to say the least, but it never hurts to make sure that you are not misreading something.
There are ways of approaching this topic diplomatically and without antagonizing your advisor/HR (assuming that there is not ill intent on their part). Approach them, with the hardcopy of the letter in hand, and your latest payslip. Politely ask whether there has been a misunderstanding: my letter says I am to be paid X but I was in fact paid Y; is there a reason for this discrepancy?
If you are still 100% sure that someone acted with ill intent/is negligent and won't correct their mistake, I would contact someone: if your university has an international student union (many North American universities do), or better yet one that is affiliated with your nationality, this is a good place to start. If your university has an ombudsman (person whose job is to mediate between students and university), reach out to them.
If such bodies do not exist or are unresponsive, reach out to higher-ups in the university (head of department, dean for undergraduate studies etc.).
If that fails, contact a consulate/a lawyer.
**It is important to maintain a paper trail! Try to do things in writing (e.g. email) if you can, and note time/date of phone conversations/meetings that occurred.**
Trying to mediate and reach an agreement without involving legal/consular means is going to reach your desired outcome faster, and will likely cost you a lot less.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Based on a conversation in the comments, so you have basically **no reason to see this as anything but a mistake**. You were never told you would be paid anything less than you were offered. You have not communicated to anyone that you are being paid less than you are supposed to be paid. **Most likely no one knows you are not being paid correctly.**
**You have done a very silly thing by letting this go on so long.** Go talk to your advisor face to face as if your advisor is a normal human being, let them know you think there is a mistake because have not been paid the amount you expected to be paid, and ask who you need to talk to in order to get this fixed or whether you have misunderstood something. If you cannot meet face to face, you can say the same thing in an email.
There is no need for this to be damaging to your relationship, there is no need for you to accuse anyone of mistreating or abusing you, there is no broken relationship already. It sounds like there is an administrative error that needs to be corrected. Administration in a university is complicated and involves people that don't know you or your advisor personally at all, they may have nothing in their records to show what you should be paid. The likelihood of mistakes increases dramatically if you are supposed to be paid from more than one source.
Only if your advisor refuses to correct the mistake and refuses to let you know who you need to talk to to correct the mistake should you assume any malice.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: It sounds like the big problem is rooted under your unwillingness to communicate problems to others. If you haven't said anything to your advisor or the department, they are likely unaware of the situation. Your advisor may not be checking financial statements on a regular basis and may not know that you're not being paid properly. The administrators in your program who process the enrollment may not know there's a problem. Or it could be as simple as the paperwork getting lost by the payroll department in the main administration and them not paying you.
**But if you remain silent, nothing will be fixed.** There is a proverb:
>
> The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
>
>
>
If you have a problem, you need to speak up, or your silence will be treated as a sign that's nothing wrong.
In this particular situation, I'd start by going to the assistant who is responsible for graduate students. For a program in the US or Canada, there should be someone on the administrative staff—not the faculty—in your department who handles sending out letters and emails to students.
(As for working with other students, I don't see how they're in any position to make a difference here, or what studying or collaborating with you has anything to do with funding.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: It's not clear from your question what, if any, action you have already taken to try to arrange for this funding to be paid. (Re your edit, your classmates are not the approprite point-of-contact for this problem; they have no control over funding and no power to fix the problem.) Unless you have already done so, in the first instance you should make your supervisor aware that there are outstanding funding expectations and see if he can resolve this. If he is unhelpful then you should take the matter to the administration of your department and make them aware of the problem. Since you are experiencing financial hardship, make sure you are clear that this matter is urgent, and you are having serious difficulty funding your place at the university. In the unlikely event that the university administration is unable/unwilling to assist you, you should seek advice from legal services at the university or some kind of free legal service.
The good news here is that you have a letter saying that you are a fully funded student, so presumably that entitles you to some baseline of funding. Universities are not fly-by-night operations, so if they have promised to give you funding then they will honour that promise unless there is some good (and lawful) reason to rescind that promise.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/21
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<issue_start>username_0: I am nearing the end of a semester-long bachelor thesis in computer science. My supervisor suggested I set aside the last month (around 20 working days) for actually writing the thesis document. As such, I have begun this period now.
Why is a thesis important?
--------------------------
Given limited time, I am confused as to why I need to write a good thesis. I am not against writing it, I just want to understand *why* a good thesis is important so that I can optimize my time accordingly and focus on the important sections.
For instance, if I were writing a paper for a conference, my goal would be to convince potential reviewers (as well as the research community in general) about the merit of my proposed ideas and their novel contributions. As such, I know the intended audience and the intended message for such a paper. Along these lines, who is the intended audience and what is the intended message for a bachelor thesis? Firstly, I doubt many would be interested in reading a bachelor thesis, so this confuses me when I think about who I am writing this thesis for. Secondly, should I consider the intended message as convincing the reader of my ideas, in which case the thesis essentially becomes a long research paper?
I am dealing with these questions because I've found that I can write better and more persuasive matter when I think from the reader's point of view with a clear message to convey to him/her. But currently, I am neither clear about the audience nor about the point to make with my thesis.
I spoke to my supervisor about this. He said the thesis document is a report of all the research activities I did during the time allotted for it, which includes all experiments irrespective of their results. In contrast, a research paper focuses on one method which worked very well. **With this in mind, one could say that the intent of my thesis is to *inform***, so that all experiments (with positive or negative results) serve as *some* kind of knowledge contribution to the research community. However, this still leaves the question of who the reader is, what should I assume about them, etc.
Which sections are the most important in my thesis?
---------------------------------------------------
Part of the reason for asking the former question is to obtain an answer for this question. Which sections are the most important in a thesis and why? From my understanding, the sections which stand out (like the abstract, introduction and conclusion) are the most important as they're the most likely to be read by potential thesis examiners, peers, etc.
Is there any other section that I should especially focus on?<issue_comment>username_1: Let me suggest that the audience consists of two people. Your advisor and yourself. Your advisor is an important part of the audience since he will grade it and (hopefully) give you feedback on both the content and the writing.
You are part of the audience since at the point you are in academia, you simply need the practice of technical writing and carefully organizing your thoughts and arguments.
However, some things you say imply that this is more of an "experience report" than a true thesis, and that may be the core of your dilemma.
Research is a plunge into the unknown. Sometimes we find that what we thought was true turns out to be false. That is knowledge, just the same as learning that it was true. Of course, you need to provide the evidence that leads you to your final conclusion in either case. But no research is a "failure" unless it is carried out improperly or carelessly.
But the advice to lay out what you have learned in a coherent way is good advice. Write for your advisor. Write for yourself. Maybe more will come of it, but that is all that is needed at this level.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The convincing part should be done by the research, the text should only be a clear representation of that. If you have a result, then I may find that convincing because you told my how you got there and I found that approach convincing. I should not find that result convincing because you said that in a certain way. The text is important because it should be clear, but the convincing is not done by the text. For example, be sparing with adjectives: you give the evidence, the reader decides for her or himself whether that is strong evidence (or not).
When I grade a bachelor thesis I don't value the abstract. The introduction and conclusion play very specific roles. The introduction poses the research question, the conclusion answers the research question. I do grade those parts, but I pretty much ignore the rest. Most of the grading happens in between. I need to see a clear line, which typically helped a lot if you follow the standard format in your discipline. Maybe you are allowed to deviate from that, but experience tells us that that almost always ends in a disaster. If some part is weaker, then that will cost you.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: The audience
------------
The correct, but somewhat cynical answer is that the main audience for a thesis or dissertation is the examiners. They'll have to grade it (or at least sign off on it), so you want to convince them to give you the grade you want. The next audience you'll want to target is actually yourself.
Some years from now you'll have forgotten some of the details. You can try to track them down again, but if you've written stuff down in a format that's helpful to *you* it's going to be a lot quicker and less painful. Basically, if you write the document well it can be a great reference. (I admittedly haven't opened my bachelor thesis many times, but I looked something up in my Masters thesis just yesterday.) Sometimes the thesis can also be useful for students doing their projects on the same topic, in the same research group, etc.
The other big point is that writing the thesis is supposed to be practice for future writing of e.g. dissertations or papers.
What sections are most important?
---------------------------------
From the practice angle, all of them. To convince your examiners, probably introduction, results and conclusions - but different people will have different priorities. However, it's a case where you have a few people who are supposed to read your thesis, so an excellent abstract is less important than in a research paper. Basically, you want to show that you understand the field, and have done good work.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: You don't say what program you are enrolled in, but I am going to answer this from a sciences point of view. Undoubtedly much of this will also apply to other subjects.
The final year research project is often the culmination of the entire degree program. Within such a module you are expected to demonstrate that you can behave, think, write and perform like a scientist. In contrast to other modules, where the aim is to demonstrate that you can learn, understand and apply the knowledge that others have accumulated, here you must demonstrate that you can generate your own knowledge and approach the world with a "scientific" frame of mind.
In the ideal world, all undergraduates would have exciting, well-designed thesis topics, which, if correctly executed at a level that can be expected from an undergraduate, would produce interesting conclusions irrespective of which way the results turn out. We do not live in this world. Thus, in an undergraduate project, you must be able to demonstrate the required attributes, even if not everything you did (or anything you did) produced exciting results.
I do not think it is cynical to suggest that the target audience for your thesis is the person marking it (be that your supervisor or some other examiner). The purpose is to convince said person that you can use your assigned topic to show your ability to think, act and write like a professional scientist. Convince them that you can set your topic and your results in the relevant existing knowledge, that you understand the design of the experiments, that you understand the limitations of the data collected, if things didn't work that you either understand why they didn't, OR have strong ideas for how you might investigate the causes of the failures and that you understand what your results say about your original topic.
The way you do this is by writing a document that looks like the sort of document a professional scientist might write (or more accurately, the platonic ideal of a professional scientist might write).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I recently finished a Bachelor's thesis in physics, and the faculty I asked for advice generally agreed with what has been said: that your target audience is the examiners and yourself. While correct, I know that I found that a bit demoralizing--this was a project I'd been working on four years and cared a lot about, and writing about it for a group of professors who just wanted to get through it as quickly as possible seemed like a let down--so I took some advice for my adviser and wrote it for a future incoming student in the lab (whether such a student is ever likely to read my thesis or not didn't really matter). Basically, I wrote for myself four years ago, before I joined the lab, discussing everything I'd learned about the project and how the lab worked and explaining all of the nuances of our research that I'd learned the hard way, as well as of course discussing the results of my research project, suggestions for future work, etc. Imagining an actually interested audience who could learn something from my work made the process a lot less painful, and I think it also made my thesis significantly better, because it forced me to actually take the time to explain why I did each step of the project and the theoretical backing behind the experiment, rather than assuming that my audience had prior knowledge of these topics. (I worried a lot that I included too many "intro-level" details about my project, but all of my evaluators actually gave positive feedback on that.)
So, the point I wanted to make here is, yes, your adviser/evaluators are your "actual" audience, but if that seems intimidating or unhelpful to you, you can always imagine a different audience to give your work more of a purpose. As others have said, the main purpose is to show that you have done significant work, learned scientific thinking, and can explain it all clearly, and that should come through regardless of who you have in your head as your audience.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/21
| 827
| 3,518
|
<issue_start>username_0: An assignment spec was released but it was poorly written and vague to the point where the requirements of the software system is unclear. As a final year undergraduate this unit counts a lot to my overall grade. After numerous emails, phone calls and face-to-face discussions with: other students, lecturer, other lecturers and head of the course, they clarified the assignment with 2 weeks to go (was supposed to allegedly take 4-6 weeks which would have been a struggle anyway). The other parties all agreed that the spec was poorly written and interpreted it wrongly themselves.
I have been working on the solution but I am worried I cannot implement it to the standard of a 1st (70%+). The institution seems reluctant to offer an extension to the deadline and I don't know what else can be done. It is a sponsored degree so I study part time and work full time, so there is very little gap to pull all-nighters or power through whilst keeping a professional front for 9 hours a day.
Is there anything me and fellow students can urge the university to do, or anything our employers (sponsors) can do to encourage action?<issue_comment>username_1: You can only do what you can do. There is no magic here.
Perhaps the project was purposely left under specified, as often happens in undergraduate work, calling for creativity. I think that is sometimes (but only sometimes) justified, as long as the conditions are clear. But that's not the most likely situation here, of course.
Perhaps the people specifying the project just messed up and tried to complete the spec without thinking it through. That is less likely to be justified, of course, but it isn't that rare in the real world.
I'm not going to be one of the evaluators of your project, of course, but I would value more highly a project that correctly completed a subset of the specifications than one that had no results at all. Ideally, which subset would be negotiated before the end date, so you might explore that.
Maybe you are just trapped. If that is the case, then you won't be alone and all grades will come in lower than expected. The powers-that-be will need to deal with that somehow, maybe satisfactorily or maybe not. But it is out of your control.
But if you finish *something*, I think you have a stronger case for complaint after the deadline. And you may need to complain, of course.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I am not versed in software writing assignment but there are a few things I can think of:
1. Submit your work with a memo, detailing how each of the assumptions was made to the assignment components that were not clearly specified. If you're so keen, list a couple alternatives you have thought about, with pros and cons, and why you made that choice. I have seen students sometimes do that in written tests and exams, and I often considered their point of view a bit differently.
2. For all the communications, if you have paper trail, keep the paper trail. If not, at the very least, have a log of meeting and discussion, jot down all main points. Any conversation about this project from now on, if possible, should have a paper trail, and if it's a face-to-face meeting, follow up with an e-mail detailing the main points covered in the meeting. If all go south, having this record to demonstrate i) your due diligence to clarify, and ii) the lack of clarity among the teaching staff would help you make the case if you decided to complain or grieve.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/21
| 877
| 3,978
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for junior faculty positions at research universities. Most job postings request three references (either just names and contact details, or actual letters of recommendation), and I've already secured these from the three full professors who can best attest, in different aspects, to my research and teaching skills. One of these professors was my thesis advisor, and the other two are faculty at other universities with whom I have worked closely.
A few job postings ask for *five* references. Now, I could approach two further senior academics who could also vouch for my research and teaching abilities, though there's no one I have worked with nearly as closely or as recently as my three top references. I have no doubt that they could supply positive references, and while their names alone might carry some weight, they wouldn't be able to write about me in as much detail.
On the other hand, I do have some notable collaborations with professors on work other than research and teaching—namely, on outreach and knowledge transfer activities. That is, we have cooperated on projects aimed at disseminating scientific knowledge and research results (not necessarily our own) to the general public and/or industry. Would getting a reference from one of these professors be of benefit for a faculty application? Or would most selection committees be looking exclusively for research and teaching references?<issue_comment>username_1: While the main thrust should be on research and teaching (with emphasis determined by the nature of the position), it is certainly helpful most places if some of your recommenders say that you are a great collaborator, great to work with, not overly egotistical, etc. Also, someone dedicated to the general academic pursuit and helpful to students as well as colleagues is much appreciated.
People will be looking for, among other things, a colleague who will add something positive to the life of the department. A person who never leaves his/her office is less of an asset.
So if the research and teaching angle is well covered, yes, the more personal things are worth being commented on. However, this can be done by all of your recommenders in various degrees of emphasis, rather than some for one and some for the other.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I see relatively little value in having additional letters that all speak to the same topics. If you think that the existing letter writers already cover your research in positive enough light that your research credentials are unquestioned, then having additional letters cover other areas is certainly a plus as it shows you breadth as a professional.
It would probably help if the other letters could at least very briefly mention the topic of research so as to not look like you're scraping the bottom of the barrel in coming up with more letters. This could be done by these letters containing statements of a form like this:
>
> I have known Dr. Psychonaut for several years and have in particular observed her greatly grow in her research since I first met her. I have also seen her give a number of marvelously executed talks on her research. That said, I know that several of my colleagues are already writing letters that address her research credentials in great detail; I will therefore rather focus on a separate area in which I have collaborated with Dr. Psychonaut -- namely, knowledge transfer -- and for which I know that my opinion is unique.
>
>
>
What I'm trying to say is that the letter should be written in a way to make clear that the letter writer *could* be talking about your research, but consciously chooses not to because they have this *other* thing they know and only they can talk about. This avoids the impression that there are only three people who can comment on your research and teaching, and that you needed to go out of your way to find a fourth and fifth letter writer.
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/11/21
| 717
| 3,127
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have a paper which the first two authors are contributed equally, is there any way to show in arxiv page (or scholar page) that authors are equal? Maybe a star on names in submit names or something.
thanks.<issue_comment>username_1: No, there are not any options for indicating equal authorship in e.g., Google Scholar or arXiv, **yet**. Perhaps this is something to [pitch to Google](https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/websearch) and others.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There does not appear to be any facility presently in these archives of papers to indicate that contribution of both authors was equal. (I suspect that this is mostly because it is not actually specified in most papers, so it would rarely be able to be known from reading the papers.) In the absence of this, the best fall-back position is to specify this explicitly in the paper with a *statement of contributions*. Some journals are starting to require this anyway, particularly for research papers submitted by teams of people. There is no reason that you could not add it into your paper if you wish to specify the contributions of the authors.
In regard to this issue, it is worth noting that, except in a relatively small number of cases, the ordering of authors is generally weak information about the magnitude of their contributions to a paper. Conventions and interpretation of the significance of authorship order differs by field. In some fields it would be assumed that earlier authors did the majority of the work, and in other fields there is no such assumption. The main time when you would infer higher contribution from earlier listing is when you have a paper where the first author is a PhD student at a university, and the later authors are academics in the same department, in which case this is usually a paper where the student has done most of the substantive work and the latter are supervisors who have contributed advice, reviews, etc. In most other cases it is difficult to infer contributions solely from the ordering of the authors.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: There is no specific mechanism for doing this, but arxiv submissions do allow you to add comments, which can be seen by anyone who looks at your abstract. You could write "X and Y contributed equally to this work" there if you like. This is not an especially common thing to do in my experience, but people do do it, as you can see here:[link to arxiv search](https://arxiv.org/search/advanced?advanced=1&terms-0-operator=AND&terms-0-term=contributed&terms-0-field=comments&classification-physics_archives=all&date-filter_by=all_dates&date-year=&date-from_date=&date-to_date=&date-date_type=submitted_date&abstracts=show&size=50&order=-announced_date_first)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: If authors are listed alphabetically and you are in pure math or similar fields, people will assume the contributions are equal. If you are in another field where alphabetical ordering is not the standard, a common practice is to include a footnote stating that authors are listed alphabetically.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/11/21
| 447
| 1,873
|
<issue_start>username_0: I worked at *University A* and did a research stay during one month at *University B*; I was not paid by them, but I got funding (from a third agency) thanks to them for accepting my visit during a salary gap, before going to *University C*.
About 80% of the paper I want to submit I wrote in my university, but I finished it at *University B* during said stay, even though my original aim of being at *University B* was another research topic.
I would like to put U A and U B both as affiliations, since the environment in U B boosted my research (and I don't want to be less thankful than I ought). Is it justified to write both affiliations? Or should I write only *University A* as affiliation and thank for hospitality to *University B* and my host there?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think that the *effect* will be different no matter what you put, but the latter (...hospitality...) version seems marginally more honest. Being a visitor at a prestigious place caries some cachet of course.
I don't think that a one month salary gap is going to be any issue, if it is even noticed. But you will mention the funding agency, of course.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The usual practice in this case is not to list University B as an affiliation (since you never had a paid position there) but to mention in the acknowledgments that the work was completed during your visit there.
I wouldn't consider it appropriate to list University B as an affiliation on a paper if, for instance, you were never paid a salary or listed as staff on their institutional website. I would consider it fine to list the visiting position in a CV, though.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I think you should write both because you spent some time on it and it doesn't matter what's going wrong. Just do it, man.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/11/22
| 362
| 1,525
|
<issue_start>username_0: How do I approach an unknown professor before a PhD interview? My defense (viva) will be held next March and I will be seeking a postdoctoral fellowship after that.
I want to contact a Professor relevant to my research interests to discuss potential future research topics and get short-listed for an interview.
My field is Mathematics (pure maths).
What are the best ways to approach a professor in this field?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think that the *effect* will be different no matter what you put, but the latter (...hospitality...) version seems marginally more honest. Being a visitor at a prestigious place caries some cachet of course.
I don't think that a one month salary gap is going to be any issue, if it is even noticed. But you will mention the funding agency, of course.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The usual practice in this case is not to list University B as an affiliation (since you never had a paid position there) but to mention in the acknowledgments that the work was completed during your visit there.
I wouldn't consider it appropriate to list University B as an affiliation on a paper if, for instance, you were never paid a salary or listed as staff on their institutional website. I would consider it fine to list the visiting position in a CV, though.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I think you should write both because you spent some time on it and it doesn't matter what's going wrong. Just do it, man.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/11/22
| 1,083
| 4,714
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am halfway through the 4th year of my PhD and I have grown to find that I dislike the direction of my dissertation and the project that I am working on. My supervisor is extremely absent as he is running another research group overseas (bigger budget there so he puts his time there). On our side, we have little to no post-docs, and those that are around are trying to use the students to publish more papers for themselves to get faculty positions.
I have found a distaste in my current project and research subject and hope to move to another one that I have found more interest in. I find it mentally taxing to work in this group, as there is no help from seniority and there is a complete lack of focus (for myself and for many other group members in my situation). I am thinking about leaving with an MSc and pursuing a PhD elsewhere, but I'm worried about two things:
1) Will the fact that I took 4 years and quit my PhD for a Masters look bad when applying to a different school? I think I have legitimate reasons but I'm not sure if that is enough.
2) I imagine my supervisor will not write me a good letter for wanting to leave to pursue other interests.
Unfortunately I think this is a bit of a dilemma as I don't think I can graduate in 1.5 years (members in our group typically take 6 - 7 years), so stretching it would be hard. The lack of supervision, direction, and interest all make it hard for me to want to stay, despite my deep interest in research.<issue_comment>username_1: It almost goes without saying but still: it's really hard for internet strangers to correctly judge exactly how difficult this situation is for you. I'm answering just based on what you wrote and it's entirely possible I am missing the mark here. In that case, feel free to disregard my answer.
I'd be a bit wary to apply to a different school for a PhD now. It will indeed look bad on your application, you will need to get letters of recommendation from other people than your current supervisor, and you will essentially lose all the time you put into your PhD until now.
Your supervisor's absence and lack of local leadership is really demotivating. And it is easy to lose interest in your own research in such circumstances. Then again, research can at times be very demotivating and future research employers will want to see a certain tenacity in you dealing with demotivation. Giving up three years of research to go somewhere else does not show that tenacity.
Are there other options to explore? Can you move overseas with your supervisor? Can you start collaborating with a local professor, or find local trustworthy people to help you regain direction and interest? Is there any way you can involve your current supervisor more in your project?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Actually, I don't believe that moving to a better doctoral program needs to be detrimental to your application or your future. There are a lot of reasons to move from one program to another, including simple relocation. You needn't spell out all of the difficulties with your current situation in any application.
Presumably you don't need any additional coursework to complete the doctorate, but just passing qualifiers and writing a dissertation. Not being happy with your current research or the support available at your current institution is, to me, a perfectly valid reason to go. Taking an MS as you leave is also perfectly reasonable if you have completed the requirements.
However, you need to assure any future potential advisor that you are a good candidate for success and a diligent worker with the ideas needed to carry you through. That is no different, actually, than if you were a fresh baccalaureate.
I think this is doubly true if you want to change fields, though that might represent a longer path.
Burn out in doctoral programs is pretty common. Moving to a new place with a new advisor is often just what it takes to get you reinvested and reinvigorated.
If you were more confident of finishing your current program quickly, I'd advise toughing it out, but it would be worth the effort to explore situations that leave you with a clean break. You may need to visit some other institutions in person, however, as email isn't the greatest medium for such discussions.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You should be clear with yourself whether it is your field you are fed up with or lack of "supervision, direction, and interest" in your particular situation is the problem.
Your situation sounds awful, but such things can and do happen in all fields. Conversely, not all supervisors and labs in your field will be like your current one.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/22
| 1,336
| 5,820
|
<issue_start>username_0: For the sake of high-quality science diffusion, there is no doubt that reproducible research is a good practice as it helps to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed methods and boosts the possibilities of getting more citations for a published paper. Needless is to say that it also allows new researchers to continue the work of a previous mentor. For students wondering if they should or should not release their code in a public repository, this was a topic already discussed here: [Is it beneficial for a student to publish their research code and data?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/120364/is-it-beneficial-for-a-student-to-publish-their-research-code-and-data/120375#120375).
However, my understanding, from [this material](https://youtu.be/L5rVH1KGBCY), is that reproducible research is a practice followed by institutions in which the government takes charge of the salary earned by researchers, their equipment, and travel expenses. Given that public funds are used in this context, there is no point in publishing results in places that would keep the knowledge inaccessible to the people who need it (and pay for it with their taxes). In fact, many journals offer now the possibility of publishing papers as *Open Access*. Obviously, this exempts the case of national security affairs that need to be kept in secret.
For independent researchers or non-granted students, the things change a little bit, as they don't have to follow the reproducible research practices because they pay for most (if not all) of the expenses during their studies. My question is, what are the incentives (if there is any) for this group of people to release their code on the internet if they are not looking to exploit it commercially? Is reproducible research something that they can use to improve their chances to get a job in academia or an R&D department in the industry?
**Note:** by reproducible research, I am taking the definition stated [here](https://lcav.epfl.ch/reproducible_research): *all the results from a paper can be reproduced with the code and data available online*.<issue_comment>username_1: I hope I understand the intent here well enough to offer guidance. I don't think there is any inherent incentive for most researchers to publish more than they do. The current system works well enough for them, so the added effort makes little sense.
The reason that many US government agencies publish more than the minimum is that much (most?) government funded research here has, traditionally, been considered as owned by the American public. Public Domain, if you like. On an orthogonal dimension, the fact that a lot of science has become politicized, implies that many want to be as transparent as possible so that the inevitable conflicts and charges can be openly refuted. But an additional reason is that "public servant" researchers are also generally interested in others being able to leverage and extend the work they do - for the greater good. They don't work for a profit motive and so have little incentive to hold things close.
If individuals want to publish code and data, it is, for the most part, permitted, as long as journals don't impose restrictions for reasons of copyright, etc.
However, a beginning researcher should carefully consider what openness implies. In particular, while you retain copyright (which you can license), you complicate the possibility of obtaining patent on your ideas. It may even be that others, with whose policies you disagree, can use and monetize your ideas against your wishes. Openness in general is good, and being willing to "reveal all" is commendable, but be aware of the implications when you do.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> My question is, what are the incentives (if there is any) for this
> group of people to release their code on the internet if they are not
> looking to exploit it commercially? Is reproducible research something
> that they can use to improve their chances to get a job in academia or
> an R&D department in the industry?
>
>
>
Whether independent or not, the incentives for publishing your software code and/or data resources are:
* Some conferences/workshops encourage the submission of papers devoted to new code/resources (i.e. a quite easy publication).
* Assuming your code/resources can be found, gain popularity and are useful to the community, you can get a lot of citations: every time somebody uses them, they will refer any paper you ask them to cite (this must be clearly stated in the license info).
* Mentions of your open-source software / open-access datasets in your CV are seen positively in the academic community (for the reasons that you mention), so it increases your chances to get an academic job. It can also be seen as a showcase of your skills when applying in the industry.
So overall yes, it does strengthen your research profile.
However it can take a lot of time: polishing the code, writing some clear documentation, maintaining the software, etc. So there is a trade-off between devoting time to this or to other research activities. I assume that this question is especially important if you are an independent researcher.
Edit following OP's comment: for independent researchers it can be a good way to keep in touch with the research community, especially if you don't have the time or financial resources to go to conferences.
*Disclaimer: my field is Natural Language Processing, which involves Machine Learning with unstructured data. Results often vary depending on the dataset and the exact experimental setup, and reproducing an experiment can take a lot of time. Thus reproducibility is a major issue in the field and open access resources are strongly encouraged.*
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/22
| 1,295
| 5,326
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm three months into a fully-funded PhD programme, following on from an integrated Masters and two years in industry. I should also say upfront that after seeing more what academic research is around, I feel lukewarm at most about academia in general - which definitely contributes to any dissatisfaction I feel.
While I'm broadly interested in the subject matter of my advisor's field (I switched to work with him after my Masters), I don't feel too keen on exploring the exact research directions he pointed me towards. That being said I still haven't clarified to myself what my dream research question would be. I know what *themes* I'm interested in, but even though they reside in the same general field as my advisor's work, they don't match his desired *themes* (It's like we are both interested in cooking but I'm a vegetarian and he is keen on catering for this new hot bbq rib joint.)
So on one hand I have an advisor urging me to jump into this idea I'm not interested in, and putting pressure to find a conference to publish *anything* ASAP (because the idea involves a recently hot buzzword). On the other hand I'm three months into this and I still don't know what it is that I would like to research really and I'm questioning whether doing a PhD makes sense at all. Both of this sides of the problem are incredibly stressful and exert really negative effect on my mental health.
Is it abnormal / bad / embarrassing to still not know one's research question this far into the PhD programme? Would it be bad / embarrassing / disrespectful to turn down my advisor's idea even though I don't have my own to offer in exchange, and ask for more time for 'reading around'?<issue_comment>username_1: From an outside perspective, you are just getting started. Three months is just a warm up period. One part of me wants to advise that the doctoral study period is limited and you should do what you need to do to get through it and move on to other things. The other part wants to advise that it isn't fun to work on something you aren't interested in for a few years. Dilemma.
But, if you intend to stay with this advisor, I suggest, pretty strongly, that you take his advice. He has more experience and a wider view than you do. It would be fine, in my view, to ask for more time to find a *mutually acceptable* problem to work on, but if you get push-back, I think you either need to yield or find someone else to work with. But, it may be that you can come up with an idea that he has some interest and competence in quickly enough that it works out.
You will get the best help from your advisor, assuming you need it, if you work on a problem he is also invested in. It is possible, but harder, to work alone, but you still need his approval at the end of the day. If you can get by with minimal help and final approval, you can probably make a go of it, though it will likely take longer than if you have strong help.
But you should look, also, to see if there is another local advisor available who has more compatible interests. You also want an advisor who will support your future career. Fighting with him won't get you that.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: To follow up on your comment on the other response: so what problem does your professor want you to apply Machine Learning to (to pull a hot topic out of the air)?
It's awfully early in your PhD program for your professor to want you to be publishing a paper in a new area at a new (to you) conference unless that Master's you did leads naturally into an extension in a related area which could be written up and submitted quickly. This isn't a reason to abandon your PhD program, but it probably is a reason to have a frank discussion with your advisor about their expectations and about what your interests are. It's still very early, and you need more than just their orders about what to do, you need their advice. They are your advisor after all.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Is it abnormal / bad / embarrassing to still not know one's research question this far into the PhD programme?
>
>
>
You're working as a student. Your role is to learn not to publish. Publication is secondary to your studies, and no university can force you that. You don't even need a paper for your degree. You're not paid as a post-docs, your advisor or your university is in no position to force anything.
3 months is a short, learning a topic deeply at the PhD level generally take
much longer.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: It's perfectly normal to not know your research question three months into your PhD. Honestly, even if you knew it there's about a 99% chance it won't be the research question you'll write down in your PhD thesis.
Given that, I'd advise you to just go along with your supervisor since typically applying hot new method X to field Y works well despite all the misgivings of people who are well-acquainted with X.
You are also saying you feel lukewarm about academia in general, three months into your PhD. I would take that feeling really serious because that should not be the case. It might make sense to check back on that in a couple of months and if you are then still feeling lukewarm about academia, seriously consider moving to industry instead.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/11/22
| 335
| 1,477
|
<issue_start>username_0: Can a college professor teach courses for an institution or a company that is independent of the university where he holds a faculty position?
An example: Say a professor teaches English courses at a university. Is that professor allowed to teach those same English courses at an independent institution or company? Is there a conflict of interest? Would such a situation need to be approved by the university?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, it would need approval, **if** it is permitted. In some institutions it would not be permitted.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: That would vary by country and by institution. In some situations you are explicitly prohibited from "competing" with your home institution. I've known people that were fired for serious violation.
But for some things, such as developing online courses, you might, on the contrary, even be encouraged to do so. But that assumes that your institution isn't part of that activity.
Somewhere your institution has a legal office that will let you know the parameters that you can work within. Or you may have a copy of your specific contract that spells it out.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: The answer might depend on your country, but at least in Germany this would be fully legal, as long as
* it is declared to your university in advance
* you are investing not more then 8h/week.
I would assume that those rules are different in other countries.
Upvotes: -1
|
2018/11/22
| 596
| 2,635
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am currently looking into applying for funding as an undergraduate summer research assistant. At the moment, two professors have agreed to allow me to work with them. Since I can't be sure that the funding application would be accepted, I am considering accepting the offer from both professors and going forward with applying for funding with both professors - is this a good idea? If so, should I let both professors know this? If not, could I try asking the prof's permission to do this, or would it be in my best interest to just decide on my top choice now and just pursue that?
Thanks in advance!<issue_comment>username_1: You could do it with the permission of both professors, I think, though the funding agencies might disagree with that. But don't do it without at least their agreement. If the professors are at the same institution, perhaps you could work out something that they both participate in. There might be issues with that, of course.
But asking them both might also give you better information about which would be easier to work with. If one seems cooperative and the other not, it might be an indicator.
In general, asking is always a good thing to do.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You’re likely applying for the same funds and being funded based on your grades and aptitude as a future researcher more than the merits of the proposed research. The purpose of these summer internships is to train you as a researcher, as much as contribute to a project.
Applying with both labs (if they’re at the same institution in the same field) does not increase your chances of getting funded. It’s best to be clear with both professors that you are considering the other lab. If you can choose between them ahead of time, you should let them know before they go to the effort to apply for funds on your behalf. They’re usually very understanding as long as you keep them informed but try not to take their support for granted.
What’s most important is that you don’t want to burn bridges with people in your field. This is an opportunity to build relationships for the long term with experts in your field of interest. I was in a similar situation as an undergraduate. I once politely turned down a summer project to apply for another research group. I ended up returning to the lab that I originally turned down later for a different project and ended up doing my PhD in that lab. Both professors are supportive mentors to this day. I’ve continued to publish papers with both of them after leaving the lab. They both supported my job applications after graduating.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/23
| 5,632
| 23,147
|
<issue_start>username_0: This is about technology research specifically.
Often when reading a publication I'll be thinking to myself: *"Yeah, you've got that thing, but what about this and that limitation you brush off and this and that assumption which seems pretty poorly justified?"* After starting my PhD I got pretty shocked just how common that seems to be.
The only critiques of other publications I ever see are either in literature review sections of papers suggesting alternative methods, or mentioned in surveys. In either case those tend to be not very in-depth.
Why is this the case? It seems to me like something that would be pretty damaging to research in general, as then you see a lot of papers with built-in assumptions and limitations propagated by their predecessors.<issue_comment>username_1: I am going to convert my comment into answer. 2-3 decades ago a professor use to publish few research articles in his entire career now I have seen people publishing 10s of articles during PhD. The quality of published article is getting low day by day. There are multiple reasons but most important reason in my opinion is Publish or perish culture imposed on academia.
On average Writing a good article takes 1-2 years but to save tenure (in my country) an AP has to publish 3 SCI articles per year. With such kind of pressure a researcher can not write a quality research paper. Moreover, strong critique require time to analyse the findings of other researchers, while the race of publish don’t allow to spend much time on that part of article, which I believe is one of the most important part of article.
Yuval Noah Harari author of famous book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, once he said in his interview that he start thinking out of box when he promoted to Associate Professor position, because in his university there is no requirement of publication once you get Associate Professor position. That's why he wrote this book within 2 years of time.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Have you ever encountered a "Letter-to-editor" article?
Check this, for instance, an article on the Turkish Journal of Urology about writing a letter to the editor:
[How to write an editorial letter?](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4548563/)
It is a kind of a "short-communication", and generally used to criticize previously published articles. If this is uncommon or absent in any of research subject, it is more of an issue of the researchers in that field.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Many do, just in a polite way. Most of numerical modelling seems to be a variation of nicely stating "previous folks did things wrong and/or inefficient, we improve upon that; or at least offer another approach despite not showing their failings." There, criticism/failing of other approaches is often shown throughout the article.
Additionally, you are starting your PhD.
1. What you feel might be a serious omission regarding method applicability could be a well-known limitation of the method everyone in the community is aware of. In this case, your "you are propagating BS" is a pointless and wrong rant - they know their methods better than you. Say everyone might already know X will offer about 1% higher error, but 100x easier simulation/experiment. If you suspect this might be the case, rather write a polite mail asking for clarification and whether the obtained results are still valid or how the approach could be improved etc etc.
2. On the other hand, everyone could be assuming something that is actually incorrect for the problem, and you know it. Here, bluntly stating "you are propagating BS" isn't technically wrong, but you won't be getting any new friends with that. Rather write a nice article showing how and why everyone is approaching the problem wrong way and how you solve their issues - you would be instantly a highly regarded member of the community.
But yeah, a lot of fairly shaky research is taken as true and this leads to severe reproducibility problem all over fields. There are journals for publishing reproductions of other's work, but most prefer doing something original. Can't blame them: Invent X and have name immortalized vs "yeah, X's results check out".
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: Such criticisms are common in journals like Nature and PNAS. They're often not called "papers" -- PNAS calls them "Letters", Science calls them "Technical Comments", and Nature calls them "Brief Communications Arising" -- but they do get a significant degree of pre-publication scrutiny and often are peer reviewed. Some examples from the past few weeks:
* [Is “choline and geranate” an ionic liquid or deep eutectic solvent system?](http://www.pnas.org/content/115/47/E10999) (PNAS)
* [Tagging the musical beat: Neural entrainment or event-related potentials?](http://www.pnas.org/content/115/47/E11002) (PNAS)
* [Comment on “Predicting reaction performance in C–N cross-coupling using machine learning”](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6416/eaat8603) (Science)
* [Comment on “The earliest modern humans outside Africa”](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6413/eaat6598) (Science)
* [Assumptions for emergent constraints](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0638-5) (Nature)
* [Emergent constraints on climate sensitivity](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0639-4) (Nature)
* [Climate constraint reflects forced signal](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0640-y) (Nature)
Other journals also have systems for responses, though most are not as organized about it.
So the premise is not quite right -- criticisms of high-profile papers are not unusual -- but it's true that the vast majority of papers don't get formal critiques like this -- even though the vast majority of papers probably do have something that could be criticized.
That's part of the reason. Very few papers are completely above reproach (except for my own, of course). If I was to send a critical letter about every issue I see in every paper I read, I'd spend my time doing nothing else, and the journals would be filled with my letters to the editor with no room for new articles.
And we're all adults here. It's *expected* that scientists read papers critically; that's part of our job. That means we all find things to criticize. Finding a problem in a published paper isn't a shocking, scandalous thing. It's like a toll collector breaking a $20 bill, a minor technical part of your job. It would be condescending of me to assume that I'm the only person who noticed the issues in question, and that it's up to me to save my colleagues from their stupidity and ignorance.
Finally, when I do respond to publications that need criticizing, I rarely phrase my responses that way. For example, several years ago I read an interesting paper in my field that, I thought, made a significant error in its assumptions. To show that, I repeated some of their experiments, adding in the missing controls, and then extended the work to show where the corrected observations led. I didn't publish as a criticism of the previous work (which was from researchers who I know and admire and who have done a lot of great stuff). I published it as a paper that can stand on its own, noting the previous work in passing but not making a big deal of the mistake. Hopefully, if I ever make a mistake (unlikely!) my colleagues will correct me in the same way. Science is hard, and it shouldn't be like a hockey goalie, where every time you make a mistake a buzzer goes off and thirty thousand people yell at you.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_5: Other answers discuss good reasons (besides the fair point that answers do exist): e.g. good criticism takes time, also the authors may know the specifics better than you.
Another reason why criticism is usually very tuned down: the reviewers for your article are selected based on familiarity with the field, which means they possibly have a ([favorite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_invented_here)) method / approach of their own. So new articles need to strike a balance between saying "the existing methods are insufficient" (which is why we are publishing our novel one) while at the same time not being too harsh (which will offend the reviewers).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: **Politics.** *Criticising peers directly leads to lack of political support*.
This is because science is increasingly based on connections and short-term appraisal, and this is greatly detrimental to the advancement of hardcore science, and intellectualism in general.
We are social animals. This leads to a natural tendency of taking others' actions personally and "return favours". Also people are very wary of others' opinions and public image, and as a result are naturally sensitive to negative criticism. Usually, when you hurt the feelings of someone in public, you've made yourself an enemy.
I firmly believe in criticism and frankness as the shortest path to improvement. That has put me in delicate situations many times. In my early papers I was eager to lift obvious flaws in whatever specific topic being discussed, as to attempt to contribute. I have the habit of signing my peer reviews, and I *am* rather picky as a reviewer. This eventually resulted in being avoided in the citation and collaboration lists of relevant peers. Nowadays I am internally struggling on how to discuss faulty literature and how to approach clearly flawed logic.
I have been told that in order to say what you want you must reach a certain level of authority. However reaching that point largely depends on connections and good relationships. **There are no Isaac Newtons today**.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_7: 1. Criticism is published, as pointed out by [username_4](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/120540/44249). It may also appear in [less](https://liorpachter.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/the-network-nonsense-of-albert-laszlo-barabasi/) formal [places](https://github.com/frankmcsherry/blog/blob/master/posts/2017-10-27.md) like [blogs](https://github.com/frankmcsherry/blog/blob/master/posts/2016-02-03.md). So one reason you don't see it is that you aren't looking in the right places.
2. The best place for criticism is in the peer review process. (That is, peer review should catch bad work *before* it is published, rendering subsequent criticism unnecessary. However, bad work does sometimes get published, so criticism of published work is appropriate then.) Reviews are not usually published, but some venues do publish reviews. E.g., [ICLR](https://openreview.net/group?id=ICLR.cc/2019/Conference) and [NeurIPS](https://nips.cc/Conferences/2017/Schedule?type=Poster) reviews are available with the papers (for ICLR, even the rejected papers have reviews published).
3. Constructive criticism is better than simply trashing other people's work. Attacks can backfire -- they make the attacker look unprofessional, and things can degenerate into a back-and-forth flame war. Constructive criticism appears in the form of follow-up work that fixes the shortcomings of prior work. This is more polite and less obvious, so you may not notice it.
4. Even when bad work gets published, it may simply be best to ignore it. Engaging in criticism is a messy business and some of the mud may stick to the critic. Criticism usually only appears when the work in question is getting a lot of attention.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: Simply speaking: The better long term strategy for staying in academia is to be the nice guy that plays along.
Academia is full of [systemic corruption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption#Systemic_corruption) because jobs in a specific field of research are very limited/competitive due to the pyramid nature of human resources (number of students > number of PhDs > number of professors). Academia is structured around the selection of outstanding and remarkable individuals. However, history has told us that most metrics tend to be overshadowed by character traits in the long run. Especially if you think about the fact that most professors are not doing much research themselves but are rather responslible for the management of workgroups and projects. Hence, the nice, non-critical guy has a structural advantage in the system. Letters of recommendation, which tend to be more positive for a friendly person compared to "troublemakers", are also a direct indication of this.
The system *is* the people and the people select their system. People don't like criticism. So the system/people deselected criticism.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_9: After the second year of Ph.D. study, I started to learn extensively on how to write highly regarded publications. The first thing that was hammered in me is how to describe the assumptions and limitations of the given research, and give a framework or scope of the given research. My first publication described many of these limitations and scope in detail, but my second and third publications did not because I already established these issues in my first one. So, it is paramount that you check ALL the citations, especially the ones by the same author. These usually give you the 'background' of the research. In addition, be familiar with 'well known' assumptions, and practices as well. They are accepted for a reason.
Second, I have seen an article (peer-reviewed in high-ranking journal) that outright attacked another earlier published work by another author. Even though the attacking article may be correct, it did not exactly contribute anything to the field. On other hand, if you developed a novel methodology that addresses the issue that was presented in that offending publication, you can say, "here's my work on this, and I did this." and then cite that paper, and then say something along like, 'improves the results because their approach did not address this particular issue'.
Third,if you burn bridges and piss off the wrong people by attacking them outright, you will not get very far. It is a fact of life. Learn how to navigate the world with proper conduct and delicate touch (people ARE sensitive), and stay true to yourself.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: Some of the available answers allude to the following principle, but none say it directly.
Identifying idiosyncratic flaws of a single article, if published alone, makes your article a satellite of that primary article; the importance of your article cannot possibly exceed the importance of the primary article, but usually the satellite weighs less.
The best way to reach publication-worthiness (in a journal of the same caliber like the primary publication), you should ideally get some results of your own, studying the same problem. That buys you a ticket under which you can not only showcase your own work, but you can also compare it to the state of the field (i.e., the flawed article, and any other relevant prior work that you are aware of) in as much detail as you find intellectually stimulating to a "generic" reader of the journal where you publish this.
The point of comparing your work to previous work is to make your contribution shine in its relevance and methodological superiority, rather than to punish your predecessor or to save your colleagues from falling into believing obviously flawed results. And that is an entirely non-political reason to approach the comparison with utmost indifference and politeness, in a way where many readers (who never encountered the actual earlier article) will not even realize the references to it to have motivated *your* article. The flawed article isn't enormously important, right? I'd even argue that you should be primarily comparing your new work to the *best* available results of others, unless certain flaws are propagating over most prior work and your own work stands out (in your eyes) by being more sophisticated and free of them.
The reason why some high profile journals pay more attention to "letters to the editor" than solid "average" journals is that if the primary article is widely seen as a breakthrough, its satellites might still be publication worthy if the critique is deep or if it adds a relevant multi-disciplinary angle, and if their points are really good.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_11: I disagree with your assumption that his does not happen, although I suppose each discipline may be different.
What *does* happen, is that criticism is often presented in a very diplomatic, curteous, and professional way, such that it may not appear as criticism to the "untrained" eye (but a 'trained' person looking for the right paper will pick up on the criticism).
For example, you may find yourself writing a paper which corrects a pretty obvious (in your opinion) and damning flaw in a proposed method. It may be tempting to write "this paper had a serious methodological flaw which invalidates the results and should never have been published, here we show you how to do things properly". But this would be a highly inappropriate way to do this, and a good PhD supervisor will probably ask you (possibly to your dislike) to rephrase this as something like "We build on the novel methods proposed by X et al, but additionally consider adding Y. Adding Y is justified because adjusting for Z would likely lead to more optimal results for the following reasons, etc etc".
Note that the two are effectively saying the same thing. But to the untrained eye, the first reads like "wow the first paper was bad, and we're exposing them", whereas the second reads "ok, the first paper made a significant step in the right direction, and we found ways to improve on it". Which is kinder, and actually closer to the truth, in most cases.
Some might go to one extreme and call this politics, others might go to the other and call it professionalism. It's probably a little bit of both. But I *would* agree that the latter does make for a much more welcoming environment; if we wanted flamewars, there will always be youtube for that.
Additionally, don't forget that (hopefully) these papers have been peer reviewed. Reviewers don't always have to be experts in the particular area of the paper, just 'reasonably familiar' to offer a useful, educated review. What is an 'obvious methodological flaw' for someone who is in the process of becoming an expert in the field, may not be so obvious for someone who is otherwise knowledgeable and interested in the paper, but not necessarily an expert in the field.
So before you go out all guns blazing to criticise someone in a paper for having 'obvious' flaws, do keep in mind you may end up sounding like the nerdy guy who argues how the TX5800 calculator's third bolt under the second shelving unit is actually 5.49 mm, NOT 5.5mm, and how stupid can someone be for getting that wrong, all you had to do was disassemble the flux combobulator and measure the voltage, even a baby can do that".
You do *not* want to be that guy.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_12: None of the answers given so far covers the aspects that are really relevant here. Most of them are poorly written and only mention one or two arguments, probably only in an effort to gain reputation. My answer will lay out the arguments in a structured form, with unprecedented completeness and clarity, and with nice formatting. It will be enriched by an example which was not yet given in any other answer, and help the reader to properly and thoroughly understand this complex topic.
Well. Let's see how that plays out.
Seriously: The main arguments have already been given, and can roughly be classified into political/interpersonal ones or methodological/technical ones. I think that the details will vary depending on the subject, but the tags indicate that the question refers to the more technical fields.
The political arguments are mainly that the critique might backfire and might hurt your reputation. Beyond that, people are usually not funded for criticizing others: A paper that only criticizes another will hardly be published, and the publication count is in many cases the *only* measure of "success in academics". And even if your critique is justified and the paper is technically sound, a harsh critique may simply be deemed "unnecessary", and thus shed a bad light on the author.
The technical arguments are related to the *efforts* that are necessary for a profound and (optionally: ) "constructive" critique. In order to really identify technical flaws, you need a deep familiarity with the topic. Care has to be taken in order to eliminate the slightest doubts when criticizing others. This is particularly difficult when you are at the beginning of your career. The situation may be different when you really know the related work inside out and backwards.
Basically every non-trivial approach or insight has limitations or (hidden) assumptions. For a critique to be *profound*, the results often have to be replicated and the flaws have to be "verified", in that sense. The efforts for this are often prohibitively large. Whether a critique is considered to be *constructive* then mainly depends on whether you can suggest improvements. This was already summarized nicely in the [answer by username_10](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/120609/86692).
Therefore, much of the game that is played in the academic world consists of *finding* flaws and suggesting improvements: Find a paper that shows how to solve a certain problem with red, green and yellow balloons. Write a paper that points out the "serious limitation" of not considering blue balloons. Show that the same problem can be solved with blue balloons. You got a publication there, and maybe another year of funding.
---
However, there **are** papers that plainly criticize others. I'd like to refer to one of my favorite papers here, with the ballsy title ["Clustering of Time Series Subsequences is Meaningless"](http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~eamonn/meaningless.pdf) :
>
> Given the recent explosion of interest in streaming data and online algorithms, clustering of time series subsequences, extracted via a sliding window, has received much attention. In this work we make a surprising claim. Clustering of time series subsequences is meaningless.
>
>
> [...]
>
>
> These results may appear surprising, since they invalidate the claims of a highly referenced paper, and many of the dozens of extensions researchers have proposed (*[a list of a dozen publications]*).
>
>
>
So this paper basically burned down a whole research branch. Reading it can give you a glance at how difficult it is to criticize others in a way that can *not* be attacked or questioned on a methodological level. And even though the author himself says that the results are "negative", I think that one of the most useful contributions that a scientist can make is to put people back on the right track, instead of participating in the game that is essentially a politically and financially motivated waste of time.
So when you're sure that you can profoundly criticize others: **Do it.**
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: We submitted a paper and got two rejections (from reviewers 1 & 2) and two acceptances (from reviewers 3 & 4) after the first round of revision. Now we have received a letter from the associated editor asking us to again revise the paper, and to include a response letter addressing the concerns of reviewers 1 and 2. Hence, the paper is not rejected or accepted.
We feel reviewer 1's comment to include a new case study is not reasonable, and reviewer 2's comment fundamentally changes the problem structure. We explained our reasoning in both cases in detail in our original response letter (especially in response to reviewer 1).
Is it reasonable to appeal to the associate editor at this stage (i.e., before rejection)?
UPDATE: The paper got published in the next revision. We took a middle path strategy: I wrote directly to the associate editor and briefly discuss my objections with the reviewer 1 & drafted my response letter to reviewer 2.<issue_comment>username_1: In my experience it's reasonable to appeal to the associate editor IF you can convincingly respond to the reviewer comments. In this case it sounds like you think the reviewers are asking for too much additional work that either distracts from your main question, or is simply not practical to perform. You might think from their perspective, why might they be asking for these additional things to be added to your paper? Is there a common underlying flaw that could be corrected such that the reviewer concerns could be addressed without performing the additional research?
In my experience as an author and reviewer (i.e. from the outside looking in!), the editor seems to have established protocols in the case of an appeal, it's not necessarily just "at their discretion." Since there are split reviews, the editor will likely simply invite a 5th reviewer, or else kick your response letter back to the original 4 reviewers to see if your arguments persuade them.
I don't see any *harm* in filing an appeal if you think you have a strong case to make, but make sure you word your appeal carefully, addressing the substance of the reviewer concerns as thoroughly as you can with the assumption that at some point the reviewers may see the appeal letter. The only thing it will cost you is time that could have been spent in review at another journal if the editor ultimately upholds the rejection.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: *Not a journal editor, just a researcher.*
I would respond to the reviews directly. You don't have to accept all the proposed changes; you can simply say "We feel this fundamentally changes the problem structure...." and give a paragraph or two on why.
That said, I might also reply to the AE. This can be *very* brief, something like "Our updated draft and responses are submitted. Note, however, that the two negative reviewers requested significant changes that we do not feel are appropriate; we reiterated our objections in our response." That way there is no formal appeal (yet), but perhaps the AE will review more carefully if the reviews come back the same as before.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: In my faculty job, I was bullied for a long time by a chair of the department (at a US state university on the West Coast). This included:
* Giving me bad schedules and classrooms
* His secretary telling students to avoid my classes
* Denying me operational information
* Excluding me from department committees
* Falsifying university documents
* Stealing my course materials and giving it to his supporters
* Filing bogus charges against me that I never saw in writing
I understand it's hard to judge who was in the wrong, but I really had neither motive nor means to fight with the department chair. Worse, he eventually got many of the other department members on his side.
After being bullied and harassed and my working environment sabotaged for very long time I resigned. Now I am looking for a teaching position at a different university in the USA. I know the number one rule in an interview is “Do not say anything bad about your former employer”. But, under the circumstances, I'm not sure how to answer the question “Why did you leave the position where you achieved a high rank?” **What would be a a good way to answer this question?**<issue_comment>username_1: “Looking for further or different opportunities” is one
“A change in personal circumstances” is another...
Often, in a given situation, there are multiple strands and actions are completed based on the cumulative effect.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You can honestly say that the former position was "a bad fit" personally and professionally and that you seek a "more compatible" environment. I've been in enough strange situations that I suspect people are aware that they exist. There are enough similar questions here to indicate that academia isn't utopia.
You needn't speak ill of the former head. But if the "environment has become less conducive to personal and professional growth" it is likely a fair assessment.
Also, just having been promoted is an excellent time to "look for other, more challenging, opportunities."
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Last year was a particularly stressful period for my family, so despite a successful career in *blah… blah…* and an optimal rapport with colleagues, [if they weren't at all involved in the [mobbing]](https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/psychological-intimidation-at-workplace-mobbing-2161-0487-1000305.php?aid=90618) it was just the right time for me to look further afield and begin a new chapter in my life.
>
>
>
The stressful period you suffered also affected your family, so that is telling the truth and explains why a change was necessary.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I've recently left academia and am looking for a job in industry, mostly in R&D, in the areas of machine learning, computer vision, data science etc. Should I mention in the header "<NAME>, PhD" instead of just "<NAME>" to catch immediate attention of recruiters?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, mention it. However, it may not have the cachet you expect. I was once advised *not* to reveal my doctorate in applying for an industry position as it was felt that being a "pointy headed intellectual" wasn't especially compatible with the "down and dirty" needs of industry.
I wasn't advised to lie, just to sort of neglect to reveal.
Hopefully, times have changed. You want to come across as well qualified for whatever position you apply for, of course. That might depend more on experience than education in some situations.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I guess I'm the ideal person to answer, as I made exactly this transition a few years ago and now help review resumes for job candidates in ML R&D.
Typically the top of a resume has the person's name, often in enormous font. I would recommend putting "Science Man", not "Science Man, PhD" here. Of course, it is a small difference, but the latter would raise a few question for me:
* Does this person realize who we are? We may be "in industry", but for a research position, many/most of our competitive applicants have PhDs. Indeed, it's much easier for us to find new PhDs than people with 10+ years experience, PhD or no.
* Does this person have realistic expectations? Of course industry salaries are higher than academia, but we've had incidents where recent graduates expect us to be so impressed by their PhD that they are unprepared for the interview or have massively unrealistic salary expectations
Of course, you should absolutely mention your PhD near the top of your resume, not disagreeing with that. Even a bone-headed recruiter won't miss your PhD if it's near the top of the first page. I would recommend either:
* A "summary" right below your name where you have ~2 sentences including the word "PhD" (e.g., "Recent PhD/Former Professor/Experienced Researcher in [blah] seeking research opportunities in machine learning"); or,
* Putting "skills" right below your name where you have bullets of buzzwords (tensorflow, kafka, system integration, electronic design, etc.), and then listing your PhD in the "Education" section directly below that.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a prospective Ph.D. applicant in the area of Robotics Controls and Biomedical Engineering (US universities). As a part of universities' SOPs, I am supposed to talk about **my professional goals in pursuing a doctoral degree (or current degree goals)**.
I am really confused over what to discuss about it in my SOPs. If you ask me about my goal of enrolling in a doctorate degree, I would say that I want to be able to make a contribution in my field through my research, and subsequently develop core expertise in the field so that I can join some top-level R&D organization/startup after completing Ph.D. (This answer might be a cliche and other applicants might have written the same thing.)
Is it literally that easy to talk about one's doctorate goals? Or do I need to work on it more and come up with a better answer?
Any direction/feedback/critique is welcomed.<issue_comment>username_1: Your SOP as a whole should cover your professional background in terms of classes, research, former professional experience, and your goals going forward. It sounds like you're asking about the last part of this.
Yes, your goals going forward are to do a good PhD and to get a job at a start-up. Those are reasonable goals, so it's reasonable to list them.
To the extent possible, you should be specific: what kind of research, which core skills, what types of jobs, etc. Obviously you want to leave yourself enough room so that your interests can evolve, but if you can articulate a well-thought-out, realistic plan for what you're going to do with this PhD after you get it, that will put you heads-and-shoulders above most applicants, who will be focusing on the PhD as an end in itself, or haven't considered jobs other than hyper-competitive faculty positions.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: While I believe that previous answers already gave interesting feedback, I would like to add this additional point.
Maybe in your field it is more common to obtain a PhD to have "better" jobs later in industry, however, I would be careful in phrasing this concept. It should not sound like: "I want to do a PhD so that I can then continue with what I really like, which, by the way, it is not academia".
If you are really certain that your goal is to end up in industry, try to be specific on what a PhD will give you to be better in the industry sector later on in life.
It is totally ok to do a PhD and then not continue on that path, however, showing passion for research in a university environment is always welcome.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I am 23 years old and finishing my associate degree (3 years part-time) in Computer Science. I've been thinking about pursuing a career in academia; I've started to do research and got a paper accepted to a relevant conference in my field (pattern recognition).
I already have some experience in industry (4 years software development), so it's something I've tasted before, but nowadays I see academia fulfilling me better in the long term (big thanks to [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/5h5681/professors_why_did_you_choose_academia_over/day0igw/)).
My goal would be to grow a career in academia (pattern recognition) and work as a consultant on the side.
Would count against me to go directly to Masters without a Bachelor? Or is there some better option? My concern is that my associate's degree didn't have a good mathematical foundation; it was focused on market-related technologies (programming languages, databases, software engineering, testing).
At this moment I've been thinking about two different paths I could take:
1. **Take 2 more years to get a bachelor's degree, and then go to master's** (at age 25). This would allow me to grow more (both in foundation but also in maturity aspect) and make the most out of my master's.
2. **Go straight to Masters** I believe I would have a *really* hard time with this, due to concepts I haven't seen before (calculus and linear algebra). Certainly I would try to learn beforehand, but this kind of knowledge takes time to grow. At this time I feel that I wouldn't make the most of it, but it would save me two years.
Note, I am in Brazil. College is free, and the only requirement for a master's program is to have an undergraduate degree, which both associate's and bachelor's are, so this wouldn't be an impediment.<issue_comment>username_1: Your SOP as a whole should cover your professional background in terms of classes, research, former professional experience, and your goals going forward. It sounds like you're asking about the last part of this.
Yes, your goals going forward are to do a good PhD and to get a job at a start-up. Those are reasonable goals, so it's reasonable to list them.
To the extent possible, you should be specific: what kind of research, which core skills, what types of jobs, etc. Obviously you want to leave yourself enough room so that your interests can evolve, but if you can articulate a well-thought-out, realistic plan for what you're going to do with this PhD after you get it, that will put you heads-and-shoulders above most applicants, who will be focusing on the PhD as an end in itself, or haven't considered jobs other than hyper-competitive faculty positions.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: While I believe that previous answers already gave interesting feedback, I would like to add this additional point.
Maybe in your field it is more common to obtain a PhD to have "better" jobs later in industry, however, I would be careful in phrasing this concept. It should not sound like: "I want to do a PhD so that I can then continue with what I really like, which, by the way, it is not academia".
If you are really certain that your goal is to end up in industry, try to be specific on what a PhD will give you to be better in the industry sector later on in life.
It is totally ok to do a PhD and then not continue on that path, however, showing passion for research in a university environment is always welcome.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/25
| 465
| 1,705
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<issue_start>username_0: In my current paper I describe two methods for solving a problem in different ways. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
At the end of the paper I would like to compare the two methodologies with a table. So far it looks something like this:
```
-------------------------------------------------
| | Method 1 | Method 2 |
--------------------------------------------------
|Critera 1: | very good | good |
|Critera 2: | satisfactorily | very good |
|Critera 3: | very good | good |
--------------------------------------------------
```
How would you manage that? Is such a table scientifically accepted?<issue_comment>username_1: Assuming that your paper describes the two methods in details (including the reasons why criterion X with method Y is assigned level Z in the table), I'd say yes, it makes perfect sense to provide this kind of table as a synthesis at the end of the paper. I would suggest adding cross-references in each cell, so that the reader can go see the details in the appropriate section for each case, e.g. "good (see §3.1)".
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I see two issues.
1. You'd need to establish methodology in any case.
2. Wouldn't you have hard numbers? For example,
```
| Crab (1879) | Squarepants et al. (2017) | Squidward et al. (2018) | our method
Criterion 1 | 1.89 | 2.45 | 2.37 | 2.5
Criterion 2 | 9.89 | 10.11 | 5.55 | 11.02
Criterion 3 | 33.3 | 44.44 | 20.1 | 49.8
```
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/25
| 1,376
| 6,137
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently a PhD student (after mid stage) working in computational mathematics. I am currently writing and solving a couple of research problems. I feel very excited whenever I get new results, but when someone counters my solution, I feel very uncomfortable because of the time and energy I have invested in the work. Uncomfortable just means sweating a bit or trying to prove that my idea or claim is true. Whenever someone tells me that it is wrong, I admit it but start a new line with "but" and trying to give an explanation. I am aware that some of my past results have been wrong but some of them were right also till now the ratio is 70:30 (right/wrong). I am an intuitive person, many things I have come up with till now come from my intuition after spending months on single theorem/proof. Although I always try to come up with proofs also, but sometimes I fail to give the proof. There were times when I come up with new claims without complete proof, but me and my supervisor were not able to prove that claim wrong. My way of working is like this, I read a theorem try to prove on my own without looking the research paper.
I discuss the proof with my senior and supervisor multiple times. I try to modify the proof for many time for some cases so that it can be used in computational sense. In this time I try to think in the shower, while walking etc. During this process I develop an intuition about the theorem I am reading. After that I will be claiming something not very out of blue but something which will be helpful in computational mathematics. Then I try to formalise it by writing its proof (this seems very tough to me).
**Question :** Research with intuition, with proof also, but sometimes without proof also. Is this a right way to do research?<issue_comment>username_1: Intuition in mathematics is a good thing. In a researcher it is an essential thing as it leads you to things that *might* be true and *interesting* ideas that are worth pursuing.
However, there is no substitute for correct proof. Proof is what tells you what *is true* and sets a foundation for those future researches. If you write a paper asserting that something is true but don't supply a *correct* proof, it is unlikely to be accepted. Your question seems to imply that you may be incorrectly judging the correctness of some of your proofs. You will need to work on that. An incorrect proof hardly ever has any value. Especially if it claims to prove something that isn't so.
A paper that proposed unanswered questions that were interesting would be worthwhile and it has been done a few times. In those situations, however, it was clear that the problems were hard, the solutions unknown, and even that the correct attack on the problem was eluding mathematicians.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Having some results without proof is fine. Generally speaking, a proof is simply an "ironclad" argument that some general truth holds. However, it may not be the only one, nor is it something to always strive for. The classic example would be that one often proves that some problem X is NP-hard. This does not mean that research on X should stop until we resolve P=NP. It is often just a first step, and many people in more applied mathematical disciplines (e.g. AI and ML related) don't even bother with a formal proof. I have seen interesting applied mathematical works where the mathematical proofs were not the main thing.
The question you should be asking yourself is: what makes my argument compelling? Why should people believe my claims?
If your only answer is a wrong proof, then it should come as no surprise that no one buys into your claims (especially if your hypothesis contradicts known results). You can show that your claim holds empirically on data (if the data is sufficiently interesting, and not just some simulations you cooked up on your laptop), or that it is supported by other known results. You can discuss consequences of your claim (if it were true, then something interesting happens). These are all very valid avenues to pursue, and could help support an argument.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Mathematical intuition is virtually necessary for inventing new useful properties, but proofs are equally important, since the results have to be correct. I would suggest two lines how you can proceed:
1) You have an intuition that something must hold but you haven't been able to prove or disprove it. If possible, make a computer program that tests your property systematically (generates values or tests with values from some data). If the result always holds in comprehensive experiments, you can sell it as a "thesis". You may also find out that the property holds only approximately and evaluate how large errors are. In this case, you may try to prove that there is an approximation with certain error bounds.
2) Try to combine your intuition with proving! Try different proof techniques. Change some of your assumptions and test if you manage to finish the proof first with more restrictions. It may also turn out that in practice, the result is equally useful even if you had made some additional assumptions. Identify which subproperties would enable you to prove the final result and try to prove them first. If you get stuck and begin to doubt your intuition, try to invent counter-examples or check what would happen if you assume an opposite proposition.
Additional hints:
* Keep also record on all small properties you have managed to prove during your adventure, since you may need them later.
* In the first trial, don't care if your proof is very long. You can invent more elegant and shorter proofs later, when you just know that something is provable.
* To check your proofs, do them again from scratch. If your original proof contained errors (e.g. typos), you probably can't repeat it again.
* Since PhD project lasts only a few years, don't try to take any lifelong challenges. Prove what you can in a reasonable amount of time and utilize those results. You can always invent extensions later.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/25
| 503
| 2,155
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<issue_start>username_0: I have written a manuscript but cannot find someone to help edit it, but I want to submit to a good conference. So can I pay an unacquainted professor to help revising my paper?
Thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: Yes you can pay someone to edit your work. It doesn't matter that it is a professor or not. But a professor might rather want to become a co-author than a paid editor. If the other person contributes content it might be a more valid thing to do.
You would need to acknowledge such help in any case, I think.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I think it will be very hard to find anyone who'll take you up on your offer.
In some cases professors are contractually limited in the amount of outside consultation work they may perform (I think what you're suggesting falls under that). Unless you're offering a really large sum of money, you probably cannot match the amount of money that professors can get from companies. In addition, professors' true currency is credit (though money is a wonderful incentive!). Spending two weeks consulting for Google is worth more than just the money; it's a line on their CV saying that they consulted for Google.
In addition, what you're suggesting may come off as scammy to some people - if I were to get an email offering me a large sum of money for editing a paper, I would most likely chalk it off to some online scam and ignore it.
Your best bet is most likely to be convince a professor that your paper is worth the time and become a coauthor.
If you simply offer a collaboration I think you may have a chance. For example, does this work stem from some applied problem? Academics are often interested in applying their work on real problems. Do you have access to data that may be shareable with a university? Do you offer resources/contacts in industry that might be useful? If any of these apply it would significantly boost your chances.
If you're just looking for someone that understands the academic jargon, try looking for a graduate student in a related field. Do any of your friends go to graduate school and work in a related discipline?
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/11/25
| 531
| 2,315
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<issue_start>username_0: I will be giving a job talk and I need to submit an abstract for the research job talk. I was wondering if I should mention my collaborators and their affiliations in the abstract? The only thought that's discouraging me is that the talk is on my PhD work which may go against me because I have 3 years of postdoc experience. So ideally they may expect me to present my most recent work.
Note: it is not research focussed school. It is a teaching and undergrad research focussed state school.<issue_comment>username_1: I think it's good form to mention your collaborators in the abstract if you're talking about joint work. It's not as completely mandatory as mentioning them in the talk itself, but it's still good form. Mentioning their affiliations, on the other hand, seems pretty weird to me and is not usual at all.
You're not going to be able to hide what paper your *job talk* is about, somewhere that's thinking of hiring you is going to know your paper list! It is a bit of a red flag to me that you're thinking you can mislead people hiring you about when your research happened and who it was done with.
(It's perhaps worth noting that sometimes job talks, especially in the last few minutes, touch somewhat on how the work you're focusing on connects to the rest of your research program. It's not necessary to restrict yourself to a single paper.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For the institution you describe, I would think that experience with collaborative work would be extremely important. At such institutions, students get some of their most important early research experience working with, and often publishing with, the faculty. Your collaborative work in the past also puts you in tough with other people who might be able to come up with ideas for student research.
If the talk you are to give is to (perhaps among others) the hiring committee, then your CV will stand on its own, so you don't need to emphasize things that are already there. But to give the affiliations of your collaborators in an offhand way is fine. "<NAME> from Dartmouth and I developed, ..." has a certain nice ring.
You want to be seen as a person with a lot of ideas and also connected to a lot of ideas and happy to share a lot of ideas...
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
|
2018/11/25
| 2,649
| 11,159
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<issue_start>username_0: I’m pretty sure that I’ve solved a certain open problem in mathematics. My solution is currently in its third week of peer-review at some journal that is known for rejecting cranky papers within five days of submission.
I’m currently searching for the next relevant conferences where I can present my paper. The thing is I’m not yet a famous person in the math community, hence it might not be easy to convince the conference organisers. Can someone kindly advice me on how I can go about it?<issue_comment>username_1: From your post, I'm assuming you are not affiliated with a university. I wouldn't read to much into how long accept/reject takes. Conferences change this process year to year based on feedback and how busy the editor is.
Here is the process your paper will go through
1) The editor will quickly review it (maybe) before sending it on to reviewers.
2) There will be several reviewers (5 seems to be a popular number). Each reviewer will give it a rating that will map to Reject/Accept with revisions/Accept.
3) You'll be informed of the decision at some point in the future.
Now to your question...
>
> The thing is i'm not yet a famous person in the math community, hence it might not be easy to convince the conference organisers.
>
>
>
Lots of non-famous mathematicians publish regularly. I'm not sure what being famous has to do with it. You'll convince organizers of the paper's worthiness for inclusion by doing a rigorous proof and explaining your ideas clearly.
**From your post, I'm guessing you're not affiliated with a research institute or university. This puts you at a serious disadvantage for several reasons.**
1) You don't know the current state of the art in the field. Math has several sub-fields. In order to get published, you'll need to know which conferences cater to each sub field.
2) A university has faculty to guide your work and lots of great resources from classes you can audit to undergraduates you can hire for pay or grade to do grunt work.
3) Independent researchers don't have the best track record. "Famous" physicists/mathematicians regularly get contacted with some pretty wild (and wrong) ideas. This has happened enough there is a [Crackpot Index](http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/crackpot.html) online to help rate unsolicited papers.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I’ll assume the open problem you solved is in pure mathematics. What you should know is that in most areas of pure mathematics, conferences do not have a formal paper submission mechanism, nor do they publish a proceedings volume as they typically do in other areas. One does not go to a conference to “present a paper” but rather one will get invited to “give a talk”, whose contents may be somewhat correlated with the contents of one’s most recent paper, but could also be about a less recent paper or about a still unfinished work, or some combination of such things; that’s entirely up to the speaker.
My suggestion is that you try to find a conference in an area of math related to the open problem. Once you find one, you’ll have the option to register to attend (not to give a talk, which is by invitation only). Except for very large events, there is usually no registration fee, and although they may ask about your affiliation, it’s likely that most conferences will not use that as a basis for deciding whether to let you register, so don’t worry too much if you don’t work at a university.
Now, as I said in order to give a talk you’ll need to be invited to speak by the organizers. They usually select speakers with a proven record of publishing interesting results in the field of the conference. But one thing you could do is email them in parallel with registering, tell them about your paper with the solution of the open problem and ask if you could give a talk about it. I don’t think your chances are too high, but it’s worth a try. Your chances will be higher if your paper is available to download online from a place like arXiv, and if it’s written in a professional way that makes it clear it comes from a mathematician with a good level of experience and formal training. If you don’t want to make your paper publicly available just yet, you can send it to the organizers directly, but it will likely be viewed with suspicion and lower your chances of being invited to speak. (And if you don’t make the paper viewable at all, no one will take you seriously and the chances are essentially zero.)
Even if you are not invited to give a talk at the conference you found, it may still be a good idea to *attend* it, since there you will have a chance to talk to experts informally, tell them about your solution and get some valuable feedback about your approach.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: The other answers already cover several issues.
One that has not been mentioned is that it would be slightly weird for someone who has never attended a math conference to give a talk. With few exceptions, people give their first talk after having attended many talks at their own university and at some conferences; and for their first talk they get significant help from their advisor and other PhD. students.
Also, it would be very unusual to present mathematical work that you have never discussed with any other mathematician, at least informally.
Without the above, I find it unlikely that you can give an engaging talk. I would suggest that you wait on two things:
* Wait for the referee report, to see what objections/issues/praise come back
* Try to engage with experts informally, before standing in front of an audience to convey your ideas.
* Try to attend talks/conferences in related topics to your work, to get acquainted with the people, the results, the presentation style.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: "My solution is currently in its third week of peer-review at some journal that is known for rejecting cranky papers within 5 days of submission"...
There is a lot of space between "cranky" and "acceptable right away"...not all papers that are not acceptable are cranky and not all papers that are not cranky, are acceptable.
The peer review outcome is not just about acceptance, but what you get is a good, professional feedback on your work, which could be very helpful. (No where else you will get this kind of feedback, certainly not for a conference talk).
Mathematics, especially at research level, should best be communicated, via well written papers than giving a talk. Talk only happens when your work is accepted after a peer review and it stood some test of time, and also has been read by people who are attending the talk. Otherwise you will probably be wasting valuable time of the audience of the talk.
So advice is : Wait for peer review report.
PS : I have not given any special consideration for the fact that the paper is about a famous problem. My answer is for all cases and not just about open problems.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: 1. Try submitting your paper to a preprint site like arXiv.
2. Solicit comments, preferably from experts of the field.
3. Try to email some known professor working is currently **active** in the area of the problem. Note that most mathematicians regularly receive dozens of irretrievably flawed papers claiming to be proving some famous problem like the RH, Goldbach, FLT etc. It is your **duty** to convince this mathematician that your case is different. Chances are high that you're not going to receive any response, but this shouldn't discourage you.
4. You might be finding it difficult to find endorsement for posting on arXiv. If so, then your **very last** option would probably to post on viXra. This is a site where anyone can post anything, so you're not likely going to gain much by posting there.
**Note that my answer is suggesting that you strive to make your paper get public attention (by posting on public sites like arXiv and viXra, especially the former). If you do succeed in getting the attention, then probably it's the conference organisers that would be looking for you!**
Anyway, good luck, it would be nice if you let us know the result of the review process!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: This question is vague and has some loaded terminology ("not yet a famous person"?), but the question overall is good, so I will answer a closely related question, which is:
>
> Where is a good place to present new mathematical results if I am unknown to the broader mathematical community?
>
>
>
I'll write about the US context, since that is what I know about.
In that context, I'm surprised that no one has suggested simply registering for the next [AMS Sectional Meeting](https://www.ams.org/meetings/sectional/sectional.html) near you and submitting an abstract for the general contributed paper session. While it is not super likely that an "expert" in the result will attend your talk, it is a good chance to give a (short!) talk about your result in a low-stress environment. And the Sectionals are pretty cheap. My view is that simply gaining experience giving a concise talk is more valuable than trying to get big press for something. The publication, should things work out, would be how to get cognoscenti to pay attention. But writing a good paper and giving a good talk are quite different skills.
If you are fortunate and your area is one of several that often have people outside of "professional mathematics" contribute, you could also submit an abstract to one of their sessions at a Sectional (or the Joint Meetings), though here there is not always room. But there are certainly some subfields, especially some interdisciplinary ones, that encourage these submissions. Be aware that here the issues raised in the other answers will definitely come into play if it is clear you aren't fairly immersed in the literature.
Finally, in some areas (especially of "recreational math") the [Math Association of America](https://www.maa.org) meetings will have sessions that are more research-focused and open to newcomers.
If you are not based in North America, I'm less sure whether there are similar events. Perhaps there might be joint meetings between 'advanced-high-school' and 'beginning postsecondary' studies folks? In any event, I would recommend the local equivalent of a regional conference that has at least one 'no-rules' generalist session and costs less than the PPP equivalent of $100 to attend.
---
Naturally, it's always caveat lector when it comes to "solving famous problems", so one has to be careful in the situation posed by the poster. Don't present a solution to the Goldbach Conjecture publicly without having someone who knows what they are doing vet it! *Instead*, give a talk about the GC and its history, and then in the second five minutes (yes, it could be that short) say, "here is a new approach that shows promise". Maybe someone in the talk will point out an obvious error. Or maybe it will turn out it really is a promising new approach. Or maybe you already solved it. But you won't have claimed to prove the GC and then have to retreat.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/25
| 480
| 1,845
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<issue_start>username_0: The question says it all.
I am shortlisted for a campus interview at a state school in California. I was wondering about the dress code? Should I wear a suit or would it be too much?
**EDIT:** It's for CSU math position in Northern California.<issue_comment>username_1: I'm honestly just guessing here, but I'd think something along the lines of [Business Casual](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_casual) or [Smart Casual](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_casual). Both of those are ambiguous, of course, but I think you'd stand out in a suit.
Of course San Francisco is more formal than LA or Berkeley, but academics in most fields are pretty laid back. If the interview will be long and includes evening events, you might want to have a suit available.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I believe the only correct answer is that you should call the admissions office of whatever program you're applying to and ask. Everything else is just guessing.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: As a general rule of clothing, it's better to be overdressed than underdressed. In that spirit, I would err on the side of dressing a bit more formally than what you anticipate to be "normal" for interviews in your field.
In my interviews, I have seen candidates in the full range of clothing, from jeans and t-shirt all the way to a full suit and tie. Personally, I usually wore simple suit pants and shoes, a simple jacket, and either a long-sleeved shirt or a nice and well-ironed polo shirt. I usually combined a dark-ish suit with a more colorful, less formal, shirt.
That said, it probably does not matter much at all. As I said, I have seen people wear all kinds of clothes to their interview, and I have never seen a correlation with interview success one way or the other.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2018/11/26
| 1,140
| 5,063
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have submitted an article for a journal in which it was stated that the review time was from 80 to 120 days, that is approximately 4 months at most. The submission of my article was approximately 13 months ago and I did not get any answer in the allotted time they mentioned. I sent an email to the editor after 8 months and I was told that the review process has suffered a delay, but that they soon will fix that issue.
I waited until September and sent another email and again I got another reply of an apology and nothing more. I believe that it has passed too much time, until now it is almost like one year, so I do not what to do.
Would there be any problem if I submit my article to another journal or should I send another email to the editor of this journal? Or rather just wait until I get a response?<issue_comment>username_1: It seems like a long time by any standard. Contact them. You can give them a date by which you will formally withdraw your article from consideration. Maybe a couple of weeks. If they don't jump you can submit elsewhere without worry.
The final nudge is just a courtesy. You could actually just inform them that you are withdrawing for submission elsewhere. But if the journal is reputable it might be worth the courtesy.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Write to the editor with pointed questions. How many reviewers have been invited? How many agreed/declined? When are the review due dates?
Without knowing the answers to these questions, deciding whether to wait or to withdraw and resubmit is just a crapshoot. With the answers, it's possible to make a much more informed decision about whether the reviewers are likely to finish their reviews.
If the editors refuse to answer, you can still guess if the delay is because of them or because of the reviewers based on how long it takes to answer your question. If they take a long time to answer, I'd guess that the delay is because of them, in which case I'd be more inclined to withdraw and submit elsewhere.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with @username_1's answer. A polite letter to the editors asking for clarification would be good. If you or a colleague know anyone on the editorial board - contact them. I had a case where a paper was sitting idle for close to a year after an accept with minor revisions because of a miscommunication between the reviewers and the editor in charge.
Another point to consider: perhaps I am being a bit paranoid, but if your paper was sitting there for a very long time and has not been published, it may be a good idea to have a version of it on ArXiv or some other relevant open repository. This serves the purpose of **timestamping your publication**.
There are (thankfully rare) horror stories of unscrupulous reviewers purposely delaying decisions in order to get the results themselves. If your review is taking so long and results in your field take a long time to come by (say, experiments need to be run), this may be a cause for concern.
Also seriously consider whether this journal is worth submitting to in the future. Journals should not be rewarded for this kind of behavior.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Three times in my (pretty long) career editors took an outrageously long time (more than a year) to decide on a submission. I was confident that the papers were correct and appropriate for those journals, so did not want to withdraw them and resubmit elsewhere. Eventually my frequent mail to the editors (snail and later e-) led to acceptance in each case. In at least one of them I think the editor gave up on nagging the referees and checked the paper herself.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Any credible and efficiently managed journal should be able to complete the review process and reach a decision in 6-8 weeks. Any period beyond that is usually the fault of Editors and Co-Editors who simply accept the prestige of the title but pay little attention to their duties. The excuse is always that they are volunteers and have other responsibilities. In my view, why accept an editorship if you will be unable to devote sufficient time to the tasks of being an editor. Some of the fault also lies with the publishers who don't have systems in place in their electronic process to flag submissions for which reviews are missing within a given time period. The way I deal with lengthy reviews is to first contact the editor for an update after 8 weeks has elapsed. If the response is much more than a simple "we are still waiting for reviews", and it appears that some attempt will be made to get the reviews, I allow another 4 weeks at the most. Beyond that, I either withdraw the paper and offer it elsewhere or I offer it elsewhere without withdrawal. In both scenarios, as far as I am concerned, the journal to which the paper was sent to first has lost exclusive rights to my submission. Thereafter, whichever journal comes back first with an acceptance is the journal that will be given the copyright to publish.
Upvotes: -1
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2018/11/26
| 563
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<issue_start>username_0: (Asking this since similar themes have come up in a conversation with a friend)
So-and-so physics department has decided to start teaching more astrophysics classes, because they need more students. Astronomy with all its pretty pictures is supposed to attract students - certainly the general education classes that cater to students fulfilling their breadth requirements are very popular. The idea is to add several more astrophysics courses and offer undergraduates who take all of them a "concentration in Astrophysics", so their degrees say "Bachelor of Physics with concentration in Astrophysics".
The problem: in that particular city - or country, even - nobody is looking for astrophysics graduates. In fact after being subscribed to "astronomy" and "astrophysics" job advertisements for more than a year, I've only seen like two jobs with those keywords, and one of them had nothing to do with astronomy or astrophysics. One could still get a job leveraging the fact that astrophysics is "sort of" physics which is a quantitative discipline that teaches its graduates to think logically yada yada blah blah. But at that point, the astrophysics concentration seems pretty pointless.
How do you advertise a program knowing that its graduates will not be able to find jobs in that topic? What is a good response to "what do your graduates do after graduating?"<issue_comment>username_1: Given the variety of some of the jobs that graduates land, the benefit of a science-based degree is the structured thinking/maths skills/theoretical knowledge that are useful to the employer, not necessarily the exact topic studied.
Many of the disciplines have core parts that overlap.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: If the basic degree is still Physics with a bit of astro tacked on I don't see the problem. Even pure Astrophysics degrees usually follow all the core physics classes before specialising.
For example, my Astrophysics degree is probably about 75% identical to my pure Physics counterparts, so as long as students make potential employers aware of this, they should be just as employable as a Physics graduate.
As a side note, perhaps students should be encouraged to study what they actually find interesting, not what will get them a job. They are likely to perform better if they enjoy the material, and with better grades and an enthusiasm for their degree, the jobs will come.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/26
| 728
| 2,945
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<issue_start>username_0: I am starting my PhD next year (2019), and I have some concerns.
I recall one of my Professors from my undergrad years was telling me that in my field (statistics), excellent Statistics PhD graduates are taken for a tenure-track Research Professor job directly after their PhD without having to do any postdoc. And I am hoping that I can secure a tenure-track faculty position directly after my PhD, because I will be around mid-30s by the time I finish my PhD (i.e. if all goes well), and I would like to land a good career by then.
What are the things that I should do during my PhD program to get a faculty position right after my PhD, and how can I accomplish them?
I will be taking my PhD in Statistics in Canada, but I want to get hired by research universities in US as a tenure-track Assistant Professor directly after my PhD, if I can.
Thank you,<issue_comment>username_1: 1. Obtain experience teaching a variety of courses.
2. Develop a wide network in the field. The better "known" that you are, the more likely a school is to consider you for a faculty position.
3. Establish relationships with multiple people who will be able to write you strong letters of recommendation.
4. Begin applying for grant money right now.
5. **Publish relevant and impactful research.**
6. Consign yourself to the fact that your friends in industry will make more money than you.
7. Get lucky and find a tenure-track position.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The most important thing is to be ahead of the publishing curve in your field. There is no better predictor of getting job interviews, job offers, and receiving tenure at research 1 institutes than being ahead of the publishing curve. If the average number of first author publications for new phd graduates is 1 and you come out with 4, you are WAY ahead of the game.
That does not necessarily mean publishing only in top tier journals. Publishing in discipline specific journals is also incredibly important.
That said, getting a publication in JASA is a pretty nice feather in the hat of a graduate student. That said, you don't need to hit home-runs in graduate school. A solid publication and conference presentation record will set you apart.
And for what its worth, there is nothing wrong with taking a postdoc after your phd, especially if its at an elite university. For example, you might want to get into bayesian statistics after you finish your phd. Well, a postdoc at the epicenter of bayesian stats at Duke would fit very well in that framework. Or maybe biostats at johns hopkins?
Postdocs also have the nice benefit of increasing your pedigree if you did not get your phd at an elite university. Research in hiring in academia strongly suggests that pedigree matters to hiring committees. If your phd is not at an elite university, a postdoc is a chance to add research at an elite institute to a resume.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/26
| 957
| 4,046
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<issue_start>username_0: My advisors told me he wants to help me publish the theoretical section of my dissertation. He offered it! I have written my part, but he hasn't done his section. It's been a year. I have reminded him a few times, but he doesn't keep his promise. I know I have to move on and publish this piece on my own. I just don't know how to tell him! Is this common? I know he helps others, so I feel ignored.<issue_comment>username_1: Has he offered a timeline when he might be able to do his part? Have you had any communication regarding this? If not, you should reach out in advance and offer your timeline, giving him a reasonable timeframe to complete his work.
If you've had such communication before, and he hasn't been able to stick to agreed upon dates, I think you should talk to your advisor and explain the situation. Then, you could write a very polite email to him, including your advisor and any other stakeholders, explaining that you need to submit this work soon. At this point you could ask him if he still has time and would be able to complete his section, say within one month. Mention that you understand he is busy and has multiple priorities to juggle, and that if there isn't time, you'd just like to concentrate on your part and submit it. If, at a later stage, you both have time, you'll be willing to work together if he'd like to submit the theoretical section separately, with him as the first author.
I think this will sound pretty reasonable and you'll be able to publish without antagonizing or destroying working relationships with anyone.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There's surely a lot of **politics** involved. You have to take these into account in deciding the best way out of this. Also weigh in what are your short-term plans. First of all, *make sure* your slow co-author isn't actually a good one but just lazy or with poor communication skills. Towards this goal you'll rely a lot on diplomacy and intuition for probing the person. When doing that, find out politically where he stands.
I will discuss a few potential scenarios below.
* Your 2nd author is a younger student of a friend of your advisors'. In such case this person has booby-trapped you into providing him a gift authorship. Problem is, if you don't he'll start moaning to his advisor who will complain to yours, and then you get scolded and/or sabotaged in the backlash. In such a case, I suggest you diplomatically push and probe your co-author in the presence of advisors, directly asking this person whether he's no longer interested in the project so that you can move on.
* Second author is a senior academician who's actively seeking to intrude in as many papers as possible for a glossy record at career start. This is a common situation. These guys go around fishing for "collaborations" when all they want is their name on another piece of paper. In this case you should evaluate how close & dear is this person to your advisor, and to you. If you're likely to rely on his signature in the near future, perhaps you should start digesting the fact that you'll write everything on your own and just add his name. If this person is still fresh in the department and not holding any influence towards you, just politely tell him you'll be moving on. Expect some veiled threat and/or yelling. If you find yourself forced to swallow him, at least try to get him to pay for publication fees and get the paper into a better journal somehow.
* Your lazy coauthor works in the same lab. Regardless of position, in such case you should consider either taking this person in for free or stalling until the moment you leave the group. If you leave, just brush him aside. In either case, start writing his section immediately.
Whatever you decide, do it as diplomatically and clean as possible. You're likely impulsive and inexperienced at this stage, and any escalation of this situation may easily become a career burden or even a permanent stain.
Judge wisely, and good luck!
Upvotes: -1
|
2018/11/27
| 692
| 3,040
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<issue_start>username_0: I wrote a report to the state department of transportation for a research project they sponsored. Can I use the same texts/paragraphs from the report to write journal articles? In other words, does it consider plagiarism to do that? I am the author of both, the report and the research papers. Does the final report for a project consider a published work?<issue_comment>username_1: First of all you have to check with the state dept. if they allow publishing the findings/results as most of the time such projects are very confidential.
Secondly, it is better to rephrase your findings in a report. As a matter of fact, the writing norms and styles for report writing are quite different than what the academic audience expect. I am afraid if you submit your report (or excerpt from it) in form of a paper, the reviewers might reject it on basis of its write-up.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This cannot be plagiarism, since it is your own work. It could in principle be self-plagiarism, but since the report you wrote is not an academic paper, this does not really apply either. If the report is public, your journal article should cite it and point out the amount of coincidence.
That said, Sjaffry is right in pointing out that making a paper out of a report typically involves extensive rewrite anyway, since the writing styles tend to differ.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Can I use the same texts/paragraphs from the report to write journal articles? In other words, does it consider plagiarism to do that? I am the author of both, the report and the research papers. Does the final report for a project consider a published work?
>
>
>
The short answer to your questions are **it depends**. The long answer is **likely yes, you can probably publish both** with some caveats.
In principle, there is nothing wrong with using a project report as the basis for a journal article. Speaking from experience, I have co-authored several completion reports that were used as the basis for manuscripts. For example, the [Great Lakes Fisheries Commission Sea Lamprey Control Broad](http://www.glfc.org/sea-lamprey-research.php) publishes completion reports on their webpage, but still encourages the investigators to publish the work in peer reviewed journal articles. However, there are some important considerations:
* Make sure your funding agency is okay with you publishing their report. On a more positive note, some funding agencies will encourage you to publish.
* Is your completion report public and is it citable? You may or may not need to cite your previous work. Mentioning the completion report in your cover letter would also help address this problem with the journal.
* The completion report likely will not be formatted correctly or written in a style suitable for a journal. Likely your methods section will be okay and possibly the results section. Most likely, the introduction and discussion will need to be adapted to fit the journal's style and tone.
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/11/27
| 260
| 1,164
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<issue_start>username_0: i found some topographical errors mainly missing spellings in one of my published papers. However the errors does not alter the meaning or concept of the paper. I contacted the joirnal editor but told me that it remains topographical error. Am just worried about it when readers find these mistakes. what do i do<issue_comment>username_1: As you discovered, journals usually don't correct typographical errors if the paper's meaning is unaffected. Publishing a correction is a lot of trouble, and they don't want to do it unless there is a compelling reason.
So there is nothing you can do. You will just have to live with those errors being there.
Perhaps it will motivate you to proofread your next paper more carefully before submitting.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Make all papers available on a website and update them if necessary.
I wouldn't update the website for typos, but I might update the offline paper to correct typos and later update the website should more significant changes be made.\*
\*Corrections, revisions, updates, etc., are time consuming, yet offer little reward; prioritise your time.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/27
| 1,161
| 4,903
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<issue_start>username_0: I am facing maybe imposter syndrome that kills me everyday which leads to an intermittent sleep and a chronic headache. Unfortunately, the country I am in right now there is non-Anglophone speaking psychoanalysts, the university as well doesn't give any kind of support: there was a senior student suffering from chronic depression and didn't get the help and considering relocating. I seriously feel a constant headache and thoughts I don't deserve any thing, even I feel so stupid in programming although some people tell me you are working on a new topic. I don't know how to heal myself on my own. Hope to hear what I can do to overcome the imposter syndrome.<issue_comment>username_1: There is only so much you can do without professional help, and like everybody here I strongly encourage you to seek some. Yet there are a few simple things you can try by yourself.
The first step is always awareness, and it's good that you understand the cause of your trouble already. This means that you know that your negative thoughts about your level/performance are not rational, so whenever you notice such thoughts try to counter them objectively (for instance by asking somebody else's opinion). Your analytical mind is playing tricks on you, so let's feed it with some more objective arguments to counter its flawed logic:
* The Imposter Syndrom is a well known problem in academia and among PhD students especially. You're not the first one and you won't be the last one. If most PhD students feel (to some extent) like imposters, this contradicts the definition of imposter; as a consequence you are not an imposter. What this means practically is that it's important not to feel isolated: try to share your thoughts with fellow students, you will feel more confident knowing that you are not alone in this.
* You are not guilty and you don't have to hide your supposed weaknesses. Trust the system: you had good grades, your institution and supervisor allowed you to do a PhD, so they think that you have the skills to succeed. They usually select PhD students who succeed eventually, so there's no reason to think that they are wrong in your case.
* Even if they were wrong, it wouldn't be your fault. You are only asked to do your best, not to be perfect. "Doing your best" means doing what you can as a human being taking the context into account, and while above all preserving your health and sanity. Try to remember this every time you feel guilty: in research it's completely ok not to know everything and not to be sure. Facing a choice, don't look for the perfect answer but for *your* answer, no matter how imperfect it is. Then work on it as long a necessary, try to be persistent. More often than not that's how interesting things are found.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Even with proper psychological treatment at your university, imposter syndrome (IS) is tough to deal with. I agree with @erwan: **recognizing you experience IS is the first step**.
I suffer from IS, and can only make recommendations based on my experience and what has worked for myself and those close to me. I highly recommend joining or fostering a community of those who experience IS (this can be online or in person, and can comprise students, faculty and staff!). Organizing groups to talk about IS, or even chatting with a fellow grad student over coffee about IS will likely yield revelations. There are probably some students in your department, or lab, who think that you really have your shit together, when you think you don't!
If you're on Twitter, I have found it a great place for IS. Following people (post docs and faculty) who publicly post about how they are handling their IS (and mental health issues) has been great for me--when I see someone who I consider successful posting about how they don't feel they are good enough for X, or how they don't think they can complete Y makes me think, 'if they are suffering from IS then surely I can excuse myself!'.
Is there a cure for IS--imo, no. What would you have to do, or what goal would you have to achieve to consider yourself successful? Is this an attainable goal (by yourself or others)? When you think about a peer or mentor who you consider successful, how do you measure that and why do you use those measures? Is it fair to compare yourself to others?
Briefly,
1. Join or create a local community to discuss issues with IS in academia (this group could meet regularly, or not!).
2. Remember that you're not alone in dealing with IS -- follow people who talk publicly about IS/issues in academia on social media.
3. Don't define yourself by only your academic achievements--you're more than that.
4. IS doesn't have a cure, rather, you'll have to employ coping mechanisms to ameliorate or prevent the symptoms.
5. Find a way to measure and celebrate your successes.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/27
| 254
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm preparing a article for possible publication on the journal “Progress in Aerospace Sciences” (published by Elsevier).
I plan to reuse some figures cited from articles published and copyrighted by AIAA.
I tried the Copyright Clearance Center, but to be honest, I may not accept the price.
Thus, I'm trying to contact directly with the authors
(the lead author if no correspondence author is noted).
Can the authors grant me the permission?<issue_comment>username_1: No.
If the copyright in the articles lies with AIAA, then it is they who must license it, or parts of it.
You may be able to recreate a similar diagram, acknowledging the original one.
(I am not a lawyer.)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You can use figures under [fair reuse](https://guides.library.yale.edu/copyright-guidance/using-copyrightedworks#s-lib-ctab-10462736-1), there is **no need to ask**.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/11/27
| 373
| 1,597
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a quick question. I have to send in official transcripts to some graduate schools. I am trying to apply for Mathematics. However, since i am also doing a B.A in Philosophy and Economics, the last semester has no mathematics classes as I have some classes I have to take. I have the option to not disclose that in my official transcript and "cut off" the future semester. Would that be seen as disingenuous? I don't want the admissions to think I am "avoiding" mathematics, there is sim ply no math courses my school offers that I would like to take and I need some courses for my other majors.<issue_comment>username_1: I have just one advise: Be honest. Changing an official transcript to make you look better is not honest, and could get you into trouble.
Moreover, a semester without math does not necessarily look bad.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Perhaps the lack of more advanced courses in your undergraduate program could be a point of discussion in your letter or essay? I agree with <NAME> -- send the entire transcript. If you were judged alongside another applicant and you each have equivalent maths coursework, the advanced courses in Philosophy or Economics may make you more appealing/interesting.
Have you reached out to the administrators and/or faculty in some of the departments to which you are applying? You can ask them their opinion on this, and other things. You could remain anonymous, or not. There's not much to lose and potentially a lot to gain by asking them these questions. Good luck!
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/11/27
| 362
| 1,481
|
<issue_start>username_0: Suppose I submit a grant application with other investigators. The application form has one "PI" and some more "co-PI"-s.
Is it important who of us is the "PI" and who is the "co-PI"?
E.g., is being a "PI" like being a first author on a paper, which (in some disciplines) is considered more highly than being a second author?
Is there a common way to decide who gets to be the PI and who the co-PI, e.g., by alphabetic order of surnames (like the author order in some disciplines)?<issue_comment>username_1: I have just one advise: Be honest. Changing an official transcript to make you look better is not honest, and could get you into trouble.
Moreover, a semester without math does not necessarily look bad.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Perhaps the lack of more advanced courses in your undergraduate program could be a point of discussion in your letter or essay? I agree with <NAME> -- send the entire transcript. If you were judged alongside another applicant and you each have equivalent maths coursework, the advanced courses in Philosophy or Economics may make you more appealing/interesting.
Have you reached out to the administrators and/or faculty in some of the departments to which you are applying? You can ask them their opinion on this, and other things. You could remain anonymous, or not. There's not much to lose and potentially a lot to gain by asking them these questions. Good luck!
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/11/27
| 885
| 3,791
|
<issue_start>username_0: So I am an undergraduate student in my third semester and I am mostly done with my double major in Pure and Applied Mathematics/Statistics. I will be done with the requirements for my bachelors by my fifth semester at the latest.
If I want to go for a PhD in Pure Math, would I be better off graduating after my 5th semester or pushing some classes back, taking graduate level classes and seminars in my 6th semester and doing an undergraduate thesis? I have some research done and will be doing more next semester, but that is nowhere near what I would do for the honors thesis.
Alternatively, I could go all out next semester and graduate then. However this would leave me very little time to study for the subject GRE (I am good with the general GRE) and to actually apply for schools due to how busy I will be.
I tried to make this a good question by including as much information as I thought was relevant, but if there are any questions or anything I forgot to mention then please let me know.
Does anyone have advice?<issue_comment>username_1: For the title question, graduating 1 year early and accomplishing more is definitely better than graduating 1.5 or 2 years early, and accomplishing less. In fact, there's a strong case to be made for taking four years and accomplishing as much as you can. In PhD admissions, you'll be competing against people who were also ahead of the game in their first few semesters, but stayed in school and kept gathering feathers in their cap. Some of these feathers will be more impressive than graduating early. Also, more time as an undergrad means more chances for professors to get to know you, and this is what translates into good letters of recommendation.
Now, that is all general advice. Factors particular to your situation may tilt the balance in favor of it making sense to graduate early. I would recommend talking this over with your professors, because they know your record and can give you realistic advice about your prospects after graduating in X semesters, for various values of X.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Some things I would immediately question if I received an applicant who was in your situation:
1. Getting into graduate school is a different beast than succeeding in graduate school. As someone tasked with reviewing your application, one of the things I need to consider is how successful a candidate will be in completing a degree. I need to assess mathematical maturity as part of that assessment. I would question if a student who took as many math classes as possible, as fast as possible, really has the academic maturity to succeed in a graduate program. Graduate school is much more than just burning through classes as fast as possible. We have had a few "younglings" who have tried to do our graduate program and they invariably lacked the maturity to succeed as a graduate student. We have stopped being so impressed by students who are fast graduates. (And have actually begun avoiding them admittedly).
2. How did you manage to take 4-5 math classes a semester while also fulfilling general education requirements? In the US, most schools require 120 credits to graduate (with each math class being ~3 credits). If you did this in 5 semesters, you really took 20 credits a semester while at the same time fulfilling all prerequisites? Someone who took all three linear algebra classes in one semester likely did not really retain what they need to (and possibly circumvented some registration policies).
3. If you have a gap year between your graduate degree and your undergrad, what were you doing during the gap year?
4. Can someone who graduated 2 years early really establish a relationship with letter of recommendation authors?
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/27
| 860
| 3,700
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<issue_start>username_0: Dear Fellow Researchers,
I got my PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from a EU university some time ago. I've got a good cv in terms of publications, peer-review work, participation in R&D projects, conferences, etc.
I think I've got some good ideas for research and development projects. However, in a Post-Doctoral position, I am very likely to be working on already approved projects, not my own ones.
So my question is: Is it possible to become an independent researcher?
All I need is to be able to apply for research funding. Is it possible? I can create a company or whatever is needed to get an affiliation, if that is needed.
What funding organizations would accept proposals in the field of Mechanical Engineering for those not currently working at a University/Research Centre? I am looking for EU funding organizations, but I am willing to accept those in the USA/CA/AU.
Any help appreciated,
Best Regards,
<NAME><issue_comment>username_1: For the title question, graduating 1 year early and accomplishing more is definitely better than graduating 1.5 or 2 years early, and accomplishing less. In fact, there's a strong case to be made for taking four years and accomplishing as much as you can. In PhD admissions, you'll be competing against people who were also ahead of the game in their first few semesters, but stayed in school and kept gathering feathers in their cap. Some of these feathers will be more impressive than graduating early. Also, more time as an undergrad means more chances for professors to get to know you, and this is what translates into good letters of recommendation.
Now, that is all general advice. Factors particular to your situation may tilt the balance in favor of it making sense to graduate early. I would recommend talking this over with your professors, because they know your record and can give you realistic advice about your prospects after graduating in X semesters, for various values of X.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Some things I would immediately question if I received an applicant who was in your situation:
1. Getting into graduate school is a different beast than succeeding in graduate school. As someone tasked with reviewing your application, one of the things I need to consider is how successful a candidate will be in completing a degree. I need to assess mathematical maturity as part of that assessment. I would question if a student who took as many math classes as possible, as fast as possible, really has the academic maturity to succeed in a graduate program. Graduate school is much more than just burning through classes as fast as possible. We have had a few "younglings" who have tried to do our graduate program and they invariably lacked the maturity to succeed as a graduate student. We have stopped being so impressed by students who are fast graduates. (And have actually begun avoiding them admittedly).
2. How did you manage to take 4-5 math classes a semester while also fulfilling general education requirements? In the US, most schools require 120 credits to graduate (with each math class being ~3 credits). If you did this in 5 semesters, you really took 20 credits a semester while at the same time fulfilling all prerequisites? Someone who took all three linear algebra classes in one semester likely did not really retain what they need to (and possibly circumvented some registration policies).
3. If you have a gap year between your graduate degree and your undergrad, what were you doing during the gap year?
4. Can someone who graduated 2 years early really establish a relationship with letter of recommendation authors?
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/27
| 956
| 2,803
|
<issue_start>username_0: **How to cite [NumPy](http://www.numpy.org/) in BibTex?**
The [Scipy citing page](https://www.scipy.org/citing.html) recommends:
>
> <NAME>, Oliphant. **A guide to NumPy**, USA: Trelgol Publishing, (2006).
>
>
>
Is it correct to use:
```
@Misc{numpy,
author = {<NAME>},
title = {{NumPy}: A guide to {NumPy}},
year = {2006--},
howpublished = {USA: Trelgol Publishing},
url = "http://www.numpy.org/",
note = {[Online; accessed ]}
}
```
Or should I cite just SciPy?
### Research Gate
On [Research Gate](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/213877900_Guide_to_NumPy), the citation suggested is:
```
@book{book,
author = {<NAME>},
year = {2006},
month = {01},
pages = {},
title = {Guide to NumPy}
}
```
Or cite as a book?<issue_comment>username_1: **Looks right to me.** That's how they ask to be cited, and it seems reasonable. Indeed, [this discussion](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5482/how-do-i-reference-the-python-programming-language-in-a-thesis-or-a-paper) also agrees that citing the user manual is the right choice.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The proposed citation seems correct. I found the same at <http://www.citebay.com/how-to-cite/numpy/>.
```
@book{oliphant2006guide,
title={A guide to NumPy},
author={<NAME>},
volume={1},
year={2006},
publisher={Trelgol Publishing USA}
}
```
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: As to 2020, Numpy now has a Nature paper <https://numpy.org/citing-numpy/>
```
@Article{ harris2020array,
title = {Array programming with {NumPy}},
author = {<NAME> and <NAME> and St{'{e}}<NAME>.
<NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME>
and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME>{'{a}}<NAME>{'{\i}}o and <NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME>{'{e}}rard-Marchant and <NAME> and <NAME> and
<NAME> and <NAME> and <NAME> and
<NAME>},
year = {2020},
month = sep,
journal = {Nature},
volume = {585},
number = {7825},
pages = {357--362},
doi = {10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2},
publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2}
}
```
And if you use the new `biblatex-software` package, you can replace `@Article` by `@Software`
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/11/28
| 764
| 3,136
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have been serving for several years as a reviewer for both Mathematical Reviews (MathSciNet) and ZbMath.
Earlier this year, I received an invitation for a paper for MR which I already reviewed for ZbMath. I dug up my old review and submitted it to MathSciNet without giving it much thought.
But there seems to be a pattern emerging. I received an invitation from MR for two more papers I already reviewed for ZbMath.
So here are my questions:
* Do the editors of MR know/check who reviewed the paper for ZbMath in order
to find suitable reviewers?
* What do I do about the double reviews?
My idea was to just refuse to write the reviews. But if the answer to the first question would be yes, then the editors know that I have a thorough review lying around. Just resubmitting this one would save a colleague from writing a new one.<issue_comment>username_1: The [Math Reviews Guide for Reviewers](https://mathscinet.ams.org/mresubs/guide-reviewers.html) addresses this explicitly:
>
> **Reviews in other publications.** You may find yourself asked to write a review of the same item for another publication. In general, the community is best served by reviews written independently. If you have already been asked by another publication to review an item, please let us know and we will transfer it to another reviewer.
>
>
>
So, if you have already reviewed the article for Zbmath, you should decline to review it for MR. I didn't find a similar rule on the Zbmath side, but I would say the converse should also hold.
Also, per your [agreement with Zbmath](https://zbmath.org/reviewer-service/en/legal_matters/), when you submit a review to them, you grant them "exclusive exploitation rights". So if you submit the same review to MR, you're infringing Zbmath's copyright. I doubt they will sue you over it, but this shows it's actually illegal as well as unwanted.
In view of this, you may want to contact MR and ask them to withdraw your previously submitted review.
Evidently, one should not assume that the MR editors will check who reviewed the article for Zbmath in order to avoid inviting the same person, since they apparently failed to do so in your case. (Another possibility is that they did check, but your Zbmath review hadn't been posted yet.)
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I was in a similar situation but in the other order: I reviewed a paper for Mathematical Reviews and then was asked by zbMath to review the same paper. I told zbMath about this and they agreed that it is not ideal but they asked me to write a review nevertheless and told me that they are fine with getting the same review as Mathematical Reviews. I asked MR for permission to do this and was told that they always grant it provided they are the first one to publish it. They asked me to make sure to tell the editors of zbMath that MR published the review first and that they would know how to handle it. It seems that this situation happens from time to time.
Note that this situation is different since Mathematical Reviews‘ terms are more permissive than zbMath‘s.
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/11/28
| 894
| 4,010
|
<issue_start>username_0: As a supervisor, how should I reasonably set the task timeline for a new (Engineering) PhD student, given there is a candidature confirmation at the 9-month mark?
In other words, how long is reasonable for settling down to a new country, literature review, defining a research topic, data collection, drafting a publication ...etc?
The programme is 3 years, and the student has a scholarship from the university without a defined research project. We agreed on a field of research, though.<issue_comment>username_1: There are too many variables in the equation. Each research project is different and publication requirements are different and so on. I would suggest making a clear plan for the whole 3-year program outlining what needs done and in what order. As the student starts working on the research project, a lot of things will change and certain things will get pushed back while others will be completed earlier. With that being said, it should all be in line with the requirements of the university and the scholarship. It is great if the supervisor can keep an eye on those administrative requirements and how the research progress complies with them. Then the student can have a clear horizon to exercise his creativity.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: like username_1 said, there are many variables. For example: Are you his professor? Are you involved in the final of this PhD student? Also the requirements for a PhD in each field are different. In the same field, different universities, departments or countries have different requirements to finish a PhD. You should know are the requirements for him to graduate are and develop a plan according to that. For me it is a requirement (that my professor wants) to publish only at top conferences in my field. I need 3 to 6 of those publications, depending on how good or how much work it was. Then I can write down my thesis, more or less summarizing those papers.
Sadly no one had a plan for me. But by looking at other succesful supervisors, you should give him some ideas like which conferences are important, which papers are must reads, how to work towards the first publication. Aim at conference X and Y, read every publication they made in your field(the last 2 years or so) and try to find gaps or ideas that weren't tried. Depending on how much publications he/she needs to graduate, the first year you could aim for maximum 1 publication..then each year 2 as an example.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Look at what the requirements for the confirmation review are. Ask others in the department who will be assessing the report what it is they look for. Ask to see some examples of previous reports that passed, and ideally, some that didn't.
In our place student must demonstrate:
1) They have defined a project with well articulated aims and at least an idea of how to meet these aims. The student is not just pottering around the area. Nor are they acting as a technician on various things going on in their supervisors lab.
2) They can explain what the importance of their project is and where it fits in to the larger field (that is their project has not just been dictated by their supervisor without them having any idea about its purpose).
3) Have have a working knowlegde of the general background in the field, and of recent literature directly relevant to their project. They know if others have worked on the same question and what they have found.
4) They can demonstrate an understanding of what the key techniques in their project are, how they work, and what are likely to be the bottlenecks.
5) Usually students have SOMETHING in the way of experimental results, but often not very much. They might have a graph or two on optimizing their system, they may have shown that the system works with some positive controls or have reproduced some of the key results from the literature. We don't usually expect concrete progress on new knowledge at this point.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: How can I find out under what license a title was submitted to arXiv, and what conditions apply to sharing or redistribution?<issue_comment>username_1: There are too many variables in the equation. Each research project is different and publication requirements are different and so on. I would suggest making a clear plan for the whole 3-year program outlining what needs done and in what order. As the student starts working on the research project, a lot of things will change and certain things will get pushed back while others will be completed earlier. With that being said, it should all be in line with the requirements of the university and the scholarship. It is great if the supervisor can keep an eye on those administrative requirements and how the research progress complies with them. Then the student can have a clear horizon to exercise his creativity.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: like username_1 said, there are many variables. For example: Are you his professor? Are you involved in the final of this PhD student? Also the requirements for a PhD in each field are different. In the same field, different universities, departments or countries have different requirements to finish a PhD. You should know are the requirements for him to graduate are and develop a plan according to that. For me it is a requirement (that my professor wants) to publish only at top conferences in my field. I need 3 to 6 of those publications, depending on how good or how much work it was. Then I can write down my thesis, more or less summarizing those papers.
Sadly no one had a plan for me. But by looking at other succesful supervisors, you should give him some ideas like which conferences are important, which papers are must reads, how to work towards the first publication. Aim at conference X and Y, read every publication they made in your field(the last 2 years or so) and try to find gaps or ideas that weren't tried. Depending on how much publications he/she needs to graduate, the first year you could aim for maximum 1 publication..then each year 2 as an example.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Look at what the requirements for the confirmation review are. Ask others in the department who will be assessing the report what it is they look for. Ask to see some examples of previous reports that passed, and ideally, some that didn't.
In our place student must demonstrate:
1) They have defined a project with well articulated aims and at least an idea of how to meet these aims. The student is not just pottering around the area. Nor are they acting as a technician on various things going on in their supervisors lab.
2) They can explain what the importance of their project is and where it fits in to the larger field (that is their project has not just been dictated by their supervisor without them having any idea about its purpose).
3) Have have a working knowlegde of the general background in the field, and of recent literature directly relevant to their project. They know if others have worked on the same question and what they have found.
4) They can demonstrate an understanding of what the key techniques in their project are, how they work, and what are likely to be the bottlenecks.
5) Usually students have SOMETHING in the way of experimental results, but often not very much. They might have a graph or two on optimizing their system, they may have shown that the system works with some positive controls or have reproduced some of the key results from the literature. We don't usually expect concrete progress on new knowledge at this point.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: Citation is one metric of researchers. That is why some of them lend citation to one another. For example, A writes a paper and cites B's work in it, and then B does the same for A, without the citations being relevant to the works.
Is there any word for such academic misconduct? I can think of "citation exchange", but I couldn't find any reference about it.<issue_comment>username_1: I believe this is unethical practice but not "officially" misconduct. There is some ongoing research on this, [elsewhere](https://www.enago.com/academy/citation-cartels-the-mafia-of-scientific-publishing/).
Some sources call this "citation stacking", while others call it "[citation cartels](https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2016/09/26/visualizing-citation-cartels/)". Mind that these terms were coined for *journals* while they certainly can be applied to authors.
Such citation schemes are an adaptation of other more obvious citation-boosting strategies, such as self-citations or citations demanded by journal editors and reviewers, which are much easier to spot and expose.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to the terms suggested by [username_1](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/120744/20058), another relatively common term is *citation ring*, here *ring* being used with the meaning (from [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ring)):
>
> 7 a : an exclusive combination of persons for a selfish and often corrupt purpose (as to control a market)
>
> b : GANG
>
>
>
Here are a few examples of usage of *citation ring*:
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> SAGE Publications busts “peer review and citation ring,” 60 papers
> retracted
>
>
>
([Retraction Watch](http://retractionwatch.com/2014/07/08/sage-publications-busts-peer-review-and-citation-ring-60-papers-retracted/))
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> Some other problems of the method were well outlined by <NAME> (pp. 107-110): the problems of self-citation and the citation ring [...]
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>
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([<NAME>, "Citation Analysis of the Veterinary Literature: A Tool to Understanding Scientific Communication" in *Libraries without Limits: Changing Needs — Changing Roles: Proceedings of the 6th European Conference of Medical and Health Libraries, Utrecht, 22–27 June 1998*](https://books.google.it/books?id=n6jnCAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA136&pg=PA136#v=onepage&q&f=false))
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: These are often referred to as *citation circles*, or *citation cartels*. See [here](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2016.00049/full).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: In the publishing world, it's called "logrolling".
According to [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logrolling)
>
> Logrolling is the trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member.
>
>
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Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Gaming the System – by authors
==============================
[Gaming the System: Manipulating the Impact Factor in Research](http://theinstitute.ieee.org/ieee-roundup/members/achievements/gaming-the-system-manipulating-the-impact-factor-in-research) (done by authors in the first quoted paragraph, and by journals in the second quoted paragraph):
>
> When it comes to research, **many academics tell each other: “You cite my article and I will cite yours.”** Academic departments and even the U.S. National Science Foundation have encouraged collaborative research as something positive, which can be true. However, many researchers routinely add their colleagues’ names to their papers as coauthors in order to make the researchers and their departments look good.
>
>
> (...)
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>
> After an article is accepted by a journal, the author is oftentimes asked to add a few citations in the research article from that particular publication. Many, including myself, can testify to the practice of coercive citations. Authors now understand what is expected and load their articles with citations from the journal to which they are submitting before they are even asked.
>
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Gaming the System – by journals
===============================
[Increasing Citations and Improving Your Impact Factor](https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/increasing-citations-and-improving-your-impact-factor) (for journals wanting to increase their citations):
>
> At SAGE, we will help you increase article citations **without “gaming” the system** with shortsighted strategies that can only compromise perceived quality. We’ll do this by providing editors with the tools to make informed decisions about types of articles and topics they might wish to invite, which potential authors to contact for relevant papers, etc. More generally, all our marketing and online activities are developed with the aim of increasing citations.
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Upvotes: 2
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