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<issue_start>username_0: I [have](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/79576/how-to-be-a-discussant) [seen](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5879/any-suggestions-to-create-and-maintain-a-good-research-atmosphere/5883#5883) several questions and also [announcements](https://uwm.edu/letters-science/event/womens-gender-studies-brown-bag-litigating-liberation/) that mention the term "brown bag" seminar. I understand that [in American English](https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/brown_bagging) "brown-bagging" means bringing your own lunch:
>
> the practice of bringing one's own packed lunch to work.
>
>
>
I would like some sort of a definition in academic setting.<issue_comment>username_1: It means it's held around lunchtime and they aren't going to be providing lunch, but you are welcome to bring your own and eat during the event. So the event is somewhat informal.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: On top of the other answer:
Brown bags stem from the times when people used to bring their lunch to work in a literal paper brown bag.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zSD1Z.jpg)
The events have generally transformed into (the key points being):
* a "lunch provided" or "bring your own lunch"
* are generally over one's lunch hour which is typically unpaid.
Food is often provided in order to counteract the second point of it being in your own time, as to help with attendance.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: I have seen "brown bag meetings" where someone gives a talk that is only loosely related to their (or the institute's) work, often more a collection of thoughts or hobby interests, rather than actual research. Talks that do not fit in standard research talks, therefore are more likely "binned" (or put in a waste bag/paper bag for disposal). Those had nothing to do with lunch.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: I have up-voted [username_1's answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/141648/85812), but to expand a bit for those unfamiliar with the concept:
Related term: "lunch and learn"
Generally held at or around lunch time.
Will often be considered as *not part* of work time. Whether they are optional depends on where you work - they aren't always optional (sometimes you're expected to attend a certain number per year for continuing education).
Often it is person within your institution who does the presentation - instead of a person brought in to present to you.
The presentation isn't always *directly* related to your (or their) work and may be completely unrelated.
Generally where I've worked it has been considered polite to attend and act interested - but my experience with them has been more at the "less than 20 people" co-worker/department level.
I have seen the frequency decrease in the last ten years or so, YMMV
Also note comments in other answers that contradict my answer
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a researcher making its way (very slowly) to professor in Europe. After several years of effort and relocations, I have now my own research program and have earned a promotion to supervise PhD students and postdocs. In around three years, I will be applying for full professor positions, hopefully.
Now, I have recently received an offer from a very famous professor in the US who wants to move in the direction of my research field. It is a permanent position as staff scientist (director) in their group with a close to decent salary. It is clear that with them things will move faster and the impact will be high.
I am ambitious and still want to lead my own group and succeed as a PI in the future (even if I have certain age now). If I accept this position in the US, will I be still be considered for promotions as professor in the American system? Thank you in advance!<issue_comment>username_1: I think it depends on your age, and also the country you're currently in. There is definitely a bit of ageism in academia, so I wouldn't recommend it if you're in your late 40s or early 50s, but if you're still below or in your thirties, then joining a big group with the prospect of some high impact papers would be no harm to your career.
The UK or Australian systems seem much better for mid career researchers than the US one, so you're in one of those systems and want stability, you should stay.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This might be possible, but only if you arrange it at the very beginning.
But first, note that "Full Professor" in Europe and "Professor" in the US mean very different things. "Full Professor" is about the same in both places except that, I think, in Europe a department will have only one Full Professor and in the US there may be many. Here (US), Full professor means teaching, research, and service (with different balance different places) but no assumption of administration duties. The term Professor can apply to an Assistant Professor with a seven year probationary period leading to tenure and an Associate Professor title. Several years later, if the person has done well according to the judgement of the faculty, they may be promoted to Full Professor.
But the above is the normal path for people starting out. When a university hires a person from another institution, they are inserted somewhere in the cycle, but almost everyone undergoes a probationary period. (Einsteins excepted, of course.)
And, almost everywhere, moving from Staff Scientist to Professor would be unusual. Not impossible, but don't assume that it is a normal or common path that would *obviously* be open to you.
My advice would be to negotiate the terms at the very start. I would suggest something like asking to be made an Associate Professor on hire with a, say, two year probationary period. If you are a world renowned researcher (Einstein, again), then ask for more, but probably not less.
The problematic part, I think, would be that you don't say you have any teaching experience. Almost all Professors here (all ranks) do some teaching. For those doing high level research in a place in which that is the most important item, it will be less, in most cases, but usually there will be some, even if it is only advanced graduate courses. And, supervising graduate students is also an important element of the job.
If they will start you out as Assistant Professor with a long probationary period, make sure you understand the terms. How much will teaching count in a tenure decision? Research? Other? Can it be done by somebody stressing one of these more than expected, but leaving the others to wither?
But, if you don't negotiate it at the start, I fear you would get stuck with no path forward. And maybe not a path out, either.
I assume the professor you are talking to has some clout. Perhaps enough to get the university to go along with your requests. In most cases, the path I suggest (Associate Prof, short probationary period) would be palatable to some, but not all, R1 universities, which are the ones stressing research above all. After a few years, if you do well, promotion to Full Professor will open for you.
Don't be shy. Don't make assumptions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Probably you will not be considered for promotion to professor. But you could still *apply* for position of professor, either there or at other institutions. (It may be considered bad form to start applying for other positions right away; wait a few years. And by then your "famous professor" may be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you.)
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: My manuscript in PRL was rejected after two rounds, although apparently quite narrowly.
First round the paper was sent to two referees. One was very supportive to accept, and the other provisionally rejected but was willing to see what we had to say in response.
Second round we actually got both of the original referees to accept the paper. But for whatever reason the editor sent it to a third referee, who recommended to reject the paper. Typically PRL ends the review process at two rounds: it always rejects if there is no complete consensus to accept the paper after two rounds.
We agreed among us that the argument is not a deal killer, definitely fightable if we have the stomach for it.
As far as I can see we have a few options, and am wondering which we should go for.
1. Ask for a further round of review. Although the review process is technically over, in our collective experience, the editors will typically oblige your request, and even more so when you've got two good acceptances. The downside is that you have no idea how many additional referees you will end up having to fight with - some of our friends have ended up with 5 or 6 referees, not the easiest considering how PRL referees are like.
2. Appeal straight to the divisional associate editor, the default course of action. What this person says is final, even if it's to overturn two acceptances.
3. One of the lower Physical Review journals has offered to publish as a 'rapid communication' without further review.
Any advice?<issue_comment>username_1: Remember that editors often have to reject papers even if all reviews are positive. The reviewers only see the paper at hand, the editor sees all papers submitted, and all papers with only positive reviews are often still way too many to be all accepted. So by necessity, the editor also needs to reject papers with all positive reviews. Passing the hurdle of getting all positive reviews is often a necessary but not sufficient condition to be published, your paper also need to be better than a large portion of other papers that also passed that hurdle.
Bottom line: fighting editor decisions is usually not worth it, especially if you have another accept ready.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This sounds like one of the "your paper is good, but not good enough for our journal" kind of result. PRL is one of the premier journals in physics and they almost surely receive many more papers than they can publish. If this guess is correct, then yours is one such paper - they don't think there's anything wrong with your paper per se, but it's not significant/interesting enough for PRL.
One consequence of this is that it's possible even if you convince the third reviewer, your paper ends up rejected anyway.
It boils down to whether you care sufficiently about the PRL brand name to try fighting the decision. It could work, it could also not, in which case you've spent time for nothing. Against that, you could just switch to one of the lower-tier journals and get published instantly. It's a decision you'll have to make yourself (in conjunction with co-authors).
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: When you apply for academic/research funding, how exactly do you cost someone?
For instance, you want to have a research assistant working 1 day a week. Do you just divide annual salary of standard RA by five? Do you do the same for any other type of collaborator, like a post-doc, or an assistant professor? Such is the method suggested in [this site](https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/finance/fEC/Costing/example.aspx). Or is there a more elaborated mechanism to decide that?
Anyone with experience on this? It's my first time applying for funding.<issue_comment>username_1: The key difficulty is to figure out how to pay or employ someone on a grant. Once you know that, the cost should follow in a straightforward way.
An important first question is whether this research assistant is to become a staff member at your institution or not (maybe doing contract work). If the person is to become staff, you have to figure out which employment category and conditions apply, for example regarding employment percentages or employment durations - does that fit to what you need for the project?
It may be not so easy to employ someone on a 20 % position only, unless it's a student maybe. An alternative may be to look for someone who is not fully employed currently and may be topped up, or someone who is fully employed but where part of the salary (and tasks) could be allocated to your grant.
Once you know the staff category and any conditions, it should be easy to get the cost. If in doubt ask your staff department or financial administrator for it. They can maybe also do a salary simulation over the time range of the project, which is especially useful if the person to work on the project is already known and specific conditions apply.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: **Your institution/the institution that will host the project almost certainly has a grants office for the department/school faculty. You absolutely need to be in contact to do this costing as the institution almost certainly has policies and systems to deal with this that you MUST use if the institution is to sign off on your application.**
You don't say which country you are talking about, so let me answer for the UK.
There are two ways to add the costs of a person to a grant application in the UK:
**Types of cost**
Directly Allocated Costs and Directly Incurred Costs.
DI costs are the easiest to explain. A DI cost is when the university has to spend money it would not otherwise have spent. So - buying equipment for the study, or travel costs etc.
DA costs are where the university allocates a fraction of a resource it already pays for to the new project. So, for example, if a professor spends 10% of there time on the grant, then 10% of the prof's salary is "Allocated" to the grant. Universities like DA costs because they attract overheads, where as DI costs don't. Of course, this counts against you because it makes your grant more expensive to the funders.
So, when you cost up a person on a grant, you need to decide DA or DI. Generally, if you are allocating a part of the time of someone already employed by the university, it will be a DA cost. If you are hiring someone new, then it is a DI cost (there are exceptions to this, but in general).
For people that are already employed by the university, the university will have on its systems a "day rate" for that person. I.e. how much the university charges to have that person allocated to a project for a day. You then multiply this by the number of days a person will spend on the project.
For new people, the university will often have a set number of salary points at which they can be appointed, with an associated pre-calculated cost.
Our university has a costing tool that does all these calculations for you (and indeed, its use is mandatory, as it ensures that you have added all the correct extras, overheads, etc).
**Costing a fraction of a person**
Funders generally want to know how much time a person will spend on a project. It is common to express this as either % FTE (Full Time equivalent) or hours. So one day a week would be 20% FTE, or about 340 hour a year.
If you are employing someone the university already employs, then this is easy. You say "The university will allocate 20% of Jane Doe's time to the project."
If you are going the DI route, then this is harder, because they reviewer might well say
"You want someone who has all these super advanced skills, but you will only employ them for 20% of there time for 18 months? Where on earth are you going to find someone who will agree to that?".
The alternative is you can name someone, even if they are not already employed. So you might say "We request salary and costs for 340 hours for a Dr. Chaudhuri to be employed as a research assistant, who will perform the vital roles of x, y and z".
My experience is that the more advanced the skills you want, the more skeptical reviewers will be of small FTEs, but that naming someone can go quite a long way to offsetting that. So 50% of an unnammed pre-doctoral technician is probably fine, but 20% of an unknown advanced software engineer is not, how ever 50% of the proven software engineer Dr. Alverez is probably okay.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: It's common for graduate students and postdocs to fulfill various "assistant" positions in academia. They may grade papers or conduct research *under the direct supervision* of a faculty member who is ultimately responsible for the work product. These are functions that require *real academic skills*, but not up to the level expected of a faculty member. The important thing about these positions is that they are *intended* to be temporary, a type of brief apprenticeship training on the road to professorship rather than an actual stable career that one could stay in for a few decades.
Is there such a thing in academia as a *permanent*, full-time assistantship, one not temporary or tied to student status? That is, is it reasonably possible for someone to do this as a career? Obviously, this sort of thing probably wouldn't pay as much as a full-time, regular faculty appointment, but that is neither here nor there for this question.
I'm not thinking about Adjunct Professors. Adjuncts are usually temporary, part-time employees that actually hold faculty-level responsibility. I'm talking about a situation where a person might hold a full-time, indefinite appointment grading student papers, finding citations, or checking petri dishes for bacterial growth under the supervision of faculty, but wouldn't do (and isn't in training to do) their own research or teach unsupervised.
I also recognize that academic departments often have general office positions such as secretaries, human resources professionals, IT help desk technicians, etc., but these sort of roles do not typically involve the use of *advanced* academic skills.
There are various reasons a person could want to do this. They might want to work in academia but lack the talent to do truly original research, or they might actually have it but realize part-way through their PhD that they hate doing original research but truly enjoy grading papers or holding tutoring sessions. They might like going out into the field and applying best practices in digging up soil samples but enjoy the fact that their career is not in jeopardy if the research hits a dead-end (rather, the faculty that decided to dig there faces the setback).
As an example, someone might say, "Ok, I'm wrapping up my MS in Chemistry and I don't want to go for a PhD, my thesis was hard enough! I'd really like to spend the next ten years grading freshman homework, TA'ing the Organic Chemistry I lab, and designing data-gathering protocols for others' research projects. Those were the parts of the past two years that I truly enjoyed."<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, this absolutely exists in my field. Such people are typically called "Research Scientists" or "Research Associates." At my last university, a PhD was only a *requirement* for Research Scientist III. The level of independence depended on your own experience, and I suppose your PI's desires. That is, I would expect each one to have their own pieces of a project, and be on a few papers a year.
I **have not** heard of one having teaching responsibilities (even just grading) without holding a PhD, since those are often used for grad student funding. I do know of a few people who had lecturer responsibilities without holding a faculty position technically.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: These positions exist, but at least here in **Germany** they are rare.
In, German, we call everyone in a research or teaching position at a university who has graduated and is not a professor *<NAME>*. I'll translate this for now as *mid-level faculty* (but would be happy to receive better translation suggestions). Mid-level faculty includes what would be an assistant professor in the US, and also researchers/teachers working on their habilitation but not junior professors.
If you look up the fraction of such positions that is permanent, you'll see quite some variation depending on whether the fraction is given for mid-level faculty without PhD students (who are are counted in this mid-level group unless they volountarily enrolled as student; PhD "students" basically always on fixed term positions) and whether the fraction is given for mid-level researchers paid by the Land or includes also positions in third-party funded research (the latter being fixed term for the project duration).
[Of the mid-level positions paid by the Land Thüringen in 2017, 53 % were fixed term.](https://www.news4teachers.de/2019/05/zahl-befristeter-hochschuljobs-sinkt-nur-langsam/)
[FAZ from March 2018](https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/akademischer-mittelbau-flexible-dienstleister-der-wissenschaft-15502492.html) about the situation in all of Germany (so not specific Länder) says the fraction of fixed term positions among those paid by their respective Land (Grundfinanzierung) rose from 67 % -> 75 % from 2005 -> 2015.
If you include positions on third-party funded projects, you'll find fractions around 80 - 85 % of the mid-level staff being on fixed-term positions.
---
In my experience, mid-level faculty permanent positions are maybe an Oberassistent being the head of the labwork practica, often also teaching a lot, or they may be the "keeper" of delicate large instruments where at some point the professor was able to negotiate with the Land that such an expensive instrument also needs someone alongside who doesn't change every few years (these ones are involved in ongoing research). They are often approaching pension age (because some decades back, there were more permanent positions in academia) - but once they retire, there often won't be a permanent contract any more.
The other type of permanent positions are technical staff (which still may require a PhD).
The chance to get a permanent contract as researcher but not professor is IMHO higher if you consider non-university research such as research institutes run by the federal government or the big research societies (Max Planck, Leibniz, Fraunhofer, Helmholtz). It may also be higher if you consider a University of Applied Science (Fachhochschule) rather than a normal university.
---
>
> I also recognize that academic departments often have general office positions such as secretaries, human resources professionals, IT help desk technicians, etc., but these sort of roles do not typically involve the use of advanced academic skills.
>
>
>
Yes, but: as I hinted at above, there are also technical positions that require at least a Master or even a PhD. E.g. I know
* a physicist holding a technical position in a deprtment of psychology (building measurement instruments for their experiments)
* a computer scientist half on a research position and half on a IT technician position (didn't ask exactly what they do there, but the institute does quite heavy computations)
* another physicist who's "keeper" of a research laser.
* some chemists looking after similarly delicate machinery, and practicum and teaching (of whom I don't actually know whether they are on a permanent position, but if not they are at least sufficiently high up on the priority list whom to keep by the responsible professor to be there since at least 15 a)
>
> "Ok, I'm wrapping up my MS in Chemistry and I don't want to go for a PhD, my thesis was hard enough! I'd really like to spend the next ten years grading freshman homework, TA'ing the Organic Chemistry I lab, and designing data-gathering protocols for others' research projects. Those were the parts of the past two years that I truly enjoyed."
>
>
>
My experience as a chemist is that *chemistry* is one of the very few fields where the PhD is pretty much unavoidable. This plan has a few practical problems:
* grading freshman homework, TA'ing the Organic Chemistry I lab: yes, that's done by fresh Masters. But these TA positions are usually reserved for PhD students who have to earn their living somehow. Someone who doesn't want to go for a PhD will typically not get such a position.
* designing data-gathering protocols for others' research projects: unfortunately, for all I know chemistry is still very blind with respect to data, curation, and programming resources needed for their projects. Again, a PhD student doing this and pointing out the need during their research will be welcome (highly appreciated even; I've done that), but getting a (full) position for this that isn't involved in PhD research will be extremely hard.
* I've hardly seen any permanent teaching staff at higher levels (i.e. not the PhD student TAs, but those responsible for their own lecture series) that did not have a PhD, and many even did/had their habilitation.
So from what I've seen, it is easier to transition from a point where you've proven to be capable as researcher to doing more and more teaching, or more and more of the high-level technical stuff.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: UK life science here:
Such positions do exist, but with Germany (@cbeleites above), they are rare.
In research these positions are sometimes known as Staff Scientist or Scientific Officer. They are more common at research institutes than universities and generally require a PhD. The key point is that you generally can't be grant funded grant funding, by its nature, is time limited. 99% of science is grant funded in UK Life Science universities departments.
An alternative is the so called perma-doc. These are people that attach themselves to a senior academic and basically move from one time limited postdoc contract to the next with the same boss. As long as the boss keeps getting money, you keep getting a job. This can work out, but is risky as the academics work might fall out of fashion, and the grants dry. Also, the academic will almost always be older, and so will retire before you. And then you are in trouble.
Without a PhD, you are basically talking about research technicians. These are sometimes employed on permanent contracts by departments, sometimes on grant money (with the assumption of renewal).
There are also permanent, non-faculty jobs in teaching. Although again, they are rare. Our department employs 2 teaching lab technicians and 2 permanent demonstrators. The demonstrators are "fresh out of PhD" kind of level, work 9 months a year (we are lobbying to change this), but are permanent. I don't know about the level of qualifications for the teaching lab techs.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: Recently submitted a manuscript which got a decision of *Reject & Resubmit*, i.e. the editor invited a resubmission provided we can address the reviewer's comments. In my previous experience, all my manuscripts were always accepted after a resubmission was invited, so I thought the editors basically use this type of decision to give themselves a little more leverage.
One reviewer's comments were very negative, but unjustifiably so. For example, he/she stated that the "experimental treatments" weren't independent, while our study was purely observational and didn't include any experimental manipulation. The comments looked like they were made by someone who didn't bother to put any thought into the review and had a poor understanding of statistics (our study is loosely in the field of ecology/conservation).
We rebutted these comments firmly, but politely. The other comments, including those made by the second reviewers, were minor and were addressed by revising or clarifying the text in certain places.
We also explicitly drew attention to the issue with one reviewer's comments in the cover letter accompanying the resubmission. We stated that we carefully considered these comments, but they were unjustified, and again explained why.
This resubmission was rejected outright very quickly, within a week. The editor acknowledged the revision did improve the manuscript, but still rejected citing the standard *"our acceptance threshold is very high"* etc.
It is the first time my invited resubmission was rejected, and I can't help wondering whether the firm response to the reviewer's comments was the cause.<issue_comment>username_1: It's fine to push back against reviewer comments, but it can be a bit of a delicate dance to do so.
First, I would suggest you take reviewer comments that are unjustified to mean that **you didn't do a good enough job explaining what you did**. Although it's possible the reviewer was simply sloppy in reading your paper, a lot of people are going to sloppily read your paper: give them as few ways to get it wrong as possible by being extremely clear. Communication is between the reader and the writer: it isn't only the reader's fault if the reader gets it wrong. You can apologize for your role in the miscommunication and do better in the revision.
Second, I would suggest whenever you plan to push back against large parts of an individual review, rather than just a modest misconception or two, **have a less-involved person that you trust to give honest feedback review your remarks**. Sometimes a coauthor with a smaller contribution is sufficient (i.e., not the primary or senior author, who may feel most personally involved in the work), other times it may be helpful to reach out to someone else outside the authorship group. Ask them *explicitly* whether they think your response is sufficiently polite. Ask them to play the role of that reviewer or the editor. Additionally, **give yourself a bit of time to sleep on both the reviewer comments and your response**, at least a day or two and maybe a week or two. Personally, I sometimes write my angry/snarky response in a private document for myself to "get it all out", spend a couple hours complaining to people close to me about how worthless peer review is, and then come back to the original comments later and start working on real responses to what turns out to be helpful criticism. You can skip the first two parts of that if you want, but the last part is crucial.
Third, **make sure you aren't really missing something in the comments you think are unjustified.** Your question here is vague, so I am only guessing, but you say:
>
> he/she stated that the "experimental treatments" weren't independent, while our study was purely observational and didn't include any experimental manipulation
>
>
>
If you responded to the first part of that comment and say "this comment doesn't apply because our study was purely observational" I would, as the editor, probably reject your paper. The real, important comment there is the *lack of independence*, which is often a *critical* weakness in an observational study. It may be that you interpreted your data in a way that implies an experiment has taken place, when it hasn't, and that makes the reviewer's comment very very relevant, even if they misused the word "experiment." Be careful that you haven't used causal language, that you have done field-appropriate comparisons between any groupings you made in your observations, etc.
Finally, **it's quite possible for you to do everything "right" and still be rejected.** For a more selective journal, especially, an editor may reject if there is insufficient support from the reviewers, even if you are able to refute some of the criticisms. They are looking for papers that the reviewers agree are excellent, and it's possible that observational work is simply not a good fit for this journal.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Yes, there is nothing wrong with writing a rebuttal whenever necessary.
However, carefully ensure the response to the reviewer's comment is not directed personally at the reviewer (this should be observable from your tone of response and choice of words), rather it is directed at the comment.
Also, try to remind yourself (or pretend if that be the case) that the comments are not directed at you but the content of the paper. This implies that while responding, ensure that you emphasize that the content of the paper (or the revised paper) has answers to the reviewer's comment.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Whenever you get a negative reviewer comment that misunderstands an issue in your paper, or is otherwise unjustified, you should take that as a signal that you have not explained the relevant issue sufficiently clearly. The response should therefore usually entail a substantive change to the paper (to add a clearer explanation) accompanied by a response to the referee comment that identifies the additional explanation, perhaps with some additional discussion justifying your change.
Aside from improving your paper, one advantage of this approach is that it gives the referee a response that shows that you do not think he/she is stupid or misguided. By putting the blame on yourself, you avoid a negative reaction from the referee (or editor), and by making a substantive change to the paper as a result, you show that you have improved the explanation so that others will not misinterpret the paper in the same manner as occurred in the referee comment. Also, this kind of change usually does entail an actual improvement to the paper, since it prevents other readers from making the same mistake as the referee. Here is an example of what this would look like.
>
> **Referee:** The experimental treatments in the study are not independent.
>
>
> **Response - Revised:** On review of the paper, we can see that we failed to adequately explain the experimental setup. Our study is actually an observational study, which did not entail any controlled treatment variables (i.e., the explanatory variables were observed without intervention). There is indeed multicollinearity between some of the explanatory variables, and we had not addressed this sufficiently in our previous draft. We have now made a number of changes to the paper to clarify the experimental setup, and to discuss the effect of multicollinearity between the explanatory variables.
>
>
> We have now added an additional sentence in the methods section (p. 3, line 8) to note explicitly that this is an observational study, and to stipulate that we have not "controlled" the explanatory variables of interest. We have repeated this in the results section, in our remarks on the difficulties of making causal inferences from the data (p. 12, lines 14-16). We have also added an additional paragraph to the results section (p. 11, para 2) discussing the multicollinearity in the explanatory variables, and its effect on our inferences. For the reasons set out there, we are satisfied that multicollinearity does not invalidate our statistical inferences or conclusions in the paper.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Unless your literature uses a different terminology, **a reject and resubmit is not a review and resubmit**. The editor will have told you what you have to do, before submitting again (from fresh). Typically this means a larger revision of what you have done. Therefore, it's a rejection: to let you know that the hurdle of acceptance is higher, and there is much more work than usual required. With that information, you may simply want to submit elsewhere instead.
**However**, a new submission also means that the editor is free to change the reviewer if they want to. A Reject+Resubmit is often a nice way to get rid of a reviewer that the editor regrets having assigned to a paper.
For this very reason, if indeed you have a reject+resubmit and not a review+resubmit, do **not** dwell on the reviewers' comments, but focus on what the editor wanted. Did you really manage to address everything you were asked?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: If they were indeed unjustified, it is certainly good to correct them. But you must think, "Am I right?" or is the other person right? (in this case the reviewer). Being right **is not a shield**, however, for the necessity to be polite at all times, and treat the comments with respect. Often adding clarification (such as which of some instance of something you are using) can make it more understandable. So, respond would be a better usage than 'rebut'. The latter implies a possibly negative response. (*NOTE:* in my post, I originally had 'rebuke' here incorrectly, and that would be very negative). However, according to dictionary.com 'rebut' does have negative as a *related* word:
<https://www.dictionary.com/browse/rebut?s=t>
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/16
| 566
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in Canada and wanted to get a bound copy of someone's doctoral thesis in Sweden. The thesis is fully available online in PDF form for free from the library/publisher, but since there is a copyright on it printing services won't print and bind it for me without proof of printing permissions. The library does not seem to offer a service and does not seem to understand what it is I want since they keep directing me to the online PDF, while the author doesn't seem to be responding (probably ended up in his junk mail).
Does anyone know how one would go about this?<issue_comment>username_1: Print the paper yourself, three-hole-punch (or buy pre-punched paper), and use a three-ring binder. For 200 pages, it might be easier to do this at an office/print shop (search "print shop" or "printing" on Google Maps or something to find one near you). Sometimes these shops will do this sort of thing for you, and often they have self-service machines which can get you around wariness that employees may be trained in as far as printing work they are not confident they are allowed to print. As a comment mentioned, these shops can also sometimes do coil binding, which would hold together better on a shelf. Nicer binders would do okay on a shelf, though they would be best held page-side-down in a file drawer or horizontal rather than vertical.
It's not normal to bind someone else's work in a proper book, and theses are not typically printed as books for resale. Printing a PDF of a copyrighted work that you have digital access to for personal use is typically completely legal, and practically never going to be an issue even in some odd context where it isn't.
---
@cbeleitessupportsMonica also suggests a "springback binder" which I have never used personally but it looks like they might be ideal for this purpose.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Talk to your university’s legal department, and ask them what to do.
====================================================================
Most universities will have legal teams, and in many cases, those legal teams will have quite a bit of experience with IP law. Talking to them about actions you could take seems like a good idea; it’s very possible that a good solution for your problem might be as simple as your university’s legal team drafting a letter to their university’s legal team asking for written permission to print a copy of the thesis paper for non commercial use.
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/16
| 1,083
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<issue_start>username_0: This just makes so much sense for several reasons:
1. Let's say I find errors in a very long research publication - A code repository like issue system would allow me to highlight this and notify the owner
2. Let's say I want to add to a research work incrementally in an effort to make it complete - A code repository like PR mechanism would enable me to publish my work and notify the author without "citing" the said work and having to mention all the details again.
3. Let's say I want to make updates on continued research and not just stop at one publications - A code repository like version control would allow making several releases based on work that could be published, moreover it allows maintaining a timeline of all releases for better clarity.
Every shortcoming I can think of can possibly addressed by treating research publications as repositories instead of standalone PDF documents.
* What are your thoughts on this and has anyone thought of implementing this already?
Shouldn't one of the primary attributes of research be to enable collaboration after publication for the study of a subject?
* Why haven't there been the tools to do that yet?<issue_comment>username_1: There are journals that do that. Here is one: <https://joss.readthedocs.io/en/latest/submitting.html>
In some sense, arXiv.org is also doing that, allowing to version preprints. It doesn't use a "repository" in the sense of git or subversion, but it allows you to keep track of different versions of a manuscript, and that's really what is key: Any system that allows you what's in a paper at a later time must allow identifying and accessing a particular version of the paper.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Because how do magazines that publish research made with goverment's funds make money then?
Sarcasm aside. I get you. Im in IT field, so I know that something like a github or googledocs would be wonderful for research and all, and it is, but there are many significant challenges. Just to name a few:
1. International cooperation.- Science is an effort not of one country, and a paper on a published research might take upon the steps taken by a research done in a very different country.
2. Language.- As if country differences are not enough, a paper can cite another from another language, and even if the trail (like in Google citations) can name it, being able to create a clear research routes for various languages means at the very least the technical challenge of translating or having to correct stuff on various languages.
3. Authorship.- Not all researchers are considered the author, sometimes there are corporate authors.
4. Copyright and distribution.- Laws vary greatly from country to country regarding this, even within the same country by states/provinces; so research, even if public, would need some serious changes in regulations to not have troubles (also add the problem with magazines that charge money for access).
5. Connectivity.- The repository would have to connect to many databases with different characteristics that would mean a myriad of technical considerations
6. Accessibility of platform.- For this to be implemented for current journals the code of the repository/platform would have to be open at the very least so it can be adopted. That also means creating communities to work on it.
7. Lack of international standards agreements. There might be some common accepted guidelines for many things, but for many others there arent. I would like you to think how different can a mere scholar system be (I used to think sophomore was some kind of fungus.) Now think about all the differences in editorial guidelines for different journal even in the same field and how it would be addressed to technically reach an agreement that could be coded into a general standard.
8. Political challenges.
As @username_1 said, there are some journals that already do that, but we are still ways off to go. Hopefully the world seems to be moving to more open science. I would like to know what doctors in other fields are experiencing too.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Because we are stuck with an antiquated publishing system, which is very difficult to improve since it has been coopted by funders for deciding which researchers to support. Versioning and open collaboration would make it much harder to track authorship and citations, which are the currencies on which careers are built.
Still, the idea is very natural, and resurfaces regularly. See my 2014 blog post <https://researchpracticesandtools.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-case-for-emancipating-articles-from.html> , and my experiment with hosting a review article on GitHub <https://github.com/ribault/CFT-Review> . (So far there were only two minor contributions by others.)
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/17
| 672
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<issue_start>username_0: I have been trying for a few weeks now to obtain a published thesis ([this one](https://catalog.princeton.edu/catalog/4122379), if you're wondering), but have had no luck in doing so.
There currently exists only one copy of this thesis, at the Lewis Library of Princeton. It has not been digitized. I have contacted the library to enquire about obtaining it, but not being currently affiliated with any university, the best they could offer me was to ask local libraries about inter-library loan programs. I have done so, and discovered that people were amazed that inter-library loans were still a thing, and after ferreting out the person in charge of it, discovered that they would not even consider an ILL from the US (I am in France).
Are there any other process I can try to obtain a copy of that thesis?<issue_comment>username_1: You can try contacting [<NAME>](https://physics.asu.edu/content/robert-marzke) himself. There is a chance he has a digitized version of his own that he is willing to share.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You could see if you know anyone who is physically located in Princeton. Any faculty or student there could just go the library and put the thesis on a copy machine for you. Somebody you know academically might be easiest to ask this kind of favor.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: You can try to find either a book that published that thesis as an article or another article by the same author that builds upon the original thesis.
Chiu & Hoffmann's (1964) [*Gravitation and Relativity*](https://archive.org/details/gravitationrelat0000chiu/page/40), available for free loan with an account at the Internet Archive, contains a chapter by <NAME> and <NAME> titled "Gravitation as geometry -- I: The geometry of space-time and the geometrodynamical standard meter." The references section of this article contains the following reference to the thesis you are looking for:
>
> 4. R. <NAME>, *The Theory of Measurement in General Relativity*, A. B. senior thesis, Princeton, 1959, unpublished (the present paper is based upon and constitutes a publication of the results in this thesis).
>
>
>
That is, the chapter in the book **is based upon and constitutes a publication of the results in this thesis**.
Reference for the book:
<NAME>., & <NAME>. (Eds.). (1964). *Gravitation and relativity*. New York, Amsterdam: <NAME>.
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/17
| 1,515
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<issue_start>username_0: My partner and I live in different countries, and we have been discussing a research topic for some time but have had difficulty making progress due to the distance, local responsibilities, etc. We have recently found a visiting researcher grant that would allow me to visit her for a couple months and work exclusively on our project. We would both continue to receive salaries from our respective institutions (the grant requires this), and we plan to request only enough funding for travel and basic living expenses (i.e., a round-trip flight, daily meals, and daily transport; the latter two, because her country is more expensive than mine).
Are there any ethical issues with us applying for such a grant? We do not, for example, plan to request housing funds, since I will stay with her. We are not sure whether we should disclose our relationship status in the application, because it's a small grant, and it could be seen as distracting or superfluous information. (See also the discussion under @DanRomik's answer.)
Edit: to be clear, we are each qualified in our fields to carry out such a project. Indeed, we've already been carrying out the project, but at a slow pace, and the main goal is to have a couple months of focused effort on the project.<issue_comment>username_1: Provided you are qualified and intend to do a good job under the grant, I see no ethical considerations at all. Many people (most?) applying for grants in other countries have a variety of goals, not all of which are relevant to the position itself. Wanting to live in Paris is pretty common, I'd guess.
There would be an issue if she is the decision maker on who gets the grant. In such a case she should recuse from the decision and pass it to others, such as a superior. But otherwise, there should be no problem.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There is the issue of propriety, and there is the somewhat separate issue of the *appearance* of propriety. Although I agree with @username_1 that from an ethical point of view all that really matters is that you are applying for the grant in good faith with the intention of actually carrying out the research you are proposing, the fact that the intended research is with your significant other certainly has the potential to create the *appearance* that, at the very least, you are mixing your personal interests with your stated professional goals in a somewhat unhealthy and perhaps ethically compromised way (and no, it’s not really comparable to “wanting to live in Paris” as in username_1’s example - as evidenced for example by the fact that you were concerned enough about doing this to ask this question). And at worst, some observers who learn of this may be inclined to assume an unethical motivation and regard this as a (perhaps mild) form of abuse of the grant funding system. Whether they are correct or not is besides the point; people sometimes jump to incorrect conclusions, and you should protect your reputation.
My advice is to disclose the relationship and let the people in charge of the grant decide if this is a problem or not. If they are okay with it, no one can fault you for accepting the funding — you have a watertight defense in case someone down the road criticizes your actions. And if they aren’t, well, there’s a pretty strong case to be made that hiding that information with the intent of increasing your chances of receiving the funding would have been somewhat unethical. It’s maybe in a gray area of things that people do once in a while and usually get away with, but I wouldn’t recommend it, both because it’s ethically problematic and so you can sleep better at night.
**Edit:** your edit to the question, and some of your comments, give me the impression that you read my answer as questioning your motivation or criticizing you in some way. Let me be clear, I see no reason at all to question that your motivation is pure.
With that being said, you asked “are there any ethical issues”, and frankly there are some “ethical issues” with doing something that, while you privately know it is ethical, can lead other people to think that you are doing something that may not be ethical. As I said in a comment, we live in a world in which grant funding, and other taxpayer-funded resources, do get abused sometimes. By behaving in ways that other people may perceive as unethical, you risk hurting your own reputation and career, and also push the delicate equilibrium many parts of our societies are built on in a direction that (ever so slightly) encourages genuinely unethical behavior by other people in the future. Conversely, by disclosing the relationship you will be enforcing norms of good governance. From a social point of view, you will be helping academia function a little bit better.
It’s fine if you disagree with any of this, but talking about “tuning out” because of “judgmental glares” misses the point of what I’m saying. I welcome any sort of critique of my logic and reasoning as long as it’s itself based on logic and not on emotional arguments like you being annoyed about people being judgmental. For example, username_1’s argument that society is better off if grant applicants are not turned down because of wanting to work with their significant others is a valid one (not completely compelling in my opinion, but at least valid, and based on logic).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Based on personal experience, I don't feel that there are any ethical violations in simply applying for a grant with a significant other, and I certainly don't feel that you are required to disclose this information in your application. I am aware of many academic "power-couples" in my field that co-PI large projects, including projects on federally-funded grants. I have read the entirety of a few of these proposals, and I have never seen indication that the collaborators are married/partners, including those who have different last names. In fact, as a reviewer, I would find this information extraneous, distracting, and even unprofessional, especially if you have a strong track record of collaborative work together already.
Where I DO feel that there are ethical issues is if a collaborator includes their significant other on grant proposals, student committees, or papers when they did not/will not contribute substantially. For example, if a graduate advisor forces their student to put their spouse on their graduate committee to help the spouse achieve tenure requirements. These are examples of nepotism that definitely raise ethical issues.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: My professor for my online class refuses to grade two late assignments because they were too late to grade. They were only two days late, and she has graded one that was later than that, but she won't grade these ones. Those two assignments tanked my grade to failing. I am freaking out, it is a college class that I don't have enough money to pay to retake it. What can I do to change her mind?<issue_comment>username_1: If the policy is that late assignments aren't accepted, then late is late. Just because you got a pass once, doesn't guarantee another pass (let alone two more). Next time, get your assignments in on time, especially if you are paying a lot of money to take the course.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Whenever you hand in late assignments, you are at the mercy of the instructor. Certainly where I work there is no guarantee the instructor will mark these copies at all or without penalties.
It could very well be that your instructor graciously allowed you to submit a late assignment once, but that was it. I can easily see that an instructor would not want students to habitually submit assignments late, quite frankly a hard line on this is not unwarranted.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/17
| 361
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it violating academic integrity if I take a final which section I didn't register? I just want to do extra practice, and each section test is totally different. my id and name.are made up myself.<issue_comment>username_1: It could be claimed that using a false name and ID is a form of fraud. Who knows how it would be resolved if you are caught. There are better ways to get extra practice, like asking a prof for some guidance.
People might also wonder if you had some other purpose than improving yourself. But it is hard to guess what will happen. Anything from a slap on the wrist to expulsion is possible to imagine.
If you haven't already done this, then I recommend you don't. If you have, then your choice is whether or not to self-report it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It may or may not be allowed to do what you suggest but you obviously think there is something suspicious if you go through the trouble of making a fake I.D. Thus it’s probably NOT a good idea.
Moreover, you are a bit unclear as what will happen to the marking of a copy with a “fake” name. Who will get the mark for that fake copy?
In addition, this is likely something instructors have seen in the past - it’s highly improbable you are the first to attempt to change sections for the final - and I’m willing to bet the instructors care enough to cross-report such attempts. If you are not willing to ask, this is yet another reason to think this is a bad idea.
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/18
| 1,482
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<issue_start>username_0: At the bottom of this [webpage](https://crei.skoltech.ru/cdise/education/phd/) are publication requirements for PhD students at Skolkovo Institute of Technology. Is it common for PhD programs to have specific publication requirements like this?<issue_comment>username_1: To answer your question title: I'm sure if someone was interested they could find one that doesn't, however...
The purpose of a PhD (in an optimistic sense) is to help further your chosen field. It doesn't matter how smart you are if you don't further anything, and the primary mode of this is a research paper.
Skolkovo seems to be especially strict about this, since most programs I see require only one: your dissertation. This is technically a published research paper, even if it is given a big, final boss-sounding name. Oftentimes, one will be part of multiple research papers anyways due to other requirements such as being a research assistant or just being in a research group, however there it isn't the publication itself that is important.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I think the answer is no, not all do. But if you rephrase it slightly you get a different result. If we define PhD strictly as a research doctorate (though some schools might be weak on that), then a dissertation of some sort is required. In all fields, and for all advisors, I think that the *attitude*, if not the specific rule, is that the dissertation be of *publishable quality*. The exceptions, where the committee doesn't have such an attitude, seems to me to be a vanishingly small set.
That is a judgement made by the advisor and committee in many fields. In some fields, and apparently at some universities, prior publication is required. But that is just a way of having an independent judgement about publishable quality; by the journal/conference reviewers. The decision is, then, somewhat distributed.
Some dissertations never get published other than informally (university libraries, [University Microfilms](https://www.proquest.com), etc). Some result, after the fact, in one or more publications. In my own case (though long long ago) there was no formal requirement other than a submission to what was then University Microfilms. But a shorter version of the dissertation was published a few years later.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: My US institution does not require a publication prior to graduation. But, I am finding myself significantly hindered in my -academic- job search by not having any sort of publications prior to graduation. So for others who are reading this answer: while publishing might not always be necessary to get a degree you might want to keep in mind what you want to do after you graduate.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I think it's not common to have specific requirements like that **on the website**, but it is pretty common that something like this exists at least as a guideline in the heads of supervisors and examiners. In every school I have studied / taught at so far in CS, rough numbers of what a minimum PhD thesis looks like were at least floating through the room (and they were not so far off from what is listed explicitly on this website - at least two somewhat beefy papers, usually plus some assorted materials). This isn't yet a *good* thesis, but it's one that most people would be ok signing off on.
To be honest, it's probably a good idea to write it on the website as this program does - a little bit of transparency often goes a long way.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_5: As far as I'm aware specific publication requirements are common in Europe, but not in the UK or US.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: The requirements listed on that website are very soft. 2 can be conference proceedings and the remaining one must be peer reviewed but not necessarily first author. If you hang around a lab long enough you can accomplish that.
Institutions differ in specific requirements but nearly all, at least in the US, require some type of publication. But, that publication can be in-house, I.e., your dissertation is probably indexed by Scopus.
These are actually not difficult requirements as stated. In comparison, my last university required grad students have 3 peer reviewed articles to even be considered for PhD candidacy. That’s a high bar.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: The requirement, like that of Skoltech, will vary from region to region, from country to country, and from institution to institution.
However, to redirect your 'question', it might be best to look at the concept of doctorate within the context of higher degrees.
Essentially the requirement, as stipulated at the bottom of the link, is basically a **PhD by Publication - Prospective Route**.
This is common in parts of Europe like the Scandinavian Countries and in Australia. In the UK, it would often be referred to '*Alternate Thesis Format*' to distinguish it from the ***PhD by Publication - Retrospective Route*** (typically referred to as PhD by Published Work, or PhD by Prior Publication).
The requirement for sole-author or first author is to gauge the degree of individual effort as required for doctorate; the independent contribution to knowledge.
PS: I'm busy with a manuscript on this. I should share a preprint later. You can also read academic papers and blogs on PhD by Publication.
---
[**[Skoltech](https://crei.skoltech.ru/ai/education/phd/)**]
**Publication requirements and Conference participation for PhD students**
PhD students are expected to produce an original PhD thesis (check previous PhD Thesis Defenses), publish the results of their independent research in peer-reviewed academic journals, and present them at reputable international conferences.
***Publication requirements***:
Three peer-reviewed publications, of which two appear in WoS/Scopus indexed journals/conference proceedings.
At least two publications in:
>
> (i) Q1/Q2 journals in the corresponding fields or journals with impact factor (IF) > 2,
>
> or
>
> (ii) conference proceedings having a CORE rating of A/A\*;
>
>
>
One (out of two) first/shared first/corresponding author publication.
---
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/18
| 1,512
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm planning on my PhD to be in CS, but it occurs to me that my research as it applies to archaeology/anthropology will be just as unique and valuable (hopefully) to that field in and of itself.
I haven't been able to find anything on this specifically as in most cases the two fields concerned are closely related and two separate degrees would be unnecessary. In this case, however, it seems fair to ask the question as the two fields are both widely different and at the same time this research in particular would be completely overlapping between the two disciplines.
If this isn't a thing I'd appreciate any insight on schools which have strong graduate programs in both of these fields; regardless of whether I can earn two degrees (which I'm not expecting) I want to tailor my research and my access to experts/labs/programs as much as possible.
TIA!<issue_comment>username_1: It's hard to say something is definitely not possible, but I think this is a case where it just really isn't worthwhile. A PhD says you can do research; from there, it's more your research output that matters rather than the title of your degree.
What I would *strongly* suggest, however, is that you pursue having a mixture of faculty on your thesis committee. The exact rules will depend on your program and graduate school policies, but even if there is a requirement that official committee members come from a particular department, at a minimum you should be able to add some "outside" people who can help advise you in your second research area.
You should also pursue publishing papers in both fields.
Of course, all of this will depend on support from your main advisor, so when you look for particular programs, make that part of your search and part of the early conversations you have about your fit.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You will need to check with the university/universities where you plan to submit your PhD thesis. Before you ask anybody in person, I suggest to check the examination guidelines first. I found a couple of negative examples in a quick Google search:
>
> "A doctoral thesis that was already submitted to another faculty may not be the basis of the doctoral examination." [Uni Bonn](https://www.uni-bonn.de/research/argelander-program/during-your-doctoral-studies/getting-started/requirements-for-your-degree/doctoral_degree_regulations_faculty_of_law_and_economics_economics)
>
>
> "A student may not submit for assessment thesis material which has already been submitted for another degree at Sultan Qaboos University or any other academic institution." [Sultan Qaboos University](https://www.squ.edu.om/ps/Programs/College-of-Science/Physics-PhD)
>
>
> "The application to become a doctoral candidate shall be rejected if the doctoral committee finds that
> ...
> the subject of the candidate's dissertation has already been submitted successfully in another subject." [Uni Frankfurt](http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/81006473.pdf)
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Before I answer, I'll say this. As someone with a PhD in archaeology...certainly get your PhD in CS. If for some reason later on you found yourself wanting to apply for a job in an archaeology department, a PhD in CS focused on archaeology is perfectly acceptable, depending on the position.
To answer your question in a round about way, I wonder if your idea of a PhD is just a little bit inaccurate. The PhD is a bar you pass, a bit of proof that you are able to do a certain level of analysis that leads to a (very small) development in one or more academic fields. A single PhD can contribute to one field or it could contribute to several fields, but you don't get a separate PhD for every field you make a contribution to. A lot of research is multidisciplinary, but that doesn't warrant a PhD in every discipline that you're working in. You get a PhD from the (almost always) one field that the bulk of your method+theory rests in, in the department who agrees to accept and examine your work. Further, this is the department that you or some funder has been paying for the years of your PhD.
Take me for example. I got a PhD in Archaeology. Aside from a terrifying viva comment that was basically "We think this is a PhD, just maybe not an Archaeology PhD", all was fine. However my research was more in Criminology and Politics, with a bit of Law, and since then I've had a strong academic career...though I've never been in an archaeology department again. I do, however, know how to lay down a tight 1x1m square and always know where my trowel is.
Here's something you may not have considered: would an archaeology department accept you? If you don't have a background or previous degrees in archaeology, and don't know the full background of archaeological method and theory, it doesn't matter if your project helps archaeology, you likely aren't going to make it past the admission hurdle. Now perhaps you were some sort of double major, okay, but take a good look at your project. Is it a CS project that just uses some aspect of archaeology as an example, test case, or data set? If so, there isn't an archaeology PhD in that.
Another thought: does your project actually require archaeology supervision? Will your CS department be able to advise you on the archaeological aspects of your project. At my Uni, if this really was a crossover project, we would suggest you have an archaeologist on your supervisory team. You'd still only get the one PhD of course, but you'd have someone who was there to make sure what you were doing wouldn't be considered insane in archaeological circles.
Lastly, some advice. It looks like you're thinking that it can't hurt to ask about getting two PhDs for one project. It might not hurt if you don't plan on having ties with archaeology but, really, they are going to think you're a bit mad for asking. At best, it sounds naive about, again, what a PhD is. Better would be to introduce yourself and your project and ask about collaboration or supervision arrangements.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: what do you recommend me ?
write the bibliography as I write my dissertation, or focus on the bibliography at the end of the writing? Thank you<issue_comment>username_1: There are (mainly) two types of citations:
* citations of methods/results by other researchers that you use in your work. These citations may appear anywhere in the document.
* citations made to summarize the state of the art. These appear mostly in the introduction.
I would recommend adding the first type of citations as soon as you explain the methods/results you are using in the main text. It is very easy to miss some of these afterwards and forget to cite them, and you would be incurring plagiarism.
The second type of citations appear in the introduction, which is anyway usually written last. You can leave these citations for the end if you wish, though I still find it less time-consuming to just cite everything as I write the main text. Doing a "second sweep" of your text and trying to remember "what did I want to cite here again?" is bound to add some overhead.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: You should never actually *write* the bibliography. As you write the actual content sections, you should add citations where-ever relevant as you go. The bibliography should then automatically be generated by your reference manager.
Upvotes: 3
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2019/12/18
| 2,484
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<issue_start>username_0: I recently won a 2-year postdoc fellowship in a prestigious EU university (funded by the university itself). I also applied a few months ago for a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship selecting as host istitution the same university.
If I would win the Marie Curie (I will get the notification in February), I would be in the position where I should decide whether to quit the current fellowship and take the Marie Curie, or to refuse the Marie Curie. (I could also decide to delay the acceptance of the University fellowship and decide in February). The salary of the University fellowship is a bit higher than the Marie Curie, but the rest would be pretty much the same, especially regarding the research team and research project.
I would like to analyze the pro and cons of such decisions. Namely:
* Will the Marie Curie program offer me some benefit in terms of visibility, networking, etc...?
* There will be differences in saying on the CV that I worked for 2 years funded by University X rather than by the EU Commission with a Marie Cure Individual Fellowship?
* Isn't already a good thing saying that you won a Marie Curie (even if you refused the fundings?) Or there is any concrete difference for an evaluator between winning and taking the funding?
* Could refusing the fundings be seen as a 'bad' thing by the EU commission?
It is quite likely that I will not get the Marie Curie, but it is better to start thinking beforehand how to deal with this situation if it will occur.<issue_comment>username_1: I think this is a situation where you should try to 'have your cake and eat it', that is try to do both.
If you get the Marie-Curie it usually comes with the stipulation that you should start it at some point in the next 12 months, chosen at your convenience. So you have some flexibility there but presumably not quite enough to just start it at the end of the university fellowship. The university on the other hand could be more flexible and should also be willing to be so as a Marie Curie fellow is prestigeous for the university as well. So if you do get the Marie Curie, I would suggest to go to the funding office of the university and ask them whether you can pause your university grant for the duration of the Marie Curie fellowship. It seems quite likely to me that they will accept such a proposal.
Best of luck with the fellowship applications.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I have been exactly in this situation.
You should be able to negotiate this with the University in a way that is mutually beneficial. (You accepting the MSC is very much in the interest of both you and the university.) It is relevant to note that the way the MSC works is that you are employed under a "normal" employment contract by the host institution, (and the MSC grant is paid to the host). You should therefore be able to negotiate that you will be employed under your previously agreed (higher) post-doc salary. You may also be able to negotiate a longer contract length.
Finally, note that while initial MSC decisions are typically made in February, one possible outcome is that you are "waitlisted". In this case it can take until much later in the year to get a final decision on whether you got the grant or not.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: (1) Of course the Marie Curie fellowship is much more well known internationally, and more prestigious. Your university's fellowship might only be known within the same university, or perhaps in the rest of the country, but people from other countries are unlikely to know what it is. I was ready to write an answer based on my assumption that the Marie Curie fellowship would have a much higher salary, until I read later in your question that you said the university fellowship is slightly higher (which was a surprise to me). This is just to emphasize that the Marie Curie fellowship is known to be one of the most lucrative postdoc fellowships in the world. So you are correct in considering whether to take the Marie Curie over the university fellowship for reasons of international recognition.
However the *only* important thing here, is that you are awarded the Marie Curie fellowship. *That* is what is prestigious. Accepting a Marie Curie fellowship is not prestigious, being awarded one is. So if you get the award, then put on your resume: "Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020-2023, Declined for second fellowship with higher salary)".
Now you have the higher salary *and* are recognized by future employers as someone that was awarded a Marie Currie fellowship. The rest is not important. You will not have people collaborating with you just because you're a current Marie Curie fellow. There is not a strong "network" of Marie Curie fellows that remain in some self-support group for the rest of their lives (as there is for the Rhodes scholarship or Fullbright Scholarship or even the Humbolt organization).
(2) There is however, a benefit to having your "own" funds (like a Marie Curie fellowship). Should problems occur (and they often do, for highly ambitious, intelligent, and self-capable postdocs like yourself), the university has little power over your salary coming from the Marie Curie fund, versus if its coming from their own fund. You also brought in your own money, so you're less likely to be subjected to power abuse from your supervisor (this is common when the postdoc's salary comes locally). For these things, I might rather take the slightly lower salary, in exchange for much more "freedom".
(3) The third thing to consider is that getting a permanent job in academia nowadays is *extremely*, *extremely*, *extremely*, difficult, even for people like you. I have seen plenty of Marie Curie Fellows end their academic career after their Marie Curie fellowship. I've seen people with more publications and more citations than the Chair of the department they were applying to, having their faculty application rejected. I personally know someone who held the Marie Curie fellowship, and an even bigger postdoc fellowship, and an h-index of 22, and over 1500 citations, who didn't make it in academia.
**Therefore you want to make the most out of any funding you get right now**. That means I highly recommend to stretch this funding out for as long as you can: Do the university fellowship until it runs out, then switch to the Marie Curie funding (if you can't defer the Marie Curie money long enough, then try to "take leave" from the university fellowship and resume it later once the Marie Curie is over). This gives you more years to apply for permanent positions, because trust me you might need this.
Finally, I was once like you and had so many different options in my early days (for example, a dilema between two different types of funding). However it was impossible for me to appreciate what life would be like 7 years after finishing my PhD. You will be qualified for maybe *zero* of the available postdoc fellowships in existence. You suddenly go from having dilemas about which of multiple funding sources to keep, to having absolutely *zero* available to you. Remember that this is likely to happen, and therefore this point (3) is important to consider (stretch out the funding from either and both sources, for as long as you possibly can, because while it will be impossible to appreciate now, life will not always be like this where you have multiple funding sources to choose from, and life will in fact quite be the opposite).
---
So:
>
> Will the Marie Curie program offer me some benefit in terms of
> visibility, networking, etc...?
>
>
>
Not really. Yes when I see a Google Scholar profile with "<NAME>ie Fellow" as their title, I know they are a Marie Curie fellow, but there's a lot of them, and most of them don't become permanent professors, so it doesn't make me more likely to collaborate with them. People in academia are smart. They will know who's worth collaborating with and who is not. They are not stupid enough to base anything off just the title. They will collaborate with you based on their interest in your work. Just like you will not collaborate with someone just because they're from "Harvard University", if you think their research is garbage (and I'm sure you know some examples of people with prestigious titles who are not really so good).
>
> There will be differences in saying on the CV that I worked for 2
> years funded by University X rather than by the EU Commission with a
> Marie Cure Individual Fellowship?
>
>
>
No. Because you will put "<NAME> Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020-2023, Declined for second fellowship with higher salary)" on your CV, meaning that you will have both on your CV.
>
> Isn't already a good thing saying that you won a <NAME> (even if
> you refused the fundings?) Or there is any concrete difference for an
> evaluator between winning and taking the funding?
>
>
>
Exactly. You will put both on your CV.
No the evaluator does not care whether you took the fellowship or not. They care that you were awarded it (and even then, they barely care about that too .. almost everyone you're competing with will have fellowships under their belt, with the same level of prestige). They care about your publications and your reference letters.
>
> Could refusing the fundings be seen as a 'bad' thing by the EU
> commission?
>
>
>
Absolutely not. The administrators that deal with the awardees do not care and do not even know how to care if they did care. They usually do not have PhDs. They are secretaries and administrators. They send the applications out for evaluations by a committee of professors that do have PhDs, but once they do those evaluations, they move on with their busy, busy lives as academics, and couldn't care less whether people took the fellowship or not. In fact, if someone is awarded a <NAME> fellowship and doesn't take it, that can only mean that they had an even better opportunity available to them, which can only be a good thing right?
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2019/12/18
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<issue_start>username_0: Next semester, I am going to take a course in which I have some background knowledge. Given the relevance of the course in my research, the lack of available students with sufficient knowledge in the course (it is one that is rarely taught at this school, and most of my supervisor's students either graduated last semester, or have just started with him this semester), and my general need to find some courses to TA for, the professor (my supervisor) had offered me the grader position for the course. The professor would be grading my own assignment, and I would then be marking other people's assignments based on those. It appears this situation has occured and been asked about before on this stack exchange, but not from the point of view of the TA.
I initially expressed my discomfort with this situation, but, upon being told (by my professor) that this had been done before, decided to accept, to maintain a good relationship with my supervisor.
I however have a number of issues which, as the beginning of next semester, are bothering me more and more:
I know a number of the other students in the class, and we often used to organise study groups and work on the assignments together. Would it be ethical of me to still participate in these study groups ? On one hand, I will not have access to the solutions until we submit our assignment, on the other, I will definitely be able to see if someone makes an obvious mistake in their proof that I, as a TA, would deduct points on.
I was initially thinking that the best course of action for me would be to cut off all relations related to the class (that is, remain friends with the students I know, but not bring up the class with them), but at the same time, I would thus be depriving them of help that I would have given to them as TA had I not been in such a situation. I'm finding it extremely difficult to set the line between "We are fellow students together and helping each other out" and "I am your TA and you are a student, and the help I am providing here is so you can properly learn the class".
Updates in responses to questions:
* I have asked the professor for clarification; he says this is not the first time he has done this
* I could certainly ask for "blind" grading
* I am taking the course as a student, but have some background in the course<issue_comment>username_1: Actually, I think the best course of action would be for you to decline this offer. You have different personal relationships with different people in the class and it will be difficult to put aside all of your unconscious feelings and grade in a completely unbiased manner. It also opens the possibility of your friends putting pressure on you, which you can resist, but which could become uncomfortable.
An exception would be for grading that is purely objective, not requiring any analysis or judgement of the quality of the answers, such as mechanically recording the answers in multiple choice questions.
However, if blind grading could be arranged so that you grade paper not knowing who wrote them, then my reservations would probably disappear.
Blind grading would leave you free to interact normally with study groups and would lessen or remove any pressure that could be applied against you.
At a minimum bring up such concerns with the professor and point out the uncomfortable position it puts you in.
---
Perhaps there is a possibility that you help out the prof by grading a different class and suggesting you grade this one in a future offering.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I would politely decline the appointment. I would be uncomfortable with the conflict of interest and, though certainly flattered, uncomfortable with the ethics of and my qualifications to grade a class I was still taking.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I think it is fine if you accept your professor’s offer to be a TA, though I would let them know your discomfort about the situation. I think the best course of action would be to hold normal office hours as a TA so that you are not depriving your fellow students of help while also maintaining professional boundaries. And as others have suggested, blind grading seems to be the most fair way of assessing classwork.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Just to go against the grain, if you decide to take it:
>
> Be methodical and *very* objective. Every action you take should be documented and based on provable facts.
>
>
>
I taught friends for more than a few courses. I usually do a pass cataloging errors, then I assign a mark for each error, which leads to the grades. That way, when someone questions the markings (Brazilian national sport at universities btw), you can literally point at the rules and how the grade was constructed. A friend that was letting me crash in his couch for the duration failed one of my courses and we are still friends...
For the day to day stuff, since you don't have access to anything confidential, just be a better than average student that helps people, whenever you feel like doing it, but at least during your TA hours. Be careful with the ethical lines (like if your professor mentions something that is not public knowledge), but don't overthink it.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: I have been a TA and grader for a course that had my friends (and, in fact, my girlfriend) in it. (I wasn't also taking the course at the time, but that doesn't seem like the main issue here.) Each grader had a "conflicts list", and nobody graded work by anybody on their list. (Being mere acquaintances wasn't a conflict, but being close friends or romantic partners was.)
I think being the *only* grader for this class would be untenable in your position, but if the professor grades not only your work, but also your friends' work, then it doesn't seem quite as fraught.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: You say:
>
> I know a number of the other students in the class, and we often used to organise study groups and work on the assignments together. Would it be ethical of me to still participate in these study groups?
>
>
>
And
>
> was initially thinking that the best course of action for me would be to cut off all relations related to the class (that is, remain friends with the students I know, but not bring up the class with them)
>
>
>
I think you should not take this position for two reasons:
1) It almost unavoidably creates "the appearance of a conflict of interest", which is as bad as an actual conflict of interest.
2) It puts you outside of your own community. This is unhealthy for your own social/academic well-being. As a student it's not good to get cut off from your peer group. You draw support from them, discuss tricky assignments with them, commiserate with them on setbacks. These are important things for anyone, students no exception. But to fulfill this position in a fair way cuts you off from uncomplicated interaction with your class.
Basically, taking this job puts you in a very bad position.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: I was a TA/grader for courses that had friends in it. I graded impartially. If they got the question wrong, they were marked down appropriately.
>
> I know a number of the other students in the class, and we often used to organise study groups and work on the assignments together. Would it be ethical of me to still participate in these study groups ?
>
>
>
Why wouldn't it be? As you point out, you won't have the answer key in front of you.
>
> I will definitely be able to see if someone makes an obvious mistake in their proof that I, as a TA, would deduct points on.
>
>
>
I don't understand how your position as TA affects this. If you weren't the grader, you would point out the mistake and help your friends fill in the gaps in their knowledge. Because *that is the point of a study group.* You're also taking for granted that you *will* know all the answers. (And if you're the TA, don't you do "office hours" to give students help anyway?)
Honestly, if I needed the job, I would take it but it's a little funny of your prof to have offered it in the first place.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: If you are uncomfortable, don't do it. It's one thing if you WANT to do it and it has been done before. But if you don't want to, just...don't. Let your prof do a little more work. Don't do something like this just to butter him up. You even have the perfect excuse.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: I have some experience with this kind of situation. Two or three times in my career as a professor a student was in a situation similar to yours: too much knowledge to take the course but for various good reasons needed to. I arranged for them to (help me) prepare solutions to hand out and sometimes grade papers.
Everyone in the class and in the department knew about this arrangement. It never seemed to cause any problem. My general attitude toward homework may have helped ease any potential friction - the purpose of the assignments was to encourage learning, not to assess. So they were commented on extensively, marked just [excellent|done|please see me for help] and did not count heavily toward the final grade.
Your situation may vary.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_10: Here is another possible solution, depending on your situation: you can TA without officially taking the course, and enroll in something like a reading course instead.
As an undergrad, I needed to learn complex analysis, and I wanted to take the graduate course as I was also trying to get a Master's a the same time. There was no graduate course that semester, but the professor teaching the undergraduate course (which I hadn't taken) proposed the following:
1. I would officially sign up for the graduate course with him, which we did as a reading course. (I believe I was officially enrolled in the graduate complex analysis course, so that is what showed up on my transcript.)
2. I would attend and TA for his undergrad class (grading + office hours---in fact, I ended up giving a couple of lectures when he was traveling).
I think this worked out well with no conflict of interest as I was not a student in the class, and everyone just thought of me as the TA, but I got the benefit of the lectures and doing the undergrad homework before grading it. In fact grading the students' homework and answering their questions helped me learn the material better.
FYI, I don't recall having any issues with grading the undergrad problems. I did separate exercises for my reading course, but I'm sure if I had trouble with any of the problems I was supposed to grade I could have consulted with the professor---as should be the case for any course you TA.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_11: Apart from the ethics, let it be known that, you may not teach (or grade) a course which you do not have appropriate *documented* knowledge of. If you must take the course yourself, you obviously have not. This clearly indicates that your knowledge in the field has not been documented, yet. If you already have an appropriate higher degree and taking the course is simply for the paperwork, this practice may pass. But as a normal student, grading direct peers is actually forbidden by accreditation policies. They say "teaching personel must have appropriate qualifications". At least in Germany (this question has no country tag).
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/18
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<issue_start>username_0: I am an ex-academic (Ph.D + a couple of postdocs) who has been in industry for more than a decade. I work in enterprise analytics and data science.
My current work is fulfilling, but takes up most of my time, and along with my family responsibilities, I don't have the time to work on pure research projects, or to collaborate with an academic team.
I have a couple of serious research ideas in AI and ML, arising from my current work experience plus my previous training and some of the recent results in the literature, that I think are definitely worth pursuing.
They are not just good one liner ideas. I have a rough idea of the steps and experiments needed to implement them (roughly on par with what a serious Ph.D thesis proposal would look like).
As I said, I don't have the time to pursue them myself, but I seriously think they are worth pursuing, and I would like to get credit from coming up with the overall approach, even if can't execute the actual code and simulations myself.
What is an avenue for publishing the ideas and the approaches for investigating them, such that they would get the attention of people who actually have the time to follow through on them, and getting credit for thinking of the approaches?
Does a solid, well substantiated research proposal count as a legitimate contribution?<issue_comment>username_1: As per Buffy's suggestion I'm turning my comment into an answer.
It seems like you're in a great position to start a collaboration with a university researcher to co-supervise students with them.
Frankly speaking I don't know who your best bet to talk to would be, but reviewing the current literature in the areas of your proposed research is a good idea. Hopefully you're located in a geographical area that allows for an in-person collaboration.
You should also make some research about organizations dedicated to connect academia with industry in whatever country you're located. The cases I know about are the Insight Data Science Fellowships and more broadly all the programs by MITACS in Canada (an maybe even WA state). MITACS programs allow you(r company) to pay half the salary of a graduate student or a postdoc(!) and co-supervise them together with an academic partner in a predetermined project. These internships can be as short as 4 months or constitute a full postdoc.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Does a solid, well substantiated research proposal count as a legitimate contribution?
>
>
>
No, it does not. A plan for achieving something, where none of the steps have been completed, is not a significant achievement.
Sometimes it is necessary to do experiments or calculations in order to form a plan. That could be an achievement.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: What do you mean by credit? You have to be more specific about what is it that you want? Normally researchers publish articles/research outcomes in research journals and are then considered as contributions. If your idea is theoretical, then you can prove it theoretically, try for a publication directly in a theoretical journal or conference (some good venues that allow theoretical research in machine learning are (1) COLT, (2) ALT (3) JMLR. On the contrary, If your idea is experimental, then develop it into a concrete plan of action. Then look for collaborations for carrying out the experimentation. Based on your agreements in collaboration, you can be an author or first author of the publications/patents/startups that result from this. How you collaborate for experimental work is crucial here. You need to convince your team that your idea is worth pursuing and would yield benefits to the collaborators.
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/19
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<issue_start>username_0: I am meeting my supervisor tomorrow and it is the last time I see her this year. I am not a native English speaker and don't know how to say goodbye and wish happy things.I am wondering if somebody can help .e in this regard.?<issue_comment>username_1: Just wish her a merry Christmas and tell her that you will see her after the new year.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> See you next year, and happy holidays!
>
>
>
You could also say "Merry Christmas" if your supervisor is Christian, but if your supervisor is not Christian it's possible (unlikely, but possible) that she's offended by that ([example](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/brunei-cancels-christmas-sultan-warns-those-celebrating-could-face-up-to-five-years-in-jail-a6782561.html)). "Happy holidays" sidesteps the issue.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Have a happy and safe Holidays.
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/19
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<issue_start>username_0: I am interested in using a particular figure from the literature, but I do not want to go through the hassle of paying to use a figure. What I am wondering is if I made a similar figure, how easy is it to get in trouble for copyright infringement? If I were to essentially redo the image, it would not be verbatim the same, but very similar depictions would be pulled from the image. As an example, I provided two illustrative examples where the bottom image is an "adapted" version:
The second one is in a published paper as well from a reputable journal, so I am guessing that it should be okay to go about making a similar diagram myself, but again, I wouldn't mind other opinions as too when I might start to tow the line on copyright infringement.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lWFyK.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7TyAE.png)<issue_comment>username_1: If you do the image you then have no problem and under the image description you use :'fuente propia' (self source/made). if you want to use a figure from a magazine/paper/site/etc, then you simply add the proper source and citing in your references. Remember that the difference between plagiarism and fair use is merely citation.
**Clarification:**
As long as it is cited and properly explained it's a problem, although it would be wise to check the local legislation because it varies from country to country. In my country the law specifies 'copy or reproduction'of the exact same thing, but redoing a new image/chart is no problem.
If its different for your countries then add a comment of what exactly the law in your places say to contribute to responding OPs question.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: If this is for a book, rather than for a paper, you have another option. Many book publishers will give you a certain budget for paying royalties on figures and such. Another alternative, if you are to receive royalties from book sales is to have the publisher pay any fees up front and charge it against your future earnings on the book. The former is preferable, of course. But book publishers expect to have to pay for some things such as cover pictures and some internal figures.
I doubt that this is an option for any journal, however.
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/19
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<issue_start>username_0: **Update**: My withdrawal request was accepted and I was also offered to be published in the immediate issue of the Journal. I took back my withdrawal request.
**Edit : Mentioning [Journal](https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/jaa)**
I have an accepted paper. But it is slated to appear in 2021. And both print and online versions appear around same time. I was hoping online would appear much faster than that, but its not the case. According to copyright I cannot host it on my website also for an embargo period of 12 months. So it's not even sharable, let alone citable. I have a followup paper already being written, and more ideas in pipeline that are built on top of this. This publication wait period defeats my whole purpose of publishing as I cannot share it with others and I cannot cite in furthur works. I cannot use it for advancing my career too. I also have plans to seek research positions or phd fellowships. I am kind of stuck. I cannot withdraw it now as it is already accepted. Is there anyway I can negotiate to get it out much before than the slated time?
Edit:
An excerpt from the copyright.
>
>
> >
> > Retention of Rights
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> The Author/Editor may deposit an Author-created version of the Article
> on Author’s/Editor’s funder’s or funder’s designated repository at the
> funder’s request or as a result of a legal obligation, provided it is
> not made publicly available until 12 months after official
> publication. Author/Editor may not use the Publisher’s PDF version,
> which is posted on www.publisher.com, for the purpose of that deposit.
> Additionally, the Author/Editor may deposit the Publisher’s PDF
> version of the Article on Author’s/Editor’s own website or
> Author’s/Editor’s institute’s designated repository, provided it is
> not made publicly available until 12 months after official
> publication. Furthermore, the Author/Editor may only post the Article
> provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of
> publication and a link is inserted to the published Article on
> Publisher’s website. The link must be accompanied by the following
> text: “The final publication is available at www.publisher.com”. The
> Author/Editor is requested to use the appropriate DOI for the Article.
>
>
>
**Update :** I have made a gentle and polite withdrawal request citing delay as reason, to which I got a one line reply, "Thank you for your message". I don't know how to interpret this one line reply. Does it mean that they will get back to me on this? or I should assume that it's been withdrawn?<issue_comment>username_1: It's hard to tell from the outside why they aren't posting online versions of your accepted paper now. If the publisher is the root cause, you could conceivably change their mind by negotiation. I would not be hopeful because they're likely to keep to the status quo purely out of inertia, but your objection would probably be filed away as a data point for when they finally decide to modernize.
On the other hand if the editor-in-chief is the root cause, the publisher is not likely to overrule the editor-in-chief, and you'll have to convince the EiC. Chances are the EiC has entrenched views of this (as opposed to the publisher who's more likely to simply be doing what they've always been doing), which makes convincing him/her harder. Still, you could try. Be sure to mention you have follow-up work already lined up.
It's unlikely that there'll be negative consequences for trying and failing. Your paper's already accepted; they're not going to rescind it for non-academic reasons.
One thing I would definitely check is whether you are permitted to upload preprints. You mention there's an embargo, but quite often the embargo is only on the accepted manuscript. You can still post preprints. Some publishers (e.g. Elsevier) allow you to post the accepted manuscript as well, on a non-commercial personal homepage or blog.
**Edit**: based on that paragraph, negotiation is the only way out, because they're preventing you from making anything else publicly available. If you have transferred your copyright then they can actually publish without your consent now (still, they might let you withdraw anyway as a gesture of goodwill). You say you haven't signed any copyright transfer, but that's not sufficient; the journal might have policies that say the copyright is automatically transferred upon acceptance or even upon submission. You'll have to check. If you haven't transferred the copyright, then you could withdraw and submit elsewhere. It's a decision you'll have to make.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Talk to your university’s legal department about how much you need to change to post a “preprint” copy elsewhere.
=================================================================================================================
This sounds like the sort of question that you’d need to talk to an IP lawyer about, with the text of any relevant contracts in hand. Fortunately, universities generally have legal departments that address these sorts of issues as their job. I’d recommend talking to the team at your institution.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: No, I don't think there is any way for you to negotiate to get the paper published earlier as you have already agreed to the publishers terms and conditions (by signing the acceptance agreement). In your situation you now have two options:
1. Formally withdraw the paper from the journal (get official proof of withdrawal) and submit it to another journal. This is technically possible but now you run the risk of an additional long period for your paper to undergo review at the new journal. There is also the additional risk that it would be rejected at the other journal (and obviously you can no longer submit it to the original journal since you withdrew it) so you would then have to start the process at a third journal.
2. Check to see if can document your *preprint*. In some cases you are allowed to host the preprint on Arxiv. When I say preprint I specifically mean the version of the paper that you had *before* you submitted it to the journal and before any peer review and/or correspondence with the journal editor and/or reviewer took place. This original manuscript is not subject to the terms and conditions, however the manuscript that you submitted to the journal when it underwent the peer review is actually under copyright so you are not allowed to share that version. As a result you are allowed to document the original preprint in for example your CV or website and include the snippet that this was accepted by Journal X with Manuscript Number Y. You are not allowed to document the version of your manuscript when it was received by the journal. You could site your paper as follows:
<NAME>, ''My paper title'', Journal X, 2021 (accepted manuscript Y)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I am tackling here a different "side" of the question. Most other answers talk about making the earlier (accepted, but not yet published) paper available *to the general audience*. This is a proper thing to do and needs to be considered. But what about the next manuscript?
What has been sometimes done with two manuscripts in different journals that depend on each other, is: while you submit the second manuscript to a journal, provide the first one to the reviewers as a supplementary material for review. It is confidential, it is not a public availability, should be fine.
So, basically, **when submitting the next manuscript, additionally show the previous one**.
Notice, however, that I know of this practice with a submitted manuscript. You seem to have a post-review manuscript (or even a camera-ready version, depending on how it is seem and whom you ask). I am not quite sure, you are allowed to distribute *that* to other reviewers, but you can at least show the initial, pre-review manuscript to the reviewers. Explaining in a letter to editor that it is accepted, but you provide a version you are sure, you are allowed to provide, might be helpful, too.
Oh, and about citing: You *can* cite it as "User102868, "On foo, bar, and biz", Awe. J., to appear" or "... in press". This is somewhat a bad style, but it's little you can do, if you do not retract the article all together.
And yeah, for the rest of us: such an issue is precisely the reason arXiv exists. So, use it. Please. But, as always, ask your supervisor / your coauthors first!
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a phone interview for a tenure-track position. It's always awkward because you want to say "Nice to meet you, Prof. X" but it sounds so weird. What would be the alternative? You wouldn't just want to say "Hi Prof. X". Would you?<issue_comment>username_1: There are surely plenty of alternatives. "It's a pleasure to speak with you." "Thanks for taking the time to speak with me." And so on.
However, even if you do say "Nice to meet you", the most that will happen is someone will say "Though I guess we're not really meeting, are we? Ha-ha-ha." And you'll say "I guess not, ha-ha-ha" and chuckle politely for about half a second, and then move on. Nobody will care or remember, and it will have no effect on the outcome of the interview.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Nate [identifies](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/141854/22768) a typical three-way exchange: One party says, "*Nice to meet you*," the other says, "*Though I guess we're not really meeting, are we? Ha-ha-ha*," and you conclude, "*I guess not, ha-ha-ha*." This can be avoided with a phrase such as:
>
> Nice to virtually meet you.
>
>
>
However, as Nate also notes:
>
> Nobody will care or remember, and it will have no effect on the outcome of the interview.
>
>
>
**There's no need to plan for the mundane, focus on selling yourself.**
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: in a single-blind paper reviewer one of the reviewer comments In total, 12% of the paper contains text from X et al. (2019) which is not properly cited. this cited article, is one of my works. in review responses can I discuss it? or not?<issue_comment>username_1: If you use text from your own works without attribution, you are self-plagiarizing. Attitudes towards self-plagiarism [vary widely](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2893/attitudes-towards-self-plagiarism). Some people/publishers are opposed to it, others are surprised people even frown on it.
The fact that the editor was OK with sending your paper out to review indicates they don't consider the amount of self-plagiarism problematic. So you can probably do nothing and get away with it. Still, you might as well rewrite the problematic text or cite the relevant article; it's probably not too time-consuming, and makes everyone happy.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There are two issues here; self plagiarism and possible copyright infringement. If your previous work has been published then you may not hold copyright to it any more and your rights to reuse the text may be limited. You should check that. If you *do* still hold copyright or a sufficient license from the publisher then you are clear on that.
But self plagiarism is a separate issue. When a scholar reads a paper they also want the context in which the ideas were developed. So, if we use another work, we cite it so that the scholar can follow links, including the citations made in the earlier text, etc. If you just copy part of your own old work without citing it, you (probably) break that chain of context. You make the current work seem new and deny the scholar the chance of easily examining the context.
If you have copyright to your work, you can probably safely reuse longer parts of the old work than if it were by another, but you still need to cite it. In such a case, quoting long passages is probably acceptable provided that you can find a suitable typographic convention to show what is old and what is new. But citation is still needed.
The fact that a reviewer has raised the issue suggests that you have some work to do. First, you need to be clear about your copyright or your license. Second, you have to provide proper citations of things you use (i.e. quote) from the old work. Failing that, you are subject to having the work rejected.
Rephrasing the old work is *not* the issue. That can be viewed as an attempt to disguise your intent, just as if you rephrased the work of someone else without citation.
The fact that self plagiarism is viewed differently by different people is irrelevant here. *This publication* has raised the issue, so it is important to you. It is also, in general, safer to be conservative in such things just to protect your own reputation. If you use it, cite it. Easy rule.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: If someone doesn't have stellar grades in high-school, and in the bachelors:
* Is there really any possibility for him to work in the field of academia?
* Does earning a Ph.D. help much, or is it just a waste of time in this case?<issue_comment>username_1: [Check this out](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/154/84834):
>
> Nobody in theoretical computer science cares where you got your degree. Really. We. Do. Not. Care. We only care about the quality and visibility of your results. Publish strong papers and give brilliant talks at top conferences. Convince well-known active researchers to write letters raving about your work. Make a good product and get superstars to sell it for you. Do all that, and we'll definitely want to hire you, no matter where you got your degree. On the other hand, without a strong and visible research record, independent from your advisor, you are much less likely to get a good academic job, no matter where you got your degree.
>
>
>
If people don't care where the applicant got his/her PhD, they are not going to care about high school or Bachelor's grades. Even outside of academia, it's a general rule that one's latest degree supersedes all the previous ones. Once a person earns a PhD, nobody cares about his or her Masters, Bachelor's, or high school results.
The real concern here is whether the person who didn't do well in high school and in the Bachelor's can still earn a PhD, but that is for a separate question.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Yes, provided you can get into -- and complete -- a good Ph.D.
All of this presupposes you are interested in an academic career. Once you have a Ph.D., your future career *in academia* will look *primarily* at your Ph.D., and your publication/research record since then. If those are good, it's pretty unlikely (North American, pure/applied science perspective here) a hiring committee will turn you down due to previous grades, or educational pedigree prior to the Ph.D.
The flip side is that a super prior educational pedigree (grades, institutions, awards, etc.) can certainly positively complement even a good Ph.D. for your first post-Ph.D. job, since it buttresses an "achiever" image. And I've seen superior prior educational pedigree compensating for quirks/inconsistencies in your Ph.D. profile, such as unusually long time to complete, inscrutable or laconic letter of support, weaker publication record, not in the spirit of an explicit pro-con analysis but as greater confidence for a hiring committee that they can look past the quirk if they otherwise want you.
However, none of this takes away from the fact that a good, solid Ph.D., with good publications and reference letters, will draw a line under quite a bit of prior questionable academic performance. To the extent a hiring comittee later notices those issues, there will be a feeling of "but I assume the admission committee investigated that....and look, the candidate did good [Ph.D] work".
Of course, Ph.D. *admissions* committees are a different story, and while there are heartwarming stories of committees that that take the time to look past grades, the unfortunate reality is that you had better have a very good narrative what happened, and impress the institution which you want to attend. If the program is at all selective, they will be concerned whether you'll be able to finish. A Ph.D. takes a lot out of you, and if you weren't able to hack high school and bachelors, why will grad school be different -- for you? And if they're not being concerned and selective, you should wonder if they just want your tuition money (and/or slave labour) until you fail....
Finally, worth saying that there are many reasons your prior academic performance may have been sub-par (personal/family health issues, socioeconomic status and quality of schools you were able to attend, etc.) that ought not be derogatory for you, i.e. much better than "I partied too much and/or didn't really know how to study". I do think the system is steadily getting better at consciously looking for such explanations, especially for so-called "diversity candidates" but also more generally as the push for diversity gradually -- and inconsistently -- challenges lock-step assumptions on success even for candidates who don't check one of the conventional diversity boxes.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a college student who worked on a small problem in applied mathematics for two years. I recently get together some results that could be sent to publish. However when I am finishing my draft I find a work published in a decent journal six days ago solving almost the same problem.
What can I do? The math problem is very specific so I cannot change the problem a little bit to make my work unique.
Explanation for the "almost": The abstraction/essence of the problem is exactly the same. However, since this applied math problem has been applied to many fields of science, our story and approach are completely different. I said "almost" because the core problem is the same. However, the main problem is associated with some peripheral problems that are not that important. We have done different extensions.<issue_comment>username_1: It's not wise to submit it now. Apart from that, I don't know what to advise. Keep this work at the back of your head and move on with other work. Perhaps someday you may get more ideas to improve upon this work. Positive thing is, your problem is right, publishable and you are one of the very few who were able to solve it. So one day it will be useful to you.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Get personalized advice from a professor at your college. It sounds like your current problem is not publishable anymore since you've been preempted. Still, there could be a way to spin it so that it's still publishable (the fact that you're using it in a different field is a good sign), and if so a professor at your college who can examine the problem and the proof firsthand is the best-positioned person to help.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I had a Skype interview from Caltech. The PI told me I'm one among the 6 shortlisted candidates for 1 position and he said to all others too and hence not to have too much expectations. This he told in the beginning of the interview itself. The interview was kind of okay. Most of the Time he was talking about the position and his lab... He also asked if I will be potentially available. I said yes. I told briefly about my interests. He said he'll review applications during vacation. He said mine was a strong application. Sometimes he responded very positively and sometimes I felt I'm not good enough. He cut call saying goodnight. I wished him a good day( I'm in India) saying that I look forward to talk to him soon to which he responded with smile. I know I'm overthinking but this is really important to me. Is it worth hoping for a positive reply?<issue_comment>username_1: You should expect that you are 1 of 6 shortlisted candidates.
He didn't say anything glowing that should make you think you are now the only shortlisted candidate. He didn't say anything definitive to warn you are not a fit. There is no good reason to think your position now has changed in any way.
You should be happy to be on a shortlist of six, but not expecting anything. You should assume your chances are about 1/6. To me, that clearly means keep looking for other jobs but remain hopeful. It would be foolish to expect you have a secured position at 1/6. It would also be foolish to expect 1/6 means it's impossible.
There's not much else to advise here except to keep at it and find some things to do that help you relax or feel enjoyment, and then just wait. :)
You should also know you are not just a candidate for a job, you also hope to bring something of value. Therefore, you should consider not just your chances but also whether it's a good spot for you as an individual. Just because you get a job doesn't mean you take it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The whole process is unpredictable, and you gain nothing by worrying and second-guessing things. I nailed interviews for jobs I didn't get and got jobs from my worse interviews and everywhere in between. You did your best, you will know the result when it's done.
>
> Relax!
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a masters student in mathematics in an Asian country and I am applying for Phd position in Europe.
While looking at website of one university in UK I came across this question which need to be answered by phd candidate
>
> An outline of How you intend to fund your studies
>
>
>
If university doesn't gives me funding then I am ready to do some part time jobs during weekends( eg working in some restaurant or anything like that)
Also, my parents say that they could arrange for possibility of education loan and as my parents are government employee , there would not be much problem in that.
>
> Considering that I am really enthusiastic to do research in the field I like, I have no problem in doing some jobs during weekends or going for the option of loan if my parents agree.
>
>
> But the problem is what exactly should I write as an answer to this question in the application form ? and what should I not write.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: For PhD studies in the UK, funding and admission to the program are usually separate steps. Funding opportunities will generally marked explicitly as such, and many of them are only available to UK/EU citizens resident in the country. If you are just applying for admission to a PhD program, there is an expectation that funding is taken care of separately.
The "ideal" answer for such the question regarding the funding source in a UK PhD application takes the form "I have been awarded the following competetive scholarship which will cover all my funding requirements". Other good typical cases are "My employer (company or government agency) really wants me to do a PhD and will foot the bill". These answers strengthen the application, because they show that someone else is sufficiently convinced of the whole PhD thingie to put a significant amount of money behind it.
"Neutral" answers are "I/my parents are rich and we can just afford this" or "I'm getting student loan from XY". Be prepared to provide evidence of claims like this! These answers mean that funding is taken care of, but don't add to the application beyond that.
"I'll get a part-time job" is NOT a good answer. University regulations typically restrict how much work PhD students are allowed to do, and with that number of hours it is probably not even feasible to cover cost of living, not to mention university fees. Anyone who needs a student visa to come to the UK is subject to even stricter regulation, which will actually be enforced. For the universities, the rationale is that PhD students who spend a lot of time working for a living, and a lot of energy worrying about how to make ends meet are far more likely to underperform or even fail than PhD students focused on research.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The main purpose of this question is not to receive your detailed answer on where you will get funds from. It mostly to receive a confirmation from you, in a form of official statement in your application, that you are aware that PhD is going to cost you money and you have a sensible plan where the money will come from. This is mostly to prevent late complaints such as:
>
> No-one told me I will have to pay for this, surely PhD is more like work and it is University who should be paying me.
>
>
>
or
>
> My friend did a PhD with you last year and they payed for the first year OK but then they got these classes to teach which covered years two and three, and I expected the same deal to be available for me.
>
>
>
From University point of view, candidates who are likely to drop out early due to financial problems are best to be avoided.
Hence, Universities always prefer candidates who come with external funds (stipendship) covering tuition fees and living expenses and providing some reasonable accommodation for parental leave or long-term illness. In general, such funds are very competitive and hard to get.
Failing that, a candidate can fund their own studies themselves. Often there is no need to explain in details where the money are going to come from. Saying "I'm going to work part time" is not going to make your chances much better than a brief statement "I will fund studies myself" or "My parents will support me". Both are less than ideal, but your PhD application is not likely to be rejected just because of this.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: During the last month, I applied for PhD programs in some of the top US Universities in my scientific field. At the same time, I applied also for a PhD position in a very good European University. About one month after I submitted my application to this European University, I was offered a full-time, funded PhD position, in which I was supposed to begin as soon as possible.
Admissions for the US Universities are announced in the spring. So, I currently have an offer from Europe and a very short deadline for accepting or rejecting this offer. My ultimate career goal, however, is to study and work in the US, and there are some serious reasons for this. If I reject this offer from Europe and if I won't be admitted in the US, I will have lost every chance for a PhD, since a long educational gap will have been accumulated, putting my career at risk.
So, I'm thinking to accept this offer from Europe, until next academic year, and if I have a positive answer from the US, then quit my PhD studies in Europe and begin a new PhD in the US. I would like some insight about people in Academia. I acknowledge that such a scenario might affect the whole PhD project because of my possible withdrawal. Would this considered to be immoral? Could I have any consequences? Could this choice of mine - quit a PhD for another one, in a new country - seem bad to prospective supervisors in the US?
I already know that pursuing a PhD is a serious career choice, and I have no intention to take silly decisions for no reason. I just want the best for my career. To my eyes, this would be no different from quitting a job for a better one, for a better "company", in a "market" with greater opportunities. I would appreciate every advice from you people, since I have no experience related to Academia other than my undergraduate studies.<issue_comment>username_1: This is unfair to another PhD prospect, who might not have the options you have. Because you know now that this position would not work out long term for you, just go with the US position. When you sign up for a PhD you agree to commit n years to make a full project. When you sign up for a different job the commitment is not as clear. In both situations it's fine to quit because the ambient is toxic or your situation changed. But this is not your case, you know this beforehand.
As other people point out, this is unfair to the supervisor who accepted to commit time to work with you on a specific project and to the funding agencies that have given support. These commitments come in the form of time cycles, that's why accepting this job is not like accepting other jobs that don't have this type of requirement.
The thing is that you are trying to insure yourself against all odds and by *acting according to your best interest* you hurt other people (those who might get offered the EU PhD or the US PhD if you deny any offer). The fact that you can grasp that *something is wrong* but you *still wanna do it anyway* makes it clear that it's not the most honest way to act. Sure, everybody does it, and everybody marks later that their behavior was not proper/good/acceptable/... or somewhere else depending on the scale.
What we often have to do is called choosing without enough information. Nobody likes it, I guess this is your first challenge as a PhD student. Learn this lesson. And, in fact, switching is not even in your best interest! Accepting the EU PhD to quit will hurt your career. If you want insurance, you have a 100% chance with the EU position. If the university is good and you are good (as implied in your question), you will have opportunities in the US later. EU PhDs are shorter and pay better, you'll be in the US in no time.
Quitting for acceptable reasons that come **after** you committed to do a PhD is acceptable because you did not make a dishonest deal. Your **original** intentions were true, something that you could not foresee or can no longer tolerate has happened, which is a valid reason to revisit agreements that no longer work (aka, quitting a PhD).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Quitting a PhD because you realise afterwards that it's not the right path for you is fine. A fellow student during my PhD did so (due to homesickness, primarily), and immediately started a PhD at a university in his home country. The supervisor/group leader/etc were *disappointed* but didn't hold it against him.
Quitting because you only accepted the position as an insurance policy is a very different matter. If it's not for personal reasons, such as those above, leaving mid-course for another university will be seen as a very selfish act. Even more so if anybody finds out that you were hoping to do it before you even started. From your description it sounds like your field is relatively small. That means people tend to know each other, which means this could very easily hurt your reputation far more than attending MIT (or whichever other prestigious institute) would help it.
In short: you shouldn't accept a position unless you intend to stick with it. You have an offer on the table, you can either accept it or reject it. If you accept it, the right thing to do is to withdraw any other applications which haven't yet responded. If you aren't willing to commit to it, the right thing to do is to reject the offer. There is a third option, too: you can ask the European university if they'd be willing to grant you an extension to the decision deadline. How likely this request is to be accepted strongly depends on many things, including national and institutional cultures and the length of deferral you're asking for.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: It is perfectly fine. The best option for you will be to accept an offer now. And in case you get an offer for a Ph.D. in the USA next year, decide then. You'll in great shape to make that decision. By that time you will have more information and understanding to make an optimal decision for yourself. You may really like your European group/advisor and choose to stay in Europe. You may decide to quit Ph.D. altogether. In case you are unable to get the US to offer the world remain in balance and no question of choice arise.
Edit: In case you get an offer (only in case) from USA next year. Consult your current advisor. He/She is really the correct (and the best) person that you should really listen for advice.
Rebutting @Matias\_Andina: "This is unfair to another Ph.D. prospect": The person which is supposed to be hired if you leave this position is actually not capable enough to get hired. Else they'll be asking this question, not @teufel.
"you shouldn't accept a position unless you intend to stick with it...": Every hiring takes into account that things may not work due to thousands of reasons and people leave companies for their own goods all the time. This is a market place.
Accept the offer. Good Luck.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: If you ask me I'd say asking people for morally right decisions will never "work out", since you'll scarcely find a truely honest person to answer your question.
I do understand how you stand between the chairs and appreciate your struggles. I totally do not understand how people want to scold you for that, you show very high morality by asking.
You might consider being honest to your European supervisor about your intents. If I was a supervisor, I'd rather chose some honest guy that speaks true and follows his aims, which by the way is a great sign of ambition and emotional involvement in the topic or carrier, than some guy that just "swims in the masses" (guess at least you, having a german nickname, will get what I say by that ;D), like most do.
I don't know it that's an overall problem at German universities, but here I see that a lot of PhD-students got to work far more in their proposed freetime than they should, as the work load is chosen far to heavy for one position. Which I'd call exploitation. People still accept these positions for their rarity. There of course are lucky PhD-students which do not have that work load and can truely focus on their research, but at least at the university I am this does not seem to be the case with the PhD-students I asked or told me unasked for.
So, this is why I'd say, you can consider any PhD-position as a normal job, as long as this positions often give less money for far more time and so on. I don't see why a PhD-student should see more in it as long as so many of them get exploited so often.
If this is not true for your position, then this might change considerations significantly.
Still, you are given an 'impossible' choice. You are right, that, by declining the European offer, you might lose your chance to ever again get an offer for a PhD. This is not your fault though, and this again tells me you are in full right to see for your own wants and accept the European offer, even if that means you will cancel it later on. That's an organisational problem which is to be solved by other people.
Having worked for some years before going to some university, I do not see any difference in academical jobs vs regular jobs in economy. Why should you plan to stay somewhere for years? What makes the difference? There are lots of jobs outside academia, which are even scarcer, and where your boss wants to plan for years either, and still noone would blame persons for cancelling for lesser reasons.
Don't become one of the guys that think their supervisors and academia sacred. They are not. They are normal jobs, just that people somehow make religion of it. Asking me, as an absolute atheist even in the fields of academia (I observed that some atheists seem to find their religion in academia...), say: Follow your heart and do what is good for you (since other won't but just exploit you in most cases), I truelly believe that you are of high moral and will know better than everyone else how you want to live your life.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: This is not immoral because you have the right to quit the PhD at any moment. However, beware of possible consequences of that like subscribed conditions at the first university or pay back. Inside academia morally questionable decisions are commonly taken, and yours is perfectly acceptable. Deception is a common practice in academia.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I would say it depends on in what country and with what conditions the European offer comes.
In Germany for example you're usually simply hired as an employee of the university, with a very standardised payroll. Employment contracts take a few weeks to draft, so hiring a replacement for you takes almost no time. And employers regularly hand out very short term contracts that need to be extended half way during your PhD. In this situation I wouldn't hesitate a second to quit and move to the US.
If instead the position comes with a stipend, a grant or something else that required your future supervisor to put in some work that would now be wasted, I would be more hesitant to just pack up and move.
But I think academia is quite an un-empathetic environment. If you quit because of personal issues or mental health, nobody really bats an eye. This is without question a very sad situation that's the reason for a lot of personal suffering, and that I would like see change. But don't think you are required to show some special loyalty just because somebody decided to hire you for a few years.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm reviewing a manuscript that is protocol focussed. This protocol is a bioinformatics workflow that uses the author's own software that has already been published.
Part of the peer review requirements are to test the protocol to see if the instructions are accurate. I have no problems with this request. However, although their website suggests that the software should be installable on any OS, the installation package only includes an `.exe` file for a Windows system. I do not have a Windows system.
It is possible for me to figure out how to install their software, but these instructions are not included in the paper nor on the software website. This would also take me some time and this would be more than a normal amount of time that I should be spending reviewing this paper.
My question is: should I only review what I am able to easily complete from their protocol? In other words, should I only review what I can do from their given instructions and include the difficulties I had installing the software? Or should I contact the authors (without mentioning I am reviewing their new manuscript) and let them know that their installation package for their already published software is missing important files for unix-based systems?
I am still relatively new to the peer review process and think this paper is very interesting and don't want it to be rejected simply because I do not use Windows.<issue_comment>username_1: You should ask your editor for advice on this. I doubt, however, that you should reach out to the authors in any way. But the editor can, on your behalf, ask the authors for specific instructions for installing the software on your OS. The editor can make this a condition of getting a review.
Moreover, the editor can communicate your concerns about missing files or whatever else is important to complete a review.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It sounds from your description that the software is an essential part of the paper. Well, if the paper was missing one of its normal text sections due to sloppiness of the authors, would you be blaming yourself for that and going on a wild goose chase around the internet to find the missing section? I suspect not. The same should apply here. As referee, it is not your job to become an expert in compiling Linux binaries from source code (or whatever similar tasks you apparently need to do to get a working binary to test).
Similar to what @username_1 suggested, what I would do is write to the editor and inform them that I am unable to finish the refereeing assignment since not all parts of the work that need evaluation were provided to me. I would make clear that this is not a rejection, and that I am happy to finish the job once this situation has been remedied. It’s the editor’s job to communicate with the authors, so leave that part to them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: If the protocols/software implementation are a requirement for the journal rather than just the concepts, which sounds like the case, I would say there are two scenarios:
1.) Given a *reasonable* effort and appropriate background on your part, you were not able to get their software to run. All else in the paper seems fine. In this case, I might suggest "Reject and resubmit". Given that you are not able to test their code, you can't really give it a thumbs up or thumbs down, *but* it should be a relatively small step for them to meet this requirement and **then** you can adequately evaluate their software.
2.) You are able to use their software, but it took an unreasonable amount of effort or expertise on your part to get it done. In this case, you can evaluate their software, but ideally they should make it more readily available to the target audience. In this case, under the condition that you liked everything else about the paper, it may be reasonable to suggest "Accept with minor/major revisions", and you ask them to include the necessary instructions that will help guide other users of the code.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: In bioinformatics, it is quite common to have to install software from source., however they should also have good instructions such as [vsearch](https://github.com/torognes/vsearch).
Although vsearch also does have premade binaries, if this is early on in the softwares development and they are happy with how the algorithm works I don't think it is unfair to expect users to compile from source (again given good instructions).
If you actually can't install it to evaluate the content of their paper either ask for help from someone who might be able to or ask for good install instructions, if the software has not been released or is in beta then they might not be expecting a lot of people to install it yet. If you can install the software to evaluate the paper I would say yes but... and express your concerns about how the software isn't very beginner friendly.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: One thing I haven't seen in any of the other answers so far, is to politely tell the editor that you cannot review this paper. The editor will send it to a different referee, who likely will be able to get access to a computer that had Windows.
>
> I'm reviewing a manuscript that is protocol focussed...
>
> Part of the peer review requirements are to test the protocol to see
> if the instructions are accurate.
>
>
>
You have the option to test the protocol and review the paper (which seems like it will require a lot of effort), or you can choose not to review the paper at all (which will be very easy for you to do, in terms of the workload).
It all depends on how much effort you want to put into it, and whether or not you think that effort is worthwhile (for example building a good relationship with the editor by generously donating your time towards helping their journal, or having the chance to have your input considered before this paper is published). Sadly this referee task seems to be more time-consuming than the typical one, but again: no one is forcing you to referee this paper.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: You did not make clear whether you made any attempt to install software on a Windows machine. If you did, then:
First:
>
> Part of the peer review requirements are to test the protocol to see if the instructions are accurate.
>
>
>
Then:
>
> It is possible for me to figure out how to install their software, but these instructions are not included in the paper nor on the software website.
>
>
>
Isn't this obvious? Instructions are incomplete/inaccurate/unavailable and the paper should be assigned a major review round based on that fact alone.
If you don't and cannot get access to windows computer, then you cannot do the review, I am afraid, and you should let the editor know (without any penalty to authors).
Never contact authors directly!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: `.exe` does not always mean a windows executable. `.NET` applications have the `.exe` extention by default, so your application may be executable with `mono name.exe`.
If it really is a Windows application, that's likely also fine. `wine`, installable on MacOS, Linux and FreeBSD is able to run most Windows applications just fine.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/21
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<issue_start>username_0: I had a face-to-face interview in a research institute for a PhD in BW, Germany (Don't want to mention city and institute for confidentiality) on the 16th of September 2019. The interview itself went quiet well, but I told them I could start from December onwards. I wrote to the Professor in November that I am available and the Prof. just responded "thanks for your patience". I wrote them (the Prof. and their secretariat) again a couple of weeks ago for an update on the application status and whether if I am still a candidate for the position (P.S. In very smart and polite way). I haven't received any response yet. Should I consider this a rejection? It has been almost 3 months since the interview and almost one year since my MSc graduation.<issue_comment>username_1: This is German bureaucracy! Hiring someone is a very long drawn-out process, as there are many (at times conflicting) rules to follow and many people who must sign off on the process.
They are generally not allowed to correspond with you by email or snail mail during the selection process (as that could be used in court by someone not getting the job and starting a *Konkurrentenklage*. So the advice to give them a telephone call is excellent (although I think all German universites are now closed until Jan. 6 or 7).
Do explore other options, as competition for PhD positions (especially in "rich" states like Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg) is high. If you goal is a PhD at all costs, try some of the less popular universities.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: I was a candidate in an application process at a university in Bavaria a few years ago. After the interview, more than a year went by without me hearing anything from them. I wrote them a letter formally withdrawing my candidacy, since in this time I had already found a good job elsewhere.
I later learned through the grapevine that someone else was ranked first in the process, but negotiations between them and the university took forever. Once negotiations were finished, the official job offer still had to wait until the faculty council approved the offer, and this council met only every second month. Thereafter, the offer had to be sent out, and the offer had to be accepted. All this bureaucracy made things take forever.
"Thanks for your patience" tells me that you are still on the reserve list as a suitable candidate; you're not (yet) rejected. However, it's quite likely that someone else is the preferred candidate. Negotiations with this candidate are ongoing, and unless they don't manage to work it out, the job will not be yours. I would start looking elsewhere.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm about to graduate with a degree in Financial Engineering from a top 15 program. I'm thinking about transitioning to a PHD in mathematics as I find it quite interesting. Unfortunately I've only managed to receive 3 B's and a C+ in my 4 math courses - no A's). (B's and A's in the non-pure-math courses like stats/programming/finance).
Would it be unreasonable to work for a couple of years then come back with these kind of grades, or would my chances of getting into a PHD program be untenable? Secondly would it even be worth it for me to pursue this path. Despite my interest in the field watching some of my classmates (admittedly they're graduates of places like Beijing) receive A's in some of these classes without as much effort makes me believe I may not even be capable and would just be wasting time applying.<issue_comment>username_1: This is German bureaucracy! Hiring someone is a very long drawn-out process, as there are many (at times conflicting) rules to follow and many people who must sign off on the process.
They are generally not allowed to correspond with you by email or snail mail during the selection process (as that could be used in court by someone not getting the job and starting a *Konkurrentenklage*. So the advice to give them a telephone call is excellent (although I think all German universites are now closed until Jan. 6 or 7).
Do explore other options, as competition for PhD positions (especially in "rich" states like Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg) is high. If you goal is a PhD at all costs, try some of the less popular universities.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: I was a candidate in an application process at a university in Bavaria a few years ago. After the interview, more than a year went by without me hearing anything from them. I wrote them a letter formally withdrawing my candidacy, since in this time I had already found a good job elsewhere.
I later learned through the grapevine that someone else was ranked first in the process, but negotiations between them and the university took forever. Once negotiations were finished, the official job offer still had to wait until the faculty council approved the offer, and this council met only every second month. Thereafter, the offer had to be sent out, and the offer had to be accepted. All this bureaucracy made things take forever.
"Thanks for your patience" tells me that you are still on the reserve list as a suitable candidate; you're not (yet) rejected. However, it's quite likely that someone else is the preferred candidate. Negotiations with this candidate are ongoing, and unless they don't manage to work it out, the job will not be yours. I would start looking elsewhere.
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/22
| 1,653
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<issue_start>username_0: I have currently completed a Bachelor's degree in mathematics in Australia and want to go onto do a PhD in pure mathematics in Belgium or Germany. I need to either complete my Honours degree next year at my current university or move elsewhere to do a Masters degree as my current university doesn't offer Masters. I want to stay at my current university due to having good research opportunities here, however, I am concerned I won't be admitted to a PhD program at the universities I want to go to with only a Bachelor Honours degree (4 years).
The universities I want to apply to require Masters for admission, however, state that degrees of minimum 4 years in length considered equivalent may be accepted. Upon contacting these universities with my issue, they essentially just reiterate the information already provided on their website, and it seems I just need to apply to the program to truly find out whether my degree will be considered sufficient for admission or not.
Does anyone know if Australian Honours degrees would generally be considered equivalent to European Masters degrees, at least in Belgium and Germany? Also, does anyone know if it is common for students to be turned away from admission to a PhD due to only having an Honours degree, assuming they have good results and research experience?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Does anyone know if Australian Honours degrees would generally be considered equivalent to European Masters degrees, at least in Belgium and Germany?
>
>
>
Australians would consider it equivalent. Belgians and Germans probably haven't heard of it. Just tell them it's the same as a masters degree.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I think this depends on the university. I don't really know the situation for Belgium or Germany, but in directly adjacent the Netherlands it is up to the university's discretion to determine what the red lines are for PhD admission. At my university, noone is admitted without a completed Master's degree.
The statement that "degrees of minimum 4 years in length considered equivalent may be accepted" might help you out here, but there is no way of knowing this in general. It might help, if this is possible at the program of your choice, to upload your Honours thesis as an attachment with your application. This is possibly your best chance to demonstrate that the degree is indeed at least equivalent in quality to a Master's degree.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: This depends a great deal on which specific university you attended. There are a number of international rankings for universities worldwide, which allow people to make broad inferences on the quality of education at overseas universities that they are not familiar with. Several of the "Group of Eight" universities in Australia are ranked commensurately with highly esteemed universities in Europe. It is likely that academics assessing your application will try to make themselves familiar with the rough "world ranking" of your university, to get some idea of how that university compares to universities in their own country.
As an example, in the latest [THE World University Rankings](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats), you can easily search for the rankings of all universities in Australia, Belgium, and Germany. This search shows that the top ranking university among these countries is shared between LMU Munich (Germany) and the University of Melbourne (Australia), both of which are ranked equally as the 32nd best university worldwide. Other highly ranked universities in Australia are the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, the University of New South Wales, and Monash University. Bear in mind that these rankings are not sacrosanct, and they most around each year, but nevertheless, they can give a reasonable impression of roughly where a university sits in comparison to universities that are in other countries.
As to the particular content of your program, if they say that they expect four years for equivalence, then that suggests that you will need to have done a four year degree program to quality. A standard mathematics degree in Australia is three years, but it may be supplemented with an Honours year or one-year Masters degree, depending on the university. If you have only done the base three-year program so far, then you probably need to supplement this with an honours year or a one-year Masters degree to get up to the required level of equivalence.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I can say some things about the situation in Germany, I know nothing about how it works in Belgium (Europe is diverse, and for this case, even Germany is diverse...).
The short, but not immediately helpful answer is: It depends on many factors. I would expect that most of the time you will have difficulties going for a PhD with a Bachelor´s degree in Germany. But a general answer if this will be the case is not possible. Every university and to some extent every faculty can make their own rules, and a supervisor who really wants you in her/his group can fight for your case. If you do not have such support, your case might be doomed to fail, or you will have to take so many extra courses that it would be easier to take a Master´s degree. Because the outcome of such a discussion (usually on faculty level) is hard to be predicted the people you contacted cannot say much more than what you found online. So you should find a potential supervisor who is convinced of you as a PhD student.
One of the reasons is that the Bachelor/Master system has no long tradition in Germany. Bachelor´s and Master´s degrees first appeared around 10-15 years ago within the Bologna process (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna_Process>). In most cases, there was a hard transition from a diploma degree (without any 'intermediate' degree comparable to a Bachelor´s degree) taking 4-5 years to finish to a Bachelor/Master program taking 5 years in total. The old diploma programs were more or less copied to the new program. Therefore, it is still rather unusual to finish with a Bachelor´s degree only, and practically everybody going for a PhD has a Master´s degree. You come from another part of the world with another tradition, but this is what you have to understand for Germany.
You can be very happy that the Bologna process exists, otherwise it would be much harder for you. My father came to Germany in the 1970s with a B.A. which was unheard of, so faced difficulties more or less throughout his career. And to be honest: I, as an example for somebody rooted in German academia, do not know what an Australian Honours degree is and how it compares to a Bachelor's or Master's degree.
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/22
| 1,060
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<issue_start>username_0: I dropped out when I finished grade 11, and started my career as a software developer. I've had a very good experience and working now as a senior software developer.
So, I saw a program in one of the recognized universities in the UK that offers a possibility of admissions to Computer Science bachelor's degrees without high school diploma if there's relevant work experience. So I'm thinking about applying because I actually would like to study more and more and possibly work in a university as a teacher at some point!
So my question, if I got accepted and got my bachelor's degree, will I will be able to apply for a master's degree and then Ph.D., etc? or at some point universities will ask for the high school diploma certificate if I apply to a master's degree or a Ph.D.?
Also, what about getting a job as a teacher in a university after Ph.D.? will that high school thing be a blocker and I'll need to get a high school diploma certificate at some point?<issue_comment>username_1: I got my education through master's degree in England, so I have no high school graduation diploma. I did complete secondary school, but would have been a special case in the US if anyone cared about high school graduation.
I don't think anyone has even asked about my GCE grades since I got my bachelor's degree. It was certainly not an issue when applying for a US PhD program. Only my bachelor's and master's degrees mattered. Even in a context in which high school graduation would normally be an issue, applying to take a community college class, my PhD transcript was sufficient.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In **Germany**, the official requirement for starting a Master's program is having a Bachelor's degree, see [uni-assist](https://www.uni-assist.de/en/how-to-apply/get-information/master/) (which is the official channel through which foreign, non-EU applicants to most German universities must apply). This means that the high-school diploma is in general not required to apply for Master programs. When I did my Master's program at a German university, they never asked for it.
Individual universities may add extra requirements, and there are some universities that do ask for the high-school diploma. You would have to check this for each university.
The situation for doctoral programs is similar: a Master's degree is required to start doctoral studies, and they usually do not look at high school or Bachelor diplomas. This is again confirmed by my own experience.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The general philosophy of university and graduate admissions is that your most recent experience counts most heavily. Your secondary school experience is important to getting in to a Bachelors degree program, but, as you note, there are exceptions.
But if you successfully complete a BA/BS or equivalent you will be considered for graduate school along with any other candidate with the same degree. It would be very unlikely anyone would ask for earlier work. But even if they did, it would be inconsequential compared to your work on the Bachelors.
There should be absolutely no worries about this issue, provided you do well in the Bachelors work. Your performance there matters, of course.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: If you have a bachelors degree, especially if it is a very challenging one from a reputed university and/or you did well enough in it that would qualify you for graduate school, then **nobody cares where you went to high school, how you did well, or maybe if you even finished high school at that point.**
As long as you have good grades, GRE, research experience, and all that, *that* is what is the most important for graduate school (both getting in and succeeding). I have a high school diploma, and just graduated my undergraduate studies, and I'm 100% sure that what I did in high school (having left more than 4.5 years ago) would be the last thing that these graduate admissions committee would care about.
I may be wrong, but the same should apply for getting a tenure-track professor position at a university, because your high school qualifications again matter very little (I've yet to see a professor who mentions their high school qualifications/achievements on their CV). Even then, getting a tenure-track position in academia will still be difficult for many, if not everyone.
Best of luck in your future endeavors.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/22
| 1,403
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<issue_start>username_0: In my country in East Asia, it is extremely impolite if I don't do it when I have this information.
However, the US and the EU are known to be more "professional", in my humble opinion. So, in the US, is asking the advisor about his father generally considered "impolite" or "unprofessional" from a professional point of view?<issue_comment>username_1: Unless you have some direct relationship with his father, this is not something we'd normally do in US, UK, or Australian culture. (I'm not sure if it's the same everywhere in the EU.)
A polite option might be to tell your advisor something like "I'm very sorry to hear about your father, please let me know if there is anything I can do."
If your advisor is from a different culture, that might change things.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The situation is the same in the EU as it is in the US. You should generally **not** go visit unless you are close to your supervisor's father personally.
If your supervisor has let you know about their father's situation, a reply similar to the one in <NAME>'s answer is a good way to go. If you want to show polite interest, you can after some time casually ask about it, but quickly drop the topic if your supervisor replies vaguely or not at all.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: To the excellent answers above, let me add that the situation is also the same in Russia, Georgia, Norway and Iceland. [This previously posted answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/141914/117617) would also be great there.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but I find it strange that you have to post this question on this site. Are there no local friends you could talk to? (If there is a different reason you ask this question, please see this comment as void.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I agree with other answers. Having said that, if the father does pass away, and if it is in the same town, you may want to go to the memorial service or funeral, as this is a way to show support for the living. Going with a group of students would also be fine.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: I must offer a somewhat different answer. I will add that I agree with other answers that it is atypical, but we don’t know your relationship with your advisor or their family. This said, the following is going to assume you haven’t met their father. I disagree that you should *absolutely* avoid doing this and therefore must present that POV.
Depending on how you approach the matter, you *may* visit the loved one of someone that has been so influential on your life, such as an advisor.
If doing so, I would:
* first stage the reason for your visit; talk about your background and the customs of your country:
“I understand this may be atypical in the [US?]; however, in my country it isn’t uncommon and considered a good gesture to... [visit members of coworkers and employers out of respect?]”
* I would also add some sentiment or attachment to legacy or indirect impact the person you’re visiting has had on your life, that might raise their spirits:
“I wanted to let you know how much your [son?] has impacted my life as my advisor. I know you mean a lot to [him] and without his help and guidance, I might be lost. His continued support and tolerance is a debt I may never be able to repay. I thought you should know the impact your [son] has had on my life.”
Now, I wouldn’t just show up out of the blue. I might also run the customs of your country by your advisor. First express your case and get their approval and ask for when a good time to visit may be. If you do visit, keep it short and sweet. People generally in an uncomfortable position don’t like like talking with people they don’t know.
One other note: although the common culture in developed countries does not do this, that does not mean that they didn’t in the past. The older generation sometimes have a better understanding of these customs and often welcome these gestures. To them, their life has passed by and they’re biding their time. They tell their stories to strangers on a park bench and they come from a time where boys swam together naked in gym class and guys openly changed in locker rooms - perhaps two weird examples for me to present, but they are striking difference that demonstrate how sensitivities have intensified in modern culture and just because “we” think something is indecent, does not mean it is to the subject.
Good luck with your decision. It is ultimately your decision and you must weigh your mind and your heart, which you’re doing a good job already simply by asking the question here.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: No, you shouldn't go to see your advisor's father, as per other answers.
The western equivalent is the **sympathy card** sent to your advisor (if you were very close to your advisor and had met the father in person before, you might send one to the father, too). A card with a short, handwritten note expressing your sympathy for the difficult time your advisor is going to. Stick to a serious card with a simple message. Avoid "get well" cards if there's a strong possibility that the father won't get well, but also avoid talking about loss or death since the father has not yet died. Avoid anything overtly religious, unless you know that your advisor is religious.
And if the father does die, then you should definitely send a card (a **condolences card**), plus there may be an office/department card, and possibly everyone will chip in to buy a flower arrangement for the funeral. The department may announce it, or you may have to ask the department secretary if any group thing is being planned.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD student in CS. I am also interested in the humanities and I would like to pursue a PhD in sociology. I know the traditional way is to repeat the cycle starting from undergrad studies but that would require a lot of time (which I do not have, given that I have other concerns).
Is this possible (ideally online)?<issue_comment>username_1: No, there's no legitimate way for you to get an online PhD in sociology (which is a social science, not humanities, but eh, lables are silly anyway), at least not with the profile you describe. You are also extremely unlikely to be considered for a normal sociology PhD programme. Speaking as a member of a sociology department, you quite simply do not have the background in the method and theory of the discipline needed to produce PhD level work. Just like I don't have the tools to suddenly do a CS PhD, you don't have the tools to do a sociology one. Successfully applying sociological theory and producing competent, critical analysis, not to mention data collection itself, is actually extremely difficult. You can't just casually pick it up. It recently took me 8 months and 40 pages of evidence just to get ethical approval to *start* a sociology project...
What you can consider is a taught one year masters programme in sociology, either in the UK or elsewhere. Some of them are available online and some are willing to admit students without a sociology undergraduate degree if they can articulate why they are making a disciplinary shift. Mine wouldn't accept you with an undergrad in CS without a strong focus of that CS research being sociological in nature, but others might.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm a sociology major, and I'll be beginning a sociology PHD in 2022. Most sociology departments prefer if you did a BA in sociology, but any Humanities degree would get you entry. If you apply with a STEM degree, then you can still get into a program — you just need to show that you have appropriate background knowledge in the area. I would advise you just buy books on social issues. Buy books on race discrimination, especially anti-black discrimination, since due to the recent BLM protests this is a hot topic. Also, read books on gender discrimination and read books on classism. If you have the time, write blogs with mostly academic references on sociological issues such classism, racism or gender. Since you're a CS major, writing about biases arising in A.I. machine learning endeavors would 100% get you entry, since that is a hot topic at the moment.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: It sounds like what you might be looking for is a PhD in the field of [computational social science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_social_science), which can best be described as using computing modeling and analysis to address social science questions. Unfortunately, the field is fairly new so there simply aren't a lot of PhD programs in it. The major *reputable* one that I'm familiar with is at George Mason ([PhD in Computational Social Science](https://science.gmu.edu/academics/departments-units/computational-data-sciences/computational-social-science-phd)) and UC Davis has a [Designated Emphasis in Computational Social Science](https://grad.ucdavis.edu/programs/designated-emphases/gdss) which seems to require admission it an allied PhD program (e.g., social science, economics, computer science, etc.). There are also some interdisplinary PhD programs out there that have extremely flexible requirements, but then you need to do extra work to have a committee and publications that establish yourself as a scholar.
Online PhDs are extremely rare, although it seems to be more common for PhD *candidates* to transition to remote study once all of the on campus requirements have been met (i.e., coursework, qualifying examinations, etc.).
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/22
| 610
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<issue_start>username_0: When I recently inquired about the status of my paper which is currently in the "under review" status, the editorial assistant informed me that they are still awaiting referee reports, and the Editor is expecting that the review process will be completed at the end of the January. Its been a year I have submitted, and I am a bit startled that the editor has given a specific time of completion, rather than just say that it's still pending. Could there be any specific reason? Do reviews happen more in the holiday season generally? Assuming the reviewers have ample leisure time to study the paper? Does this indicate anything about the incoming decision?<issue_comment>username_1: Reviewers set their own schedule subject, more or less, to deadlines set by the editor. Some might use holidays to work on reviews. Others might rather avoid anything that looks like work. The "end of January" may be a guess or may be more firm, depending on the deadline request sent to reviewers. Perhaps a reviewer has made a "promise" to be done by then.
And what is "expected" may not come to pass since reviewers aren't employees, but volunteers.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There're several questions in the OP:
>
> I am a bit startled that the editor has given a specific time of completion, rather than just say that it's still pending. Could there be any specific reason?
>
>
>
The most likely reason is because they invited a reviewer requesting a review by [deadline], and the reviewer agreed to review. This isn't a guarantee that the review will actually be submitted by that deadline, of course, but it is good enough to say that they are expecting to complete review by then.
>
> Do reviews happen more in the holiday season generally? Assuming the reviewers have ample leisure time to study the paper?
>
>
>
In some cultures, [everyone goes on holiday *en masse* during the Christmas season](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/122148/why-do-some-universities-shut-down-during-december). It depends on your reviewer of course, but if they're on holiday, they presumably don't do peer review (which is more like work than holiday).
If your reviewer(s) are not from these cultures, then it's quite possible they continue to work as normal.
>
> Does this indicate anything about the incoming decision?
>
>
>
No, aside from the fact that your manuscript is good/relevant enough that it isn't being desk rejected.
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/22
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<issue_start>username_0: As a part-time lecturer, this is the first time that I have been assigned to drive a bachelor's thesis.
I try to convey to them my interest in their project. And, I also recommend them to be in contact with me.
A student asked me for my personal phone number, and I gave it back.
We have exchanged a few WhatsApp messages, always, fully work-related. Nevertheless, I have serious doubts about if it is professional enough to use this means of communication. And if I should avoid this in the future.<issue_comment>username_1: Giving your personal phone number to a Bachelor's Thesis student will allow the student to contact you at inconvenient hours or during your free time. This is the main reason why people do not give their private phone numbers at work (neither to students nor to their boss).
If you are fine with this, there is probably not going to be any other major consequence. The student is not going to think less of you (on the contrary, they will appreciate it), and others (colleagues, boss...) will probably be indifferent. In the end, it is your choice how you want to communicate with your students.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I would recommend that you avoid this in the future. At my institution it's officially highly frowned upon -- in fact, the school strongly leans on us to only have contact through the official school email accounts, so that if disputes arise (harassment claims?) they can track down and look at all the contacts.
To me, the main thing is that it potentially impinges on your personal and free time which must be defended at all costs to avoid burnout. Make sure you're tracking your actual time spent on tasks carefully so that doesn't spiral out of control. I recommend that you give clear contact expectations to any students you have contact with (e.g., "I usually respond to email within one business day.").
Upvotes: 3
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2019/12/22
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| 4,073
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<issue_start>username_0: As a relative newbie in academia, I understand that there is a rather controversial debate raging about the benefits and negatives of Open Access policies. Is it possible to summarize some of the arguments for and against Open Access?<issue_comment>username_1: While there's a great deal of complexity in the arguments, the primary arguments basically boil down to a very simple core of inclusion vs. cost.
**For open access:** Science should be available to all people, including the large number of people who don't have the personal or institutional resources to pay lots of money to buy access to articles.
**Against open access:** editing and publishing quality materials requires significant resources, and these have to be paid for somehow. If readers don't pay, then somebody else has to (often, but not always the authors or article), and it's not clear if these alternatives will end up making a bigger barrier for low-resource scientists. Moreover, a stable business model hasn't yet been established, and in the meantime lots of scammers have been attracted, who are putting out piles of trash and giving open access a bad name.
There's a *lot* more here, as noted in the comments, but this is a pretty concise starting point for understanding the arguments for and against.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: [Nature article on this very topic](https://www.nature.com/nature/focus/accessdebate/34.html).
**Pros**:
* >
> Proponents of a move to open access argue that this will benefit science and society in general. A report published last April by the UK Wellcome Trust assumes that "the benefits of research are derived principally from access to research results", and therefore that "society as a whole is made worse off if access to scientific research results is restricted".
>
>
>
+ Counterargument:
>
> But even where research is publicly-funded, taxes are generally not paid so that taxpayers can access research results, but rather so that society can benefit from the results of that research ... Publishers claim that 90% of potential readers can access 90% of all available content through national or research libraries, and while this may not be as easy as accessing an article online directly it is certainly possible ...
> Funding for scientific research also comes from a variety of sources – in some countries such as Australia and New Zealand around 80% of R&D funding comes from the public purse, while in Japan and Switzerland only about 10% is government-funded. It is therefore not necessarily the case that taxpayers fund most scientific research.
>
>
>
**Cons**:
* >
> Another criticism of open access is that payment for publication could create conflicts of interest and have a negative impact on the perceived neutrality of peer review, as there would be a financial incentive for journals to publish more articles. The importance of the role of peer review does not diminish under an Open Access model, and structures need to be in place to ensure that peer reviewers are not unduly influenced by the needs of their publishers.
>
>
>
+ Counterargument
>
> In some ways though this argument can apply as much to the current subscription-based system as publishers often justify price increases on the grounds of an increase in the number of journal articles published. This suggests that there are financial advantages for both Open Access and subscription-based publishers in publishing more articles.
>
>
>
All these quotes are from the first section. The later sections of that article delves into more things which are in my opinion quite interesting, such as the argument that open access depresses profits (I'm not convinced it does, but the author apparently is), and depressing profits means less development of information services (such as Scopus and Web of Science) as well as information databases (such as Cell Signaling Gateway). The two points above are, however, by far the most commonly cited arguments for and against open access.
Upvotes: 3
|
2019/12/23
| 972
| 4,268
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<issue_start>username_0: In the process of a PhD application, if contacting the faculty members are encouraged, shall I contact more than one faculty members saying that I am interested in his/her research?
Not all professor list their on-going project so a match in interests cannot usually be determinated before talking.
If I am contacting multiple members shall I disclose that I am contacting a lot of them? Is it impolite?<issue_comment>username_1: If you are interested in the research topics of several members of a department, you can contact all of them. Everyone knows that people apply to several topics and several universities. You should always make sure that each message is "personalized" and explains why you are interested in that particular topic. Generic emails are more likely to be ignored.
If the recipients are likely to talk to each other (as is the case when they are in the same department), I would mention in the emails that you have contacted some other members of the department. They will probably find it out anyway, and it looks more honest if you say it in advance.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You can contact professors, but don't need to at all in the US and, I think, Canada. An advisor is chosen later, not at the very start of study. The early study is mostly advanced coursework leading to the qualifying exams. One can delay choosing a specific area and an advisor for quite a while.
You might have an "advisor" assigned to help you choose courses and navigate the specific system, but they need not be your research advisor.
Also, some professors, knowing the above, won't respond to emails until you get accepted. Those that do respond are most likely to just encourage you to apply in the normal manner. They will have little impact on the process. You might be just as well off, getting into the program and then going to visit a few professors in person. Especially those teaching your courses. This lets you evaluate whether there is both a personal and a research compatibility.
In particular, I don't recommend flooding them with information about yourself. They aren't part of the admission process most places unless they are on the admissions committee itself. And in that case they need to take a neutral approach since they are responsible for evaluations.
In other places, and in some fields, this won't be the same. In some lab sciences, especially in Europe, the PI actually hires (grant money) people as part of the admissions process. This is rare in the US. Canada seems to be similar as far as I can tell.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: In my field, neuroscience, the more faculty that might want to recruit a potential student, the higher the likelihood that they will be accepted. If only one faculty wants to recruit there is a risk of a personality difference that will result in the student searching for a lab for their thesis.
**So, definitely do contact as many faculty that you are interested in.**
However, **do not** depend on faculty's web pages to determine their research interests. Those departmental pages can be very old or as you say, sometimes that information is not even available. It is much more effective to search for the faculty's recently published papers. It is a lot of work though. That is why I always tell my advisees to let me know what they are passionate about and what techniques they are interested in, so that I can recommend labs to them.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: If you really insist on contacting faculty, you should go to the effort of finding their research interests before doing so. If you don't, there's no reason to tell them you're contacting faculty indiscriminantly -- they'll know as soon as they read your message.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: **Yes.**
* Be transparent that you have contacted person X and person Y. They may end up discussing your application, and agreeing if one person is more appropriate for you than the other.
* They may end up advising and co-advising you. This is what happened to me.
* In some cases, collaborative approaches to funding may be applicable. Maybe each person partially funds you and you work on a collaborative project with both.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/23
| 1,030
| 4,593
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<issue_start>username_0: I am an undergraduate and have been working with one of my math professors over the past year on proving some new results. These results are interesting and are approachable enough to be understood by most graduate students.
My professor and I have agreed that this work can certainly be published in a "professional level" research journal (I would be first author), however because the problem is approachable and would be interesting to a wide audience (and is not highly specific) we think it could be a good fit for the American Mathematical Monthly.
I want to go to graduate school, and I am wondering if publication in the American Mathematical Monthly would carry more or less weight in graduate school admissions than publication in a journal specific to the research area of the work (dynamical systems).
I understand the AMM is geared more towards publishing expository work, however publication in the journal would tend to yield more reads than in a more specific journal (I am looking at the Journal of Dynamical Systems and Geometric Theories for example). Which would be best to publish in, or look best to a graduate school admissions committee?<issue_comment>username_1: If you are in the US and intend to go to grad school in the US, I wouldn't be too concerned about this. Few undergraduates in the US have any publications at all and so having some record of published results would make you stand out. One advantage of the MAA is that it has wide readership, whereas a more specialized journal will only be seen by a few.
But it is the quality of the work itself, not just the journal in which it is published that is important.
Also, if, as you say, the problem itself is approachable others similar to yourself would benefit from a wide audience.
However, if you aren't close to graduation, then you could explore publication in a more specialized top journal and see what reception the paper gets. You can always send it to the AMM or even JAMS later.
Actually, however, the fact that you are in a position to even ask this question suggests that your acceptance into a good graduate program is pretty much assured. A lot of us got there from more humble beginnings.
---
Caveat: The EU situation is different, as the European educational system is quite different at the BA/BS level.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You're probably right that more people would see something published in the Monthly than in a "research" journal. But if you are aiming primarily to optimize the positive impact this paper would have on a CV for grad school (in the U.S.) I think it would be much better to say that it has been published in a good-quality research-oriented journal, since that will attest much more strongly to the quality of the research (as opposed to attesting to general interest).
EDIT: in contrast to some other answers' implications... The Math Monthly is not at all a research journal. It is an expository and (mostly elementary) problem/puzzle-oriented journal. Publication there is viewed (in my experience, and in my own opinion) as a good thing, but no indication at all about "research potential" or such stuff. That's not the fundamental criterion for publication there!
So, if you are wanting to give evidence that you have already made (and thus in the future can make) research contributions... publication in the Monthly gets you close-to-nothing. Sure, "it's nice", but it's not at all about making significant new contributions to live subjects. It's an *entirely* different thing. It's not just "a somewhat different journal"... it's in an entirely different category.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I can't speak for other academics, but I think it is unlikely to make a large difference which journal you choose. Whenever I assess a prospective graduate student for a PhD program, if they have published papers, I read these to get an idea of how well they can write, and the level of insight in their existing work. (Applicants for graduate school will usually have no more than a handful of publications, if any, so it is not onerous to read them all.) Since I am reading and assessing the content of the papers directly, it really makes no difference to me what journal they are in. Even if the student had published a good paper in a predatory journal with no real peer review process, if the content was good, it would be a good sign for their application. (Although it would mean that the student should be advised to seek publication in a better journal.)
Upvotes: 3
|
2019/12/23
| 1,525
| 6,784
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<issue_start>username_0: During my last PhD year there were several disagreements with my supervisor. I am out of funding and got warned of being forced out of the PhD program if I disagree in the future with the supervisor or the terms and conditions, both related to research and timeline. The warning is based on fabricated narratives from the supervisor, the Faculty, distortion of evidence, attempted gaslighting and retaliation. They give the impression that they can force anyone out of the program either if it's with ethical or unethical measures, regulated or unregulated measures, either enforcing or undoing written agreements.
Some advisers have recommended me to just accept whatever they throw me on, don't risk the opportunity to get the PhD, and think this as a win-win situation. For me this sounds as more gaslighting.
Is there any point in going on with the PhD when neither the supervisor nor the Faculty trust in you and the suggestions of low chances for the thesis to be approved? Or would you ditch ethical principles and prioritize the degree on the CV?<issue_comment>username_1: It seems you are misplaced, at least. It is hard to recommend continuing in this environment and no one should recommend unethical behavior. But, perhaps, your best option is to seek a different supervisor or even a different university.
I also don't have any way to know if you are merely an innocent victim or a participant in the current situation. But, either way, a different situation would most likely be an improvement.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Since you have not explained the ethical principles you are purportedly being pressured to discard, it is not possible to offer an opinion on that matter. In cases where there is a highly strained relationship between a student and the supervisory panel, it is often worth considering changing supervisors, or even changing universities, but this depends on a range of factors, including how much time you have already invested in your present topic. The vast majority of academics are capable professionals who can proceed with work even in cases where the relationship with a student is strained, so it is usually possible to proceed if you wish to do so. If you have been given a warning or other treatment that you consider to be unfair, you will need to decide whether to take action against this (through appropriate university procedures) or else accept that warning and continue despite your candidature in compliance with the requirements you have been given.
The main requirement of a PhD candidature (the only requirement in some cases) is to produce a dissertation that passes peer review by outside examiners. This usually entails submitting and publishing papers during the process, to get peer review of individual parts of the dissertation. It is usual that you would submit your dissertation to your own supervisory panel prior to it being sent out for formal review, so they can review it and give you feedback. Ultimately, the dissertation will be assessed by outside examiners in the profession, and so long as you can produce work that is up to the required standard of these reviewers, the misgivings of your own supervisory panel ought not be fatal to the success of the candidature. Having said this, if your supervisory panel are telling you that your work is unlikely to pass peer review, this is an opinion you should take seriously. Most academics have a lot of experience publishing academic work through the peer review process, and it would be rare for their opinion on this matter to be incorrect.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: There are three possible main reasons for getting a PHD
* you are interested in the subject and have time to spare (well, in that case it's probably the best to follow your instincts)
* you (believe that you) need the title for your career outside science (In that case, make a plan in accordance with your personal moral compass what you are willing to do)
* you seriously want to stay in research and follow a career in the subject. In that case it depends on:
1. The subject you are in (what is ok in Medicine or Law may be not ok in Physics or math)
2. The influence of your supervisor
3. if he/she is egocentric (bad) or egoistic (good, everything is a deal)
4. The competition in the field: Easier to take and extra round if you are in a field where everybody gets a postdoc position.
5. Your personal connections (if you know a lot of people, maybe you can swicth positions)
6. How small the field is (i did my PHD in a field so small that everybody knew about how honest or not other groups are)
7. If your mental stability allows you to take such shit without serious damage
8. The likeliness of you getting caught (it's a difference between dropping two datapoints and copying a whole dataset from the competition).
9. Your moral compass
I luckily was in a subject and position where such complex considerations were not needed.
Good luck.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I agree with the meta-level comment from Captain.
Unfortunately, as a PhD student, what you perceive as dishonesty may be a difference in perspective and experience. There are varying levels of transparency and discussion which you may perceive as gaslighting. Unfortunately, discussion and deliberation can be very limited in most research teams. A full airing of differences is not usually the norm. Authority and deciding to which direction, whether to amend, to publish really depends on the research team. I guess as independent authors, it may be different, but every team has a different level of autonomy which may be uncomfortable for some within the team.
What is disturbing from your OP and the comments is the lack of input from others. It would have been nice if you included other people's opinion and perspective of your situation too. If others agree with your assessment of gaslighting, academic dishonesty, distortion etc then it would help to show us how they came to that conclusion too? Otherwise, what you feel is unreasonable, may be reasonable for just about everyone else? Your anger about having a timeline and accountability although it may feel like an attack, but maybe that is what is needed to help you finish your PhD, unfortunately if you are not meeting deadlines, there may be an increase in accountability and reduced autonomy that you were given before, especially if you are already late with your PhD resulting with you running out of funding?
Sometimes there is no "right" way, but having support and having others support you cope better may be the best way forward. After your PhD, you can join research teams that have a research style and approach that suit you!
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/24
| 2,365
| 10,263
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<issue_start>username_0: I have worked on many ideas where I found later that they were already published, which was frustrating. I usually look around before developing my idea, but sometimes the articles I read or the keywords I use to look up any related works make me believe that my work is actually original until I find later, after skimming through hundreds of papers in the field (to further check the originality), or by a response from a reviewer that it is not the case.
In short, what's an efficient way to make sure that your work is original before developing the idea?
**Edit** :
Thank you for your answers. As suggested in the comments, I should have included addditional information so that the answers would make more sense.
I am a PhD student in Computer Science (CS). My main research areas are : Information theory, coding and cryptography.<issue_comment>username_1: **Talk to your supervisor**
It takes experience to really know what's going on in a research field, who the major and minor players are, what other research groups are working on, what the major unsolved problems are and so forth.
This is experience new\* students don't have. Can't have, aren't expected to have. But a good supervisor (who's active in that field) should have a good idea.
\*new: you don't list your level of expertise, but I'm guessing it's somewhere postgrad?
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: ### Ask people
Doing literature research on your own is necessary, and you should spend some time on this to make sure that the result is not already available. But there is only so much you can find, and it often happens that the result has previously been published with a different name or title, which you could not have known about. More experienced people in the field might have come across those works and know that your result is not new.
So ask people in the field that you can trust. Your supervisor/boss/similar is usually a good start. You can also ask other people in your department. As you advance in your career, you often make new contacts with whom you can discuss such things. And, as you have experienced, peer reviewers will provide an additional "safety check".
Of course, make sure you only ask people who you can trust that they will keep your work confidential. If you are at the beginning of your career, your supervisor might provide further guidance on this.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I am doing my first paper independently (graduated with Bsc), it is in the first revision round (I pray everyday for it to pass!)
I truly understand how you feel... My suggestions goes like this:
1. Read a lot of research papers and do not stop.
2. Always take a quick glance at the references section if the paper is passable.
3. Do not use the same website to search for articles, if you use google scholar a lot, try using reseachgate, academia, sciencedirect etc...
4. Try using synonyms words for your search (i.e miss up your search by using different set of words)
5. Do not spend all your time reading papers tightly related to your research, try to go wild a bit and read far from your current study, this will open your eyes on other possibilities.
6. Seek other sources! I have seen multiple youtubers and science enthusiasts mention subjects, research papers and dilemmas that I have not even thought of or read about! For me as a physicist, youtube channels such as numberphile, veritasium, SmartertEveryday, PBS spacetime are insanely versatile and help me think and discover new things! Blogs are good too, I have a list of many senior physicists and mathematicians blogs, and I visit them every week or two.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Know the state of the art
-------------------------
I believe that there are no real shortcuts except in actually knowing what is the state of the art in the field, what approaches have been tried, what is being used right now, what is not being used because it's been tried in 1980s and doesn't work, what's happening right now, etc. A thorough literature search for keywords relevant to the topic, as some other answers suggest, is a necessary, but not sufficient part of that.
In addition to that, you'd need to follow up all the related approaches, perhaps try them out experimentally (depending on the field), look up if similar things have been tried for *all the many, many other* problems that are somewhat similar, browse the abstracts for *all or most* papers in journals or conferences in a subfield to see what other solutions have been tried, etc. It's not "how to do it efficiently/quickly" for a particular paper or solution - it's about doing lots and lots and lots of inefficient work to obtain lots and lots and lots of background knowledge as a table stakes of starting serious independent work in a particular subfield of science, which will then help you (and others!) for many papers in future.
I consider that researchers entering a field are expected to obtain that expertise (or most of it) during their PhD program, and that state is something that can take at least two or more years of full time work to obtain initially (i.e. it's not something that is plausible to have for your first paper in a field) and it deteriorates quickly, needing many hours each month to keep up.
Ask people who know
-------------------
Of course, it's impossible for everyone to know the state of the art for every field; and it's impossible for anyone to know the state of the art in "their" field if they're just starting. But as I said, I believe that there are no real shortcuts, except asking people who do know that. If you can't do proper independent science in a field yet, then that doesn't mean that you should be doing improper science. It means that you should be doing science that's not fully independent. In particular:
* If you are doing a PhD in that field, then your advisor should be someone who knows that field. If it's not, you're going to have a hard time because you'll need to put in more work to get that knowledge yourself as soon as possible
* If your research leads into another field, then it's really, really helpful to involve another researcher from that field. Interdisciplinary research is great, but barging in some field 'uninvited' and uninformed is not going to win you any favors - get a co-author to review your ideas and provide insights from that field, and it's going to be a win-win.
* If you're experienced, and it's "your" field, and you still don't feel secure about what is original and what isn't, then you need to spend more time on reading semi-related research of others in order to keep up to date. There may be all kinds of conflicting time pressures from teaching or project work or whatever, but that's what needs to be done.
I'm aware that it's a big burden, and especially in some fast moving fields there's a real "Red Queen's race" and it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place - but if it takes 10 hours a week of skimming papers every week to keep up with what's happening in your field, then that's what it takes to do proper research.
If someone is devoting, for example, just 20% of their working hours to science because of non-science academic duties or because they're working in industry, then that implies (at least to me) that they won't be able to do *independent* contributions to the subfield because that time is barely sufficient to keep up with what's the state of the art in that field, and knowing what is novel and what has been tried requires involving someone who is arms-deep in that field full-time or close to that.
It doesn't necessarily mean someone more senior - I have seen full professors who fully rely on a particular post-doc or PhD student to be up to date with all the literature on some particular topic.
I'm sorry if it looks like a rant, but to summarize I really want to make the following points:
* a short-cut way to do it 'efficiently' seems implausible;
* 'Ask people' and 'Talk to your supervisor' are good short-term solutions, but in the long term the goal is (or should be) to shift from 'ask people' to 'become (for your topic) the person who gets asked'. It's a *lot* of work, years of work, but it needs to be done.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: In addition to asking knowledgeable colleagues, which some other answers have rightly recommended, I would recommend that you target academic conferences as an intial publication target rather than targeting journals right away.
For many academic disciplines, conferences are a primary means to develop ideas before fully fleshing them out for journal articles. The dynamics in your field, computer science, are a little bit different because in computer science, quite often a highly reputed conference is the "terminal publication", that is, where the final, best developed version of a research project is published. But even in computer science, I don't think that is always the case.
Conferences often have lower standards than journal articles, which means that they often welcome work that is in a less-developed state. Practically, this means that you can spend a shorter time working on the initial idea of an article before submitting it for conference peer-review. If at that point the peer-reviewers tell you that the idea is not new, then would not you have invested as much time on the project as if you had tried to fully develop it for a journal article from the very beginning. In particular, if peer-reviewers can give you an idea of important literature that you have missed, then you can read that literature and then decide on what angle to pursue that has not been studied, and so your initial work would not be wasted at all.
The possible disadvantage of this conference strategy is that if your article is accepted, then you would need to muster the funds to attend the conference and present your work. That could be a major limiting factor, depending on your funding situation. Indeed, funding restrictions are why this strategy of conference presentation is not feasible for many academic fields (such as many of the humanities) where conference funding might not be as readily available.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/24
| 2,294
| 9,855
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<issue_start>username_0: There is one exciting job opportunity that I am willing to apply.
The dean, I think, may know me because I have met him in a couple of conferences and I have been on a discussion panel once (as a Ph.D. student) in a conference which his department organized.
But he is a big shot, and he may know a thousand young aspirants like me. Will it be wise to send him an email or will it give a bad impression that I am trying to cajole him?<issue_comment>username_1: **Talk to your supervisor**
It takes experience to really know what's going on in a research field, who the major and minor players are, what other research groups are working on, what the major unsolved problems are and so forth.
This is experience new\* students don't have. Can't have, aren't expected to have. But a good supervisor (who's active in that field) should have a good idea.
\*new: you don't list your level of expertise, but I'm guessing it's somewhere postgrad?
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: ### Ask people
Doing literature research on your own is necessary, and you should spend some time on this to make sure that the result is not already available. But there is only so much you can find, and it often happens that the result has previously been published with a different name or title, which you could not have known about. More experienced people in the field might have come across those works and know that your result is not new.
So ask people in the field that you can trust. Your supervisor/boss/similar is usually a good start. You can also ask other people in your department. As you advance in your career, you often make new contacts with whom you can discuss such things. And, as you have experienced, peer reviewers will provide an additional "safety check".
Of course, make sure you only ask people who you can trust that they will keep your work confidential. If you are at the beginning of your career, your supervisor might provide further guidance on this.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I am doing my first paper independently (graduated with Bsc), it is in the first revision round (I pray everyday for it to pass!)
I truly understand how you feel... My suggestions goes like this:
1. Read a lot of research papers and do not stop.
2. Always take a quick glance at the references section if the paper is passable.
3. Do not use the same website to search for articles, if you use google scholar a lot, try using reseachgate, academia, sciencedirect etc...
4. Try using synonyms words for your search (i.e miss up your search by using different set of words)
5. Do not spend all your time reading papers tightly related to your research, try to go wild a bit and read far from your current study, this will open your eyes on other possibilities.
6. Seek other sources! I have seen multiple youtubers and science enthusiasts mention subjects, research papers and dilemmas that I have not even thought of or read about! For me as a physicist, youtube channels such as numberphile, veritasium, SmartertEveryday, PBS spacetime are insanely versatile and help me think and discover new things! Blogs are good too, I have a list of many senior physicists and mathematicians blogs, and I visit them every week or two.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Know the state of the art
-------------------------
I believe that there are no real shortcuts except in actually knowing what is the state of the art in the field, what approaches have been tried, what is being used right now, what is not being used because it's been tried in 1980s and doesn't work, what's happening right now, etc. A thorough literature search for keywords relevant to the topic, as some other answers suggest, is a necessary, but not sufficient part of that.
In addition to that, you'd need to follow up all the related approaches, perhaps try them out experimentally (depending on the field), look up if similar things have been tried for *all the many, many other* problems that are somewhat similar, browse the abstracts for *all or most* papers in journals or conferences in a subfield to see what other solutions have been tried, etc. It's not "how to do it efficiently/quickly" for a particular paper or solution - it's about doing lots and lots and lots of inefficient work to obtain lots and lots and lots of background knowledge as a table stakes of starting serious independent work in a particular subfield of science, which will then help you (and others!) for many papers in future.
I consider that researchers entering a field are expected to obtain that expertise (or most of it) during their PhD program, and that state is something that can take at least two or more years of full time work to obtain initially (i.e. it's not something that is plausible to have for your first paper in a field) and it deteriorates quickly, needing many hours each month to keep up.
Ask people who know
-------------------
Of course, it's impossible for everyone to know the state of the art for every field; and it's impossible for anyone to know the state of the art in "their" field if they're just starting. But as I said, I believe that there are no real shortcuts, except asking people who do know that. If you can't do proper independent science in a field yet, then that doesn't mean that you should be doing improper science. It means that you should be doing science that's not fully independent. In particular:
* If you are doing a PhD in that field, then your advisor should be someone who knows that field. If it's not, you're going to have a hard time because you'll need to put in more work to get that knowledge yourself as soon as possible
* If your research leads into another field, then it's really, really helpful to involve another researcher from that field. Interdisciplinary research is great, but barging in some field 'uninvited' and uninformed is not going to win you any favors - get a co-author to review your ideas and provide insights from that field, and it's going to be a win-win.
* If you're experienced, and it's "your" field, and you still don't feel secure about what is original and what isn't, then you need to spend more time on reading semi-related research of others in order to keep up to date. There may be all kinds of conflicting time pressures from teaching or project work or whatever, but that's what needs to be done.
I'm aware that it's a big burden, and especially in some fast moving fields there's a real "Red Queen's race" and it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place - but if it takes 10 hours a week of skimming papers every week to keep up with what's happening in your field, then that's what it takes to do proper research.
If someone is devoting, for example, just 20% of their working hours to science because of non-science academic duties or because they're working in industry, then that implies (at least to me) that they won't be able to do *independent* contributions to the subfield because that time is barely sufficient to keep up with what's the state of the art in that field, and knowing what is novel and what has been tried requires involving someone who is arms-deep in that field full-time or close to that.
It doesn't necessarily mean someone more senior - I have seen full professors who fully rely on a particular post-doc or PhD student to be up to date with all the literature on some particular topic.
I'm sorry if it looks like a rant, but to summarize I really want to make the following points:
* a short-cut way to do it 'efficiently' seems implausible;
* 'Ask people' and 'Talk to your supervisor' are good short-term solutions, but in the long term the goal is (or should be) to shift from 'ask people' to 'become (for your topic) the person who gets asked'. It's a *lot* of work, years of work, but it needs to be done.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: In addition to asking knowledgeable colleagues, which some other answers have rightly recommended, I would recommend that you target academic conferences as an intial publication target rather than targeting journals right away.
For many academic disciplines, conferences are a primary means to develop ideas before fully fleshing them out for journal articles. The dynamics in your field, computer science, are a little bit different because in computer science, quite often a highly reputed conference is the "terminal publication", that is, where the final, best developed version of a research project is published. But even in computer science, I don't think that is always the case.
Conferences often have lower standards than journal articles, which means that they often welcome work that is in a less-developed state. Practically, this means that you can spend a shorter time working on the initial idea of an article before submitting it for conference peer-review. If at that point the peer-reviewers tell you that the idea is not new, then would not you have invested as much time on the project as if you had tried to fully develop it for a journal article from the very beginning. In particular, if peer-reviewers can give you an idea of important literature that you have missed, then you can read that literature and then decide on what angle to pursue that has not been studied, and so your initial work would not be wasted at all.
The possible disadvantage of this conference strategy is that if your article is accepted, then you would need to muster the funds to attend the conference and present your work. That could be a major limiting factor, depending on your funding situation. Indeed, funding restrictions are why this strategy of conference presentation is not feasible for many academic fields (such as many of the humanities) where conference funding might not be as readily available.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/24
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<issue_start>username_0: I have submitted a manuscript to a CS conference, and it was rejected but with decent scores given by the reviewers (just under the accept treshold). If I list the manuscript as a preprint in my CV, is it OK to mention that I submitted to that conference and it got rejected with those scores? This version of the CV would not be publicly accessible.<issue_comment>username_1: What is OK and what is wise may not be the same thing. I doubt that this would be wise. Instead, I'd list it as "in preparation" if you intend to revise and submit elsewhere. Showing work in progress is a good thing and forward looking. Being rejected is less of a good thing, and also backward looking.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Scores alone without the associated reviews have only little informative value, since the final decision usually does not depend on a threshold, but on a discussion between PC members. Maybe the reviewers who gave a positive score were "informed outsiders", whereas the most expert reviewer saw a major flaw and fought against the paper's acceptance? From just looking at the scores, we can't know. Therefore, I would be skeptical if I was reading your CV and saw this entry.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You should not. CVs are for factual information. Review scores are opinions, not facts.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/25
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<issue_start>username_0: I wrote my personal statements for two schools and they had the correct information for each school and submitted each statement to the correct school. But in my excitement to be completing my final two applications, I left highlighted sentences and words that I reviewed and finalized in my submitted essays. Being that I did this over the holiday, I labeled my drafts as "final" stepped away for a couple hours and just uploaded them to the portal and submitted my payments. I had a random epiphany scrolling through social media and realized my mistake. The Statement is completely edited and grammatically correct, but the highlighting is going to raise eyebrows. What is the best course of action in this instance? I do not believe that the portal used to upload my statements will cooperate to let me upload new versions of the statements since it is finalized. Thank you in advance!<issue_comment>username_1: >
> what should I do?
>
>
>
No action is necessary.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You can check the portal web sites to see if they offer a chance to revise. If none is visible you might ask if you can find a contact email on the site. Otherwise I think you are out of luck. If the statement is good maybe the raised eyebrows won't matter in the final decision.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: What color are the highlights? There is a chance that everything you submit gets printed for review. If you highlight with say, dark red\*, the black and white print might be illegible. Also it might leave an impression that you are at least sloppy or disorganized. With how trigger happy people are with elliminating applications, I think there is reason enough for at least sending an e-mail and asking what can be done.
\*I actually printed one document with "red 3" highlight of apache open office. It printed like CIA's reducted documents.
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/25
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<issue_start>username_0: If asked a teaching question in a interview for a math professor position about how you engage students or innovate your teaching, would it look bad if I say I'm just a traditional lecturer, teaching either using the board or slides or both?
This is in fact how most people lecture in my experience, it works fine, and the interviewers probably know this. And students like it, but somehow it feels almost shameful to admit it.
"I engage students by giving clear and insightful explanations of concepts [include some examples], using a standard lecture format with the board or slides."<issue_comment>username_1: I think it depends on what kind of school you are interviewing at and who the interview is with.
If it is a teaching position, then this answer is not great. You should be honest, but you can add "I'm open to learning more about problem-based teaching or *flipped classrooms* but I haven't had experience with that kind of teaching yet." Do some research. Do "modern" teaching methods help in your field? [Maybe they do](https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1051042).
If this position is a research position with some teaching, then your answer matters less, but probably the same answer as above is a good strategy. Say what you have done, but be excited about learning to improve your teaching.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Well, it is good to be honest, of course, but if they are interested in "innovative" teaching methods you aren't helping yourself. If they are asking the question, I'll guess that they are looking for innovation and modern methods of course delivery.
But, rather than being dishonest, I just suggest that you take some time to investigate things like "active learning" and the psychology of learning. Lecture reaches only a portion of your audience.
I suggest a book that might help you think about the issues: [The Art of Changing the Brain](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/1579220541) by <NAME>.
At a more detailed level, things like the [flipped classroom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipped_classroom) are worth investigating.
But not every institution will have these concerns. There are plenty of places where traditional methods of instruction are widely used without issue. This particular place may just be a poor match for your skills.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: You should, of course, give an honest answer to this question. If you say that you use active learning in your classes then you're likely to be asked follow-up questions about how you teach- You won't be in a good position to answer those questions.
Some mathematics departments in the US have made significant efforts to change pedagogy and seen good results. Other departments are still very conservative about this. If you're being asked about this in an interview, then you can assume that it is something the department is interested in and that you might be expected to adjust your teaching if you're hired.
I've served on a total of five search committees over the past 10 years. We regularly include this in our prepared set of phone interview questions. The majority of applicants seem to struggle with the question because they simply aren't familiar with the topic. Candidates who are knowledgable about the topic (even if they prefer a more traditional style of lecturing) are more likely to be shortlisted for an on-campus interview.
I'd encourage you to spend some time learning about these approaches and experimenting in the classes that you teach.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: If asked, you probably don't just want to say, "I don't do that". I've been in roughly similar positions and I sympathize, and agree that the question can be a little silly/boilerplate depending on who is asking it and how. Traditional lectures are perfectly defensible, and it's quite possible that current fads will swing out of favor at some point.
You should prepare some answer which is true and demonstrates that you care about your students and the quality of your teaching. Here's a menu of some possible options. Most will require some future time commitment to your teaching, which is likely what they're looking for.
* "I've done research on different pedagogical methods, and I see that methods such as [flipped classrooms reduce equity for minority and weaker students](https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614893/classroom-technology-holding-students-back-edtech-kids-education/). Since I'm committed to equity for those disadvantaged students, I've tailored my methods to increase and improve on my [fully guided instruction](https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ971752)". This should likely be tailored to the student population in question. E.g., if you're teaching a population of uniformly very well-prepared students, then flipped classrooms might be a good idea; if the students are more disadvantaged then it wouldn't be.
* "I keep a comprehensive database of statistics on my lessons and associated outcomes. After each semester I perform an assessment on those and look for opportunities for improvement, editing and updating my lesson plans and homework projects accordingly." Note that data-driven [program assessment](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwjtx7aly9HmAhUnx1kKHeVRBQ0QFjAAegQIBBAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aacu.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Ffiles%2Fpublications%2FLevelsOfAssessment.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1eLnULxbfRKcp6xkUBdZkV) is a major requirement of accreditation bodies, so saying that you'll be happy to interface and help with that work institutionally is a big plus. (This helped to slot me into head of assessment for my department, which is my primary service work.)
* "I can cite my past student evaluations as showing that I'm a very successful teacher. I keep a close eye on those evaluations, and look for particular areas that I can improve. For example, in the past I was getting a lower score in category X, and therefore I took action Y, and now my score in that category is significantly higher." This assumes you have such evaluations available, and you really have an example of a successful response to them, of course.
Those are all some efforts I've made in the past to bolster and support my traditional-based, fully-guided lecturing at U.S. open-admissions community colleges. As a side note, I'll point out that I've regularly had students address me at the end of a semester and ask, "How did you come up with this revolutionary teaching method? I've never seen anyone do it this way!"
In summary: Think in advance about what efforts you're making to improve your teaching on an ongoing basis (and you should have such a process!), and then have an intelligent conversation about those.
(\*) More on the referenced recent study critical of flipped classrooms: See Setren, et. al., ["Effects of the Flipped Classroom: Evidence from a Randomized Trial"](https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edworkingpapers.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fai19-113.pdf&c=E,1,YtCmzoS4f0kqCRc9majAvzs2fSgKxgL7As6tJzDesrhMn4-ILlfb9YQEVrybSZ2Z2nZ7524s7vkq4AntP_O5509BVRZjR36IP71pQ6IZZvCTqXuwe8zy9_S3&typo=1), Annenberg Institute at Brown University (2019). Randomized trial conducted at U.S. West Point military academy in math and economics (N = 1328 students). Overview article at [Education Week](http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2019/08/flipped_classrooms_may_exacerb.html). Recommended reading.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: If you've considered the other teaching methods out there (such as problem based learning and flipped classrooms) and come to the conclusion that these are not for you or that you believe they are not better than traditional methods, my practical advice on how to answer this specific interview question would be to twist the question and instead answer "How do you keep your students engaged?"
In other words, when teaching in a traditional way, on a whiteboard or giving a lecture, how do you engage your class? How do you make your lectures interesting, exciting and effective at conveying the important concepts?
If you can express that well I think you'll have passed this interview question.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: When someone asks in an interview, no-matter what the topic, which cutting edge approaches interest you, they are subtly asking three entirely different questions (in order of severity):
* Are you even exposed to any of them (which shows an interest in your subject in general)
* If yes, do you have an opinion on any of them (which shows leadership, independent thinking)
* Can you justify it with evidence (which shows critical thinking, experience etc)
Saying "no" is like answering "no" to all of the above.
Your answer is effectively saying "no I know nothing about that, nor do I care to know or have to justify myself".
Even if the end-message of your answer is that at the end of the day you prefer traditional teaching, your answer will be *much* better received if it first shows knowledge of all the cutting edge techniques in the field or even some experience in trying to adapt them to your own teaching, which show promise in general and which do not, your personal opinion on what works and what doesn't, why, how it fits your particular style or not and why, how you think students benefit or not, or tend to respond in each, and why you feel that traditional teaching trumps all of the above based on your experience, and critical judgement of the competitor methods.
Contrast that with "no I just teach". Doesn't sound so professional does it?
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_7: As someone from a humanity's field that uses teaching as an intervention technique I know I would never answer I use the *standard way*.
*Standard way* is a meaningless term. Whose standard way?
I had to integrate theory and self to teach or train. I have a toolkit of theories I can choose from depending on the specific circumstances.
I would suggest you include your educational theories that your *standard way* practise is based on.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: I would keep it simple and not over think the question. Your prepared answer should touch on:
1. Differentiated learning -- Customer focused and adaptive. Every student is different, you know.
2. Education Technology -- <https://edtechmagazine.com/> has lots of buzzwords.
3. A couple references to new developments in pedagogy and how you are dying to try them out.
Then flip the question back on the interviewer and ask how the institution supports “innovation and engagement” in the classroom. Listen with rapt attention like on a first date and wait for the offer.
Or
You can do the hard work of self-reflection, discussion and research to become an excellent teacher no matter what process or tools you choose to use.
Good luck
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_9: No, it is not okay to say you lecture in the traditional way. There are many high quality experiments showing that a wide variety of teaching methods are better than the traditional way of lecturing. Further, traditional lecturing disadvantages students who are historically underrepresented. For example, in my field male students are better prepared to learn from traditional lectures than female students. If I lecture, it will be harder for female students to learn and many of them will give up.
In short, if you say in an interview you are lecturing in the traditional way, you are saying that you are unethical teacher. You are saying you use less effective methods. You are saying you use discriminatory methods.
Also, don't say you use flipped classroom. That's no longer innovative. It's cliche.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_10: There is actual research on even the question of board versus slides. Board is better, possibly because it slows the lecturer down; possibly because it sometimes models making mistakes as a normal part of work for everyone; possibly because it models an actual process of problem solving.
So if you really want to insist that you "lecture" I think a good answer is to talk about the idea that what you mean by lecture is not that you stand in front of a room reading off of slides (or possibly writing on the board and never looking at students). If nothing else, most students cannot maintain focus for a full hour so you should talk about how a good lecture will have a break in the action every 15-20 minutes and what you do to make that happen. Again this is about knowing the research on what happens in classrooms.
For example: check understanding by asking questions (not "do you have any questions?"), have students do a problem, have them write something.
Also you could do exit tickets where you ask students to write something (such as what the most important thing they learned today was or what was confusing)or the definition of a term, collect and review to improve the next class.
Even "standard" lectures can be improved, there is literature on that, and as someone who wants to do well at your work who is also a scholar you should be reviewing that literature just like you do for your research. That's what they are looking for.
Also, if you don't preface your response with something like "Well, of course this depends on what the course is, teaching senior math majors in a seminar course is going to require a different approach than teaching a course oriented to the general student population." you have missed the boat entirely.
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/25
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<issue_start>username_0: It is common practice to share a histogram of grades with a class after a quiz or exam. However, my institute has very small classes. This year I have 6 students in my class, and in previous years I have had 3. It seems like showing the breakdown of grades (e.g. how many A's, B's, C's there were) in such a small class may be inappropriate, since students may easily be able to guess who got which grade. On the other hand, it seems only fair to tell students how they did relative to the rest of the class.
*update*: I noticed this question was still a little bit active, so I will add the location information. The institute in question is NYU-Shanghai. It is located in China, but follows US privacy policies (i.e. we are subject to FERPA).<issue_comment>username_1: Check if the university has a policy on this. This varies wildly across locations: in some places grades are still published with the students' names next to them; in others there are stated policies that this is not allowed. At my university, histograms are automatically published by the system no matter the number of students (even if 2), and there is no way to prevent this.
If there is no policy on this, it is your choice how much you want to weigh transparency vs data protection. There are also intermediate options, such as only publishing the mean, maximum and minimum grade, or the mean amd variance.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: If you don't want to disclose to the students the results of others, but you want to let the students know how they did compared to others, you could individually disclose their percentile.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I give each student their grade individually - and don’t publish any “list” of any sort.
If the student then wants to “publish” their own grade then that is their prerogative.
This seems to satisfy the students and I don’t get any issues.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I'm not sure how "common" it is to share a histogram, but I question the value of it. I also worry that it implies in some way that grading is competitive. The worst case, of course, is a zero-sum grading system in which to give person A a point, person B must be denied a point. That is evil. In fact, grading "on the curve" has this characteristic built in. Students are individuals and should be treated as individuals, not as statistics.
But, I wonder why you think it is desirable to post relative scores. What does that add to the educational process? Who does it benefit? Who does it discourage? If education is about "bragging rights" or "one-upmanship" then fine. But telling a student that they were worse than most of their peers is not, IMO, a way to encourage them to learn. Rather, it can lead to depression.
I suggest, instead, that grading be individual and that the philosophy is that everyone can earn top marks, as well as that everyone can fail.
Students need feedback, of course, but the feedback should be related to their own performance, not the performance of others. Education isn't a sporting event.
A histogram may be useful to the instructor, I think, but making it public, even in a large class, can be counterproductive.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: No, for exactly the reason you give. If just a couple students share their grades with each other, it becomes trivial for others to be discovered by process of elimination.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_6: I take issue with your premise:
>
> It seems only fair to tell students how they did relative to the rest of the class
>
>
>
In a large class, this seems reasonable: if I know that I'm in the top 5%, I know that I am likely to get an A, regardless of my actual score. Even professors who "don't curve" usually adjust difficulty levels to achieve the desired outcome.
In a class with three students, this is not really the case -- giving three As or three Cs could be appropriate. Saying "you got the top score" doesn't really provide any information about my performance. So, I would argue that it provides no upside. Others have already covered the downside - namely, privacy violations.
I would suggest a better option would be to say: "Scores above 80 are A-range, 65 is B-range, 50 is C-range." This is both more useful to the student and sidesteps any privacy issue.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: As much as the other answers are correct, there is an alternative solution if you indeed want to release the grade distributions without compromising on anonymity. You can use differential privacy (ε-differential privacy with a random response in this case seems applicable) to *guarantee* that no information can be gained regarding individuals grades, even if there is only one person in the class, while still ensuring statistical measures performed on the grades remain the same.
Differential privacy uses statistics to guarantee that anonymity is retained, by affording plausible deniability, while also ensuring statistical accuracy, and is widely used these days by companies wanting to make data releases (such as Google or Apple). The drawback of this is the grades you are releasing are only statistically accurate (to within a controlled threshold), but the individual grades themselves may or may not be correct.
I'd say in this case where the data has been thoroughly anonymized using these methods (as opposed to k-anonymity or l-diversity which have their drawbacks in small group sizes), then releasing this information poses no risk to individuals.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_privacy>
You can then take this one step further and release a distribution based on these anonymized grades, while still retaining the guarantee that individual grades cannot be obtained by any party.
It'd still be good to check academic policy, but in any case, this is a good measure to take if you want to protect your students.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: You probably want to check with your university policy on grade sharing so you don't wander into a problem with your local regulatory body.
As for my opinion:
I am from the US so the following examples are based on the [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Educational_Rights_and_Privacy_Act) (FERPA), however they may be useful to you anyway.
Speaking from a STEM prospective, at my university in the very large auditorium classes, and even smaller (30-50 student) classes histograms were regularly either mentioned after the test or posted. It was very useful for a student to know, based on their grade, what percentile they fit into. For me, it helped me understand if I really understood the material or I was carried by a curve. Due to this I consider posting a distribution (anonymous) a *highly* useful tool for your students that actually care about their grade. In advanced classes where curves are common this could help them if they need to ask for more resources.
It's reasonable (albeit maybe not FERPA reasonable) to assume that as long as the grades are anonymous and the percentiles group into large enough bins students can't deduce other students *exact* grade which may be the loophole (discussed in the links below).
On the other hand you have small classes. Sharing a distribution of 10 students for example may give too much information to your students about other student's grades. Again, FERPA is the problem here. Is anonymous distribution of grades enough to protect you from an angry student? You may want to check your university teaching guide. If FERPA isn't an issue then it really comes down to if you think it will provide students some value. I can see it both ways. What information could the grade distribution of 3-6 students (for example) provide to the students? Not much I think.
There are some good points here posted by people on both sides. I don't *personally* see a problem with it (your case I lean more towards not doing it however) but FERPA is a headache and you are probably best not asking here, but rather asking your university.
There are some links on the web related to FERPA that may be similar to your local policy:
[This link (non-edu)](https://www.chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=139775.0;wap2) seems to imply the grade distribution falls outside the scope of grade disclosure rules.
[This USC guide](https://arr.usc.edu/records/ferpa/faculty.html) says grade posting is fine as long as student names are anonymized with a unique code and non-alphabetically listed.
[CCCOnline](https://www.ccconline.org/student-rights-responsibilities-ferpa/) seems to support posting grade distributions as being okay with FERPA.
[ASU](https://students.asu.edu/faq/154#t104n11169) says something similar to the USC guide.
[This UMSL link](http://www.umsl.edu/registration/Faculty-Staff/ferpa.html) Says teachers are responsible for coming up with a way of distributing grades such that no student knows the other's grade.
*EDIT*
A comment has brought to my attention you may not be from the US. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a similar depth of resources compared to FERPA through Google and I have no experience with European law regarding grade distribution. I found the [following AACRAO working group paper on the GDPR](https://www.aacrao.org/docs/default-source/signature-initiative-docs/gdpr/gdpr_discussiondraft_03272018_v2.pdf?sfvrsn=4556dd66_0) unfortunately it provides situations and questions but not answers. I apologize. As always, refer to your University for the final say on these matters.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_9: The 'transaction' you and your students are engaged in is between you [the university] and themselves [the student]. If you are secure that your assessment was adequate and fair, there is nothing to be gained in comparing students against each other, especially publicly. If you are not secure in your testing methodology, you might consider grading on a curve, which by definition compares individuals against each other, but again, this need not be a public exercise.
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/25
| 579
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<issue_start>username_0: I am at the end of my fourth-year in the Ph.D. program at an average university and I am trying to decide if it's the right decision to leave without getting Ph.D. degree. I have an M.Sc. degree and it's ABD. Although I published many conference papers, I didn't publish a journal. One reason is that I worked a lot for many projects as the lead research assistant. Other reason is that my motivation to work on these journals keeps decreasing. I am making very small progress and I always feel very bad about it. I feel like I will never be able to finish these papers. Quitting will give me relief but it also means that I wasted at least two years of my life. Also, I don't want to regret this.
My relationship with my supervisor is not good. Working with him made me really depressed. I lost all my self-confidence. I sought professional counseling but it doesn't help much. Also, my partner is graduating next semester and needs to leave and find a job. I don't need a Ph.D. to get a job. I've already got many job offers. I don't want to work in academia.<issue_comment>username_1: Since you don't list any positive aspects for continuing, I suspect that you have already made up your mind. However, it would be worth listing all of the positives and negatives so you have a balanced view. Try to weight the importance of each factor, both positive and negative.
But, if you and your partner are probably moving, perhaps you can continue at a different university with a more compatible advisor. That might make a difference.
You also don't mention your field. In CS, conference papers are highly valued, for example.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Just because you did not complete is not a guarantee that 2 years were wasted - those job offers are probably based on that very experience.
Who knows, you may be able to put the Phd on hold, do some work and then come back and finish it.
Even changing institution could be the game changer as mentioned in the other answer.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Think of being a PhD student as a job. If you think there’s another job you’d prefer, then switch jobs. It’s no more of a waste than spending two years at another job that you end up leaving.
That said if you already have some substantial work finished you might ask your advisor if you can just graduate this year with a weak thesis.
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/26
| 895
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently a year-three postgraduate student and aimming for a PhD (in my country 4 year for a PhD, and it's allowed to quit and gain master degree).
Although with fine results in the first three semesters (with publications), I got sick and had to live in hospital for almost one year. My health condiction is still not very good and needs more time for treatment. At least for now I find it's dim for my coming PhD thesis defense (not enough time & publications).
Because too much time was wasted in my early PhD studying, I plan to quit PhD (replaced by a master degree) and reapply for another PhD (like in US with similar research direction).
Is this moral? Will this quit bring some bad effect for my new application? And will this hurt my relationship with my current supervisor (I have'nt talk with him of my thoughts)?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Is this moral? Will this quit bring some bad effect for my new application? And will this hurt my relationship with my current supervisor (I have'nt talk with him of my thoughts)?
>
>
>
It is moral. It won't bring any bad effects to your new application\*. It should not hurt your relations with your supervisor.
\*You should explain expilicitly that you had to be hospitilized for a year to explain the gap in your academic past. PhD applications usually have a specific textbox that you can mention these kinds of issues. At the very least you can mention this in your statement of purpose.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There are no ethical concerns here. It is fine to quit and reapply. Given a medical history it is unlikely that you will suffer academic consequences. So, relax on that score.
However there are two things you should also consider.
First, you have an advisor who has views about your likely success. Work with them now so that you have an accurate picture of your probable success in your current program. You seem to think the future is dim there, but it may be overly pessimistic. They may be able to work with you on a good completion.
Second, if your health issues are continuing, you will need to convince a new program that you can be a success there in spite of them. If they come back to affect your performance you could wind up in the same place, but a worse situation, in a few years.
If the medical condition is actually caused or affected by stress, then you should, in addition, find ways to deal with that issue.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It is immoral. By moral, I used a philosophical definition from Stanford/Plato. My moral values differ from yours because of diverse background and upbringing. I don't know where you are from or how dropping out is perceived in your institution or society. So, take my justification with a grain of salt.
I consider exhausting resources (time and money) without substantial contribution in the field or addition to one's learning is negligence to the academic community. That said, by the time you complete the application and matriculate in the new program, you would have finished preparing to defend your dissertation. Nobody can predict for certain of anyone's failure/success in a PhD defense. Alas, having a good relationship with an advisor who can vouch on your behalf may help, at least at institutions that I know.
No, it probably will not have a "bad effect for [the] new application." Quitting a PhD program will not necessarily predict that you won't complete the next program.
The impact of your quitting the current program on your relationship with the current supervisor will depend on how current supervisor and your relationship was and has been. It's subjective. You won't get an answer unless you speak to them, honestly.
Upvotes: -1
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2019/12/27
| 1,545
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<issue_start>username_0: Problem
=======
I recently started to survey an algorithm described in a paper. I would like to include some variants of this algorithm in my survey.
One natural choice is to use "cited by" feature in Google Scholar. It could return a new search of the papers that cite the previous one (see below).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnJcP.png)
Since there are 1342 papers, it is not feasible to read all of them (even just abstracts) within short period of time. I made a heuristic for selecting "interesting" papers
>
> Only read the papers that have more than some number of citations (say K).
>
>
>
which means I will only have to read papers that in turn have more than K "cited by" number.
Even though this heuristic is unfair for newly published papers, I believe it could indeed help me narrow down my scope.
However, the issue is Google Scholar does not have features to support my heuristic (something like advanced search supported by other databases might). So my problem is
* How do I download the search results from my Google Scholar query with all the meta data, including "cited by" information.
* If the previous point is not possible, is there another tool that could help me?
Could someone help me. Thank you in advance!<issue_comment>username_1: There is no API for google scholar data. They do that on purpose ...
Here are links to some possible workarounds
* <https://pypi.org/project/scholarly/>
* <https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-04190-5>
* <https://serpapi.com/google-scholar-api>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You can scrape Google Scholar Search Results using [`BeautifulSoup`](https://www.crummy.com/software/BeautifulSoup/bs4/doc/) web scraping library.
[Check code in online IDE](https://replit.com/@serpapi/scrape-google-scholar-search-results-with-metadata-python#main.py):
```
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import requests
import re
import json
headers = {
"User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/103.0.5060.53 Safari/537.36"
}
params = {
"hl": "en", # language of the search
"q": "covid", # search query
"num": 100, # number of results per page. In this case, 100 results per page
}
response = requests.get(
"https://scholar.google.com/scholar", params=params, headers=headers
)
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.content, "lxml")
organic_results_data = []
for organic_result in soup.select(".gs_r.gs_or.gs_scl"):
title = organic_result.select_one(".gs_rt a").text
snippet = organic_result.select_one(".gs_rs").text
cited_by_match = re.search(
r"Cited by (?P\d+)",
organic\_result.select\_one(".gs\_or\_btn.gs\_nph+ a").text,
)
cited\_by\_count = int(cited\_by\_match.groupdict().get("cited\_by\_count"))
organic\_results\_data.append(
{"title": title, "snippet": snippet, "cited\_by\_count": cited\_by\_count}
)
print(json.dumps(organic\_results\_data, indent=2))
```
Example output:
```
[
{
"title": "Thoracic imaging tests for the diagnosis of COVID‐19",
"snippet": "Background The respiratory illness caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 infection continues to present \ndiagnostic challenges. Our 2020 edition of this review showed thoracic (chest) imaging to be …",
"cited_by_count": 186
},
{
"title": "An overview of COVID-19",
"snippet": "… 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially named the disease resulting from \ninfection with SARS-CoV-2 as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 represents …",
"cited_by_count": 333
},
{
"title": "COVID-19 and multiorgan response",
"snippet": "… COVID-19 has demonstrated a wide spectrum of clinical … multiorgan impact of COVID-19 \nreported since its outbreak. … If a paper is reporting on many aspects of the COVID-19, then the …",
"cited_by_count": 729
},
# ...
]
```
---
Alternatively, you can use the free open-source package [`scholarly`](https://github.com/scholarly-python-package/scholarly).
[Example from its documentation](https://github.com/scholarly-python-package/scholarly/blob/bf770fdbb1f311fa3ba91e02fb553f85a70b5bc4/docs/quickstart.rst#search_keyword).
```
>>> search_query = scholarly.search_keyword('Haptics')
>>> scholarly.pprint(next(search_query))
{'affiliation': 'Postdoctoral research assistant, University of Bremen',
'citedby': 56666,
'email_domain': '@collision-detection.com',
'filled': False,
'interests': ['Computer Graphics',
'Collision Detection',
'Haptics',
'Geometric Data Structures'],
'name': '<NAME>',
'scholar_id': 'lHrs3Y4AAAAJ',
'source': 'SEARCH_AUTHOR_SNIPPETS',
'url_picture': 'https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=medium_photo&user=lHrs3Y4AAAAJ'}
```
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/27
| 525
| 2,225
|
<issue_start>username_0: A [Journal](https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/jaa) is indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. But under Web of science it is under Emerging sources citation index and not under SCI or SCI expanded. What are the pros and cons of publishing in it if you are a serious researcher looking for phd admission? Its not predatory for sure and no charges for author whats so ever. Its also from a reputed publisher. The feild is applied mathematics<issue_comment>username_1: I'm guessing that where you are in your career it matters very little. The important thing is to get published in a reputable journal. I also doubt that experienced scholars worry very little about such things.
Pick a journal that seems appropriate for your work. Send it off. Then write the next paper.
And if you are not yet in a doctoral program, then publishing is a big win, no matter where, as long as the journal is reputable.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: It is generally considered a journal that accepts research papers that are then sent by editor to two experts in your field to be peer reviewed and accepted or rejected by the editor.
It is difficult to advise you with out further information:
where is the institution you are associated with, your academic achievements and future plans.
Normally you would have an academic advisor who had supervised your research.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: In general you publish in the most prestigious journal that will accept your work. There are reasons for this: more prestigious journals tend to be more visible (more readers), more impressive (helps with graduate admissions), or are even tracked by promotion committees ("to be promoted to [role], you need to publish [number] articles in SCI-indexed journals"). So your question is rather difficult to answer. There's practically no reason to publish in an ESCI journal instead of an SCI journal.
That said, you should of course discuss with your advisor which journal to submit your article to. SCI journals might be more prestigious, but if your work is not significant enough and they are going to desk reject it, you might as well save yourself the time and submit to an ESCI journal.
Upvotes: 1
|
2019/12/27
| 1,840
| 7,705
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a 2 year (3rd semester) undergraduate student in physics and I have scored miserably in my two advanced mathematics courses. I got C- in both. It was mainly for not understanding many things. I would like to do advanced research in the future and that would require a PhD degree.
I don't know what field I would like to specialize in, but I would like to achieve my dream of pursuing research as a career. Is it possible to get a PhD after bad grades in mathematics undergrad courses?
I am from India and I would like to do my PhD in the US.<issue_comment>username_1: As the comments (so far) say, it is very hard to succeed in physics without quite a lot of mathematics. But you don't need *everything* in mathematics to do so. Some skills are more important than others. Statistics can be important in some fields.
But, first you should figure out which aspect of physics you want to work in. It is an incredibly wide field. Then, look to see which parts of math are most important there. A trusted faculty member can help you with this part, perhaps.
But then, focus on learning those parts of math and the background necessary to understand it. Lots of people do poorly in math because their early teaching was inadequate and they missed the foundations on which to build. If that is the case here, then your path may be long, but it is possible to follow it.
There are several parts of mathematics that require insight, not just facts and skills. Those require work to achieve the insight. And the insights are hard to transmit from one person to another. But math is a problem you will likely need to solve to be a success in academia as a physicist.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: It is not impossible but you will have to wisely play to your other strengths.
There are plenty of experimentalists or computational physicists who will not describe themselves as strong in math: they have a good to very good qualitative understanding of the maths, and they will drill down on the specialized maths they need at the appropriate time.
In other words, it is not essential to be technically proficient in math to be successful in physics, but one does need the ability to learn the material in due time.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: As others have answered, it depends on how core the areas of math you're having with are to the type of physics you want to do, and on how much of the problem was how the material was presented to you.
I'm a math Ph.D. and (former) lecturer. There are math courses that are taught in a very theoretical, proofs-from-first-principles, little about applications kind of way. If merely that was not your cup of chai, that says little about your ability to master the applied maths you might actually need for your work. But if you genuinely are having trouble understanding fundamental areas of mathematics, then it does not augur well. First, since you probably need some of that knowledge, and second, since you need the ability to learn maths on the fly when you need it for physics work.
If I were you, and assuming these were core courses for a physics major not some esoteric advanced math elective, I would get a hold of a highly-rated but different textbook for the topics you struggled with. See if that makes any sense to you. If you start reading it, and it's making much more sense (even if some of it stumps you when it's just you reading it), then you're on the right path. But if there's core parts of basic advanced math, like calculus or linear algebra or differential equations, that you just can't get your head around no matter how much you try, then a Ph.D. in physics might be pretty challenging.
I say this as a math Ph.D. who had several areas of math itself that I had a hard time getting my head around, but had no trouble doing research in areas that didn't require it. The issue is not "something is hard for me"; it's whether it's core to your intended area, and whether you have the ability to navigate it better with a 2nd go at it.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Perhaps, you read too much from textbooks only and probably you need change your studying techniques.
Black-and-black textbooks are deficient, while demonstrations with colourful engaging illustrations and animation can enable you to assimilate learning - *quickly*.
**Here are my studying techniques below,** though you might think very little of them. Feel free to delete this question, as I am respectful of criticism.
I read something from textbooks and later research into that by typing keywords in Youtube, Quora, Twitter, Facebook groups, Pinterest, Google Image, etc. Therein, I find plentiful sources for rich brainpicking and so I take screenshots of their works (maths & physics), all for study purpose only. Truthfully, I've taken thousands of screenshots and made digital scrapbooks of them, all pages enclosed with links to sources and attached with my summaries. I use Google Slides for scrapbooking screenshots.
For rich brain-picking, I follow nerds around on the internet, be they professors, engineers, scientists, etc, the likes of <NAME> who has daily posts in Twitter. I read their posts and view their showcased works. From professors in Twitter, I learned about Desmos and GeoGebra, the great sites where many mathematicians frequent. Wonderful calculators there, those for graphs, trigonometry, and so on. Inside Stackoverflow, I explore hubs mostly for brainpicking: namely, Mathematics, Mathematica, MathOverflow, Physics, etc. There, I study exemplary answers to exam-like questions. I see you haven't yet joined those hubs and you should (I checked your profile).
One worthwhile place you ought to visit is Pinterest. Therein, you will find great many gems - colourful engaging pins and boards on all branches of mathematics. See also those on physics or applied mathematics. At Pinterest, type in keywords like quaternions, eigenvectors, tensor calculus, etc and see what you will find. *Innumerable treasures!* I oftentimes find formulae for maths & physics at Pinterest.
At Pinterest, I always have boards for my myriad studies & hobbies, those on mechanical engineering, electronics, programming, etc. I collect them for myself and also for my nieces & nephews.
In Youtube, check out channels by Math Sorcerer, MajorPrep, BlackPenRedPen, 3Blue1Brown, MIT OpenCourseWare, Oxford Mathematics, Numberphile, etc. Math Sorcerer talks about conquering your fears and dealing with failure in math. He should be the first you listen to.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: A lot of the other answers have focused on the difficulty - but not impossibility - of having a career in physics research. I'll just focus on this line:
>
> I am from India and I would like to do my PhD in the US.
>
>
>
Even domestic students would have difficulty being admitted to a reputable graduate program with two C-s in advanced math courses. They would need a good explanation, and an otherwise excellent application. The competition for international students is **much** higher -- fewer slots and more applicants (particularly from certain Asian countries, including India).
So, I would suggest that you should carefully consider your options before you commit to applying to US PhD programs. I would speak to someone who knows your whole portfolio and is familiar with US admissions requirements; they can give you better advice than we can. But I suspect you will have to take a few years to strengthen your application before you are in a position to apply successfully. Perhaps during that time, your longer-term options and goals will become clearer.
Upvotes: 1
|
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| 572
| 2,550
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have joined an institute as an assistant professor from some time. I have done my PhD in computational mathematics. I am very much interested in research and spend lot of time and I really enjoy it. During my Ph.D I have done my research independently as well as some time with Ph.D supervisor. During my Ph.D I use to spend large amount of my time in research. The problem is now I have been involved in academic and other activities, so I am not able to spend that amount of time. I am not able to collaborate with others as there is no collaborator in the university.
**Question** : How to do research after Ph.D when you have less time?<issue_comment>username_1: There are a few ideas. The first is to set aside some time each week for your own research. A few hours in a block, perhaps.
The next is to keep a research notebook (or a small pack of index cards) with you at all times so that you can (a) review existing cards and (b) jot down any ideas that occur. Especially keep ideas for things that might be explored when you have he time.
Third, and very important, is to develop a circle of collaborators wherever you can find them. If not possible at your own university, perhaps at a nearby one. But there are also conferences that you can probably attend and meet people with similar interests. Follow up with authors of papers you find interesting. Modern communication makes even international collaboration quite easy if you all write a common language.
Doctoral study is very intense and most people have few obligations other than the research. That changes for many upon graduation, especially if teaching is a big part of the job. But you can also interest a few advanced undergraduates in your research, perhaps.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: One of the biggest shocks of becoming faculty is that actually doing research is no longer the biggest part of your job.
Certainly for me, the main source of collaboration for research as a faculty member is the graduate students I mentor. With a few hours a week, advising others on their work is a really efficient use of time, and then, when time allows or it is really necessary, I get the pleasure of helping them directly with a particularly difficult problem.
Other than that, I collaborate with people a many different universities, both in different cities in the same country and in other countries. Skype, Slack, various file sharing platforms all make long-distance collaboration perfectly possible in the modern age.
Upvotes: 2
|
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| 3,285
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm doing a research about air pollution . I have annual data that cover 2002-2009 , 2011-2014 ( two sets of data from two sources) and 2017 to 2019 . My question is how can I represent the missing data of the missing years? Will it be zero? Can I draw a line graph with these data or I should do it in a table?? And how to represent the two set of data for the same set years ?
Thanks<issue_comment>username_1: There are a lot of ways, but a bar chart labeled with the years will show a missing bar for each year without data. A footnote or label will explain. But it is also common to connect the tops of each bar with a line from the top center of each bar to the next. This gives an idea of trend. It is most useful if there is a general trend otherwise, rather than chaotic data.
More sophisticated would be a non-linear interpolation given the data points that you have. Overlay the interpolation graph on the bar chart, perhaps. It would take a bit of trial and error to choose the interpolation though.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You are approaching the question from the wrong angle. In essence, you assume that there are canonical ways to show particular data. But that's not true. In the beginning, there is just data, i.e., raw numbers. Then, as the author of an article/thesis/book, you want to use this data as a way to illustrate a point you're making, and the way you show the data is chosen in such a way to make this point in a way that makes it easiest for a reader to *understand* what it is you're trying to explain. What this way to show the data is depends crucially on what you're trying to explain.
To give an example:
* If you have rainfall data from each month (January to December) from 2000 to 2019 with two months every year missing (meteorologist is on vacation every year in July and August), and you want to illustrate which months form the rainy season, then maybe a bar chart would be appropriate where each bar indicates the *average* for that month over the years. In that case, there would simply be no bars at all for the missing months. If your bars start at 0 mm rain per month, then missing bars can be obtained by just using zero data, though it's still useful to indicate the missing data in the text or the caption.
* If, on the other hand, you have the same data set and your goal is to illustrate inter-annual variability, then you can't show averages and it's also not useful to show a plot with 12x20=240 bars because you want people to see how different the 20 years' January rainfall is. In that case, you probably want to again show a plot with 12 x-values (one for each month), and each year's data would result in one point that you might want to connect to the previous and following month's data point by a thin line. This way, you'd overlay 20 curves in the same graph. Again, the missing months would not have any data points, and I'd probably also not plot any lines between the June data point and the September data point to make clear that there really is no information.
The point I'm trying to make here is that one can not answer the question of what the best way to show data is, unless we know *what it is you're trying to say with your graphics*.
Upvotes: 2
|
2019/12/27
| 1,880
| 7,935
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have several questions regarding the writing of SoP (for math Ph.D. admission to some US universities), which are written down sequentially. There may be some vague questions. I will be helpful in any comments. Thanks in advance.
1. One of the US university ask only SoP describing background and interests, no CV at all. Should I write all necessary details like my past achievements, which course I have attended(sort intro to the key topics of these syllabi), my CGPA, or percentage of marks in my SoP?
2. Should I include any professor's(of the university where I am going to apply) name and his work(some articles and books) that I used in my past study?
3. Is there any rule of decorating the SoP, I mean use of margin, font size, space between paragraphs. I asked this question because, in some lines, I have to write some mathematical notation(contained in the name of a topic), and in this case, I have to use Latex. So is there any problem If I submit it as a .pdf file made by latex language?
4. Should I include any sentence like, "I have plan to take some courses on..... in the upcoming semester''? Here upcoming means, if a grad school selects me, then the gap between the joining and current semester.
5. If some grad school offers an independent study program, should I write a sentence like " the independent study program of your university is also a flexible way of enhancing my knowledge required for research"? I know that I am intended to join as a research student, but still, not all requirements can not be completed just after passing the MS degree, at least in case myself.
6. After completing the MS program, I have joined some university in the home country as a regular Ph.D. student. So there is a one year gap between passing MS degree and applying for US university. So should I write what I have done in this gap year of that particular university? I have done some credit courses (in this gap year) that are helpful for research in my domain.<issue_comment>username_1: I think your overarching question is "What do I include in a statement of purpose for US PhD applications". You can find several great answers to that question if you search this forum. Further there are many, many sample SoPs available online. If you review previous forum answers as well as sample SoPs, you will be able to answer these very specific questions on your own.
And please do have a native English speaker proofread your SoP, your CV, and all other application material before you submit.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I won't deal with the specific questions, but give general advice.
The primary thing that your application *must* show is that you are a great candidate for success in whatever you are applying to. For application to degree programs, there are normally three components:
The CV is intended to show your past accomplishments. This brings you to NOW, but details the past.
The SoP is intended for you to mention your goals and how your past enables you to achieve them. It should be entirely forward looking.
The Letters of Recommendation give an independent view of people who should know of the likelihood of your success.
But if you can't submit a CV for some application then the SoP has to do double duty. Hopefully it can be long enough to detail your past, but it should *still* be focused on your future and how you intend to achieve it and can be expected to.
But you don't need to list everything from your past in such a combination document. List, primarily, those things that are enablers of your goals and show how they make you a good fit for the program you apply to.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: As others have noted, we discourage long lists of questions. It's better to post separate questions that are meaty enough to stand on their own. But I'll take a stab at it (disclaimer: not a mathematician).
>
> One of the US university ask only SoP describing background and interests, no CV at all. Should I write all necessary details like my past achievements, which course I have attended(sort intro to the key topics of these syllabi), my CGPA, or percentage of marks in my SoP?
>
>
>
Usually they will request your transcripts, which contain this information. Still, describing past achievements is usually appropriate, as this describes the foundation for your future plans.
>
> Should I include any professors(of the university where I am going to apply) name and his work(some articles and books) that I used in my past study?
>
>
>
There are a lot of posts on this site about how and when to mention specific professors that you might hope to work with. Being familiar with a professor's textbook or article might be worth discussing with that professor, if you reach out to them. But it's a bit strange to mention it in an SoP, unless you work it in as a "fun fact" rather than a serious topic.
>
> Is there any rule of decorating the SoP, I mean use of margin, font size, space between paragraphs. I asked this question because, in some lines, I have to write some mathematical notation(contained in the name of a topic), and in this case, I have to use Latex. So is there any problem If I submit it as a .pdf file made by latex language?
>
>
>
This is entirely down to your university's rules. I would expect that most would accept a PDF. But I would also suggest that mathematical notation should be kept to a minimum (and Microsoft Word is able to handle fairly sophisticated mathematical notation, though it is painful).
>
> Should I include any sentence like, "I have plan to take some courses on..... in the upcoming semester''? Here upcoming means, if a grad school selects me, then the gap between the joining and current semester.
>
>
>
It can't hurt, but again, this should not be the focus of your SoP. Your SoP should focus on your achievements, interests, and plans. I suggests reading some other posts about SoPs on this site -- there are lots of common traps (e.g., far too many SoPs talk about inane childhood stories; this is a professional document and should focus on your professional interests and plans).
>
> If some grad school offers an independent study program, should I write a sentence like " the independent study program of your university is also a flexible way of enhancing my knowledge required for research"? I know that I am intended to join as a research student, but still, not all requirements can not be completed just after passing the MS degree, at least in case myself.
>
>
>
I don't really understand why a PhD program would offer independent study. In any case, mentioning your familiarity and approval of any university's particularities is a good thing. But I would work on the writing -- your sentence is very long and contains no real information other than your familiarity with this requirement's existence.
>
> After completing the MS program, I have joined some university in the home country as a regular Ph.D. student. So there is a one year gap between passing MS degree and applying for US university. So should I write what I have done in this gap year of that particular university? I have done some credit courses (in this gap year) that are helpful for research in my domain.
>
>
>
Sure, this is part of your narrative. But I would expect them to require a transcript from this school, so you don't need to dwell on it.
Finally, one unsolicited comment: I would seriously consider hiring an editing service (ideally one familiar with academic norms) to help you revise your document. In my experience (and basing this off the writing in your question), a good editor would be able to take 4-5 pages from you and help you cut it down to a very well-written 1.5-2 pages, just by deleting and rewording. And you will learn a lot from watching them do this; this is a very valuable skill.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
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2019/12/27
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| 7,333
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm currently an assistant professor at a US university, three years away from coming up for tenure. Recently, a former colleague of mine who is a professor at a university in the UK approached me about joining their institution, as they were advertising a search in my area for all ranks (Lecturer-Professor).
Even though the interview didn't go particularly well in my opinion, I just got a job offer for Reader. However, their offer would effectively require me to take a 40% salary cut. When I applied, there was a form that asked me about my current salary. After asking about this, they replied that my current salary was not taken into account as it would create a "salary anomaly" with respect to what other Readers are being paid and that the salary isn't negotiable. Note that their job ad only stated a very broad salary range (for all ranks) and hence I did not anticipate this before applying.
1. Is this the usual experience when applying for academic jobs in the UK? Or, does this perhaps indicate that my application wasn't perceived to be particularly good after all?
2. They also stated that Reader is a "leadership position" in contrast to my current position and hence it would be a promotion. However, it's not exactly clear to me what this means in practice: Apart from the obvious advantage of not having to go through the tenure process, what other benefits does a Reader position provide over Assistant Professor?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, UK salaries are currently significantly lower than US salaries at most ranks, and don't have much room for negotiation outside of a standard range. The only exception to this is "professor" in the UK (which is often closer to distinguished professor in the US) where there's more latitude for higher salaries.
One major reason for the salary gap is that as recently as Summer 2015 the pound was worth nearly 1.6 US dollars. If it comes back up then their offer would be more competitive, while if it goes down further then the offer will look even worse.
The only meaningful advantages I can see of a Reader over a US Assistant professor as a position is that there's more job security. But presumably if you're a strong candidate for a Readership you shouldn't be too worried about tenure, and at many US schools this offer would get you tenure this year in a retention package. (There are lots of advantages and disadvantages of UK vs. US which I won't get into, I'm only talking about the rank comparison.)
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: To add a bit more to the other fine answer:
1. There is a set and published salary range for Senior Lecturer/Reader at each UK University, and they are all close to the same. At my (and other) UK Unis this is grade 9. If you search for the University in question's salary scales, you can see the grade 9 range and that is what you have to work with. They cannot offer you more without making you a professor and making you a professor would be strange indeed (see 2)
2. Untenured assistant professor to reader is really quite a big promotion in UK terms. You started at what we'd call Lecturer and you've skipped a whole academic rank (Senior Lecturer) that most people would spend a few years at. As a reader you may be asked to serve as head of department, or on higher level University committees, etc. Yet the service jobs wont be as onerous as those for being a professor. You might get a further teaching buyout due to taking on some of these service roles. You'll have less teaching than the US anyway. As you are in a promoted position, more funding opportunities will be available to you via the research councils as you'll look senior on your CV. You also have the ability to apply for promotion to professor in your next promotion round (or as soon as you feel like you have the evidence). Reader is quite a good position to be in.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: In my view it is completely misleading to compare salaries at all as you are ignoring the cost of living and other differences. You seem to be equating a UK salary with seniority based on a strict conversion to USD and seeing where that fits in the salary scale. This position is definitely a promotion.
The best way that I know of to compare salaries is to find the average (pre-tax) salary for both locations and compare the salary based on what multiple it is of the average. This gives a relative 'well-offness' rating.
However, UK academic salaries have the oddity that they are essentially the same wherever you are working. Really a lecturer salary in London is unliveable but is very good in say Northern England. Even a reader salary would be a struggle to live on in London if you were trying to support a family. So you definitely need to consider the cost of living in your comparison. Use a property rental site to get an idea as housing would be the biggest expense.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Comparing salaries across the Atlantic is really difficult, because there is so much difference in what they have to cover. It's worth using a cost-of-living index from the web to compare your old and new cities, but then you need to allow for differences in Healthcare costs, education costs if you have kids, the greater level of municipal services provided out of taxation... In general there's less you have to pay for in the UK. If you're potentially staying for a long time, then most UK academic jobs come with good pensions, where "behind the scenes" your employer currently contributes over 20% of your gross salary (this is currently under threat, and so may not continue to be the case. But it'll still remain better than the usually non-existent employer contributions in the US).
With all that said, under the current exchange rate a UK Reader is still likely to earn less than a US Professor (which is roughly the equivalent rank), but the differences can be smaller than they first appear.
As others have said, there are fixed national pay spines that most UK universities adhere to. You can find this with a search engine. Reader would usually be a Band 9 job (check the job ad to confirm), and there will be a range of salary points within Band 9. Within the band, the spine point is down to the individual institution. A common approach is for people to start at the bottom of their band and move up by one point each year, until they "max out" at the top of the band - at which point pay rises don't stop, because the pay scale as a whole is negotiated nationally each year, but they slow down dramatically. Universities can start people at a higher point within the band - a common reason is that somebody was previously earning more elsewhere - but the given reason of not paying the new guy more than existing staff of similar rank is a plausible one.
Jumping from Assistant Prof to Reader is a big leap up the academic ladder - some would argue that it skips a level - and while of course there will be personal considerations around any relocation, the biggest "advantage" is that you get this on your CV - so if, in a few years time, you find yourself moving back to the US, you will probably be looking to do so at full US Professor level (I'm not sure if/how "bypassing" the tenure process like that works, but that's a different question)
Upvotes: 3
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2019/12/28
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<issue_start>username_0: I've seen and been with people with a master's degree that haven't gone to any Universities. They acquired a degree by submitting a papers correspondingly to their field of interest. How is this possible? Where is it possible to publish those papers? How can one publish those.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that what you describe, especially acquiring a degree without university association, would be very rare, if it is even possible. Degrees are normally awarded by universities and there are usually many requirements. In particular here are normally attendance and course requirements, especially below the doctoral level.
If someone is in a degree program then a course might earn credit from on or more publications. There are also dissertations/theses that are primarily based on publications. But even those are normally done under direction of an advisor at a university.
I don't know the practices everywhere in the world, of course, but I would question whether the information you have is actually true. Is it possible someone has misled you?
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I suppose it’s possible to physically not attend a university and still complete a degree, by correspondence, distance education or such similar means, or take courses for a graduate degree remotely and submit a thesis also remotely.
Either way, this is a distinction between being physically on site *vs* off-side, rather than just submitting a thesis without having been enrolled in a program. Most graduate programs have a coursework components, so if find it difficult to believe one can just submit a paper and get a degree (at least a reputable degree... whatever that means: I’m sure one can find corrupt institutions who will just sell you a degree with very minimal requirements.)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Perhaps you are thinking of a "PhD by publication", which is a different thing. See, for example, <https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2018/08/20/a-phd-by-publication-is-a-great-way-to-build-your-academic-profile-but-be-mindful-of-its-challenges/>
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/28
| 687
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<issue_start>username_0: After being in "Under Review" status for 4.5 months (before that it stayed in "Reviewing" status for 3 weeks), I get the following cold rejection without any review report or review comments. How to deal with this cold rejection? If it had come much early, without going into "Under Review", I would have saved time (valuable for an independent researcher. I am not disheartened by rejection but the lack of review report or comments.
>
> Dear Professor XXXXX,
>
>
> This message concerns the manuscript
>
>
> XXXXX A XXXXX(XX) XXXXX XX XXXXX by XXXXX XXXXX
>
>
> submitted to the Journal of XXXXX & XXXXX.
>
>
> We regret that we cannot consider it, in part because at present we
> have a large backlog of excellent articles awaiting publication. We
> are thus forced to return articles that might otherwise be considered.
>
>
> Thank you for considering the Journal of XXXXX & XXXXX.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> XXXXX XXX University of XXXXX, XXXXX Editor - XXXXX & XXXXX
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: Educated guess of what happened: they invited reviewers (which automatically updates the status even if the reviewers don't agree to review). Some/many of the reviewers then declined to review, giving reasons that made the editor decide to desk reject your paper.
I'm not a mathematician, but from what I've heard, 4.5 months is not a particularly long wait for mathematics papers. If so, it's not really fair to say the journal treated your manuscript in a subpar manner.
There's nothing you can do about this except submit to a lower-tier journal.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As always there’s a 1000 combinations of situations where this can arise. Let’s assume as stated there is a surplus of submissions.
One scenario would be the editor cannot so easily find a referee from the usual pool - the usual referees are busy with other papers - so the editor contacts someone who agrees only to write back to the editor after 3 weeks “Sorry I really have no time I can’t help you”. The editor gives up, rightfully claiming everyone busy.
If this post is current, note that this is end of term in many schools, with exams to prepare or mark on deadlines.
There is no reason for an editor to “lie” if the manuscript is contemptible: it just shovels a bad manuscript in the lap of someone else. Much better be concise and polite and state - if this is *prima fasciae* unpublishable, that the manuscript in its current form does not raise to the level expected of articles in the journal. No hard feelings. Move on.
Upvotes: 0
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2019/12/29
| 1,551
| 6,651
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<issue_start>username_0: Some months ago, in the context of a workshop, two graduate students (from other PhD advisors) and myself found a technique to solve a certain problem that could give a nice research publication.
I am trying to push the project, mostly because this can be beneficial for both students in the last period of their PhD studies. However, the problem I encounter is the following: one of the students does not want to make the work/is not interested anymore in it. I have written her a couple of times saying that would be good that we go through the project but she never replied. So it seems to me that she does not have any interest on the project (while the second student does).
If it were the case of a PhD student of mine, in a very similar situation, I would talk with him/her seriously but due to the situation that she is not an student of mine I do not know which is the best way to act.
How should I proceed?<issue_comment>username_1: This is tricky for a couple of reasons. Adding a person as a co-author of a paper requires, at least, their agreement. Normally it also requires actual contribution to the work, but that idea is compromised in some fields, such as when a PI only contributes funds that make the research possible. Second, even giving an acknowledgement to a person normally requires their permission. This is more important in some fields than others. But if you attribute controversial statements to another you need their permission, generally.
However, there is nothing especially wrong about pushing someone a bit to elicit their permission or participation. This is especially true if you don't have a power (superior-inferior) relationship with them. Forcing subordinates is often done, though usually wrong. But that doesn't seem to be the relationship here.
I would send them each a note that you would like to pursue the topic and publish some results when done. Offer them co-authorship if they will participate effectively, but only acknowledgement of past contributions otherwise. Suggest that they talk it over with their own advisors. Then evaluate what you hear back.
I'm assuming above that all results so far are preliminary and tentative.
If there is nothing to do but the writing or minor clean-up this would be a different situation. In that case, write it up with all of you as co-authors and send it to them for approval or updating. Yes, you would be doing a large part of the work yourself, but that might be worth the effort.
The tricky thing here is that I don't know how much contribution each has made so far. Perhaps they are already *due* co-authorship of anything you produce. You will need to deal with that collectively.
If they have already contributed substantially, then a joint publication seems warranted (three co-authors). For that, all you need to do is get their permission. If they are unable to help work on the paper (no time, advisor objects, ...) then this might be your best option. Even a generous interpretation of *substantially* might be warranted.
I assume that, unless the topic is controversial, a publication is more valuable to them than to you, who already have a position.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I think what you may be asking relates less to actually getting this work done and more to how far should you go in, as you put it, talking with him/her "seriously" if they are not your PhD student. In other words, you are asking if it is right to use this as a teaching moment and talk to the PhD student about what types of opportunities they should be seriously considering and what types of academic behaviour they should engage in regarding communication and correspondence. In other words, what is your role as the non-supervisor in advising this student about their career choices.
The answer is that it isn't your job to interfere if neither the student nor their supervisor has asked you to give career advice or mentorship. It sounds like this student's loss, but you do risk stepping on toes or violating what the student has already agreed to with their supervisor. If, for example, this student is easily distracted by side projects, the supervisor may have told them to focus only on their PhD right now just to get it done, and while it is rude to not respond to you with this information, you pushing the matter might challenge what their supervisor has said to them.
One possibility might be to have a chat about this opportunity with the student's supervisor if you know them...and ask if your mentorship on this matter is welcome.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: To add to what username_1 said;
If you come up with a good idea that someone else further develops, you're entitled to some credit. In fact, you're entitled to a sincere invitation to a collaboration.
But if you had the idea but don't want to do any work on it, you're not entitled to a work-free co-authorship. You're also not entitled to keep squatting on the idea and obstruct others from doing anything with it.
---
So in your case, you should make it very clear to the students that they're welcome to get involved as co-authors, or to do nothing and get a nice acknowledgement.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> How should I proceed?
>
>
>
* **Do not** continue to implore the uniniterested Ph.D. candidate to pursue the project. Whether it's a good idea for her to drop the project or not - it is her decision to make. You've mostly exhausted the extent to which it is legitimate to pressure them (except, perhaps, when you meet her face-to-face, you could ask her about it in the context of not having received a reply to your email; but again, don't press the matter too much).
* **Do** ask the uninterested Ph.D. candidate for permission to pursue the project further without her, including publishing papers, software, etc. She might not answer - in that case you're in the territory of a "contributor XYZ could not be reached" on future published work.
* **Do** remember to give appropriate credit to the uninterested Ph.D. candidate if and when you do publish something, even though she gave up the work. That may mean offering her co-authorship even though she "lazied out" on some of the effort, or an acknowledgement for her initial contribution - depending on the specifics.
* **Do** ask the interested Ph.D. candidate if there are unusual circumstances involving their uninterested colleague which be causing this situation (e.g. health issues); but
* **Do not** pry into the uninterested Ph.D. candidate's private life to figure out what's going on with her.
Upvotes: 3
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2019/12/29
| 459
| 1,905
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<issue_start>username_0: I am applying to summer schools for undergraduates in the US and all of them ask for a CV(in addition to other documents like a cover letter).
While I understand that a CV should be more descriptive than a resume, is it generally acceptable if a CV is 2 pages long for a 3rd year undergraduate in Physics, or I should make sure that my CV is limited to only one page even if that means I will have to leave out some information that I believe is relevant?<issue_comment>username_1: I think two pages are fine unless otherwise specified. However, I would order its content so that more distinctive traits are more visable (at least on the first page). These would be publications, projects, awards and honors.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Do NOT remove or leave out relevant information. Somewhat counterintuitively, long CVs are perfectly acceptable in academia.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I disagree with other commenters. I would absolutely recommend limiting the CV to one page. I don't want to speculate, but as a 3rd year student, you probably do not have much experience to mention anyway... Therefore, I think your CV is quite loose and not really compact.
You need to tidy your CV and compactify it. For your case, your CV must have the following properties in my opinion:
1. Contain every experience you have
2. Be easy to read and skim; i.e one page
3. Nice and simple layout
4. Content must be short, descriptive and on point. CVs are not essays, but they are not lists of key words either.
Don't leave large margins, and don't leave much space between content. At the same time, the CV must be readable and organized, and when printed, the font must be easy to read.
If you did all that and you still end up with more than one page I would be surprised! Nonetheless, at this point you might want to consider more than one page CV.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/29
| 1,595
| 6,592
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<issue_start>username_0: Both ChemRxiv (<https://chemrxiv.org/>) as well as arXiv (<https://arxiv.org/>) are services for publishing preprints.
arXiv focusses on physics, mathematics, computer science (CS) and some more topics. From the questions and answers in this discussion forum, I got the impression that publishing a preprint on arXiv at least in some disciplines is rather common as an accepted way to have your work published.
In contrast, in a chemistry context, it seems that publishing preprints is far less common, and I as a chemist only know of ChemRxiv because I wondered myself if a preprint service exists for chemistry related research. At the institutions I have worked so far, this was never considered at all. Only peer reviewed publications count.
Provided that my impressions are correct: Why is there such a relatively low acceptance for preprints in chemistry as compared to other disciplines? Or the other way around: Why do some disciplines value preprints higher than others? Especially in CS related questions, it seemed to me that arXiv is suggested rather frequently. Are preprints in other disciplines really helpful for the publication record?<issue_comment>username_1: *Clarifying note: this addresses the main thrust of question regarding preprints: even in preprint-happy disciplines, preprints are **not** a replacement for peer-review.*
It's really just cultural, and in twenty years this will likely look like a silly question to a newer generation of researchers.
The preprint movement happened to [start in physics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArXiv#History), which may have been predisposed to it due to the use of TeX and the long lead-times of much work in both theoretical and experimental physics. The arXiv merely formalized this practice, then helped enable it to spread to other closely culturally related fields---particularly the more theoretical portions of those fields.
The next big cultural leap was [bioRxiv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioRxiv), moving into the field of biology. The barriers to starting there were, once again, facilitated by cross-disciplinary linkages, this time with the more mathematical bioinformatics sorts of researchers, who had gained experience and comfort with preprint publishing on arXiv. For the past few years, bioRxiv has been growing explosively and as the community is embracing it, so are the journals, creating a feedback loop of growth.
With these two examples now so successful and the pressure for open science continuing to build, there is now a mass radiation of attempts at the same model for other fields, not just ChemRxiv, but also [PsyArXiv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PsyArXiv), [SocArXiv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SocArXiv), [EarthArXiv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EarthArXiv), [engrXiv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EngrXiv), etc. Between this ongoing explosion and other preprint models, it seems likely that preprint acceptance and availability will continue to grow rapidly throughout most of the scientific community.
In short: the difference in attitudes about preprints between physics and chemistry is a transient state that exists right now because chemists currently happen to be in the middle of a cultural transition that physics went through a couple of decades ago.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The main problem is that your impressions seem to be incorrect. (At least from my maths perspective) Putting a preprint on arxiv is just that, namely putting up a preprint. Almost everything put on arxiv will be sent of to a peer reviewed venue as well, usually at the same time (there are exceptions, e.g. when people put up non-articles such as lecture notes for posterity). It is useful to make a result widely available and in cases even to establish priority, but it is not "proper" publishing and generally is not accepted as such. It is just a way to put the result out there right now instead of waiting until it is published (which in cases can take years).
In a way this approach is an attempt to please both sides. The bean-counters and bureaucrats who care about numerical "publication record" generally ignore arxiv and look at peer reviewed stuff only. But the actual peers reading your papers care more about the content than about the venue it is published in. (Though they still will cite the published version if available)
Also keep in mind that people can only cite what they actually know about. And in some disciplines, the use of arxiv is so prevalent that it also functions as a unified source. Since every preprint is on there anyway, many people only check the new releases on arxiv, so not releasing a preprint is not an option anymore.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: **In short, preprints are newer in chemistry due to historical roadblocks.**
Many chemists (including myself) have put preprints on arXiv for years - although mostly in the theoretical or physical chemistry subdisciplines.
[ChemRxiv](https://chemrxiv.org) is a new development, starting only in August 2017, mostly because chemistry journals, particularly including [American Chemical Society](https://pubs.acs.org) journals would consider pre-prints as "prior publication" during submission and would therefore reject such manuscripts outright.
There were several previous attempts to have pre-prints in chemistry, but when [ChemRxiv](https://chemrxiv.org) was launched with the backing of the ACS, other leading world-wide chemical societies, and "buy-in" from top journals, it started to gain traction. In 2018, [J. Amer. Chem. Soc. (JACS)](https://twitter.com/J_A_C_S/status/1031300824889208833?s=20) also started accepting preprints - coming from one of the few remaining holdouts - was another strong signal of acceptance.
I find some colleagues still reluctant to submit, for fear of being "scooped" between a preprint appearing and the final manuscript acceptance.
However, I will almost always submit a preprint as the manuscript is submitted:
* It indicates priority - sometimes the review process is long and the preprint will be available for others to read and cite.
* I can cite the preprint in grant applications or project reports, since a DOI is assigned when published. Several grant reviewers have appreciated this.
* It offers a centralized "open access" version for manuscripts.
* I can discuss the work online and gain interest in the paper. I often receive comments outside the review process. (Indeed, I have found the preprint gets more useful comments than most reviews.)
Upvotes: 4
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2019/12/29
| 1,732
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<issue_start>username_0: My friend had to take their test separately, because of a certain disability, before everyone else had to take the same test. They were supervised by a staff member and when the staff member left the room they decided to take pictures of the exam and proceeded to send it to a few classmates that were going to take the test in the next few days. The professors became aware that the test was compromised (leaked) and made a new test in 45 min that covered harder material. The professors sent out an email saying they were tracking down the student(s) involved. Should my friend come clean or transfer before the professors are able to suspend or expel them?
Any advice will be helpful - thank you<issue_comment>username_1: Your friend engaged in outright cheating. In nearly all universities, what they did is a major violation of the codes of conduct that students are rightly expected to abide by. This isn't a "grey area" situation, your friend knowingly did something that was very wrong and I cannot imagine that the university authorities will see much cause to show leniency in this case. Further, as there were likely only a limited number of student who took the test early, your friend is likely to be caught. The professors probably already suspect who it is and are gathering evidence. I doubt your friend will have time to go through the whole process of transferring before they are found out. Further, if one of the few students who took the test early suddenly applied to transfer, it would look quite suspicious.
In this situation, there really isn't much that your friend can do. The ethical thing to do would be to admit what they did and accept the consequences, with the faint hope that coming clean will lead to some degree of leniency. That said, if self preservation is the only concern, they can sure attempt to transfer before they are caught.
As for you, as a budding academic, choose your colleagues and friends wisely. People's bad actions can rub off on you and they can bring you down with them. Someone willing to do this is a poor friend to have indeed.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Your friend knowingly violated code of conduct. A large number of your classmates know exactly who was the source of the leak. It is only a matter of time before professors know who did it and collect sufficient evidence. Then the case will be sent to an academic misconduct panel and they will decide what penalty to assign.
Harsh penalty is quite likely. First, as [username_1](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/110168/grotesquesi) mentioned, this is not a grey area — all students know that this is outright cheating. But second factor is that your friend was provided with a special opportunity to take their exam in a way which takes their condition in account. Managing special accommodations for students during the peak times is difficult and requires extra commitment from academic staff. However, universities want to help all students to realise their full academic potential and staff are usually happy to go an extra mile to help this happening. Your friend responded to this help by cheating, which meant that professors have to put even more effort in a very short time to prepare a new exam. This seems to me like a significant factor which shows that the student does not respect staff time or the special support already provided to them.
I think that your friend has to accept that they did a bad thing, they have to own their mistake, come clean and accept the consequence. And never repeat this mistake.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I have to disagree with the other answers. In all universities where I studied and worked (only in Europe) there was never a rule that students were not allowed to distribute exam questions after a test. Indeed, I find it somewhat strange that a professor gives the same test twice or leaves the student alone (if the exams are in short distance of each other).
Some details are missing from the question. If there is a rule that this is not allowed or the professors mentioned that they should not share the exam questions, what they did is clearly wrong and they should come forward.
In absence of such a rule (for me, it is not at all clear that "every student knows this" as it is said in another answer), your friend is in my opinion ethically in the right. However, a professor might often do nasty things/threaten the student even if they have no basis to do so. In this case, I would talk to my student union/maybe even a lawyer and discuss the case with them if it is wise or not to come forward. (This may also depend on specific details such as how many students were taking this test earlier.)
Edit: Some people have misunderstood my point so I try to make it clearer: If the student was told that the second exam will have the same questions as the first, my second paragraph applies: Then, they would have implicitely been told not to speak about the exam. In this case, what they did was clearly wrong, period. Then they should come forward and accept the appropriate consequences.
On the other hand, if the student was not aware of the exam questions being equal, my third paragraph applies: The student should consult a student union or lawyer. In this case, they did nothing wrong -- how could they possibly figure out the professors lazyness?
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> What happens if a student takes pictures of a test and sends it to classmates that have not already taken it?
>
>
>
This matter should be covered by the code of conduct of the institution, in terms of procedures, consequences, and factors that determine the level of punishment (including potential factors that ameliorate the gravity of the issue).
For instance, [regulations](https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/services/assets/documents/examination-procedures-for-candidates.pdf) of the London School of Economics states:
>
> 8.3 Cheating
>
>
> The School takes exam offences extremely seriously and will investigate all allegations. If an allegation against you is substantiated, **it may lead to your expulsion**. You should read the Regulations on Assessment Offences to ensure you avoid behaviour which could lead to an allegation of cheating. This document draws your attention to some of the ways in which you could potentially be thought to be cheating. However, this is by no means comprehensive.
>
>
>
The University of London [states](https://london.ac.uk/current-students/examinations/rules-assessment-offences-and-cheating):
>
> If we receive a report claiming that you have committed an offence, your results for the year will automatically be withheld whilst your case is investigated.
>
>
> Students who are found to be guilty of breaking the rules may receive a penalty, ranging from a warning, through to cancellation of a module, an entire year’s work or, in very serious cases, termination of registration.
>
>
>
You should read your institution's regulations but if they are well designed, you would expect enough flexibility for them to do what they think appropriate, including expulsion.
PS: Into the more practical question of your friend, what I would definitively try to do is to mitigate potential spreading of the issue into social media. The reputational damages but also the trolling can seriously damage a person's life, which imo is never justified.
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/29
| 541
| 2,349
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a second-year Assistant Professor in an engineering department at a US university. I did my Ph.D. in a non-US university and post-docs in the USA. I have a two papers that my Ph.D. students are about to submit, with 5 and 7 authors respectively. A Ph.D. student of mine will be first author in each of those, since he contributed the most, no doubt whatsoever with this.
But what is best for me? I am definitely the person who contributed the most after my student. I had always assumed that I should be the second author. A colleague in Europe told me, however, "Are you crazy? You should be the last author of the list, which is the most prestigious spot after the first author! The main PI or person who helped most the student is always the last author in the list!" So now I am doubting my choice.
Where should my name be on the list, given that I am the main PI and I helped the most? I know it is surely not the main factor for tenure, but I'd like to do this in the most correct way.<issue_comment>username_1: The answer for appropriate author order is very dependent on the culture of your (sub)field. For example, if you are a computer engineer, you should probably be second author, while if you are a biological engineer, you should probably be last author. Follow whatever you see others doing in the venues where you are submitting.
That said, these days it is often possible to make the contributions explicit so that there are no questions about contribution. Many journals now request or require an "author contributions" section that attributes specific work to specific authors. Even if the venue that you are submitting to does not have such a requirement, you can still add that information into the acknowledgements section. Furthermore, [the CRediT taxonomy](https://casrai.org/credit/) provides a set of standard widely-recognized roles that are useful for describing such work.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Your colleague was right. Whatever your contributions or advice/information aimed at resolving a problem are important but all that thing was done by your student so you should be always at second position. Moreover, if there have another CO-PI in their research then their name would be the last.
The order should be
1. Student or researcher
2. PI
3. CO-PI
Upvotes: -1
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2019/12/30
| 639
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<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for a PhD position, and I am required to attach a cover letter with the application.
In the advertisement for the position, the main contact person is the "Head of the PhD program", so it feels natural to address the letter to him.
**My question**: As this person is also an Associate Professor of Mathematics, which title should I use when stating his address information?
My first intuition was to write:
>
> Name Surname, Head of PhD program
>
>
> (other address information)
>
>
>
but this might be a bit unfortunate as he is also an associate professor, which could be considered to be a title of greater value.
Alternatively I could just write:
>
> Name Surname, Associate Professor of Mathematics
>
>
> (other address information)
>
>
>
but then it sort of misses the point of why I am addressing the letter to him (though this might be obvious to someone working at their department).
I could also add both:
>
> Name Surname
>
>
> Associate Professor of Mathematics and Head of PhD program
>
>
> (other address information)
>
>
>
Is there a standard way?
The university has their own online system for applying, so this might not be all too important. Nevertheless, I want to make sure everything is right.<issue_comment>username_1: The answer for appropriate author order is very dependent on the culture of your (sub)field. For example, if you are a computer engineer, you should probably be second author, while if you are a biological engineer, you should probably be last author. Follow whatever you see others doing in the venues where you are submitting.
That said, these days it is often possible to make the contributions explicit so that there are no questions about contribution. Many journals now request or require an "author contributions" section that attributes specific work to specific authors. Even if the venue that you are submitting to does not have such a requirement, you can still add that information into the acknowledgements section. Furthermore, [the CRediT taxonomy](https://casrai.org/credit/) provides a set of standard widely-recognized roles that are useful for describing such work.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Your colleague was right. Whatever your contributions or advice/information aimed at resolving a problem are important but all that thing was done by your student so you should be always at second position. Moreover, if there have another CO-PI in their research then their name would be the last.
The order should be
1. Student or researcher
2. PI
3. CO-PI
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: for background: I am a second year Master's student in computer science. I had gone to the same university for undergrad. For my undergrad honors thesis (during last two semesters), I worked with a Professor on a paper which I had designed and implemented, and eventually wrote the manuscript for. The Professor was pleased with the work and the paper was submitted to the top journal in the field. This was over half a year ago. I stopped/withdrew from officially doing research 4 months ago, and two weeks ago the journal got back to us and said the paper can be accepted with major revisions.
The professor is excited of course, and I had told him that I would be available if further work is needed on this, but I honestly, honestly do not want to do research anymore. I am also in the processes of interviewing/finding a job among some other things, so I have a lot of things on my mind. But it would be leaving unfinished work that I started, and this seems very unprofessional. Since I worked on the manuscript/project alone, I feel like it would be a burden to him and others for me to just drop the paper because I'm "busy". It would also be going back on my word that I would be "available".
Basically, I feel bad. I'm not taking research for credit/graduation requirements, but I just feel bad. I have had trouble concentrating on anything for the past two weeks because this is constantly on my mind.
Question: How can I go about telling the Professor I don't want to work on this paper anymore? It is winter break right now, so I would be telling him over email. The professor is expecting me to begin working on the paper the second week of January.
Any advice or criticism is appreciated, thank you in advance. (Sorry that this is a child-like/emotion-based question, I'm not very good these types of things)<issue_comment>username_1: I suggest that you frame it differently. Don't consider whether it is "professional" or not. Think about what you want to do for yourself, including how you want to interact with the professor. These may be in conflict, I understand. But it is your life.
My suggestion is that you work with the professor, even if only a bit. Having a publication never hurts and might help. But having a friend in academia is also a plus.
Contributing ideas to the work is probably not a huge burden on time. And it might even be that approaching the project with a "light touch" rather than intensively (as you probably did in the past), might change your perceptions a bit about research for the future.
But if you need to back out, do it explicitly.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: For respecting your previous hard work and not wasting it, you can try not to quit halfaway, despite of the reasons behind quitting.
As you said, the professor is excited, so see if you can ask him for help, or tell him the reasons behind quitting, especially that the required changes on your work to be accepted and published will not exhaust you as starting research from scratcg. The professor will advise you, especially that your paper is accepted in the top journal of the field as you said, so if it is published in this journal, this may open more chances for you
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: From a mathematician's point of view (I think the situation is fairly similar in CS): It should suffice to leave your research in a state where others can pick it up. For example:
* Any preprints that are sufficiently presentable (if not necessarily polished enough for a referee's tastes) can be posted on a preprint repository, if necessary with comments about what parts need changes. If a refereeing process is already underway, and if you **really** want it out of your eyes, you can ask your coauthors or perhaps even other colleagues familiar with the project to take over the necessary correspondence and editing (although the latter arrangement is unusual). Otherwise, I suggest that you handle communication with referees for all papers you have already submitted.
* Any work that hasn't progressed far enough to have presentable results can be handed over to some academics you trust, with explicit guidance as to what can be done with it (e.g., can they assign it to students? finish it on their own? send it to others?) and what sort of attribution you expect (e.g., coauthorship or acknowledgments).
People won't mind you stopping to do research (at least not in math and CS; it's different in other disciplines where you have labs and collaborators heavily relying on one another); but they will mind if you leave a mess of unfinished work behind that they can neither use nor redo, like leaving your clothes in a shared dryer for hours.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2019/12/30
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it “legal” for a Senior Vice President and Provost of a College to be Intimate with a PHD Candidate While working on their dissertation of the same School?<issue_comment>username_1: This depends on the rules of the university in question (and maybe also on the laws of the country). I've seen universities where relationsships between professors and students are fine and some where they create huge problems.
At the very least, one should consider that - like in every company - relations between a "high" and a "low" person (in terms of their position) will probably create problems with collegues who might fear that this student will be treated better/believe the student is incompetent and gets only forward because of sleeping with the higher person etc.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The law varies widely, but I doubt that there are many places that would have laws against this. But university regulations are a different matter. More, but not all, would have rules, usually to forbid it. It would be, in most of those cases, a violation of the VP, not the student, I think.
But the situation can be fine, provided that the VP has no influence whatever over he grading/ranking/prospects of the student. This might be the case or not. It would probably be unethical if the student's future depends in any way on actions of the VP, rules or not.
Whether it is wise is another matter. Reputation is important.
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/30
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<issue_start>username_0: I started a project during my math/physics PhD but am now continuing with it from outside of academia, using my own time and funds to purchase resources. What are the conventions for stating my affiliation and funding when writing up this work?
In particular, do I need to/should I name my current (non-research) employer as one of my sources of funding? They have had absolutely nothing to do with this project, other than hiring me to do a different job; they have not endorsed it and should not take any responsibility for it. On the other hand, it is a general principle that funding sources should be disclosed.<issue_comment>username_1: For this project, your "affiliation" is *independent researcher*. Your "funding" is just *self funded*. Both of those are well known and perfectly acceptable.
But be sure that your employer has no claim on your independent work. Some will have a claim, or will claim that they do. For some employers, permission is necessary.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If I get you right, you think to mention your employer as a funding source because it pays your salary and you use that to finance your private research? This would not be appropriate. It is up to you what you do with your money and as you state, your employer has nothing to do with your research work.
Because you do your research without an academic affiliation it would be most appropriate to skip this part and do as username_1 suggested. It is furthermore sensible to give an e-mail address which can be used to contact you.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I’ve been curious about this question for pretty long. I’m not in academia, but I heard from my friends who are in PhD programs talk about not wanting to take a vacation or ask for vacation approval, fearing that it will hurt their advisors’ evaluation on them. As far as I know, they’re very hardworking and dedicated people (with no problem to work overtime, on weekends, on call etc) who aim to publish as many high quality papers as possible, but it seems a little bizarre for me to understand, if taking a vacation really shows sign of tardiness in academia? And would that hurt their publishing speed (sorry I can’t think of a better word to describe what they want)?
I apologize in advance if this question is off-topic, please suggest anything to improve my question/vote for close if it’s the case.<issue_comment>username_1: This will, of course, vary with advisors. Some are hard driving, looking down on what they consider slacking. Others are more humane, realizing that an occasional break from routine can be invigorating. A wise student takes short breaks fairly frequently and longer breaks aren't necessarily a detriment to good research.
In fact, a period of rest, even a week or two, can lead to a settling of the ideas that can lead to insights. But it is also good to have a way to jot down notes and ideas as they occur, even on the beach in Cannes. Your brain doesn't shut off just because you aren't at your desk.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The question has several possible answers. The right one depends e.g. on the country, the region, the university, the field, as well as the research group and the 'culture' promoted there. The answers you can expect here will therefore be mostly based on specific examples and cannot be regarded as universal.
I for instance want my PhD students to take vacations if they feel it is necessary, and they also simply have the right to do so. My reasoning is that they will come back with some extra energy, motivation and fresh ideas effectively increasing their research output. I do not know if this is true though. [*Actually, I do not care if it is true. There are more important things than maximizing research output at all costs.*]
In reality, the PhD students often do not take the amount of days off they could. In many cases this is because they are so involved in their research that they do not want a vacation. I sometimes send them away then. It could however also be due to pressure they feel from their supervisor. This pressure might be real or not, and often enough it is real. But: At least where I work most supervisors are convinced of the benefits of an occasional vacation. With these people, it would be a big mistake not to take a vacation when necessary and instead keep working until motivation is gone -- especially if that is only the case because you do not even talk to the supervisor about it because of fear of the outcome of the conversation.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: This might be location dependent. In Germany, doctoral students take vacations in the same way as employees in a company would do. That is, they are allowed 30 days a year of vacation, and they do take them without problems.
Threatening doctoral students with consequences (bad evaluation or otherwise) if they exercise their right to take vacation is seen as an abuse of the supervisor's power, and will probably get the supervisor into trouble with the university if the students complain.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: <NAME>, while on vacation:
>
> At the moment when I put my foot on the step, the idea came to me,
> without anything in my former thoughts seeming to have paved the way
> for it, that the transformations I had used to define the Fuchsian
> functions were identical with those of non-Euclidian geometry. I did
> not verify the idea; I should not have had time, as, upon taking my
> seat in the omnibus, I went on with a conversation already commenced,
> but I felt a perfect certainty. On my return to Caen, for conscience’
> sake, I verified the result at my leisure.
>
>
>
*Mathematical Creation*,
<http://vigeland.caltech.edu/ist4/lectures/Poincare%20Reflections.pdf>
The essay continues with a discussion of the value of alternating periods of conscious thought and intervals when one's subconscious can process ideas.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: Views on vacation vary widely depending on the adviser/department. However, here is an anecdote to illustrate how hostile some labs *can* be to vacation.
I had a friend who needed to take a break from graduate school because she needed to be hospitalized. Her adviser knew where she went and why, and that her need for hospitalization was at least contributed to by the long hours she had been working in the lab. When she came back, even in private conversations, her adviser kept referring to her hospitalization as a vacation. He also expressed concern the other graduate students (who also knew she was hospitalized) would start thinking they could take long vacations like that because she did.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: I generally agree with the rest of the answers, but there's an important point I think needs to be explicitly discussed: **PhD students are legally entitled to time off**. I can only speak for the few PhD programs I'm familiar with (mostly in the UK), but I'd be highly surprised and disappointed if that weren't the case in most universities.
Of course some people may *want* to keep working for extended periods of time. Of course students need to *agree* dates with their supervisor in case there's a deadline or ongoing project. But, if your friends are not allowed to, or simply discouraged from, taking reasonable vacation, then I would gently recommend your friends to get the hell out of their lab(s) as soon as possible. That attitude is exploitative, unfair, and harmful to students' physical and mental health.
Let's end this stupid culture of consensual exploitation in academia.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Based on my past direct experience, students that do not want to take holidays are considered very bad and it is negative in Academia. PhD students (future researchers) must have the ability to balance their free time with the hard work. It means that they must have the ability to respect the deadlines and they must dedicate free time for themselves. In Academia nobody wants to work with a person that is 100% only dedicated to his job.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: At the moment I am a (soon to be graduating) PhD student. The reason I went to graduate school is that I love doing research. In graduate school I discovered that I absolutely hate teaching but I had to do some of it to avoid starving to death (though I tried to do a reasonably good job since I recognize it is not the students' fault that I hate teaching).
I know there are some teaching-free postdocs at R1 institutions. They can be rather difficult to get but my discussions with some senior people seem to indicate that my publication record could get me such a postdoc. However, teaching-free permanent academic positions seem to be much less common (in my field, there are places like IAS, IHES and some smaller institutions, it seems almost exclusively in Europe).
The question is is it possible to "downgrade" a normal professorship at an R1 institution (in US) in the following way: I don't have to participate in any administrative or teaching activities, I have tenure and I get paid less (say, 65% less)? I think I still could survive on such a salary. I am afraid to ask senior people I know about this since this kind a question conceivably might worsen their opinion of me.<issue_comment>username_1: You might be able to find such a position, but it would be more likely if you already had an international reputation as a top researcher. Otherwise I think it would be *very* unlikely. Only the rare opportunity.
The reason is that universities also have an obligation to students, from which much of their funding comes. Even US State funded universities (tax funding) depend on showing a good outcome for undergraduates and other students. So, most universities will want tenured people to do some teaching, if only to advanced graduate students.
I completed my doctorate in mathematics at such a place. Everyone there including the top faculty taught two courses per term. Sometimes those were small seminars, but other times they had to teach first year Calculus and manage a staff of TAs. It wasn't an option. I doubt that they would have even glanced at you if you made such a proposal.
Post docs, as you say, often come with few requirements but research, but you can't really make a career of that.
And, a new faculty member needs to go through a period of probation as an assistant professor, usually seven years and with a mixed set of responsibilities. Promotion to a tenured position then is normally up to the tenured faculty to approve, though the administration also has a voice. But I also doubt that you would meet the spoken and unspoken requirements of those responsible for your tenure decision.
Note, however, that this is a US position. It might vary in some other places. It might even vary at a few institutions in the US, but not likely for a new and inexperienced faculty member.
If you could attract enough grant money, however, some universities would give you a desk and library/computer privileges. Especially if you can work with doctoral students. But then, you are really responsible for continuing on that grant treadmill if you want to keep the position.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I’m sorry to disappoint you, but at US R1 universities, a position like the one you imagine doesn’t exist. To have a job with tenure at any salary, you have to teach and do some administrative duties.
If you win a Nobel prize or move to France on the other hand, the possibility of you getting a tenured research-only position may become more realistic. See [this question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/133089/40589) for more details.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: If you give up tenure, you can seek a teaching-free, permanent position at a national laboratory.
You have no hope of avoiding all administrative duties. It will always be, at a minimum, necessary to administrate getting someone else to do the administrative duties for you.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: There is a difference between teaching undergraduate and graduate classes, especially if you are vested in the graduate students you are teaching. There are plenty of R1 schools that have time release based on departmental rules on research activity, meaning if you are heavily active in research they will have you teach less class.
There is also the ability to buy-out your teaching time with research grants. This would require you to get grants, but if you are so focused on research instead of teaching, this would be expected anyway.
It is very possible to have to teach 1 class a semester. This could end up being to mostly your own masters and doctoral students. With enough funding you can likely teach 1 course a year, assuming your administrators approve it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Many US universities have "research professor" positions that have no teaching responsibilities, but I don't know of any such positions that come with tenure.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: Let me give you additional context on the question.
I am a master student in Computer Science (hopefully graduating this year). I want to do a PhD later on (after working in the industry for a bit). I am currently writing a paper with an aspiring associate professor. He doesn't have a lot of heavily cited publications yet, but he is aspiring to go to more prestigious conferences and pushing himself. The university I go to doesn't rank high in the world ranking of the universities, but in my country it is one of the top universities.
My question is, then: **If my advisor isn't a star scientist (yet) and if my university isn't some worldly famous one, can I still be a well-respected scientist, provided that my work is actually good?** I guess that the broader question I am referring to is: Is there elitism in academia, or is it merit based?
Thank you in advance!<issue_comment>username_1: Your career depends much more on what you do than on the university you attend. Even for doctoral study. It is true that getting the first job may be easier for those from internationally known research universities, but once you have a position, you also have opportunities, just as does your current advisor.
Also, consider that some students at those top 50 universities won't finish, and some of those who do will face burn-out. Others will just not live up to their "early potential" and not advance very far or fast.
But there is some elitism, of course. Oxbridge is world respected and much is expected of their graduates. On the other hand, Harvard University has an excellent reputation, but it graduates some awfully stupid (and dangerous) people. In the long run it is "merit" that rules the day. It is often written that there is "nothing more dangerous than a C student from Yale". Don't be that student.
I encourage you to stretch yourself toward the "best" university within your reach, though "best" can mean a lot of things beyond world ranking. But then, do your best and work collaboratively with others to advance your field.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: [Check this out](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/154/84834):
>
> Nobody in theoretical computer science cares where you got your degree. Really. We. Do. Not. Care. We only care about the quality and visibility of your results. Publish strong papers and give brilliant talks at top conferences. Convince well-known active researchers to write letters raving about your work. Make a good product and get superstars to sell it for you. Do all that, and we'll definitely want to hire you, no matter where you got your degree. On the other hand, without a strong and visible research record, independent from your advisor, you are much less likely to get a good academic job, no matter where you got your degree.
>
>
>
So the answer to the title question is: no, you will not be less respected, provided your work is actually good.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/31
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<issue_start>username_0: Any suggestions on how to find these two papers? They were cited in 1993:
>
> [11] <NAME>. and <NAME>, *On a theorem of Kuratoski*, Working Report, INRIA, Rocquencourt, France (1981).
>
>
> [12] <NAME>., *Patterns arising from a theorem of Kuratowski in topology with appications*, Working Report, INRIA, Rocquencourt, France (1981).
>
>
>
I emailed them two years ago. Their reply was:
>
> "We don't have this references. Absolutely no traces....sorry."
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: Your career depends much more on what you do than on the university you attend. Even for doctoral study. It is true that getting the first job may be easier for those from internationally known research universities, but once you have a position, you also have opportunities, just as does your current advisor.
Also, consider that some students at those top 50 universities won't finish, and some of those who do will face burn-out. Others will just not live up to their "early potential" and not advance very far or fast.
But there is some elitism, of course. Oxbridge is world respected and much is expected of their graduates. On the other hand, Harvard University has an excellent reputation, but it graduates some awfully stupid (and dangerous) people. In the long run it is "merit" that rules the day. It is often written that there is "nothing more dangerous than a C student from Yale". Don't be that student.
I encourage you to stretch yourself toward the "best" university within your reach, though "best" can mean a lot of things beyond world ranking. But then, do your best and work collaboratively with others to advance your field.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: [Check this out](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/154/84834):
>
> Nobody in theoretical computer science cares where you got your degree. Really. We. Do. Not. Care. We only care about the quality and visibility of your results. Publish strong papers and give brilliant talks at top conferences. Convince well-known active researchers to write letters raving about your work. Make a good product and get superstars to sell it for you. Do all that, and we'll definitely want to hire you, no matter where you got your degree. On the other hand, without a strong and visible research record, independent from your advisor, you are much less likely to get a good academic job, no matter where you got your degree.
>
>
>
So the answer to the title question is: no, you will not be less respected, provided your work is actually good.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a new assistant professor and I finished my first semester of teaching. It's my first class, but I think it went good: the students seemed happy and interested, I had many of them (both male and female) doing more than required, and some of them later approached me to tell me they learned a lot.
The scores arrived: numerically they ended up being lower than the average of my school, which was disappointing, especially because in the descriptive part about the strengths there were many positive comments about me and the class, and in the negative part, they were mostly neutral or just slightly negative (and I agree with these, they are about my inexperience and baby steps). There was nothing nasty, ad hominem, or abusive. So based on the descriptive part and the overall experience, I expected the numerical score to be much higher, but it's fine and that's not the main topic of this question. I read a lot about student evaluations here on SE Academia and how pointless they can be, so while I care about feedback as a new lecturer, I had low expectations about them and I was going to take them with a grain of salt.
But the scores are also reported by gender. I am a male lecturer, and female students rated me much lower than male students (who rated me highly). The sample size and the difference are so high that I cannot attribute it to a statistical error and dismiss it.
This left me astonished as it's the last thing I'd expect, and I'm trying to understand why and where is this coming from. I'm very well aware of the gender equality issues in academia, so I am quite conscious about treating everyone equally well, I'm very careful about avoiding everything that might even remotely imply sexism (for example I don't make jokes, and I never even mentioned anything gender related), and I'm careful about never making any physical intrusion (not even a handshake or sitting too close to a student during discussions). I just cannot think of any reason why students of one gender would give a much different score than the other, and what made female students less happy with the course and me.
I know that everyone is biased when talking about themselves, but recently I even had a former female colleague telling me out of the blue I'm the one of the most respectful and pleasant people she worked with.
While you didn't take my class and don't have insights, but is there something in general I might be unaware of, and can improve? Is it possible that there is a teaching style to which different genders are receptive in a different way? Is it just possible that there is simply a discrepancy between how different genders give different scores? It may sound silly, but is it me being too respectful backfiring and seen as condescending by female students? This will obviously be difficult to answer without an insight, so I am at least trying to understand general reasons.
In the comments part of the teaching evaluations there is nothing negative about me or the course that I can interpret being gender related (they are mostly about the organization of the teaching or the course being demanding, and not much about me). The positive comments that are about me say that I am very nice and the course is well organized. This leaves me confused.
I searched online about gender bias in student evaluations, but almost all articles are about the lecturer's gender, with female lecturers on average receiving lower scores than males. I cannot find research on the gender bias of students. I also cannot find anything similar here on SE Academia. I read other question as well ([this](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/67284/while-teaching-how-should-i-give-justice-equally-to-both-female-and-male-student) and [this](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/10588/how-is-sexism-unknowingly-perpetrated-in-academia)), but didn't get the answer.
In one of the articles I read that some students are so subjective that they evaluate their (especially female) lecturers based on looks. I have experienced this first hand since one of the students wrote that I am the best looking teacher in the school. So even considering that I am always groomed and nicely dressed I am not sure that a group of students would rate me badly based on my appearance.
Some additional notes:
* the gender ratio in the class is balanced, about half of the students are female
* there was not a single conflict with any student during the semester, which would be amplified among a group of students and reflect badly on the evaluations<issue_comment>username_1: I would hesitate to draw any conclusions whatsoever from one semester. File this away, and check whether it becomes a pattern, and if it does then think about it then when you have more information.
Although there's not a single incident that you're aware of, I wouldn't be at all surprised if something being "amplified among a group of students" is exactly what happened. It's easy to have a miscommunication with a student that leaves them with a negative impression of you, and for that to spread among their friends. Unless there's a trend in other classes I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that this has anything to do with gender specifically, it may well just be that one group of friends which is mostly or entirely female didn't like you.
Also, I commend you for thinking about this and for seriously considering whether you need to change something in your teaching. I just think you might be overthinking it at this point.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: Here are a few possible lines of thought. Of course, we would need much more data and context to know if any were actually the case.
---
Don't forget the null hypothesis. If you carried out this survey for other lecturers (of each gender) for the same course, other courses, other departments, other universities, would we indeed find that your result is anomalous, and by how much? We may have no reason to think it isn't, but unless we know, we don't really know what phenomenon is under discussion.
How do you know your survey is valid? Which factors in your teaching did you measure? Are they measurable numerically?
---
As you suggested and Noah responded to, "amplification" is a possibility. Classroom culture is a factor at every level of teaching. I found this especially during practice teaching in a middle school, where the same students and teacher are together all day and it's hard to have multiple atmospheres or moods coexist in the classroom. The verbal and tacit feedback they get from each other promotes uniformity. One class decides they like a teacher, and it's easy to teach the group even if a few students privately feel differently. One class decides they don't, and it becomes very hard to win them back as a group.
Even when the whole class doesn't respond alike, subgroups often respond alike. In the high school classes I'm teaching now, there are friend groups that break along some classic lines, and each group rather than each student tends to have a certain attitude towards the course and the teacher. I could imagine that gender is a possible subgrouping. Such a group was created just recently in my English course on the basis of content when we watched and discussed a movie on how women are depicted in advertising. The overall class cohesion meant it was a temporary divide, but a subtler cause of division could be harder to heal.
---
Being overly respectful is not likely to be seen as condescending. But standoffishness (even unintentional) is not the same thing as respect. I have an idea of the careful line you're trying to hold by not sitting too close and not shaking hands, and it's a good thought. But consider that a conscious attempt not to overengage can come off as stiff or cold. Some people avoid others because they dislike them or feel disdain for them, which is not the impression you want your students to have.
If you feel more confident that you can comfortably interact with the young men without crossing boundaries than you do with the young women, there might well be a difference in how warm each group perceives you to be. You might even be unconsciously reducing the number of interactions with the girls. Students are highly sensitive to cues about whether their teachers like them.
---
The same neutral approach could also be an issue in terms of content. *Qui tacet consentire videtur.* You don't always know what you're saying by not saying anything. I was teaching English in a high school and we were reading essays on gun control. Suddenly, the Stoneman Douglas shooting happened, and the government responded about arming teachers and whatnot. To be silent about it would be to invite the students to construe — on their own, without evidence — what I thought of the issues. So the discussion was opened.
Note that in such a discussion, you don't have to even reveal your own opinions, but give the floor respectfully and affirm what's said and the right to speak of various people, especially those who tend to be intimidated or talked over by the class as a whole. But you can also make direct contributions if you want. It's a great idea to prepare students on these issues that they'll grapple with as adults, bringing insight from whichever field you're working in. Anthropology, biology, history, literature, statistics, business — many fields have inroads if you want to show your hand, rather than hide it, for the positive effect it might have on skeptics.
---
I think any more requires knowing about your results, your students, and your class.
Here's a suggestion if you want richer, non-useless student feedback from these students, since the people who were there have more insight than you can convey to us here. You could invite a few students who you think were highly engaged and who had good connections with their peers to sit and share more detailed feedback on the class, if they're interested. "After reading through the anonymous surveys, I'm hoping to explore some points further. I think you might have a valuable perspective to offer, based on your participation in class."
You could then ask some open, non-leading questions, not about your results themselves ("Why was there a gender divide?") but about possible factors ("How did you perceive the teacher-student interaction? Did you sense any favouritism?").
You can also ask colleagues, who will sometimes hear from students or even inquire about how the new hire is doing. They may have some things to share through the grapevine. Another answerer's suggestion of inviting a colleague to sit in on a class and take notes on your teaching is also great. I think here too I'd avoid giving them too strong a lead to look for, beyond the premise that you want feedback; whatever they notice will be more significant if it comes up without prompting.
Do keep in mind what you've said — that you don't know what the significance of your results is. (Not that it stops you from making positive moves.)
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: One possible way to investigate this further is to ask a trusted colleague to observe one of your classes and give feedback on that. This can be done privately, outside of any officially documented peer-review requirement (which may relax you both and give more honest feedback.) Some people also video record a lecture and watch it with a colleague for possible feedback -- this also leverages the fact that sometimes we're our own harshest critic.
Even if the one observation doesn't bring the gender-equity issue into focus, there might be one or more other things that pop up for improvement, so it could be a good use of time either way.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Can you get the overall statistics? Specifically:
* Is there any bias observed assuming all answers asked for all courses (at your deaprtment / faculty / university / field?
* Is there any bias observed assuming all answers of your students?
How are you measured? 1-5 stars, 1-10 points? There are zounds of way how to interpret such scales. Can you get histograms how each student evaluated?
I dare to say there are people who never give 10/10 (because there's always something to do better, right). I also dare to say some use only 3-4 values from the 1-10 scale: 10-awesome, 9-acceptable, 8-bad, 7-rubbish; others may use same sorting but with 3 point lower readings...
When I was in highschool the marks were:
1. Excelent (Výborně)
2. Remarkable (Chvalitebně)
3. Good (Dobře)
4. Acceptable (Dostatečně)
5. Unacceptable (Nedostatečně)
You can see that mark 4 is acceptable to pass the exam. Still they who had average around 3 were considered underperformers, those with averages around 2 were okayish and those scoring 1.6 and better were considered excelent students...
See? There are way too many factors in the game, the biased performance readings may be caused by the biased audience, by different scale interpretations...
Also remember: Coincidence does not mean Causality.
Were there any strong complaints? Were your lectures hard to follow? Did they consider you xenophobic? If the answers are No, don't bother yourself and focus on improving your feeling of the courses.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: **I'm going to do a bit of a frame challenge on this one: before going down this path, you should actually make sure that there's actually meaningfulness to the disparity.**
>
> Let me give you an example that happened to me personally. I just
> started a new job, and within a few months, we had an All-IT meeting.
> The company had conducted a survey of everyone that worked at the
> company, and had found that IT's 'Rate-Your-Happiness' responses were
> lower than the non-IT and were looking at ways of improving IT
> happiness. But there was a problem. IT and Non-IT people are
> different. Ask both to give a "Rate Something X-Out-Of-5", and you're
> going to have different averages between those two groups. And sure
> enough, it turned out that it wasn't that IT was unhappier than Non-IT
> - it's just that they handed out numbers differently. If you looked at the non-numerical Yes/No questions ("Would you be likely to
> recommend working here to a friend or family member?" for instance.),
> the two groups had nearly identical responses.
>
>
>
I'm not saying that's necessarily what's happening here. But right now, for your value difference to be meaningful, you have to first assert:
* **There are no fundamental differences between men and women that would
result in how they rate things in general.** I have *no clue* on this
one. And googling didn't help out, either. I wouldn't be surprised
if there are differences in the average "Rate something X-out-of-10"
between men and women in general. And I wouldn't be surprised if
there were no differences at all.
* **There are no fundamental differences between men and women that would
result in changing how they rate teacher performance between genders.**
This is debatable. Googling was tough (the results were almost
uniform in 'Male versus Female Prof' instead of 'Male versus Female
Student'), but I found Bachen, McLoughlin, and Garcia (1999) as well
as Basow (2000) that indicated female students rated male profs lower
than female profs. While it's not definitive, it's not a stretch to
believe that it would indicate that a male prof's reviews would be
lower from the female portion of students versus the male portion.
* **There are no fundamental differences in campus/college experience
between men and women at your university and your degree program.**
Just for an extreme, we'll take where I graduated - which was a
college that had twice as many male students as female, and where the
female-to-male ratio in the particular STEM field I was in was a
crazy 1-to-50! The women in that field had a *wildly* different
college experience from the men, to the point where I'd hesitate to
even guess the scope of it. Expecting how they evaluate professors in general
to be identical to the male students is a bit unfair - simply due to
the drastically different environment they were in compared to the
male students.
So what should you do? Honestly, I wouldn't take the numbers into account at all. Instead, look for anything like "What would you improve about this class?" or "What things did you not like about how the class was conducted" - items with specific points to address.
Because at the end of the day, even if that numerical difference is meaningful, it doesn't actually help you improve what you're doing. To improve, you have to find out *why* you're given a low score. (Put another way: if you try to solve the problem without actually knowing what's causing the problem, you're just blindly guessing.)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: It could be almost any of the suggestions already suggested, but my hunch from the information provided (in particular, that the complaints "are mostly about the organization of the teaching or the course being demanding"), is that it may tend to be one of two things:
* Communication style. You may organize and explain ideas in a style that more typical men in your culture use more and follow more easily than typical women in your culture do.
* The minor/major point mentioned in the comment by @darijgrinberg . For example, if your male students are mostly majoring in related subjects, but your female students are mainly taking your course to meet some requirement but they're not particularly interested in the subject, or if they have less experience with courses in your field, your course may seem less intelligible to them because you may not be explaining things for people less familiar with the assumptions and language of your subject, making the teaching seem more disorganized and harder from their perspective.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_7: Ask others in your department who have taught the same course whether their scores had a gender difference. If there is an administrator (Vice Chair, say) who keeps records of student ratings, discuss with them. It may turn out that this is a known phenomenon; if so it is nothing to do with you.
It still may be something of concern, but something for the whole department to do something about, not just you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: Unless you are an experienced statistician with access to a good amount of studies and/or a good knowledge of the results of meta-analysis in respect to performance evaluations, please refrain from reading anything into this.
By education and cultural background, female students may have a different scale of what the evaluation scale means (when women rate themselves, and men rate themselves the difference is significant, and I assume that some of this may also be the case here). So it's very likely that by your approach and data basis you are even able to validly conclude that you are rated especially badly by females.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I have posted this as a comment, which has been referenced twice in the discussion; since it now has been moved to [chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/102755/discussion-on-question-by-user117849-why-are-female-students-evaluating-my-teach), I'm reposting it here for better visibility:
>
> Can you check the major/minor composition of your course by gender? If it is significantly skewed, you may have your answer there. I'm pretty sure students will evaluate a (well-taught) class much lower if they view it as a hurdle on their way to something interesting, and that's much more likely if the class is not in their major.
>
>
>
Here is a concrete quasi-example. [There are well-documented huge differences in gender composition between majors](https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/table-of-the-day-bachelors-degrees-by-field-and-gender-for-the-class-of-2015/). If you are teaching (say) a theory-of-probability class that is required for mathematicians (43% female), computer scientists (18% female) and medicine students (84% female), then a woman sitting in your class will be much more likely than a man to view it as a painful hurdle on their way than as an exciting intellectual journey. There is only so much you can help this with good teaching. Students don't like the non-major classes they have to take, and this pulls their ratings of the teacher down. (I don't have any good data for this, but the mechanism is obvious to me and my own experiences confirm this.)
Note that you can probably check whether this applies to you; most universities let you easily see what programs your students are in, what other classes they have taken, etc.
---
Another possible explanation was mentioned in a deleted answer; I'm going to repeat it here to put it in context. There is [a rather significant sex skew in visuo-spatial intelligence](https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/handle/10072/337839/ReillyPUB3335.pdf?sequence=1) with women scoring (on average) the lower (roughly speaking) the more 3-dimensional it gets. This may and may not be contributing to your female students' problems (as well as those of others who have low visuo-spatial abilities). My personal impression is that the significance of visuo-spatial intelligence in learning mathematics is rather minor: With my own lack of it (despite being male), I found a few "topology in pictures" books incomprehensible and am probably getting less mileage out of most graphics than other people; but there is no field of mathematics I found myself blocked from entering. You can easily learn linear algebra without ever seeing a picture. However, you may be significantly exposing yourself to the sex difference if
1. you are teaching material is inherently 3-dimensional (say, some parts of physics, engineering, etc.), or
2. you are relying heavily on spatial visualization.
In mathematics, at least, these cases are easily avoided (just give references to more formalized versions of your arguments). I don't know how it is with more applied disciplines.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_10: I am a female student from Japan and will humbly attempt to answer your question, although I have never attended your lectures if you never taught in my country.
Subjectively, I find that females are on average better at explaining things than males are, but I strongly suspect that males subjectively find that the opposite is true. This has nothing to do with any kind of prejudice: I really better and easier understand explanations by females than by males, on average. Given a choice between a male and female teacher and no further information, I would be strongly tempted by my whole life experience to choose the female.
I guess the root cause of this phenomenon is that the male brain and the female brain are, as [research](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/it-s-true-male-and-female-brains-are-wired-differently-1.1615484) shows, wired differently, and I guess this gives rise to somewhat different thinking patterns or styles of reasoning and learning. So it appears to me that male teachers are better for male students and that female teachers are better for female students, because people of the same sex tend to think in more similar ways.
Such things are difficult to describe, so it is no wonder that you got no hints in the comments of the teaching evaluations, but let me try. I will now try to summarize my own observations about typical shortcomings of male teachers as viewed from my perspective. I emphasize that what I will write is my own observations and impressions based on my own personal experience.
First of all, male teachers tend, in my experience, to explain things by using abstract general ideas and concepts, whilst my thinking processes are mainly driven by analogies to particular instances. Male teachers tend to make very few analogies in their explanations and to operate mainly in terms of purely abstract deductive logic.
Second, the male approach to explain things seems to be turned upside down with respect to what I consider natural. To understand something, I need to be shown a set of simple specific examples that I could use as keys to inferring some general ideas. Contrary to my needs, male teachers start with abstract general principles and methods, build a multi-layered system of definitions and principles, and only then show how that system works in particular instances. In other words, I prefer to go from particular to general, from simple to complex, step by step, and male teachers prefer the other way around.
Third, males tend to have a kind of negative attitude in thinking. Facing a problem to solve, they seem to tend to ask themselves, "What do I have to do to solve the problem? What general principle applies to situations like this one?" I am a much more positive person and tend to ask myself something different, "What steps can I do now to get closer to getting the problem solved?" Males seem to tend to think in terms of necessities, whilst I tend to think in terms of opportunities and making choices. The male approach simply does not resonate with how I am used to think.
Fourth, male teachers tend to be succinct in their explanations, as if they were afraid to overburden students with information. In contrast, I always want more clarifications, more analogies, more examples, more insights from different angles of view, etc. This helps me understand and memorize things.
Fifth, male teachers tend to rarely repeat things or provide alternative explanations, and the result is often disastrous: a failure to understand an idea renders the remainder of the lecture superfluous if the teacher builds on that idea. Apparently, male teachers presume that students will instantly and fully understand everything, every sentence and idea told to them. What makes it worse is that male teachers tend to build their lectures in a highly organized, systematic manner, so it is really critical to understand everything they say. This, in turn, requires utmost concentration and quickly makes me tired. I feel more relaxed when taught by a female.
Sixth, male teachers tend to do their job rather formally, basically repeating what is stated in books, so I often see no point in attending lectures. After all, I can read books myself. What I want from teachers is bright examples, interesting analogies, etc. - everything that can help me interpret and memorize theories written in books.
Seventh, male teachers tend to care little as to why a student is confused and asking a question. Instead of starting a dialogue with a confused student, talking in the student's terms, and building on what the student knows, a typical male teacher blindly imposes his own way of reasoning, essentially repeating what already has been said during the lesson.
Finally, male teachers tend to be simply more boring to me. They talk slower and less expressively, show less emotions, are less empathic, less interact with students, rarely appeal to emotions, and are less involved in general.
The above shortcomings are probably not shortcomings at all from the perspective of male students. As I said, males and females seem to tend to have different thinking patterns or styles of reasoning and learning. So please kindly do not take my post as sexist. I am not saying that any sex is superior. We are just different, as shown by the research mentioned above.
Also, the points made above are tendencies or generalizations rather than strict laws of nature. There are exceptions, and I had a few male teachers whose ways of teaching I really liked. Those teachers were largely devoid of the shortcomings outlined above.
I would like to conclude my post with an illustration of my points. How would a typical male school teacher explain what is the force of elasticity in physics? He would say something like, "The force of elasticity is the force that arises in a body in response to its deformation and acts to return the body to its original shape. An example is the action of a spring." A typical female teacher would rather come up with an explanation of the following kind: "Imagine Tokyo Tower. Have you ever visited it? Great, now suppose King Kong approaches Tokyo Tower, puts his hairy hand on the tip of the tower and pulls it towards himself, thereby bending the tower. To do so, King Kong acts with a force on the tower, and the tower acts with an equal force on King Kong's hand, according to Newton's third law. And that force - exerted by the tower on King Kong - is the force of elasticity. The same name applies to the force exerted by a stretched spring. Or a rubber band. Or just anything that is being deformed in any way and is resisting because of its internal structure. That's what we call the force of elasticity. It's what King Kong has to overcome to bend Tokyo Tower." Learn to explain things in this way, and female students will probably like you more :)
I humbly hope that my post was helpful in shedding some light from the other side of the fence, so to speak.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_11: The sample is not independent so I think that you cannot say much about statistical significance. One group of friends might be of size 20 and one person complaining about you might change the whole group's perception.
There is the bias of thinking that what is easy or intuitive for you is the same for others. The genders have their differences in learning. Men are generally more visual. Your teaching style may suit men better. username_10 gives in her answer examples that I see stemming from the gender differences in learning.
There are also cultural differences. Existing expectations of what a representative of gender should be and how they may behave are still true. You try not to be a sexist might distort how you perceive society. Society feeds some behaviour to the genders. Women are accepted to blame external factors for their failure whereas from men that would be seen as weakness, so men tend to blame internal factors. It is easier to see this from my perspective as the difference is probably more radical. In my nation, there is mandatory military service for men. This changes dramatically what men expect and accept from the professor as they are a year older and have better discipline. More men go through the military probably also in your country. Men are taught to cope and overcome the pressure. If men do not manage they take themselves the responsibility from not being successful. They would not blame you for requiring them to do more work than they expected or are credited for. This would fit your case as you say that you had the students doing more work than required.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_12: I might as well weigh in on this, with all of the caveats mentioned by everyone else.
IMO, the most telling sentence in your question is this:
>
> It may sound silly, but is it me being too respectful backfiring and seen as condescending by female students?
>
>
>
Let me reframe this: it's possible that you're *trying too hard* to be respectful to your women students and they're picking up on your discomfort with them and it's making them a little uncomfortable too. (Ask a black friend about white people trying too hard to not seem racist.)
Remember that undergrad evals are largely beauty pageants, so you might be coming off as vaguely unlikable to the women and it's skewing your numbers. A colleague probably wouldn't notice this subtle dynamic.
PS I'm guessing you're in a heavily male-dominated field. Your question beautifully illustrates why gender imbalance is a problem.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_13: A few points. First, ask your department if they can give you the historical average scores for the course (before you taught it) broken down by gender. This will give you a sense as to whether this effect is typical (related to the subject, university, etc) or you personally.
Secondly, as @Elizabeth\_Henning mentions, this quote has a few clues
>
> It may sound silly, but is it me being too respectful backfiring and
> seen as condescending by female students?
>
>
>
Elizabeth points out that you might be trying too hard and it's making the female students uncomfortable. This is certainly possible. But here is an additional point on this. Make sure you are trying equally hard in the company of the male and female students. I had a professor that was so scared of committing sexual harassment that he always acted super formal around female students. While there is nothing wrong with acting formal around female students, the problem was, he was quite chummy with the male students. He would tell jokes with them, maybe even give them a pat on the back. While probably nothing this extreme is happening here (you say you are very careful about this sort of thing), be sure to treat the genders similarly. If you are formal with the female students and more informal with the male students this will look like you are even favoring the male students. Probably not happening here, but its worth pointing out for others.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_14: Possible paths for investigation that don't seem to have been fully fleshed out:
(1) Correlation is not causation: are there any statistically significant differences between the male and female students taking your classes, such as what prerequisites they have taken, what year and major they are in, what related classes they have taken? For example, it may be that your teaching is more geared to students in a male-dominated major than a female-dominated major, who are both required to take your class, but with different educational backgrounds.
(2) Are you treating male and female students the same way? Are you sure? It might be worth having a colleague sit in on a few of your classes and count how many times you call on male and female students, for example, and record (on a simple scale) the tone you take with each of them.
(3) Are your teaching materials gender-neutral? Are you sure? For example, a book I read not all that long ago about a woman's experience at Harvard Business School included an anecdote about lesson module with a business plan that talked about the average single woman's hopes and dreams for marrying a successful man. You don't sound like someone who would be that unaware, but there may be more subtle issues with your teaching materials.
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a postdoc, and some time ago a professor in my department introduced me to her research assistant to work together on something related to their project I was not part of. I was interested because it had high chances to result in a paper and I wanted to work a bit on something different.
The researcher is not pursuing a degree and doesn't really need to write papers, but he was interested in writing one, mostly to build up his publication list in case he decides to apply for graduate positions in future.
So we wrote a paper in which he was the lead author (he did most of the work and the writing), and we submitted it to a journal, together with his professor. The collaboration was pleasant, and there were no issues at all. After we submitted the paper I went back to my project and we didn't communicate.
Only when I contacted him after a few months to ask about the status of the paper he said that the reports arrived some time ago. Not only he did not inform me about it, he was also reluctant to forward them to me, and did so after a few reminders. The outcome was major revision, and the reviews were not bad at all. But because he was inexperienced with academia he probably misinterpreted them as terrible and seemed embarrassed (I think this may also be a cultural issue as he is from Asia and might be concerned about saving face). After I explained that this is a positive outcome, a great start for his first paper submission, and that I had worse reviews on papers that ended up being accepted after one or two undemanding revisions, he seemed fine with working on the revision.
In the meantime, the researcher moved to another department at the same university, working with another professor and on a different project.
After a few months I sent an email to him to ask about the progress and offered help. I haven't received a response.
Then I bumped into him in the campus and he said that the deadline to revise the paper has passed so he gave up from it.
Now... I totally understand that his job is not writing papers, I am aware that he is not paid anymore to work on that project and I respect that he maybe lost interest in the paper. To avoid having our work unpublished, I told him that I will work on the revision, and alternatively if it does not go well take care of submitting it to another journal. I made it clear that he will still be the lead author and that his further work will be minimum if any, but I only received an indifferent reaction.
I went to talk to his former professor who agreed that we should try to get that paper published and that it would be silly to just give up from it, but that's all. She is tenured and doesn't seem to care about publishing papers, and also doesn't seem to have contact and authority over him anymore (which is expected given the end of the contract and his transfer to another professor).
Seeing that the only solution to get that paper published is that I work on the revision or submit it elsewhere, I sent another email to the research assistant making it again clear that no work is required from him, I just need him to send me the manuscript files so I can work on them, and that he will still be the lead author and he will get to check the paper before submission. I was again ignored.
This puts me in a difficult situation: I invested time in this paper that has pretty good chances to get published after minimum additional work, and I feel bad for just leaving it. I am not the lead author so I cannot make decisions about it. I am also the only co-author who seems to care, and I feel I have some rights about my work.
I understand that some collaborations don't end up with anything and that sometimes we should just let it go and accept the lost time, but this is far from it: the collaboration resulted in a solid manuscript that will almost surely get accepted in a good journal after a slight revision.
Is there any way to salvage this situation?
It's not possible to take my part out and submit it somewhere as a separate paper.
While all my communication has been polite and reasonable, it was futile.
I cannot think of a reason why the researcher would just give up now that there is no work required from him.
In absence of a better explanation, I am also starting to think that in the meantime the paper was submitted elsewhere without my name on it.<issue_comment>username_1: I suggest that you try to get the professor to arrange a three way meeting to resolve the issues. I'd also suggest that you be generous about who is a co-author and even who is first. Any forward movement is probably better for you than letting it go. There will always be other papers and you might be able to use this as a basis for future work if you can get it out the door *somehow*. But the prof has a bit of leverage, just from position. Moral authority if nothing else. The other shouldn't be in a position to hold you back, but need not participate in the future.
I think the professor owes you this much if she got you into the project in the first place.
If you wind up doing the rest of the work on your own, but others are co-author, you still need their permission to publish it, of course. Hopefully this won't be a block. But the professor may have a role here, as well.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Possibly not related to your case, but I have had somewhat similar experience before. One aspect you maybe haven't considered, and maybe more or less likely depending on the field, is if there was some underlying issue with the paper or results themselves.
I have had a case or two, most often when working with newer students, that a seemingly great paper and something that we can publish ended up having mistakes that were missed. It may be that some of the reviews, unless they were purely grammar issues of the paper, hit upon something the student didn't realize or had not considered important when first doing the work. For example, I recently had a student have some really interesting and unexpected results analyzing a dataset. They were writing the paper and explaining the results of why this would happen. It was a matter of happenstance that I had known the dataset very well, and eventually figured out they had duplicate data that should have been processed and removed. The student never realized this until I mentioned it. When we walked through each step together, they started finding more issues.
It may not be your collaborator losing face over the reviews, but possibly losing face over a mistake they made that they didn't originally notice.
Again, maybe this doesn't apply to your situation, but as an answer to the general question it may be something for others to consider, which is in generally a tricky situation and what requires trust with people you collaborate with.
So with that in mind, to actually use this as an answer, I would first go through the paper and any results that the first author did to make sure there are no problems with the paper. Then I would do a first draft to make any changes to the document and send to the student just asking 'do these look okay with you to submit?'.
On the other hand, I would take into account how much work you spent on the paper and how much effort it is taking to get a response. It is a little strange to me that you don't even have the manuscript. I am not clear by your post what your contribution on the paper is if the student did most of the work and writing, but you not having the manuscript sounds like they did all of the writing. With so many unknowns, it may not be worth salvaging.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do if the first author does not want to submit the paper. This is the risk of being a co-author, you always rely on the first author. If the researcher does not want to continue on this paper anymore it's pointless and disrespectful to push. What I can suggest is to take only your contribution and prepare your own paper with your professor. I don't think that the paper has been submitted without your permission because the professor will lose credibility.
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<issue_start>username_0: I want to apply for a Ph.D. position in a group where there is only their research summary written on the homepage. An applicant should write a research proposal and if the PI likes it then they will offer a position. I have gone through their publications and tried to figure out what can be done more. This is a very big research group so the number of publications is huge too and they work on so many topics. Every time I came up with an idea I found that it's already done or other groups are working on that. Now I am wondering if I write the same thing, they might think I copied the idea when it is not the case. Also, some of the techniques I have done earlier and some never. Now while writing the proposal can I write some methods I never did? Can they ask questions like if you have never did it before how can you do it during Ph.D.?<issue_comment>username_1: First of all, the research suggestion does not reach to be able to contribute to the professional environment. In fact, this condition is not required for your degree in now. And, this isn't searched. However, while will give any suggestion to the environment; you have to especially interpret the same topics by a high-level English and the using technical tools which no one minded upon them in more before.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I want to apply for a Ph.D. position in a group where there is only
> their research summary written on the homepage.
>
>
>
A good starting point is the rationale for wanting to join this group. Is it the prestige of the institute/group leader, the topics they work on, or something else? If it is the first (possibly not ideal), then you can narrow the search by identifying a specific sub-topic that is currently active. This would help because you can identify specific researchers (currently active), who can give you some sharp insights into the current requirements of the research area.
On the other hand, if you want to join the group because their area of work resonates with you, then the problem reduces to making a deeper and more exhaustive search. That brings up:
>
> I have gone through their publications and tried to figure out what
> can be done more.
>
>
>
This is absolutely on the right track. While its not trivial, being able to assess a research area to find a niche is key to being a good researcher. This skill may well be on their assessment rubric. The only suggestion I can share here is to be systematic with your survey, assiduously document your findings and spend enough time analyzing what you've found.
>
> Every time I came up with an idea I found that it's already done or
> other groups are working on that.
>
>
>
That's alright. A lot of research does happen concurrently. What you should be able to demonstrate is that you have an understanding of what is happening already, and ideally propose some addition/extension to it. This may be incremental, but it still shows that you've done your homework and put in some critical thought.
>
> Now I am wondering if I write the same thing, they might think I
> copied the idea when it is not the case.
>
>
>
This won't be a problem if you include the existing/ongoing work in your proposal.
>
> Also, some of the techniques I have done earlier and some never. Now
> while writing the proposal can I write some methods I never did? Can
> they ask questions like if you have never did it before how can you do
> it during Ph.D.?
>
>
>
No, that may be a concern for a post-doctoral position, certainly not here. You're not really expected to have a full-fledged plan and the entire skill set required, just the appropriate understanding and some idea about what you'd like to achieve.
Upvotes: 1
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2019/12/31
| 333
| 1,430
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<issue_start>username_0: Can I lecture on a subject that references (as required reading) a book that all were required to read? I am not reproducing any portions of the text, and assume they all legally procured the work.<issue_comment>username_1: Copyright is about copying. You aren't doing that. In fact most university courses have required text books, but instructors don't check to see that the students have receipts for purchase. You are fine, actually. The assumption you make is entirely typical.
If students pirate books in some way, that is on them, as long as you don't suggest or encourage it.
But lectures based on the material of others is fine. Universal, actually.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, you can require your students to read a book for a class. Where the students get the book is then their problem, and as long as you don't provide them with pirated copies, the origin of their copies needs not be your concern.
The only concern many of us have these days is that many books are expensive. This may not be true for a softcover copy of some classical literature, if that happens to be your area of teaching, but it is an issue if your area is some advanced topic in the sciences where many textbooks can run at $100 or over. I have generally avoided *requiring* my students to have a particular textbook for these reasons -- going to college is expensive enough these days.
Upvotes: 2
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2019/12/31
| 1,629
| 6,412
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<issue_start>username_0: I am an undergraduate student who is working on some research projects applying machine learning to medical problems at a small, primarily-undergraduate college.
In one of these projects, a Master’s student suggested a feature extraction approach and wrote some code based on it. Unfortunately, I couldn't reproduce the results. I tried to talk to him about it, but we couldn’t reach an agreement. I showed the professor leading the project that the results were not trustworthy, but she wants me to write a paper based on the method, where the other student and I would be listed jointly as first author.
In the meantime, I do not have any alternative results in hand. The problem we are working on is very difficult and has never been attempted before, and I am still developing the codebase for my own approach.
This conversation has been going on for a while, and my professor is getting impatient and wants to publish quickly. She says that some people within the department are pushing for her resignation (for reasons not pertinent to this question), and I think that may be the reason.
I am unsure of how to handle this situation because
* I do not want to get the professor in deeper trouble
* I want to remain a good member of our team
* I want to do good work
I do not really have anyone who I can go to for advice without getting this professor in trouble, and I have no idea how to navigate this situation.
*Why I couldn’t reproduce the results:*
The model only performed well when trained and tested on all data, but under those circumstances, almost any model could, and many silly ideas can even outperform it. The technique didn’t really make sense within the domain, either, and I am not sure the student understands what it does.
*Similar Questions*
I have looked online for similar situations, like these ones, but I am still not sure what to do.
[professor pushing me to get result when nothing is right!](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/121712/professor-pushing-me-to-get-result-when-nothing-is-right)
[Paper on project without any result - how to conclude](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14886/paper-on-project-without-any-result-how-to-conclude)
[What to do with a result too small to be publishable, but interesting nonetheless?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/29212/what-to-do-with-a-result-too-small-to-be-publishable-but-interesting-nonetheles)
[How to proceed when the baseline (state-of-the-art) published results claim much better performance than I can reproduce?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/138490/how-to-proceed-when-the-baseline-state-of-the-art-published-results-claim-much)
[Problem with undergraduate research supervisor, how to proceed?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/108283/problem-with-undergraduate-research-supervisor-how-to-proceed)
[Informing my supervisor of discrepancy in the results](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7253/informing-my-supervisor-of-discrepancy-in-the-results)
[My Professor is pushing me in a problem that isn't solvable for the deadline](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/47224/my-professor-is-pushing-me-in-a-problem-that-isnt-solvable-for-the-deadline)
[Is it good to publish a research paper with many partially answered questions with sub-optimal results?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/113889/is-it-good-to-publish-a-research-paper-with-many-partially-answered-questions-wi)
[Is it morally correct to submit a paper to a conference with wrong results?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/93929/is-it-morally-correct-to-submit-a-paper-to-a-conference-with-wrong-results)<issue_comment>username_1: You can convince your professor with more tangible datas. However, you have to master the statistical calculating methods for this and have to find the quality articles which reflect well the false one.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: You have two options. First option: decline to be the author of the paper, second option: write and submit the paper as first author. In the second case, the paper will go under review and the reviewers and the editors will decide if it is a good publishable result. Personally I would choose the second option in a high-medium ranking journal. In this way, if the paper will be rejected, it will not be your fault and you will not enter in contrast with your professor.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: It unfortunately sometimes happens that a professor or other PI may see a result from a student that they want to be true, but then a more junior student fails to reproduce the result, and the professor trusts the more senior student.
If you have time and it is not too stressful for you, writing the paper can be good practice, and may help you communicate more effectively with your coauthors. It is always possible that you are the one who is confused, and you will learn from the writing process. It may also be that once your coauthors see it in writing, they will understand better what you are trying to say.
I agree with @username_2 that the reviewers can and must ultimately decide whether the work is publishable, assuming:
* there is blind review (they won't know the authors) and/or your coauthors or institution are not particularly famous. Note that more fame is more power and entails more responsibility. Reviewers may give some people the benefit of the doubt. You can say the world shouldn't be like this but a) reviewers are human, and b) actually, you get more certainty from knowledge from multiple sources. So there is a matter of professional responsibility too.
* *you don't allow anything with your name on it that you do not believe to be true, or that you believe to be deliberately deceptive.*
As long as everything in the paper is factual, the significance of the work might be better judged by other authorities.
If you **do** think someone is trying to deceive someone else, then you may have an obligation to talk to the supervisor of whoever the lying party is.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: If you can’t reproduce the results at all, I’d back off. Don’t put your name on something you don’t trust.
But feature extraction techniques, SEM, CFA etc are well known to be tenuous and very sensitive to the data. Any informed reader will (should?) already appreciate that.
Upvotes: 0
|
2019/12/31
| 476
| 2,095
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a PhD student who recently had an abstract accepted for a conference. It was based on a survey that was scheduled to take place before the conference, but external issues caused the survey to be delayed. I don't have the data I thought I would. I've tried to rework a paper that is more theory-based and introduces some descriptive data from another data set, but it's not a strong paper. Should I cancel late notice or just suck it up? It would be my first conference.<issue_comment>username_1: You don't mention your exact field, but it is very common in the humanities for conferences papers to be, in effect, works (of larger scale) in progress.
One of the really nice things about that is that when you present it, you will have a number of people with expertise in your topic listening and often times will provide very constructive comments or ask questions that ultimately help you deepen or extend or improve the paper.
So as you mention, moving it to be more theory based isn't a bad thing. You can focus on the design of your survey, and mention the intended use, and you will undoubtedly get some solid feedback (it's also totally fine to be upfront and explain why your paper doesn't match the submitted abstract/title).
The end result will be an even better survey that, once you've done it and analyzed it, will lead to a more easily published article (perhaps with another conference paper along the way). You may also get people to come up to you afterwards who are doing similar work, and that could result in collaborations down the road.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As it is an oral presentation go and do your best. This assumes that there is some novelty and your scheduled approach is of interest. You must decorate (verbally) it and gives to the audience the envy to proceed in the same way.
You can also represent related previous data and results.
I assume that you have a minimum of a solid base, as it seems from the question. I also assume that you have limited time, say 15 minutes max.
Otherwise don't go.
Upvotes: 2
|
2019/12/31
| 452
| 1,932
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am currently writing an article that I hope to submit to a specific journal on women’s studies. The journal’s word limit is 6,000 to 9,000 words.
I am still in the planning phase of writing.
How should I organise my writing in light of this?
Do I aim for the lower end of the word count or should I aim for 9,000?<issue_comment>username_1: Aim for what you want to say, and then see where you are. Every paper I've ever written was too long in the beginning because I wrote down what I thought was necessary to say. Then you cut to what the limit is, by omitting unnecessary words (the English language has many options for that), critically rethinking whether a sentence is necessary, etc. But that should be the second step: Start by putting down what the paper *should* be, absent word limits.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I believe that aiming at a certain length is generally a bad idea, and it is not good for a journal to give such a narrow window. Articles or dissertations written with a strong intent to reach or not to exceed a certain length generally do not read good. It is best to write articles in the natural way, and the natural way is to focus on what you want to say. Furthermore, an intent to meet a certain length requirement is often clearly felt by too succinct explanations or, on the contrary, large pieces of information of little value. If I were you, I would seriously reconsider the choice of the journal.
But if you really want or need to submit your work to that journal, then I would advise to aim at the middle of the window, for the following reason: if you happen to write somewhat shorter or longer than planned, you will still be inside the range. Also, an article of a length around the middle of the allowed range won't make anyone think that the author may have struggled to meet the length requirements by expanding or cutting the article.
Upvotes: 3
|
2020/01/01
| 580
| 2,578
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<issue_start>username_0: I have recently finished my master’s in pure mathematics, and I wish to apply for PhD positions.
I had got the top grades of my classes (with a gpa of around 19.5 out of 20). Moreover, I am going to take a toefl test soon, and I think I will get a high grade.
However, the only issue in my doctoral applications is apparently the loathness of almost all of the university teachers who know me to write a letter of recommendation for me. On the other hand, every doctoral institution seems to require letters of recommendation.
Hence, my question specially to mathematics professors is, why do they require letters of recommendation when the level of mathematics (or a scientific discipline) of the applicant can be fairly determined by an interview?<issue_comment>username_1: Most universities want some independent advice about candidates. This should come from people who know the candidate and can attest to their suitability and likely successful outcome. It is hard to gauge that with material provided only by the candidate, even in an interview.
And there is more to graduate school (or a job, for that matter) than raw competence. There is a social aspect and so a desire to accept people who will get along well in the program or job. (That is why I asked the question in the comment, actually.)
But it is what it is, so in your case, you just need to live with it. I'm surprised that few teachers know you, actually. Think about others who can help. But I would keep trying with the three that you mention in the comment. Let them know of your need and the difficulty of finding others to help.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: About the interview part. It is true that mathematical skill can be determined by an interview. Also the language skills can be somewhat determined by an interview. The truth is that interviewing each candidate would take a lot of time. Even scheduling interviews for every single candidate would be a mess. Same for reading previous publications / thesises. With the volume of applications each university is getting, it is practically impossible to investigate each application in depth. Also, as username_1 mentions, there are social aspects to a candidate which cannot be measured by a single interview. At least not completely. Similarly I do not think an interview would accurately gauge someone's mathematics abilities. At least not every single time. An interview puts the candidate on the spot and it is a high stress situation. Many are effected negatively by that.
Upvotes: 3
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2020/01/01
| 988
| 4,273
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<issue_start>username_0: As a sequel to my previous post “ [Redundancy of letters of recommendation for scientific and mathematical majors](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/142246/redundancy-of-letters-of-recommendation-for-scientific-and-mathematical-majors)”, I wish to ask a relevant question.
I have been informed that a master’s student of mathematics is not required to have published a paper in order to be admitted to a doctoral institution. However, my applications all experienced rejection so I am trying to write my first paper.
However, my knowledge in mathematics is limited and in a limited time I cannot come up with an impressive result. On the other hand proving a small result and having it published is against my scientific principles, but I think I will finally do it.
Is it possible that a high gpa (19.5 out of 20), a simple published mathematical paper and a good TOEFL grade, but not good letters of recommendation or lack of letters of recommendation will guarantee admission to a top-tier university?<issue_comment>username_1: Nothing guarantees admission at top-tier universities. Sorry. It doesn't work like that. The competition is fierce.
But note that the expectations for entry into any doctoral program vary by country. In the US, a doctoral program normally starts with coursework leading to the comprehensive exams. So less (in the CV) is likely to be required on entry. Other places, more is needed.
Again, though, you really need good letters of recommendation. I don't expect much success otherwise.
As to publishing, small results will probably help everywhere, even if not dramatically, but you might be able to do something bigger if you do it collaboratively. And, especially, if you can do a publishable project with one of your professors you can hit two targets simultaneously; both a better publication and a good LoR. Even a paper more or less ready for publication along with a good letter would be a plus.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I am pretty sure the answer is no. There are very few things that can **guarantee** admission to a top tier school. Some of the things that can get near guarantee a the top of my head,
* A faculty willing to work with you.
* A **very** strong research background that admission board can recognize its strength.
* Big dollar donations (this is true of undergrad admissions, not exactly sure if it would work in grad. level)
About the last bit, an ex-undergrad. admission official said on camera that it would be 6-7 or even 8 figure donations but sometimes 6 figures + a connection from the school board would do it. I can fish the source if anyone wants it.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: To add to @username_1’s answer, in all math graduate programs I’m aware of, at least in the US, letters of recommendation are a *requirement*. So a “lack of letters of recommendation” is actually a guarantee that you will *not* get admitted. This is not something you can solve by publishing either one “simple” paper, or even many non-simple ones, except in the indirect sense that if you publish many papers then good letters of recommendation are likely to follow more or less automatically.
Keep in mind that this applies to all programs, not just “top-tier” ones.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I cannot imagine getting in a top program without reasonable letters of recommendation, and I see this as *much more important* than having a published paper especially as in a previous post you wrote “ However, the only issue in my doctoral applications is apparently the loathness of almost all of the university teachers who know me to write a letter of recommendation for me”.
You also admit your knowledge of math is limited: indeed without a strong GRE math score, a high gpa is not very meaningful.
You need to realize there are finitely many slots available and that pretty much all those admitted to a top program will have high gpa but will also have strong reference letters. A paper might help but with your limited knowledge and without a mentor to help you putting a result - even an average result - in proper shape, the odds of publishing in a reasonable journal in a fairly short time are next to nil.
Upvotes: 2
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2020/01/01
| 547
| 2,399
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<issue_start>username_0: I have multiple experiences from multiple teachers that they hide the book they are secretly following and picking problems from, and whenever students ask for a reference book, they give a multitude of names except for the book which he is secretly following.
As a result, students either waste a lot of time figuring/finding out the answers to the questions or never find an answer which the teacher wants them to write, and consequently **most** (or some) of them fail. So, those failed students have to repeat the same course multiple times, and others collaboratively build and maintain question banks.
Why do teachers do this?
How ethical is it to hide information from students?<issue_comment>username_1: Some, most, many teachers don’t.
I give the worked solutions to all of my problems after a week to give the students time to attempt them.
Some solve them all and don’t need to check, others solve some and check some, others do none and look at the solutions, then think it is easy...
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It is fine. But you seem to have the misconception that education is about *answers*. It isn't. Instructors don't ask students to do problems because they need the answers. They (the instructors) can probably figure them out on their own. I hope so anyway.
The exercises are to get the students to do the mental work that will reinforce anything in the class. It is hoped that they will struggle a bit and so get stronger. it is about growth, not answers.
But the ethical instructor will also provide feedback so that when students can't come up with answers on their own, they are guided to a better way of thinking.
And a really good instructor will give out exercises that vary in difficulty so that everyone can do some of them, but there are also some that even the best students will struggle with.
And, building question banks is also a disservice to students. Especially to those students who really need to learn. Shortcuts don't get you there. If you try to take a shortcut in a bicycle race you will be disqualified. Do the work. Get strong.
A teacher that gave out exercises but always provided the answers immediately would also be doing the students a disservice. Working toward a known answer is a different, lower level, skill than searching out the answer and the demonstration that it is true.
Upvotes: 4
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2020/01/02
| 1,297
| 5,167
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<issue_start>username_0: It is a common belief that "*if you want to learn/study English, you must go to an Anglophone country*." This belief is compounded by the fact that English teaching franchises are constantly advertising ELT as a commodity and their authority on that commodity. Some language schools do not even recruit language teachers other than the [native speakers](https://www.cambridge.at/en/jobs).
But, my question is about academia.
So, if someone acquires a Ph.D., say, in English 1 (linguistics) from a university, say, in Israel 2 (where the native tongue is Hebrew), would he be considered on par with a Ph.D. from an anglophone country in an anglophone country?
What kind of problems may he face if he moves to an Anglophonic country to be in academia either as a researcher or a professor?
*Note:* [1](https://www.cambridge.at/en/jobs) might be any language other than [2] and vice versa.
*Note-2:* I am talking about academia.
**Edit:** the context is the following:
* [If someone is refused a visa in any one of the “Five Eyes” countries, does this affect his subsequent visa applications in other “Five Eyes” countries?](https://travel.stackexchange.com/q/156800/110991)<issue_comment>username_1: I have got my PhD right this way.
My group was international in composition and language L was the one used as working horse. The whole university there also encouraged some use of language L.
Under these circumstances the answer is yes. And so it might be even in less favorable ones.
This is for the PhD title per se.
For the life out I think it very much depends on what is the L non-L pair, the knowledge of the candidate of one or both languages (I knew none :)), and other cultural aspects. Be prepared for rather hard moments, out of the lab.
Not sure about specific language related fields, such as literature or so.
**edit** I did not get the point. OP is asking about a language related field, so that I think the answer should be more like those by Academic, Erwin and username_4. Still my experience might be useful for a young student considering to move to an institution within the L non L situation.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The question relies on the common misconception that the institution where one does their PhD matters a lot for their future career.
What will matter at the end of any PhD is the work which has been done: quality of the publications and of the dissertation itself, ideally projects and/or contacts made with the international community in the field, involvement in the username_3 life in general (although this is usually after the PhD), etc.
As long as one contributes to their field and establishes contacts with their scientific community, their work will be recognized everywhere. On the contrary, an isolated PhD without international publications/contacts is a hard sell even from a prestigious university.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> What kind of problems may he face if he moves to an Anglophonic country to be in the academia?
>
>
>
No matter where he did his Ph.D., he is likely to face an extremely tight job market, with many more *extremely qualified* job candidates than open tenure-track positions.
In general, to get hired, it is to his advantage to make himself and his work known to whatever sort of department he hopes will hire him. So, for example, it is a good idea to attend (and speak at) conferences in countries where he intends to apply for jobs.
It is also a good idea to take steps to "understand" the sorts of universities where one intends to apply. For example, from what I can tell, the "small liberal arts college" model seems to be uncommon outside the United States and Canada. If he were to apply to such jobs, it would be to his advantage to learn in advance about how they operate, and to learn something about what they value.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: A Ph.D. in a field is a recognition of having done publication-worthy research in that field, and in being prepared to start an independent career in that field. When that field is "Language L", it refers to research in some facet of its language, application, pedagogy, or literature (though your mention of 'linguistics' seems to imply that is not the case here). It is *not* intended as an advanced credential in applied language ability in that language (though one would assume some moderate language ability would be part of the skillset needed to have completed the Ph.D.).
All of that means that there is no *inherent* reason for such a Ph.D. to be devalued for an username_3 job in the field, anywhere.
That being said, while publication pedigree is the most important, pedigree of the degree granting institution, the specific department, and the supervisor do matter in the initial post-Ph.D. job. For English, I don't know, but I suspect more respected departments and advisors tend to be in the Anglophone word. I'm sure that's not universally true, and definitely not true for all world languages, but it is am issue to think about in whatever is the specific situation prompting your question.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2020/01/02
| 1,207
| 4,920
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it possible for someone to get into a Ph.D. without a thesis at Masters-level?
If someone doesn't have a thesis at his Masters-level, what other criteria can he fill in order to approach a potential supervisor?<issue_comment>username_1: I assume that you have a Master's degree but not a Master's Thesis. The answer to your question depends on the location.
In **the UK and the US**, a Master's degree is not a requirement to start PhD studies, and therefore a Master's Thesis is also not a requirement. The admissions committee will compare your achievements with those of other students who only have a Bachelor's degree, and the expectations in terms of research output and thesis writing will correspond to that level.
In other locations, such as **Germany**, starting doctoral studies without a Master's degree is [possible but very rare](https://www.e-fellows.net/Studium/Studiengaenge/Promotion/Wissenswertes-zur-Promotion/Promovieren-mit-Bachelor/(page)/all) (unfortunately, the link is in German, but it says that only 1300 out of 108000 doctoral students that started on the winter semester 2011/2012 had no Master's degree).
The traditional way of starting doctoral studies in Germany is to contact a professor directly, and be selected by the professor, without the participation of any admissions committee. Professors will generally expect a Master's degree, and will want to have access to some of your research output to see how good your research is. They will by default look at your Master's Thesis for this, but you might be able to also get selected without a Master's Thesis if you have enough research output (publications or written reports of research projects).
There are also [structured doctoral programs](https://www.research-in-germany.org/en/jobs-and-careers/info-for-phd-students/find-your-phd-place-in-germany/structured-programmes.html) in Germany. These function in a similar way to PhD programs in the US/UK (with admissions committee and more course work), and are more likely to accept students without a Master's degree or thesis. These programs are, however, much less common than "traditional" doctoral studies as per the previous paragraph, so you might have a hard time finding one that interests you.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I have advised PhD students who had a masters when they started their doctoral studies, and others who didn't. I did not have a masters when I started my PhD. As noted in another answer, in some countries, having a masters is not required to start doctoral studies. This is, for example, also the case in Hong Kong.
You asked,
>
> what other criteria can [a prospective candidate] fill in order to approach a potential supervisor?
>
>
>
As an advisor, I would like to see a prospective doctoral student demonstrate ability to work independently. One of the principle differences between undergraduate and doctoral studies will be the expectation to perform independent research; many candidates fresh out of a bachelors degree may have never undertaken more substantial research than writing a term paper. A few examples of independent work could be:
* an undergraduate honors thesis or "capstone" project
* an engineering or software product
* an invention
* a community service project involving organization of meetings/town halls, etc. and/or interviews (could be especially desirable for students in the social sciences)
* an internship that led to a product (such as a company internal report)
When prospective graduate students without a masters degree approach me about starting doctoral studies, I generally recommend a graduate school path that allows the student to acquire a masters during the course of study. Such an option may provide a graceful "bail-out" option for both the student and advisor, for example if the student discovers after a year or two that research is not for her/him. I realize that such an arrangement is not an option in all countries.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You can still pursue a PhD after doing a non-thesis master's degree. Contrary to popular belief, the thesis master's degree is not the only path to doctoral studies and the world of academia.
Although there are a few exceptions, you can enrol in many PhD programs after completing a non-thesis master's degree.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: In India, it used to be the case that you can join a PhD with a master degree. It is not necessary to have a masters that requires writing a thesis. E.g., A MCA(master in computer application) (where writing a thesis is NOT part of the course) degree holder can join PhD in computer science. It is not necessary to have a MTech (where writing a thesis is usually part of the course).
Now it is also possible to join PhD even with a BTech degree(Again, where writing a thesis is NOT part of the course).
Upvotes: 0
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2020/01/02
| 814
| 3,458
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<issue_start>username_0: Let me elaborate: I’m aware that school teachers often do private tutoring for children on the side (although I believe it’s only ethical/fair if they tutor children from other grades, classes or different schools).
Are university professors (at any level) able to engage in a similar job? Could they offer private tutoring as a paid service to students from different classes or institutions, or even to children and adults in general who need tutoring? Would this breach any university policies or regulations?<issue_comment>username_1: I'll just have to guess that most places will have regulations concerning, or even forbidding, this. But it is a big and variable world.
But, at a minimum, a person contemplating doing this needs to check with the university administration, who may permit it or not. Or they might set some boundaries. I doubt that many would permit tutoring students at the same institution for pay. They would rather provide tutoring opportunities for grad students, for example.
I know of one case in which a person was fired for doing such things, but mostly, I think, for not revealing the relationship, which was with another school.
But if you can justify that the tutoring is completely independent of your university duties and doesn't compete or interfere with it, then you probably can make a case that it is OK. The university doesn't own all of your time and what you do with it is a personal matter - up to a point.
I'll also note that there are other educational activities that are somewhat similar and most universities don't interfere with them. Writing textbooks, for example can make quite a profit for a few professors and I don't know of universities that get in the way of this. Some activities are even encouraged, such as consulting to organizations or businesses.
But note that the activities that are encouraged tend to have a repetitional benefit to the universities. Tutoring for pay doesn't seem to fall into a category like that.
Adjunct professors, of course, normally have to teach at more than one institution, provided that they want to eat and pay rent.
Also, being a professor (at any level) is normally more than a full time job. It is difficult to do everything required and have enough time for much else, especially if that other commitment requires a schedule.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Many university professors have side gigs doing consulting work for industry, writing, starting companies and doing many other things. At all universities I’m familiar with this is permitted and to some extent even encouraged. Usually there will be a policy in place specifying how much outside work is permitted. For example, [here](https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/apm/apm-025-07-01.pdf) is a link to the relevant policy at the University of California system.
As for your specific question, tutoring students at other universities is not any different from any other kind of side work. As long as the professor is in compliance with their institutional conflict of commitment policy, this is totally fine. The only other case where it would be a problem is if they want to make money from tutoring students *at their own institution*. This would create a fairly blatant conflict of interest and would likely be regarded as unethical. See for example [this question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/58225/40589).
Upvotes: 3
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2020/01/02
| 792
| 3,305
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a Cambridge Mathematics undergraduate (third year) and I want to be a theoretical physicist (I am taking the relevant courses, research experience, etc). I am confident I can get into Part III, but not sure if I could get accepted into an Oxbridge PhD. I would start my PhD in October 2021, so if I want to go to the States I should start thinking about GREs soon.
**Should I consider applying to US top schools?**
The application process would we quite time-consuming, but I am not sure I would end up going to the US over other European universities. **Some points** I am considering about grad school in the States are:
* Longer (5-6 yrs) PhDs compared to Europe (3-4 yrs), it seems better to save 2 years. (Although I am young, so it may be good to have some stability before postdocs)
* Coursework required may overlap with my Part III
* Expensive (?)
* If I do not get into an Oxbridge PhD, then I probably would not get into a top US school either. In that case, I think I would prefer a second-class European university than a second-class US university. And if get into Oxbridge, I would be more than happy to stay. Hence, with this reasoning, either way, I should not bother about applying to the US.
I think it is relevant to note that I would be 21 at the start of the PhD.
EDIT:
To clarify, my main question is not what are my chances of getting in, rather **if it is** **worth doing a (longer) PhD in the US instead of somewhere in Europe (probably not Oxbridge)**.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that the only issue here is that you intend to change fields. You will need to show a US institution that you have adequate background in needed physics topics to begin advanced study. But you may be fine there also, depending on your course of study.
The reason that the US degree takes longer is that it makes fewer assumptions about the candidate's background on entry. A doctoral program (here) normally requires some advanced coursework leading to comprehensive (qualifying) examinations. So, there is some opportunity to make up for missed subjects, provided that you can convince a department to take you. Letters of recommendation might be essential, especially if they can speak to your readiness to switch fields.
And, you might be able to get into a top program (depending), since the entrance requirements are a bit less than for Oxbridge, which has a different educational system. In particular, an undergraduate degree in UK is normally more specialized than one in US, whereas most students here can enter doctoral programs with only that less specialized undergraduate degree.
---
Following your edits, I can only add that the decision about whether it is "worth it" is personal and can only be answered given your own preferences. Weigh the plus and minus aspects of each decision as you would for any important one. You are unlikely to suffer any major setback to your career no matter which way you jump.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If you take partIII then you have the best chances of being accepted anywhere. As far as I know it cannot get any more prestigious than attending partIII before your PhD. Provided your grades are relatively great. I have to say thought, this kind of courses are VERY intense.
Upvotes: 0
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2020/01/02
| 1,288
| 5,413
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<issue_start>username_0: Currently, I am working as a software engineering over 3 years. I also completed a master's degree programme and I aim for a PhD In Japan via Mext Scholarship.
Whilst working as software engineering I feel constrained on my creativity due to these limitations:
1. Face-to-face code reviews actually feels like an interogation having to answer continuously why you did this, why you did that. Whilst a review comment from the internet feels more friendly to me.
2. Having to show them the basics in a manner of seconds for an x-y technology that took me months to master it.
3. Sometimes lack of learning best practices usually in early years.
As a result I feel constrained in a team. Therefore, I look for a place that I can take my time and can be as creative as I want. What I am looking for is "Hey I had this x-y idea lets put them in the test to see whether it works" without having to think will it take me a whole life of 5 seconds to prove it.
Whilst in my Master's degree I felt unleashed, and I was awarded for working hard (getting good grades) so I could push more and more. So I am seriously thinking an academic career as my path of choice. Also, I felt like I achieved something once I managed to do a hard task alone eg. presenting a difficult paper I studied alone instead of forming a team and presenting all together.
So I wonder on a PhD and later on a postdoc position, does encourage and mentally/non-monetary awards hard work and freedom over creation?<issue_comment>username_1: There are of course many facets to both your question and any answer anyone could come up with. But yes, in general it is true that academia is not product-driven but curiosity-driven, and so you have more leeway in the directions you choose.
It is also true that academia is a place where by and large hard work and creativity is rewarded.
---
I do think it's worth also discussing two undercurrents I can read between the lines of your question. First, you seem to suggest that in industry/outside academia, creativity and hard work are not rewarded. I think that, as a rule, this is not correct. It may of course be that your *current* workplace does not encourage this, but in many large companies, being good at what you're doing and coming up with creative solutions is most definitely rewarded, both in terms of money as well as career steps. It is of course true that you are more constrained in the direction in which your creativity should be directed, simply because in a company you have a product that needs to get to the market. But if you're better at coming up with solutions to problems, people will eventually notice and it will be rewarded.
Second, you seem to suggest that you do not appreciate the aspect of peer evaluation in your current job. (You do say that it is, in particular, the face-to-face aspect, but I'll take the liberty to generalize.) I have three things to say about this: (i) Peer review works, it leads to better software/papers/etc. (ii) Academia is all about peer review: Every one of your publications will be peer reviewed, and you will have to learn to accept the judgment of others on your work. In many cases, this judgment will be anonymous, and it's not always gratifying to read reviews of your work. Moreover, your job evaluations (and potential for a new job or a promotion) are all predicated on getting positive peer evaluation feedback. You will have to get used to being judged in academia: We have a lot of freedom, but not to the point where you can do whatever you want without being judged. (iii) Empirically, the most successful people in any area are the ones who embrace peer feedback, take it to heart, and think critically about what they did wrong and how they could do better in the future. The ones who have difficulty accepting criticism are often the ones who stop growing and improving, and it will eventually show in your ability to do the next career step. As a consequence, I would recommend you find ways to make your code review sessions productive: If it's the personal style of the reviewer, then talk to them by saying that you are eager to get feedback, that you want to learn and get better, but that this-or-that about the interaction doesn't work for you.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: you will find some research centers or universities which are more closed-mind than companies, and vice-versa. It depends very much on the environment, but you have more chances to find an open-mind and freedom in academia. However, as others already pointed out, acedemia is ALL about peer-review and you will find people that will complain even about words, phrases, punctuation, figures and your paper will be rejected as happened to me. Moreover, in academia you must work with other people. It's not well seen a person carrying out the research alone. For sure, there are many awards in academia for hard work, but some of them have restrictions (e.g. citizenship, only for women, based on the place where you carried out your research). My suggestion is to try a PhD. Then, if you dont like, you can always go back to work in a company easily. I give you one tip that my ex PhD supervisor (my mentor in life and in research) gave to me: take criticisms to improve your results. Maybe, if other people ask you many questions, it's because you are not clear enough.
Upvotes: 0
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2020/01/02
| 660
| 2,606
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<issue_start>username_0: Many think it is unethical to have your coauthor to review the paper; many think it is not.
In my situation, I am discussing possible collaboration opportunities with researcher A. He knows the field well and might be the fittest referee for my current paper, which is also in this field.
Is it unethical to nominate him as a reviewer?<issue_comment>username_1: I assume you mean a formal co-author. Someone listed on the paper itself. It isn't *unethical* to nominate them, but I don't think any editor would go along with it. They want an independent analysis.
So, I think you would be wasting an opportunity by naming a co-author. It would probably generate a laugh at the editorial office.
But if you are speaking about someone you intend to work with in the future or on a different paper, then sure, they may be a good choice. But again, no conflict.
However, if you mean you want them to be a reviewer and then later add them as co-author, there would likely be problems. The journal might have rules about that, especially in blind reviewing. But the ethical concerns would be those of the reviewer, not yourself, if you don't know who actually does the reviews.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> Many think it is unethical to have your coauthor to review the paper; many think it is not.
>
>
>
Many journals and associations have strict guidelines on this matter; I suggest you to take a look at the answers to [Conflict of interest as a referee](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/114488/conflict-of-interest-as-a-referee), especially @DavidRicherby's one, and possibly also to other questions with the tag [conflict-of-interest](/questions/tagged/conflict-of-interest "show questions tagged 'conflict-of-interest'"). In any case, a *recent* co-author, in my opinion, is a big no.
>
> In my situation, I am discussing possible collaboration opportunities with researcher A. He knows the field well and might be the fittest referee for my current paper, which is also in this field.
>
>
> Is it unethical to nominate him as a reviewer?
>
>
>
I assume these are serious discussions and not just a generic exchange of niceties "this is interesting, we should discuss it some time" at a conference. In this case, I suggest nominating him, but mentioning the possible conflict of interest at the same time. There is no harm in being explicit about it; just let the editor know and decide for themselves. If you have only a tiny text box to nominate possible referees, you can argue more in the cover letter.
Upvotes: 2
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2020/01/02
| 1,049
| 4,349
|
<issue_start>username_0: I started working on an AS degree in 2014. I took the required math class and failed it twice. I then passed all my other classes, but was told I would have to take the math AGAIN.
So the entire summer I studied, but I was told I could not take only one class for financial aid reasons. I was given a waiver to take the class alone, but after registering, I was then told I needed to re-apply as a new student. I debated this with many of the folks in financial aid and tried to explain I had a waiver to take the class. I had no choice so I reapplied.
I was then told my degree audit went from 95 percent done to 80 percent and that I had to retake classes I have already taken and passed. Fast forward, the school ignores me now. And now they have applied the Satisfactory Academia Progress (SAP) Rule to my account.
I’ve already talked to the entire financial aid department, every mathematics professor at the college, and the ones who run the entire school. I absolutely don’t know what to do anymore.<issue_comment>username_1: This needs to be worked out locally. Perhaps there is an office at the college that will intercede on your behalf - Student Support Office, or similar.
There may be laws that support your case, but then, you would likely need a lawyer.
But perhaps an appeal to someone higher up in the administration will help.
For what it's worth, it seems that you are being misused and that a number of rules are coming together to disadvantage you. Good luck.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> That is what I wanna know. If I could take the credits I do have and transfer them to complete my degree.
>
>
>
Most schools have an **in residence requirement**: you have to take a certain number of credits *at that school* to get a degree there. This prevents people from earning a degree at one school and then transferring the credits to hundreds of other schools to get hundreds of degrees.
To choose one example at random, Santa Barbara City College requires [15 credits in residence](https://catalog.sbcc.edu/academic-standards-policies/).
This means two things for you:
* Transferring your credits to another school for an AS degree probably won't work; you'd have to do several classes there to meet their "in residence requirement." (Though as Patricia points out, you could possibly skip the AS altogether and transfer your credits directly to a BS program.)
* This may explain why your degree audit changed after you were "readmitted" at your current school. Being re-admitted reset the clock on your in-residence requirement.
Assuming your goal is to get the AS, your situation could be one of two things.
**Scenario #1** is that the rules were incorrectly applied to you. For example (and this is my guess) the advice to re-enroll as a new student was just bad advice. And now that you have done so, your situation is so complicated that the "front line" people don't know what to do (and don't care to find out). So, they're just hoping that you give up and go away.
If this is the case, the solution is to bypass the front-line people and go to someone higher up who has the knowledge and authority to fix this for you. This may be a dean. At some schools, it's hard for AS students to get a meeting with a dean. In the worst case, you could have to hire a lawyer to force them to pay attention to you.
**Scenario #2** is that the rules were correctly applied. For example, some schools require you to graduate within 5 years. If your school has a time limit and you went over, then the policies were applied correctly and you don't have a leg to stand on. In this case, you would have to repeat the classes.
Of course, it's impossible for me to say which scenario you are in, not knowing your school's policies or your full situation. But it's something you should be able to find out by going through your school's policies carefully.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In addition to continuing to work with your current school, I suggest contacting transfer counselors at potential bachelor's degree schools in your area.
Even if you cannot complete the degree you are currently working on, it may, depending on regulations, be possible for you to enter a bachelor's degree program carrying a significant number of your current credits.
Upvotes: 2
|
2020/01/02
| 1,006
| 4,247
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am soon going to finish my PhD (neuroscience; India) and am interested in working as a post-doctoral fellow, eventually going down the teaching and research line. My question is specifically about teaching. So far, I have had zero formal teaching experience (unfortunately such opportunities do not exist at my institute).
How does one go about learning how to develop and design a course and to get a grasp of teaching to undergraduate/graduate students? I have seen some questions here and also some job postings (from various countries). A lot of them require you to come and even give a demonstration of your teaching style, or be aware of latest teaching methods, or to give examples of how you would design a course and so forth. Do young faculties/post-doctoral researchers get trained in these areas or are you expected to have figured it out by the time it comes to applying for a faculty position?<issue_comment>username_1: This needs to be worked out locally. Perhaps there is an office at the college that will intercede on your behalf - Student Support Office, or similar.
There may be laws that support your case, but then, you would likely need a lawyer.
But perhaps an appeal to someone higher up in the administration will help.
For what it's worth, it seems that you are being misused and that a number of rules are coming together to disadvantage you. Good luck.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> That is what I wanna know. If I could take the credits I do have and transfer them to complete my degree.
>
>
>
Most schools have an **in residence requirement**: you have to take a certain number of credits *at that school* to get a degree there. This prevents people from earning a degree at one school and then transferring the credits to hundreds of other schools to get hundreds of degrees.
To choose one example at random, Santa Barbara City College requires [15 credits in residence](https://catalog.sbcc.edu/academic-standards-policies/).
This means two things for you:
* Transferring your credits to another school for an AS degree probably won't work; you'd have to do several classes there to meet their "in residence requirement." (Though as Patricia points out, you could possibly skip the AS altogether and transfer your credits directly to a BS program.)
* This may explain why your degree audit changed after you were "readmitted" at your current school. Being re-admitted reset the clock on your in-residence requirement.
Assuming your goal is to get the AS, your situation could be one of two things.
**Scenario #1** is that the rules were incorrectly applied to you. For example (and this is my guess) the advice to re-enroll as a new student was just bad advice. And now that you have done so, your situation is so complicated that the "front line" people don't know what to do (and don't care to find out). So, they're just hoping that you give up and go away.
If this is the case, the solution is to bypass the front-line people and go to someone higher up who has the knowledge and authority to fix this for you. This may be a dean. At some schools, it's hard for AS students to get a meeting with a dean. In the worst case, you could have to hire a lawyer to force them to pay attention to you.
**Scenario #2** is that the rules were correctly applied. For example, some schools require you to graduate within 5 years. If your school has a time limit and you went over, then the policies were applied correctly and you don't have a leg to stand on. In this case, you would have to repeat the classes.
Of course, it's impossible for me to say which scenario you are in, not knowing your school's policies or your full situation. But it's something you should be able to find out by going through your school's policies carefully.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In addition to continuing to work with your current school, I suggest contacting transfer counselors at potential bachelor's degree schools in your area.
Even if you cannot complete the degree you are currently working on, it may, depending on regulations, be possible for you to enter a bachelor's degree program carrying a significant number of your current credits.
Upvotes: 2
|
2020/01/02
| 644
| 2,686
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have a skype interview for a post-doc at a big research group with PI-A, who is the leader in his field and would be a great opportunity if I got the position.
At the same time, I have been in conversations with PI-B and PI-C about a co-mentored post-doc to work on a recently awarded grant. The work for the grant will be done in collaboration with PI-A. The grant describes a post-doctoral position for the laboratory of PI-A to do the work for the collaborative project under PI-A,B, and C.
My questions are:
Should I mention my conversations about the project in my interview with PI-A's group?
Should I mention to PI-B and C that I am interviewing for PI-A?<issue_comment>username_1: I would start out by assuming that all of the PIs will know if you apply to any of them. If the conditions for the various positions (pay, etc) are similar then I see no reason not to mention it. Perhaps the three of them together can find you a slot, even if one can't. This would probably be different if the pay and such were quite different.
And note that working with a top researcher is only sometimes better than working with others. The top person may have less hands-on participation at that point in their career.
On the other hand, there can be issues with non-tenured supervisors, who may have little time for anything but getting their own tenure.
But the collaborative possibilities you mention sounds like a big plus.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There is certainly no point in hiding any of this from A, B, or C. (In fact, they might already know.)
What you'll want to avoid, is both of them offering you a position and making them wait on the answer. This could potentially cause them to miss the opportunity to hire their second choice for the other position. (The longer they wait with sending out an offer, the bigger the chance other candidates will have moved on.) This could potentially cause a bit bad blood, which would be a bad start for you.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Absolutely, let all of them know immediately. If you are going to be working with people, they will want to know they can trust you. They will want you to be where you can be most productive.
They may very well have noticed, but I don't see that as relevant. What matters is that you are honest and open with your future employers, and that you trust them to want the best for you as well.
Having said that, I wouldn't bring this up first during the skype interview, I would email them about it in advance of the interview, and then let the PI decide whether it's worth discussing in the short precious time you have together.
Upvotes: 0
|
2020/01/02
| 540
| 2,328
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm an academic in the fields of biomaterials and biochemistry, willing to apply for academic tenure positions.
Unfortunately, I don't have a high number of publications, but they are either first-author publications in (good or average) journals or equal first-author publications.
I have coworkers who published 30 or more papers, but the number of first-author publications that they have is lower than mine.
What are my chances of landing a position in a "decent" university? Do employers really care much about the first-authorship these days?<issue_comment>username_1: Actually, your record is what it is. So a theoretical answer is of little use to you now, unless you have time to change things.
I'd recommend that you apply for positions that you find interesting, and make your application as positive as you can. There is, in most fields, an advantage in collaborative work, especially for a junior faculty member.
In general, people look for a variety of things that indicate a successful future. It isn't just a game of counting papers. Good papers are better than mediocre ones. Lead authorship is better than simple acknowledgement. More is better than less. But a well rounded picture is best.
But in your applications, aim for a wider rather than narrower range of reputation of the universities. You won't know until you put yourself into the mix. But show that you are still active and have ideas for future research. It isn't just the past that is important, but people's judgement about your future. Use letters of recommendation to push that idea.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This will depend on disciplines, but normally people want to see that you can yourself write, but also that you can collaborate, and that you know what it's like to write a strong paper / publish in the top venue. How many papers it takes to communicate this varies by discipline and person. Note also that in some disciplines having a single male author anywhere on an author list, means that paper won't contribute to a woman's chances of getting tenure. I wouldn't be surprised if similar effects held for minorities' names vs whatever the locally dominant demographic was. <https://scholar.harvard.edu/sarsons/publications/note-gender-differences-recognition-group-work>
Upvotes: 0
|
2020/01/02
| 425
| 1,798
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<issue_start>username_0: I am writing a motivation letter where I have to write why I am directly applying for a Ph.D. position without masters. What can I write so that it seems valid and convincing to the professor?
(The Ph.D. will take 4 years anyway for people who will apply from bachelor, the 1-year preliminary course then 3 years Ph.D.)<issue_comment>username_1: For any application, for school or a job, the key thing is to make sure that everything in your application indicates a successful future. In Germany, where a masters is mostly "expected" it might be hard to convince an advisor that you are ready unless you have done some exceptional things otherwise. Having the master's gives the PI a better chance to evaluate your future, based on your past. So, there, and in some similar places, the hurdle is pretty high.
In the US, by contrast, less is expected since the program is longer and involves coursework that can be used to help make predictions. Also, in the US, you choose the advisor later, giving everyone a better chance to evaluate.
But, what you can *write* to convince people must involve listing your past successes and other suitability for the proposed position. Just being a good student in a classroom situation probably isn't enough. A different situation if you have some research behind you and some publications.
Convince with deeds, not words, but get letters of recommendation that back you up.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You can simply write that you want to pursue your career in research. PhD are made mainly for research. Keep in mind that in Europe it is not possible at all to be enrolled in PhD if you didn't finish your master's degree before (3years bachelor + 2years master + 3/4years PhD in Europe).
Upvotes: 0
|
2020/01/03
| 925
| 3,880
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<issue_start>username_0: Suppose I'm applying for grad school and I receive a scholarship award to study at grad school A, does it make sense to list such a scholarship award on my CV in my application to grad school B?
Or let's say I go to grad school B, should one still list the declined scholarship award from grad school A in future CV's?
---
My gut feeling for the first question I asked is that it would seem a bit weird and worse case scenario someone at grad school B is influence to some extent to think *"Well judging by this scholarship award here, this applicant already has a place at another grad school, so declining him/her may not be so bad"*. Is my gut feeling correct?<issue_comment>username_1: I would agree with your gut feeling: if you have a compelling reason to go to school A, it is better to leave it out of the application for school B. Motivation is also an important factor that selection committees take into account when deciding who to admit.
If the award has already been irrevocably declined and lies in the past (i. e., if it cannot influence your decisions anymore), then you can mention it, though you must clearly state that you have declined it. However, if you decline it, I would assume that it is because you accepted a better award/scholarship somewhere else. In that case, listing the declined one does not add much to your application, and it might be better to use that space to list other more recent achievements instead.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I would also agree with your gut feeling in this particular case. I can, however, think of a scenario where a declined award/scholarship should be included on your CV. In countries where you pay to study at a university, you can apply for scholarships/postgraduate awards/student funding. There is often a limit on how much funding an individual can accept. So, say for example you applied for funding from A and B and that these Funding Agents only give funding to high achievers. If you are awarded X from Funding Agent A and Y from Funding Agent B, and you can only accept the funding from Funding Agent A, I would say it is still acceptable to list that you were awarded funding from Funding Agent B but that you were unable to accept it. In cases where the award implies certain personality characteristics/strengths (but doesn't directly compare to the place to which you are applying as in your example), it can be advantageous. I hope that this makes sense.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: you should add in your CV only what you think it is favorable for you for the particular application. CVs are customizable for this reason. BTW regarding your case, I would not add the scholarship that you refused. Normally in CVs you mention only the funds that have been useful in your academic path.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I can imagine that there may be circumstances that you declined an award that might still be worth mentioning you had the chance, but in general people don't do this. You don't list other jobs you were offered or other PhD places, just the ones you did choose. The only exception might be if you are very early career and this is about the only thing on your CV. You might possibly mention it in aggregate e.g. "selected from five similar funded offers" but it would probably sound arrogant. If you really want two different offers on your CV, it's probably better to try to negotiate one of them into a research visit or suchlike, then put THAT on your CV.
You might though put down really weird things that happened, not as bullets but in some kind of subtext, e.g.
* 2009-2010 swept up at the local bar *(note: had been offered and accepted Asst. Prof. position at Harvard, but all incoming positions that year were frozen because Sumners lost 1/3 of the Harvard endowment in the crash)*
Upvotes: 0
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2020/01/03
| 491
| 2,218
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<issue_start>username_0: I have been using this open-source network flow generator and after doing some research i was able to add a network classification engine based on ML into it, put it in other words i added a new feature into it.
So i would like to know if a research paper is possible for such work?<issue_comment>username_1: Impossible to know without further details. It might be, it might not. You might want to have a look at the Machine Learning Open Source Software track of the Journal of Machine Learning Research, accessible here: <http://www.jmlr.org/mloss/>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I think in general, the answer would be no. However, if you can, somehow, show the usefulness of the tool by applying it to some difficult problem, then that falls more into the realm of research and so warrants publication. But it isn't the tool, per se, that classifies it as research.
Note that in CS, many doctoral dissertations start out with the student building something. This can take a lot of time and effort. But then, they show that the tool is better in some way that the state of the art. It is that demonstration that gives it value and leads to the degree. Advances in operating systems and databases are often like this.
Build a tool. Show that it extends the state of the art (faster, smaller, more secure,...). Now publish.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Ultimately, the primary determinate of whether this could be a viable research paper is what level of work that you are willing to commit to transform your current accomplishment into appropriately formatted research (for a particular journal, and for review by whichever professor is supervising your work). To accomplish this transformation, you must answer the question of how your work accomplishes a certain objective differently than others, and how it might be better. If you can answer this question successfully, and convincingly, you could make this paper work. Make sure that you talk to your supervising professor so that he or she could make suggestions as to where you go next with this, however. Research requires guidance, initially, and is rarely done completely unaided.
Upvotes: 0
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2020/01/03
| 565
| 2,383
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<issue_start>username_0: When applying to graduate programs, most universities ask for a CV. If one has to provide the description of awards they received in their CV, will it be considered plagiarism if they use the official descriptions of the awards verbatim?
[The descriptions are just one sentence long, and rephrasing them too much tends to alter their meaning. The descriptions of these awards on the websites of the institutes granting them have been worded very carefully, which makes them seem to be the best way to convey the corresponding award's purpose.]
Edit: Would it be safer to include a footnote that says that these are the official descriptions, verbatim?<issue_comment>username_1: Definitely not.
Plagiarism is the use, in an academic, creative or intellectual context, of someone else's ideas or distinctive language, without proper attribution. It follows from this that in some forms of writing it is not possible to plagiarize: for instance, you cannot plagiarize in a lease or customer service agreement or in wedding thank you cards.
A CV is an academic document, but it is not the kind of academic document having a blanket premise of originality in regard to its writing. For instance, the formatting of a CV is usually taken from someone else's template...and that's *completely okay* because no one is expecting your CV to be formatted in a new, original way -- on the contrary, the formatting of a CV should largely conform to agreed upon academic cultural norms.
There is some small amount of room for "creative writing" in a CV, but it does not lie in the description of awards you've won. Anyone reading your CV would expect that you have attempted to describe the awards *in a very standard way*. If that means copying the official text of the awards: no problem at all.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Plagiarism is presenting someone else's novel work as your own. On a CV, you are not producing novel work, so novelty is not an issue. The only way to plagiarise a CV would be to copy someone else's CV's CONTENT and pretend it was your own personal history, when it wasn't. Even copying someone else's CV **entry** would be OK if you did exactly the same thing, but not their entire history, since presumably your own history would be different. Even there, this would more likely get called "fraud" then "plagiarism".
Upvotes: 3
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2020/01/03
| 927
| 3,802
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<issue_start>username_0: So at the last day of class a classmate asked if they could borrow some of my lecture notes for studying for the final (this was a history class). I said sure and sent them to their usb. Since it was near the end of class I was rushing to copy and paste my files and in that I think I also sent them my essay notes by mistake. I do not know their name and I have contacted the department head and my professor about the issue letting them know as I am worried they could use these notes in their paper. The notes are not my draft or final copy, they just summarise each article the professor gave for the essay, and the paper itself was well overdue at this point. The office told me I would not likely get in trouble but I still have worries as marking is ongoing. Have I done the right thing so far? Is there anything else I should do?<issue_comment>username_1: You have taken appropriate action already. If you meet up with the person warn them against using the notes. But, if you want some additional security, print out your notes and get someone you trust to sign and date them. Now you have a clear marker. I doubt that this is necessary, but if you are paranoid,...
But any infraction of rules would be by the other student, not yourself. Notes are just notes. Relax.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Have I done the right thing so far?
>
>
>
Yes. You reported it.
>
> Is there anything else I should do?
>
>
>
No.
I remember once an issue where I moved into some campus housing. There was a container left in my unit's storage shed that was attached to the back of the partment. It turns out that the container was used motor oil. As I toured the apartment, I let my tour guide know that I wasn't worried about it. I didn't know what was in the container, and planned to throw it away. But what really happened is that I never used that storage unit, and forgot all about it...
... until the weekend when I visited my family, and somehow (wind?) the container spilled. Children from nearby apartments were playing in the liquid, so there was a massive clean-up operation. I first learned about it when I unusually looked out the window of my sliding glass door and found a construction barrier placed there, and tape labelled "Do not cross", etc.
I was then getting billed for the massive clean-up effort. To that, I objected.
The school ended up taking my report and researching the issue by contacting the former apartment supervisor who was my tour guide, and learning that there was agreement that this oil originated from a previous tenant. Although it took a couple of agonizing weeks to get an answer, they decided to not charge me.
>
> The office told me I would not likely get in trouble
>
>
>
This is probably the best you're going to get. I mean, it'd be even better to have that in writing. But getting that in writing seems rather unlikely to me. So, you'll just need to hope for the best, knowing that *usually* such statements made by staff are accurate, and even if they aren't, *usually* (but not always) an organization will decide to honor such statements if they are validated by the person who said that.
>
> but I still have worries as marking is ongoing.
>
>
>
You can likely feel even more comfortable once your final grades are provided to you. At that point, a school can likely still change your grades in the event of a situation that they consider extreme (and they may take any incident of "cheating" as being sufficiently extreme), but you're *usually* okay at that point.
I know, that's three times where I emphasized the word *usually*. Sometimes, life offers you no absolutes, despite how much you might want one. Knowing the usual results is, sometimes, simply the best you can get.
Upvotes: 4
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2020/01/03
| 1,606
| 5,984
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm 43 years old, Mexican, chemist (bachelor diploma in 2002) and hold a master's diploma in electrochemistry (2006, conducting polymers) and a doctor in science diploma (2010, exfoliation of carbon nanotubes, anionic polymerisation). Spent 3 years in postdocs, two in Brazil, one in the US, and 3.5 years in a research institute in Mexico, trying to get funding, I quitted last year. 8 publications so far, two of them with over 400 and 770 citations, and a small family. Fluent in English, Portuguese, and understand some French. Having a difficult time with German, but willing to become fluent.
I cannot get an industry science job either in Mexico, or abroad since my diplomas are from mexican institutions (not any job, indeed). I'm broke, and I really want to leave this country since there are no opportunities for me here and I want better chances for my family in the future.
I think I should get a PhD or apply to a postdoc from Germany or France, with a strong liaison to industry, to get hired there. I cannot apply for a mexican fellowship, and most fellowships are around 3000 Euro maximum.
I now understand why some Japanese commit suicide, they find no exit. I find myself in a very similar situation. I'm a scientist; therefore, I cannot and will not take ANY job, but a science & engineering job.
I would gladly appreciate any suggestions on funding resources (except suicide, of course).
Cheers!<issue_comment>username_1: I can speak for Europe. You can forget to earn 5000 euro for a PhD or a PostDoc. If you dont find a job you must adapt yourself. There are many people that do not find a researcher or engineer job after one PhD and many PostDocs. It is not good to pursue another PhD, it is legally possible, but in practice nobody will hire a person for a PhD with already another PhD. I would suggest to look to the thousands opportunities in Europe for people coming from Mexico and the so-called "poor" countries. Almost every university has this opportunity, coming from european union or from the university itself. In Europe a Full Professor earns around 4000-6000 net (depending by the country) at the end of his career.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: US institutions generally publish their standard PhD student stipend. [Here is MIT](https://gradadmissions.mit.edu/costs-funding/stipend-rates), which is likely at the top of the scale. You can see that it is around USD 3300 per month, and in accordance with usual US conventions, this is gross pay, before taxes (someone at this income level would pay very roughly around 10% of their income in federal, state and payroll taxes combined) or deductions for the student's share of benefits (e.g. health insurance). I do not think there is any way you will find PhD funding in the US that pays anywhere near USD 5000 per month net.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Considering an absolute salary range without considering the location can lead to erroneous expectations. That salary range can be the bare minimum to survive in, say, Zurich, Switzerland, but would give you a fairly wealthy life in, for instance, Italy, Spain or Poland.
Speaking with my European colleagues, the PhD salary range across most European countries is between 400 €/month to 2500 €/month, net. In my country, Italy, it is typically between 1 k€/month to 1.5 k€/month, net, depending on the university. A postdoc position is typically between 1.5 k€/month to 2 k€/month, net, which, in the higher range, it's not that bad, considering the cost of living here, but if you have a family with children you certainly need a second income from your spouse.
To give you an example of the type of salary you're asking for, at the academic level in Italy, a full professor who has been in such a position for 40 years (an unattainable condition nowadays), that is, at the edge of retirement, would earn here 145 k€/year, gross. Considering the taxes, they would probably earn around (6-7) k€/month, net, which is a fairly wealthy salary. So, this is what you're aiming for.
Please, readjust your expectations to avoid disappointment, and compare the salary range in the job offers with the local cost of living.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> I now understand why some Japanese commit suicide, they find no exit. I find myself in a very similar situation. I'm a scientist; therefore, I cannot and will not take ANY job, but a science & engineering job.
>
>
>
As a scientist, you should be able to realize easily that your financial expectations are completely irrational. In France, [only the top 3% wealthiest people earn more than 6000€ salary *before taxes*](https://www.inegalites.fr/Ou-vous-situez-vous-sur-l-echelle-des-salaires). Thankfully, the 97% left don't commit suicide!
First, you need to analyze your options objectively and honestly:
* If you want to maximize your income, then you must go to industry not academia. And if you've been in academia for some time you should know that already.
* Even in industry, a monthly 5-6k job corresponds to a senior position, you can't reasonably expect that before 10-20 years of very successful experience (and probably a bit of luck).
The fact that you mention being broke and at the same time require such a high salary points to other issues: when broke, a rational person will take whatever job they can have because any amount of salary is better than zero income. The fact that you mention suicide and apparently see "no exit" even though you clearly have a pretty good professional profile reinforces this impression. To be clear, it looks to me that your first concern should be your mental health, because you need to get out of this negative state of mind in order to see that your options are not so bleak, far from it. I'd suggest you talk to some relatives and/or friends that you trust, and listen to their advice: I'm sure they will see many solutions where you think there are none.
Upvotes: 3
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2020/01/04
| 999
| 3,574
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<issue_start>username_0: We do citations when we refer to someone else’s papers but what about lecture notes? If I come across someone’s lecture notes which has a different way of presentation of a theorem or some problem and I wish to expose my students to it, how do I make use of it? Can I use the other person’s diagrams or solutions and give them the credit?<issue_comment>username_1: There are two questions here:
* how to cite?
* can (and how) such materials be used?
The first question can be certainly answered. [Library Guides from Victoria University](http://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/apa-referencing/course-lecture-notes) has the following example in APA style:
>
> <NAME>. (2018). *AEB1804: Young People in a Global Community, week 1, session 1 notes* [Course Presentation]. Retrieved from <https://vucollaborate.vu.edu.au/d2l/le/content/177492/viewContent/2217850/View>
>
>
>
[This question also deals with citing lecture notes and when to do it](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/10411/56594). Concrete example [for lab manuals](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/21766/56594) and [lecture notes](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/89000/56594).
[An important discussion on whether to use citations while preparing your lecture notes](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/108883/56594) can give a perspective on why doing proper citations in lecture notes is a good idea.
However, citing lecture notes has its limitations, since lecture notes are essentially [gray literature](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_literature).
Now, to the second question *whether and how you can use them*, **which is a question of copyright**. [This question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/93492/56594) discusses the copyright-issues-free preparation of lecture notes to get you started.
Lecture notes rarely mention a license under which they are published, so you cannot assume they are in the public domain or under a permissive license. You can contact the author of the notes (or the copyright holder, which might be university). This will raise two problems (that theoretically can be resolved):
* sometimes it is actually unclear who is a copyright holder for the lecture notes
* you rely on the fact that the lecture notes you are trying to use do not infringe copyrights on their own
---
So, I would suggest the following. Use the material from the lecture notes in a way that will constitute [**fair use**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use). Citing paragraphs here and there would certainly be fair use while using images and figures [might not be](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/40173/56594), as well as using entire chapters. Use appropriate citations where applicable. Also, consider asking the author of the notes for an explicit permission.
Known assumptions and limitations of this answer:
* you do not intend to sell your lecture notes
* copyright law is complicated and has its own peculiarities in every country
* you intend a fair use (in a common, not legal, sense) and wish to be as fair and copyright-respectful as possible
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For figures, one can include a figure credit in the caption, something as simple as “Figure credit: Zerothehero, unpublished lecture notes.”
The same holds for theorems:
Theorem: [Zerothehero, unpublished lecture notes] The Sun rises in the East.
Or
Theorem: The Sun rises in the East [see also Zerothehero, unpublished lecture notes]
You might also include a link or better yet the DOI if the lecture notes have been assigned one.
Upvotes: 2
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2020/01/04
| 659
| 2,939
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<issue_start>username_0: in scientific research, I get confused in using terms
like a model, a framework, an approach, a Method and a scheme so what is the difference between them?
when I should use each of them to express my work?<issue_comment>username_1: I can only answer this in the context of psychology, and within the context of my own understanding. A **model** and a **framework** I would interpret as more a system of how concepts are understood and explained; of the two, a framework is broader and more general, and a model usually refers to specific variables relating in a particular way to each other.
**Approach** and **method** I would use when describing a specific study or endeavour, which might be conducted within a particular framework, again going from the more general to the more specific.
For example, I might look at persuasion in the framwork of the Elaboration Likelihood Model; which although is called a model I would still consider a framework. In my study I would be interested specifically at the model of how credibility of the sender and the persuasiveness of the message are related to each other.
My approach would likely be a quantitative one (rather than a qualitative), and my particular method could describe what I am actually doing in the study - perhaps a 2x2 experiment which varies two variables (sender credibility, difficulty of message).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In electrical engineering, a **model** is a (usually simplified) mathematical description of a real phenomenon. Models are developed to be able to apply mathematical tools/algorithms to real-life problems.
The term **framework** usually refers to a [software framework](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_framework) (this probably applies in your case if you are in computer science). That is, a set of software tools that provide some functionality and can be extended by other programmers.
An **approach** is a way to tackle a problem. Once you have a mathematical model, you decide on a way to solve the model equations: this is your approach.
The term **method** is usually used as a synonym for **algorithm**. Applying your approach to your model, you design an algorithm that solves your problem, and this is your method.
The term **scheme** refers to a *strategy*, and is somewhat broader than **method**. For example, "quicksort" is a method that solves the specific problem of sorting a vector, but the way Stack Exchange stores the information about its users and serves it efficiently when it is needed, using (probably) a minimal amount of sorting operations might be called a scheme.
However, some of these terms are sometimes used as synonyms, in order to avoid repetition of words in articles. The same method might be alternatingly called "method", "algorithm" and "approach" in a paper, and "framework" and "scheme" might also be used interchangeably.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]
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2020/01/04
| 2,081
| 8,112
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<issue_start>username_0: I often go to meetings and professional events outside academia.
I am meeting new people all the time, and most of them are not acquainted with academic ranks and job titles. It happens often that when they realize that my job title is 'assistant professor' they slightly dismiss me and suddenly give an impression that they see me inferior.
Some even ask me who my professor is. So I don't think I am misinterpreting the situations.
Outside academia 'assistant' has often a connotation of a lower and dependent ranking, which may explain it.
I am not obsessed with titles, and I am happy with my job and position, but I have a feeling that in these situations it may close doors as I am getting dismissed before I can show anything.
As I am getting convinced that this happens only because of the job title, I started to think who can I introduce myself with another generic job title that sounds better and does more justice (that I am more senior than I appear: a project leader, supervising people, and do not assist someone).
Is there a synonym that I can use instead? The requirement is that a title isn't fake. I don't want to claim a title that does not belong to me. I just want to find a better way to introduce myself to those who are outside academia.
I was thinking about using titles such as senior scientist, research director, lecturer, but these are actual job titles. Principal investigator, while truthful, may not be understood.
Maybe I should also state that I am male, so it is not about gender. I can imagine that if I were female it would be even worse.<issue_comment>username_1: I think you should just introduce yourself as
>
> I work as a *professor* at the University of X.
>
>
>
omitting the *assistant* rank that can cause misunderstandings.
The following conversation line feels also very safe:
>
> – Where do you work?
>
>
> – I do research and teach at the University of X.
>
>
>
which might be a better fit since it explains your job in a short sentence. However, nothing wrong with the first line that does not require a question to feel natural.
The actual rank (assistant/associate/full) might matter in a formal (mostly, written and official) context and rarely means a lot outside of the academic system. And that seems to be exactly the situation you happen to encounter issues.
Related questions:
* [How an assistant professor is called in North America?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/31954/56594)
* [Can I call an assistant professor *Professor*?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/37037/56594)
[Cultural and linguistic differences](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/37051/56594) can play a role, so it might not be as appropriate in certain countries; though, I doubt that would matter at all in a circle that is not familiar with academic ranks at all. Moreover, it is likely that there is no confusion because the rank in the other language is very different.
You might also dig in the direction of "Head of XXX lab" (in case it applies) or "research group supervisor", but I don't think there is a good reason. An assistant professor is a professor and no elaboration is needed in a laid-back unofficial atmosphere.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: My suggestion based on what I would do: Just present yourself with your name and surname. Then, if other people ask about your job, you can explain that you are an Assistant Professor. If people consider your preparation only considering your Title, then you are sure that these people are not good at their work, so it's not good to have a collaboration with them for future projects.
There are Professors that are less prepared than students and researchers.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: Try this: (Example)
"I am currently a faculty member at the University of Texas, English Department (2013 - Present)" - since assistant professor vs. associate professor are simply ranking progress of a Ph.d on faculty simply state the basic.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: What about something along the lines of "**Junior-ranked professor**"? - this conveys both that (a) you are a professor for practical purposes (i.e., you do research and teaching), and (b) that you don't have a high seniority. This does leave out the fact that you do not have tenure, but industry people often do not care about this.
Coincidentally, in Germany, "Juniorprofessor" is an official designation for a position quite similar to an assistant professorship elsewhere, except that by default, it does not have a tenure track, so after at most 6 years, such professors have to find a new job.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I like [anton-menshov](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/56594/anton-menshov)'s response. In talking with non-academics, you can also quickly convey the reality of your position by calling yourself a "beginning professor" at University X. Then they know you are in fact a professor, and they know where you are among the different types of professors.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: In the UK, there are currently two competing sets of ranks. Some universities use the traditional British structure of Lecturer - Senior Lecturer - Reader - Professor, whereas others use the more international one of Assistant Professor - Associate Professor - Professor. Job advertisements will often indicate how the ranks used in that university correspond to the other set, and this is normally Assistant Professor = Lecturer, Associate Professor = Senior Lecturer / Reader (some places have two classes of Associate Professor to distinguish this) and, unsurprisingly, Professor = Professor.
So I would use "university lecturer"; it may not be your job title, but you do (I presume) actually deliver lectures, people will probably understand it better than "assistant professor", and it is a title some other institutions would use for your current rank. In the UK at least (and I think in Europe more generally, although I don't have direct experience of that), it would be clearly wrong to use "professor", which without modification would be interpreted as a full professor. (Someone with the title of Associate or Assistant Professor would still be referred to as "Dr X" in the UK, not "Prof. X".)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: When talking to people that are not deeply into academia, I call myself "researcher [at the University (of Somewhere)]" to start with. Currently, I am postdoctoral researcher, some day I might be assistant/associate professor - I guess I will keep it that way.
It's a word everyone should be familiar with (unlike postdoc or assistant professor), and it makes sure that people don't think I am a teacher (which I might do as well, but it's not the main part of my job), and they have some idea what I might be doing (likely not, but it wouldn't be better when I tell them I am professor).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: ok, so this answer is late, but no-one seems to have suggested
>
> tenure-track professor
>
>
>
this sounds better to me than assistant professor and if someone asks you can explain that you are on a career path towards tenure / full professor
if you have tenure then
>
> tenured professor
>
>
>
might be an option
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: In the US, if you say something like "math professor", no one will assume that you are referring to the actual rank. I think this is the most natural way of saying what you do for a living in an informal context. "Faculty member" is also OK if you don't want to get into what your field is.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: If you want to stay vague, I would go with
>
> I am an academic / in academia
>
>
>
but I think it is more useful to be subject-specific
>
> I am a mathematician / chemist / historian at the University of X.
>
>
>
That way people understand that you are a researcher and a teacher, and what your area of expertise is.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: Unless you're bothered about the teaching aspect, How about "scientist"?
Upvotes: 1
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