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7,579 | <p>Are there any ways of getting to know about new PhD positions in CS other then just looking trough university/research groups web sites? Maybe people from different branches can name some specialized mailing-lists where PhD positions announcements are quite usual. I am particularly looking out for computer systems, mainly dealing with cache problems, scheduling problems, multicore architectures, etc.</p>
<p>Here are a couple of websites that I found:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.eurosys.org/jobs/#doctoral" rel="nofollow noreferrer">EuroSys — European Job Openings in Systems</a>,</li>
<li><a href="https://www.phdportal.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PhDportal.com</a> (formerly <a href="http://www.phdportal.eu" rel="nofollow noreferrer">www.phdportal.eu</a>),</li>
<li><a href="http://scholarships4phd.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Research Grants | International Scholarships</a>,</li>
<li><a href="http://scholarship-positions.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Scholarship Positions</a>,</li>
<li><del>http://youngbrigades.com/</del> (site has new, unrelated owner; verified on 26.12.2020).</li>
</ul>
<p>I would appreciate any help. Thanks!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7583,
"author": "Tom Carchrae",
"author_id": 4355,
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"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>If you know the field you want to study and have read some good papers, contact the authors and ask them what mailing lists are good for their field.</p>\n\n<p>You might also state your motivation: they are generally good at knowing who has funding and may even be looking!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 143548,
"author": "sean",
"author_id": 15501,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15501",
"pm_score": 1,
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"text": "<p>Why this post is active again without any new answer or comment? </p>\n\n<p>Anyway, in the past I found this page very useful, it has PhD/postdoc/faculty positions, CFPs so on and son on.\n<a href=\"https://research.cs.wisc.edu/dbworld/browse.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://research.cs.wisc.edu/dbworld/browse.html</a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7579",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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|
7,586 | <p>I have finished my thesis, it's been proofread by my advisor and myself, yet I have 24 hours to make last-minute changes to it. What should I be looking for? I will not make any substantial changes to the content, but what about the form? For such limited amount of time, where should I focus my effort? Or, said another way: what’s in your last-day check list for a thesis?</p>
<p><em>Major modifications to the original question. Thanks to F'x for the advice.</em></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7591,
"author": "Javeer Baker",
"author_id": 4475,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Your goal is to present a viable thesis to your examiners so perhaps there is a need to change your thinking about not making \"substantial changes\". I know this is a difficult call at this late stage but if you discover a gap in your thesis, it is better to address it before submitting it to your examiners, rather than getting the examiners to point it out to you. If the latter happens, you will have to substantially revise your thesis and this will tax you emotionally to say the least.</p>\n\n<p>As for the checklist, I have the following suggestions:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Check that you have really built up your case for the research. Your examiners will not be convinced if you present a flimsy case. Ensure there is a strong reason why you conducted the research (i.e. define the gap in knowledge that you are addressing). </li>\n<li>Check that you have actually answered your research questions. I am unsure in which field you are situated but in sociology the answer is often not that clearcut. However, you can still make a strong case for or against your research proposition.</li>\n<li>If you have done statistical analysis, make sure you demonstrate that you have a good understanding of what you did (i.e. you understand the assumptions that underpin the technique, for example Pearson's r is for linear relationships). </li>\n<li>Check that you have a section (in the concluding chapter) that spells out in black and white what contribution your thesis is making in your field. Often we just assume that the examiners will understand the contribution. We know our research so well (after doing it for 3 or so years) that the contribution is apparent to us, but it is a different story for the examiners.</li>\n<li>Demonstrate critical thinking with a blend of personality. This is a bit controversial but your thesis is a reflection of your interests and a little bit of personality in your thesis will not hurt (only a little bit, though as this is academic writing). In my case, I incorproated my experience as an immigrant to explain why I chose to study what I studied.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Remember, you will not get a poor result because of typos (though many typos will create a poor impression), so focus on the bigger issues if you can. All the best!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7592,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First, if you've already proofread it recently, a second try will most likely not help. You won't see the typos and weird sentences anyway :) I'll advise to focus on specific short parts that can make a difference in the reading. It's also the right time to get someöne else on board to give these specific items a second look (with fresh eyes).</p>\n\n<p>Without further ado, I suggest you limit yourself to checking the following items:</p>\n\n<h3>Text</h3>\n\n<p>The main check here is not really for typos (although be sure to fix those you will see), but rather for <em>clarity</em>.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>General introduction, general conclusion</li>\n<li>Introduction and conclusion of each chapter</li>\n<li>Summary/abstract, if one is included (sometimes it's written in 10 minutes in a haze, in which case it's worth extra checking in the end)</li>\n<li>Acknowledgments, if it's already present (some people only include it after the defense is over). Make sure you're not forgetting someöne important, like your wife or your bonsai.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3><strong>Figures and figure captions</strong></h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Quality of the graphics</li>\n<li>Do color and symbols mentionned in the caption match the figure?</li>\n<li>If you intend to have black and white figures in print, are the figures understandable in black and white? Do the captions make sense for both version (color and B&W)?</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h2>Equations</h2>\n\n<p>Check your equations. Again. Typos there are typically hard to find.</p>\n\n<h2>Numbers & tables</h2>\n\n<p>All tables, all inline numbers: make sure they include units, make sure the number of significant digits displayed is reasonable and consistent.</p>\n\n<h2>Bibliography</h2>\n\n<p>Do not care to much about the formatting: if most of it is okay, noöne will really complain about one or two missing page numbers or lack of italics in one title. However:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>If references are hyperlinked (using DOI number), click on each to check that they match the right online paper</li>\n<li>If a paper is “in press” or “accepted for publication” or something else, check if it has been published since and update its status</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><br></p>\n\n<p><sup><em>(The starting point for this was <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/4760/2700\">my answer</a> to <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/2951/2700\">“Examining paper proofs”</a>, but it is now significantly different)</em></sup></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7586",
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|
7,589 | <p>Over the past two years, I've been collaborating with a PhD student. He did experimental work, and I did modeling and data analysis based on his experiments. Now that my colleague is about to write up his PhD thesis, in which way can he ethically include the modeling and data analysis results in his thesis?</p>
<p>I don't need any of these results for a thesis on my own, and we are currently writing a paper on this together, so there are no worries from my side about misuse of these results.</p>
<p>There is the related question <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5920/are-overlapping-dissertations-ethically-acceptable">Are overlapping dissertations ethically acceptable?</a>, but I am more explicitly asking about how my colleague can present the results which are more based on my work in a good way.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7590,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
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"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><strong>Don't worry, be happy (and be truthful)</strong>. There's nothing wrong in including in one's thesis stuff that you didn't do yourself, as long as the delimitation between what the candidate did and what others did is clearly marked. And by that, I mean no lies, but also no half-truths either.</p>\n\n<p>Basically, the presentation will thus depend on the interaction between you two and his part in the analysis (which ranges from “nothing” to “he suggested ideas that I tried” to “he ran my code himself”). In the first case, he could say:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>As part of project X, I sent these results to Dr. John Doe at Big U. for him to perform his widely acclaimed topological Bayesian half-filter analysis. This analysis revealed that …</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There's nothing wrong with presenting results obtained by others from your work, as long as they shed light into the phenomenon you're studying. I once had a student who published a work, which was built upon by another group during his PhD, and he presented this at some length (and critiqued their extension) in his thesis. That's part of the whole story.</p>\n\n<p>If the collaboration was closer, just make sure the thesis clearly indicates its nature and the contribution of everyone. Then, no fuss!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 16616,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>F'x's answer is good. I would just add that your collaborator should check his institution's thesis guidelines. Mine had specific directions on how joint work should be included in the thesis, such as an extra paragraph explaining who did what part of the work.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, your collaborator's advisor should also be in the loop.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7589",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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|
7,594 | <p>I have received an admission offer for a PhD at a prestigious US university. However I am also currently working in another lab outside the US with a potential to also receive PhD admission there.</p>
<p>I think the deadline to respond to the US school is April 15 but the professor asked me politely to give an answer within a reasonable amount of time, also my former supervisor (which has no interest in the matter) suggest not to string along the US school and try to make a decision well before the deadline.</p>
<p>I feel it might be unethical to wait the last minute because I respect the professor and he might lose good potential candidates. On the other hand I want to wait and see if there is a concrete possibility of pursuing a PhD at this other place.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7600,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><strong>As soon as you are sure, or April 15, whichever is sooner.</strong></p>\n\n<p>You have <em>no</em> ethical obligation to answer before the April 15 deadline, especially if you are waiting for an offer from another department.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, it would be <em>nice</em> to answer earlier if you can. So it would be <em>nice</em> of you to contact your current department's admissions committee (either directly or through your lab director), tell them that you have another admission offer but would prefer them, and ask if they're likely to offer you admission. If they haven't decided, it would be <em>nice</em> of you tell them about your April 15 deadline and ask them when they expect to make up their mind.</p>\n\n<p>(I'm assuming that you prefer to stay in your current lab. If you'd rather accept the pending offer, even if you got an offer from your current lab, then what are you waiting for? If you're not sure, then what more information do you need?)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7610,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In Europe there is no 15th of April deadline and nobody cares about US deadlines (if anything the top institutions would want to put pressure on people to make decisions quick so that they don't loose them as good PhD students are not that many (yes its sad but true)). There are many early cycles e.g. Oxford and Cambridge give people offers before the application deadline date for many US departments. And lets say if you get a funded offer in November if your supervisor is keen you can arrange to start by Trinity term in April. </p>\n\n<p>Also this can be the case if the offer was made in irregular time of the year which is not that uncommon (e.g. in Sweden you can start Phd anytime during the year as soon as the guaranteed funding is available for the entirety of the PhD). </p>\n\n<p>In many places you will be interviewed and asked whether you will accept the offer or not just to make sure you are not going to waste their time for a long time. You might say this is unethical behavior and I agree but it has happened to myself a couple of times. You will be expected to make a decision within reasonable amount of time and that is specific to the institution and how they run their business. Back in the day I had offers that gave me less than a month or ones that were open for a couple of months. If the position is funded and there is an expectation to start ASAP especially if there is a company behind the project you might be called in and be given an ultimatum and I have seen offers being retracted.</p>\n\n<p>Advise: talk with the institution that has given you the offer, explain the situation, and get a date by which you can reply. If it is close enough you might be able to stretch it a bit by asking politely for a week or two more time. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7594",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4050/"
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|
7,596 | <p>I completed my undergraduate study in computer science outside of the US. I hope to obtain a PhD degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in the US, but I don't feel that I am qualified enough (in terms of research experience). So I am hoping to find a research internship opportunity in US/Canada. </p>
<p>I could probably find relavant projects in my own country, but I feel that trying US/Canada first is more straightforward. After all, it's in US/Canada where I am looking for a PhD degree.</p>
<p>I have a few HCI professors in mind, with whom I would like to work very much. Should I contact them for internship opportunities? What are my chances and more importantly, <strong>how can I improve my chances</strong>?</p>
<p>Some facts that I think are relavent to the question: </p>
<p>I am not a US resident so I will need a VISA. I don't expect assistantships (it's up to the professor). I have already learnt the basics of HCI and I know the fundamental research methods (through reading and auditing classes). My undergraduate university is not <em>the best</em>, but it's surely one of the best universities in my country.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7604,
"author": "rivu",
"author_id": 5820,
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"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Assistantship is upto the professor (Research Assistantships) as well as the department (Teaching Assistantships). It is highly likely that you will be supported by both over your phd life. That being said, I don't think US universities make distinctions among PhD applicants based on their nationality (in general) in terms of funding or admission. Best of luck for your application. </p>\n\n<p>You might mail professors who you have in mind, but do check in their website whether they explicitly prohibit that. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7608,
"author": "Zenon",
"author_id": 257,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/257",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>You should simply <strong>send an email</strong> to the supervisor you are interested in. Your <strong>best</strong> help to be accepted to any program is to have the support of a professor. In US/Canada you should just start by, <em>Dear Mr/Mme, X</em>. </p>\n\n<p>Now, to convince the professor that you are a good fit, you need to convince him that you are have <strong>research potential</strong>. This is what the university will be looking for too.</p>\n\n<p>You could talk to him about your interests, and how they recoup his (assuming they do by OP post). If you have done any research in that field you could mention it.</p>\n\n<p>If you can find and read first a relevant paper he wrote and have questions about it, ask. I you can't because they are too complicated (which may really happen), or behind a paywall to which you don't have access, you could ask for a few classic references to get started.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7596",
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|
7,602 | <p>In academia, there has been recently some cases that came to light of very well known scientists that have fabricated their data out of thin air.</p>
<p>In some instances these papers have been cited many times by other researchers and some of them have even been praised. Thus, when the truth came to light, it also appears to the public that scientists have bad peer-review processes.</p>
<p>In light of the presented reasons, how can a reviewer make at least some sanity test that the data is (most likely) not fabricated? Suggesting so could come as a great injury to the researcher, but I think there should be some kind of mechanism to control this.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7605,
"author": "410 gone",
"author_id": 96,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96",
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"selected": true,
"text": "<p>There is only one reliable way to do it, which is to try to replicate their results.</p>\n\n<p>The unreliable, but not completely useless way, is to see if the numbers fit Benford's Law.\nBenford's Law describes the distribution of the <strong>first digit</strong> of many very diverse data sets. This is the distribution:</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/L9ehW.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\">\n(public domain chart from <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rozklad_benforda.svg\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Wikipedia</a>)</p>\n\n<p>Andreas Diekmann describes this further, in <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02664760601004940\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Not the First Digit! Using Benford's Law to Detect Fraudulent Scientific Data</a>, a paper in the Journal of Applied Statistics from 2007</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7606,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It depends on the nature of the data. If the data presented is in form of pictures (such as photos of biological experiments, like Western blot), you can check for traces of <a href=\"http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091009/full/news.2009.991.html\">image manipulation</a>. Guidelines to examine photographic data are available from the <a href=\"http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3646\">Council of Science Editors</a>. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7609,
"author": "jwg",
"author_id": 5824,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5824",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<h2>Edit</h2>\n\n<p>After thinking about some of the points raised in the comments, I would like to expand on my answer, but also defend its form against the criticism that it is so vague as to be unhelpful. [In case you are wondering what the original answer was, it is roughly the sections 'Looking for mistakes' and 'Trusting your feelings'.]</p>\n\n<h2>Benford's law</h2>\n\n<p>This was <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/7605/5830\">mentioned by @EnergyNumbers</a>. The answer is very popular; however I don't think that it is particularly helpful.</p>\n\n<p>Benford's law is only one of many statistical techniques that can be and have been used to detect fraud or bias. It has become widely known, probably partly because it is simple to apply, but also simple to justify in a 'hand-waving' way.</p>\n\n<p>However, its validity is much more limited than @EnergyNumbers (who calls it <em>the</em> unreliable way) implies. As originally formulated, Benford's law said that if you take a large range of numbers which have different sources, contexts, meanings or units, the logarithmic distribution emerges. This is a very interesting statement, but has little utility in detecting fraud. The statement that Benford's law, whether applied to first or second digits, should apply to a particular set of observations of a single variable, is an extremely strong statement. There are many, many natural examples of well-formed non-fraudulent datasets to which Benford's law does not apply. Several other digit distributions could reasonably arise in bona fide data. You may or may not be able to justify the assertion for your own data, however what you should not do is blindly apply Benford's law to various sets of numbers, and start forming opinions about their reliability.</p>\n\n<p>It is a serious statistical technique and requires non-trivial statistical understanding to apply. The same thing applies to checking for normality. Unless you have a good understanding of how normal distributions arise, you will not be able to form a theory as to why some distribution should be normal. If this is the case, then any test for departure from normality will be useless.</p>\n\n<p>A paper that really examines this for Benford's law is <a href=\"http://vote.caltech.edu/content/irrelevance-benfords-law-detecting-fraud-elections\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Irrelevance of Benford's Law for Detecting Fraud in Elections</a>. [Hat-tip to @Flounderer who linked this in his comment.] </p>\n\n<h2>Why this answer doesn't go into any statistical detail</h2>\n\n<p>The original answer I gave, below, tries to err on the side of <em>not</em> handing 'formulas' over to people who possibly don't understand their use. I tried, perhaps not very successfully, to suggest starting places for thinking about <em>how</em> and maybe <em>why</em> people either fake results or unconsciously introduce bias. </p>\n\n<p>This kind of forensics is in some ways very similar to other stats, but has some very important differences. If you are looking for a signal in some noise, you might form two hypotheses, both of which imply that data is random, but with say different means or distributions. If you are looking for cheating, you have to remember that fraudulent data is not in any sense random. Spotting it involves teasing apart (possibly) three elements: the real numbers, the deliberate adjustment, and any pseudo-random perturbation that might have been made to mask the adjustment.</p>\n\n<p>I believe that in order to properly apply some forensic test to a set of data, you need to first develop a proper theory of why the test might be meaningful. This entails hypothesing about exactly how the data might have been manipulated. For example, Benford's law was successfully used to investigate whether China's GDP growth in % was being rounded up if it had a high second digit: <a href=\"http://ftalphaville.ft.com/2013/01/14/1333552/chinas-non-conforming-gdp-growth/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://ftalphaville.ft.com/2013/01/14/1333552/chinas-non-conforming-gdp-growth/</a> (registration required).</p>\n\n<p>Taking a whole battery of tests and applying them to some data might allow you to get to the stage of theorizing, but it can't get you any further. This is why in the first few paragraphs of my original reply, I talked in very general terms about how faked data might differ from genuine data. These are supposed to give you places to go looking for anomalies, which you later investigate rigorously.</p>\n\n<h2>Looking for mistakes cheaters might make</h2>\n\n<p>Starting points can be things like testing to see if the numbers fit the conclusion too closely. If an experiment was done on several groups of test subjects, all of which are supposed to be identical, then you would expect the success rate in each group to be close to the overall average, but not too close. Some researchers who have made up their results had all group success rates equal to the average success rate to the nearest integer.</p>\n\n<p>If you get someone to make up the results of 20 successive coin tosses, they deviate from statistical likelihood because they don't put eg. enough sequences of 5 heads in a row. People usually think things like this are less likely than they are. Look out for things which are 'too random' or 'too regular'.</p>\n\n<p>Researchers into election fraud have had some success looking at the last two digits of numbers to see if double sequences like '11' or '22' occur less than they should, because humans who make up 'random' numbers tend to avoid them. This applies in the specific case where you have enough digits that the trailing digits should be uniform, but that no rounding should have been applied. This test wouldn't have detected the Chinese GDP rounding, or manipulations where leading digits are adjusted.</p>\n\n<p>The mathematician Borel weighed the loaf of bread that his baker gave him each day and decided that the average was too far below the standard weight of a loaf to support the hypothesis that the baker wasn't making underweight bread. He confronted the baker, who promised that he would make the loaves heavier. After that Borel continued to weigh his bread. The average weight was now high enough, but he studied the distribution of weights and realized it corresponded to that which you would get if you always took the maximum of several observations of a normal distribution. He concluded that the baker always gave him the biggest loaf from those on the rack, but that the average was still below spec.</p>\n\n<p>This is a classic illustration of how someone might falsify results - by taking the best result from several runs. In order to reason about the distributions, it was first necessary to understand how this method of cheating works.</p>\n\n<p>Or suppose that someone had a bunch of results but threw out those which they didn't like. Has this introduced unlikely biases in the selection of the original test subjects? Eg if patients are supposed to be chosen at random but there are fewer old people than one might expect. In general if any data were rejected you should test for dependence between rejection and other variables.</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes real data has a particular bias or noise which is lost in faked data. In the Simonsohn paper cited below, he looked at a psychological study where subjects were asked to say how much they would pay for a T-shirt. Unlike other, genuine studies, the results didn't cluster around multiples of $5.</p>\n\n<p>Another thing which can be hard to look for but which is very damning is to figure out what the results might be if no effect was present and see if eg a single digit has been changed, or a round number has been added.</p>\n\n<p>Sometime people genuinely do introduce biases unconsciously because they believe in their theories or want to succeed. This could mean that they make very small adjustments which can have a large cumulative effect, such as rounding up numbers which should be rounded down.</p>\n\n<h2>Trusting your 'feelings'</h2>\n\n<p>The other thing you need to try, is to get a 'feeling' for something dodgy, outside of the actual numbers. Again, all this does is give you a place where you try and build a proper statistical hypothesis and then test it against the data.</p>\n\n<p>A mathematics professor once said to me that you can spot false proofs by two things: either the work becomes very complicated at the point where it is wrong, or the wrong step is skipped over as obvious. Not quite the same situation I know, but very complicated data handling procedures could be designed to be difficult to replicate (or could be the point where the researcher manipulated data until she got what she wanted). Saying something like 'cleaning' or 'normalization' without explaining exactly what was done could also be a red flag.</p>\n\n<p>If there's a very very standard source of data of a particular type and someone didn't use it, or used it but not in its original form, why not? People often give a citation justifying some supposedly straightforward manipulation they perform on the data to clean it or get it in a more convenient form. Usually but not always, this reference should be to a standard textbook on stats or experiment design, or to some paper which everyone in the field knows. If it's to something extremely obscure is this justified by the obscurity of the topic? Does the cited work actually say what they claim it does?</p>\n\n<h2>How to proceed</h2>\n\n<p>I have tried to promote the general skill of trying to understand how people fake things, why and how they mix the truth with fabrication (or sometimes are subject to unconscious bias), and what constitutes strong evidence of anomaly. Looking at case studies, of which <a href=\"http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2114571\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Simonsohn's paper</a> is a great example, can help. Stephen Jay Gould's famous book 'The Mismeasure of Man', on the face of it a political tract critical of biological determinism, is also a collection of many case studies of deliberately or accidentally biased scientific work. </p>\n\n<p>If you think that something is fishy, but you don't have the analytical tools you need to prove it, then you need to do research into specific statistical tests that apply to those cases. Among academics, most stats isn't done to detect fraud, and even if you have good quantitative skills you might not have this knowledge. The example of Borel is a good one in that many of us don't know offhand what the distribution of the 'biggest loaf to hand' <em>should</em> be, given some reasonable assumptions for the distribution of the loaf sizes. </p>\n\n<p>However, as a researcher you should definitely have the skills to go and find this out from a book. Asking a statistician is a very important technique which may or may not be a last resort, depending on how friendly your statistician is. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7613,
"author": "user4231",
"author_id": 4231,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4231",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Fabrication of data is not easy to find out as a reviewer. You may try tricks for raw numerical data, if they come in large numbers and can be expected to have normal distribution. But even if the tests say there is some likelihood the data was fabricated, it is still not \"proof\". You would need at least strong likelihood to prevent publication. That is not easy to find.</p>\n\n<p>If you look at accounts of retracted papers and retraction process, you will find out that the culprit is usually identified not by the numbers alone but other facts: he has very rapid publication rate compared to field studies, he has weird behavior and does not allow coauthor to see raw data, things like that. In most cases there was nothing a very diligent reviewer can do. Taht is sad, but that is the truth of it in most cases.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8017,
"author": "StasK",
"author_id": 739,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/739",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There has been related work in survey research on how to detect interviewer falsification of survey responses, sometimes referred to as curb-siding (when an interviewer is allegedly sitting on the curb next to the house where they were supposed to be doing an interview). See <a href=\"http://www.amstat.org/sections/srms/falsification.pdf\">a collection of practices</a> from the Survey Research Methods Section of the American Statistical Association, and <a href=\"http://www.rti.org/pubs/paper-detectingintrvfalsifi.pdf\">a system for detecting interviewer falsification</a> from RTI, one of top 3 US survey research organizations.</p>\n\n<p>The general findings usually run along these lines: interviewers are OK with getting the first moments (means, proportions) about right, but are lousy in the second moments (variances and correlations): they avoid extreme answers, thus reducing variance, and are lousy at correlations (may not know well enough how things go together).</p>\n\n<p>Not much of that may be applicable to natural sciences, though. I would suggest enlisting a local statistician. Many stat departments run consulting courses for their grad students that welcome requests for expertise from other disciplines.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 185594,
"author": "FrustratedBird",
"author_id": 156798,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/156798",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is possible to tell lie with numbers so here are some other evidences (when numbers lie) that can flag (but not confirm) that some of the data may be manufactured.</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>The authors have a track record of publishing multiple times in very low impact paid journals.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>The authors seem to lack a crisp understanding of the subject matter.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>It doesnt seem the authors very frankly described how they decided various things and reached to conclusion.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Jargon rich literature, and complex, ambiguous sentences. It all appear very official, royal and professional-looking.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Looks like some very routine work and similar work has been done in many other places.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Impossible units or impossible values.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Wrong procedure. Such as the author does not know in what fraction of the material to look for a certain isolate, or they mention such a condition where such result is not possible due to physical / chemical/ some other reason.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>The author seemingly copy-pasted or permuted-combined same digits in various places.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Statistical measures for too many datasets are very alike.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>The authors seem to avoid mentioning their own limitations and any troubles they experienced. As if everything is very swift, neat and clean.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7602",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806/"
]
|
7,611 | <p>I often end up frustrated over the pace of my work, or rather the lack of "worthy" results. During my feedback talks with my colleagues and superiors I usually get good feedback but I find it distressing that most of it is qualitative arguments.</p>
<p>I sometimes feel like I have not progressed as much as I would have liked to, but not sure how to assess whether or not I have developed "enough" over time. Which led me to wonder if it is possible at all to measure how well a PhD student is progressing.</p>
<p>The usual measures in the community appears to be: </p>
<ul>
<li>number of publications</li>
<li>which journals the publications appeared in (or rather the impact factor)</li>
<li>number of hours in the lab (regarding how "hard-working" one is)</li>
<li>number of credits taken from courses during phd studies</li>
</ul>
<p>I personally find none of the above to be a good measure. Publications are a fact of research, or the goal rather. But they should not a be measure of how well a PhD candidate is doing in research. I believe the pragmatic demand on "more publications" has essentially lead to overall lower quality and novelty in individual publications. But even without that subjective comment, it should not be a revelation to anyone here that the amount of publications (and especially in which journals they are published) is more dependent on the seniors on the paper rather than the grad student who wrote it.</p>
<p>As for the other two measures I point to, they are just too naive variables to mean much. I mean you can be in the lab for 18h a day, but not learn much new or even worse not even remember those things you have learned. Besides one can also argue whether or not it's actually better for a grad student to be obsessed with number of hours in the lab, or courses taken. </p>
<p><strong>Summary:</strong> Is there a good way to measure your progress through-out your studies? How can I evaluate my development as a scientist, in quantitative (and unbiased) terms?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7619,
"author": "grauwulf",
"author_id": 5760,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5760",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>posdef, this is something that I've struggled with as well. Instead of knit picking over what the definition of 'is' is, I would like to offer the approach which I have used. Your mileage will vary but I've found this approach to work well for me and it may work for you as well. </p>\n\n<p>First, the crux of the problem for me was that progress is either analog or digital, qualitative or quantitative, right? This is what we are led to believe and I think that in the case of education, it is not true. There are discrete quantitative measures by which you can, and have, gauged your progress. 40 classes to get your Bachelor's degree. If you complete 20 classes, you're half way there. Quantitative progress. If you're half way through and your GPA is 3.5 then you can make a qualitative assessment of your empirical data. 50% complete, doing well with room for improvement. So throughout our undergraduate work there is a pretty consistent set of standards and metrics by which to measure our progress and the quality of our work. </p>\n\n<p>Graduate school, for me at least, has been somewhat different. With a Masters program you've usually have either seven-eight classes and a thesis or ten-twelve classes and some kind of a project. For the first portion of the program you can track as before, but then you get into the core of your research or development and encounter something, which I think you are alluding to, 'the perception of quality'. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>\"How many papers did you write?\" 10 - High(Quant)</li>\n<li>\"How good did people think they were?\" 4 - Low(Qual)</li>\n<li>\"How many hours did you spend in the lab?\" 100 - Low(Quant)</li>\n<li>\"How good was your lab output/finding?\" 10 - Exceptional(Qual)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I haven't started the doctorate yet, but I can make an educated guess that this only intensifies with candidate work. </p>\n\n<p>What it really boils down to at this point in your academic career, at least in my experience, is 'how well is your work received?' and how to do you track that to evaluation your own progress. What I've done is to take a two pronged approach to each aspect. </p>\n\n<p>On the quantitative side I've set up a simple database with my course work, grades, number of publications, number of lectures, number of citations, everything I can think of to track my progress. You could also do this with a spreadsheet pretty easily. The basic tenet of this approach is 'What do I have to accomplish & what have I accomplished.\"</p>\n\n<p>On the qualitative side I've asked professors, facilitators, leads, reviewers, even peers in some cases, to evaluate my work against the task objectives. Usually you get something like \"<em>you're doing fine</em>\" but if you can get more detail, do so. A question that I like to ask is \"<em>Would you feel comfortable with me teaching your syllabus?</em>\" This seems to get their attention. It's interesting because it puts the qualitative assessment back on to themselves and forces them to think of your mastery of the material in terms of dissemination rather than assimilation. \"<em>Do you feel comfortable with me teaching this material/running this lab/managing this team that has your name on it?</em>\" Good bad or ugly I write it down and give it a 1, 2, 3. 1=no faith. 2=some faith. 3=complete faith. If, after 6 courses (for sake of argument) you have a qualitative score of 15+ then you know that more than half of your superiors have faith in your mastery of the content that you are consuming or presenting. </p>\n\n<p>To be fair... I'm a bit of a numbers junkie and this may not be the kind of system that works for you but it has worked for me so far. </p>\n\n<p>Best of luck.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7648,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>To reduce anything to a quantitative score, you need a valid metric. There are very few valid metrics you can use in research, as you state in your question. The only other half-common metric that you didn't list above is <strong>Papers read/annotated</strong>. We all know reading is really useful, and you should definitely aim to read X papers a week (where X is some random number that makes sense in your field). That said, the goal of reading is to gather information, and how much information was gained (and retained) is a lot harder to measure.</p>\n\n<p>That said, I have two half-answers:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Make up your own metric based on <strong>hours of productive work.</strong> At the end of each day, just write down in an excel sheet or something how many useful hours you worked that day. You can use some service like <a href=\"https://www.rescuetime.com/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Rescuetime</a> to help you in this, or the <a href=\"http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Pomodoro technique</a>, or just simply buy a stopwatch and keep track yourself. At the end, do a simple <code># useful hours/total hours worked</code> to see how productive you think you're being. That'll probably be more useful than anything else you'll come up with.</p></li>\n<li><p>Make <strong>task-specific metrics</strong>. I tracked my progress on my thesis using a <a href=\"https://gist.github.com/4683189\" rel=\"noreferrer\">custom shell script I wrote</a> that tracked how much text I added in a given time period and plotted it out. (Yes, I probably spent more time making the shell script than I gained in motivation from using it. Whatever.) I tracked progress on one of my projects by how many datasets I had analyzed. I tracked progress on another project by how much coding I completed each day. These are much more useful than broad, overarching metrics.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7611",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674/"
]
|
7,615 | <p>When I started my Masters thesis one advice I got for getting good material to read was to subscribe to several journals' alerts system, so that I would get mails with eTOC (electronic Table of Contents).</p>
<p>This was pretty cool then, for months I could stay on top of what's been published out there and was up to date in my own little narrow area. Now almost 3 years later that list of journals have expanded a bit, and the more work I have at the lab more mails that accumulate in my mailbox. What used to be no more than 10 unread mails is now about 900. The output is more than I can handle, what more restrictive method can I implement?</p>
<p>I guess it is pretty clear that this way of following literature is not sustainable in the long run. So I wonder if there are other and perhaps better ways of staying on top of recently published articles?</p>
<hr>
<p>Please note that I have checked the following two questions prior to asking this one. I do feel though my question differs from these two in its essence.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/50/am-i-reading-enough-of-the-scientific-literature-should-i-read-for-breadth-or-d">Am I reading enough of the scientific literature? Should I read for breadth or depth?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5073/how-do-we-know-if-something-relevant-is-already-published">How do we know if something relevant is already published?</a></li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7616,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>During my PhD, I subscribed to the RSS feeds of the journals I would regularly read (started with 6 of them, ended up with a dozen). I would skim through titles of all new articles, and read abstracts of those whose title drew my eye. I then found out that some journals (<em>J. Chem. Phys.</em> in that particular case) offer specific RSS feeds for each of their sections, in addition to the “whole journal” feed. That helped reducing the number of journals I was skimming through.</p>\n<p>Now, after the end of my PhD, my research interest are broader, the number of journals I like to watch is larger but my time is more limited. This system didn't work anymore, and I set up a new system, which has worked well for a few years. I use bibliographic databases (<em>SciFinder</em> and <em>Web of Science</em>; but I'm sure Google Scholar and PubMed have the same features) to create <strong>publication and citation alerts</strong>. Here's what I have set:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Citation alerts for all my own papers</strong>: if someöne cites my work, there's a good chance I'll be interested in their paper. This one has two additional “strategic” bonuses: you get to keep an eye on your competition, and you can suggest newer work to other authors when relevant (<em>“hi there, I saw your recent paper citing my 2008 article on X, I thought you might be interested on a new extension of this algorithm that we published this year”</em>).</p>\n</li>\n<li><p><strong>Publication alerts for major players</strong> in the field of interest: I have 10 to 20 of those, watching all papers these people publish.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p><strong>Citation alerts for some seminal or high-impact papers</strong> by others in the field: a good way to see how a new idea is adopted/improved by the community. Those tend to trigger a massive number of cites, so you may want to get rid of them after some time. I have between 5 and 10 of those alerts at a given time.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>The only drawback to this method: database updates tend to lag somewhat behind the RSS feeds of the journals themselves, so you get papers that are 2 to 8 weeks old.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>In addition, use <strong>conferences</strong> to stay on top/catch up with the literature:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>Look at contributions made, see what's new and go check the relevant recent publications.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Even if you're not at the conference, look at the online program and see what looks new.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>If you're attending, talk with people… you can also use that opportunity to ask some people (whom you do know well enough):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Have you seen that new technique by the team at MIT? it seems to work really well… I was wondering: what has caught <em>your</em> eye in the recent literature?</p>\n</blockquote>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7621,
"author": "Aru Ray",
"author_id": 948,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/948",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I subscribed to the math arXiv, i.e. I signed up to be sent an email every day about the articles posted to the math arXiv (the email contains titles and abstracts). </p>\n\n<p>When I first did this, I got very excited and subscribed to lots of areas that were interesting to me - geometric topology, general topology, algebraic topology, group theory, etc etc. and I swiftly got completely swamped and ended up reading nothing. I decided that this wasn't getting me anywhere, and I unsubscribed from everything except one subtopic (geometric topology) which was most relevant to me. </p>\n\n<p>I also made it a part of my morning schedule to go through the arxiv email (usually sent around 5a) - wake up, read my morning webcomics, go through the arxiv emails, make a note of anything that sounds relevant to me to read later in the office. </p>\n\n<p>In summary then:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Subscribing to the arxiv instead of a journal gives me a manageably small list of articles per day (as opposed to a long list of articles on a more spaced-out schedule)</li>\n<li>ArXiv allowed me to focus in on a small field of research - this might not be possible for journals, since they potentially include articles in a range of subject matter.</li>\n<li>Making it a part of my daily schedule (particularly for a time when I'm potentially procrastinating from making the bikeride to school) made me more likely to actually do it.</li>\n<li>At least in mathematics, it might take quite a bit of time for a paper to make it to the publishing stage, and reading the arXiv lets me be more up to date. </li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7615",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674/"
]
|
7,620 | <p>I am teaching a freshman science course for the first time and I am doing also outreach activities in high schools. To be able to attract the young generation to science one has to connect the concepts with everyday applications.</p>
<p>So I build my power point slides using pictures from the textbooks which we officially use. Unfortunately when one does a Google search on any subject by images, one gets much more appealing and fascinating pictures. Some of these pictures are even related to simple applications which are explained in popular science sites on very recent discoveries. The problem is that I cannot use those pictures from Google sites in my slides because they are copyrighted.</p>
<p>What should I do then? Should I stick to the boring-looking textbook pics to avoid copyright problems, or bring life to my course by using images Google shows up (but then I might go to the jail!)?</p>
<p>Is there something that says one can use images shown by Google for educational purposes with no copyright issues?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7622,
"author": "user4231",
"author_id": 4231,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4231",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<ol>\n<li>Find an interesting image.</li>\n<li>Check for licensing conditions. If license has generous terms (like Creative Commons license) allowing free reuse of the image, or reuse under conditions that you meet (like attribution or absence of modifications), use the image.</li>\n<li>If you think your use is covered by fair use: use the image.</li>\n<li>Otherwise, contact the copyright holder for explicit permission to reuse.</li>\n<li>If it is not clear who is copyright holder, it is orphaned work. In some European jurisdictions it can be used (but not in the US).</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Educate yourself with this nice website: <a href=\"http://www.teachingcopyright.org\">http://www.teachingcopyright.org</a></p>\n\n<p>This document for teachers is a good resource too: <a href=\"http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/copyright.cfm\">http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/copyright.cfm</a></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>It must be noted: many people follow the algorithm below</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Find image</li>\n<li>Screw it! Just use image</li>\n<li>Realize that nobody came to put you in jail</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>It does not mean it is right, but they are not going to jail. And if their use is not to make money they probably will not meet issues at all.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7623,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is there something that says one can use Google images for educational purposes with no copyright issues?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Nope, there is no such principle in general, although it depends on the particular country. In the U.S. the closest concept is <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use\">fair use</a>, which covers some cases. Unfortunately, there's no simple way to tell when it applies. For example, it's not true that all educational uses are automatically fair use.</p>\n\n<p>I'm not a lawyer, but my understanding is that if you reproduce a figure from a paper so you can criticize it, then that's certainly fair use, but if you decide to illustrate your cryptographic protocol using Bart and Lisa Simpson, then that's likely not. Of course many cases fall in between these extremes.</p>\n\n<p>In practice, though, you are unlikely to get in any trouble for using copyrighted images in slides for an academic presentation. People do it all the time, and I've never heard of any legal action. Posting the slides online is a little riskier, but even that is sometimes done. [Don't interpret this as legal advice, of course: it's still illegal if it's not covered by fair use.]</p>\n\n<p>If you want to be careful, you can choose to use only public domain images or those available under a suitable Creative Commons license allowing re-use. The web page <a href=\"http://search.creativecommons.org/\">http://search.creativecommons.org/</a> can help you find such images.</p>\n\n<p>Note that Creative Commons licenses typically require attribution, and that's a good practice in general. If you use any images you don't create, I'd recommend a little note giving credit off to the side somewhere. After all, it's good to model high ethical standards for our students.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7628,
"author": "gerrit",
"author_id": 1033,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You can use images showing up in Google Search if and only if the license allows for it. Therefore, you might be interested in <a href=\"http://www.google.com/advanced_image_search\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Advanced Google Image Search</a>, where you can <strong>search by copyright status</strong>. More information about the <em>Usage rights search</em> can be found <a href=\"http://support.google.com/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=29508&rd=1\" rel=\"noreferrer\">here</a>.</p>\n\n<p>For example, here are <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&tbm=isch&as_q=mars&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&cr=&as_sitesearch=&safe=images&tbs=sur:f&tbo=d&biw=1920&bih=930&sei=p0oJUe3AMYvJswbe-IHwCg\" rel=\"noreferrer\">freely useable images searching for \"Mars\"</a>. Notice how many of them are from NASA or the Wikimedia Foundation.</p>\n\n<p>And here is an example <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&tbm=isch&as_q=IBM&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&cr=&as_sitesearch=&safe=images&tbs=sur:f&tbo=d&biw=1920&bih=930&sei=p0oJUe3AMYvJswbe-IHwCg#hl=en&safe=images&tbo=d&as_st=y&tbs=sur:f&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=IBM&oq=IBM&gs_l=img.3..0l10.29944.30237.0.30401.3.3.0.0.0.0.126.334.0j3.3.0...0.0...1c.1.r-4TDHePhjg&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.41642243,d.Yms&fp=6c5f0053a270bafc&biw=1920&bih=930\" rel=\"noreferrer\">searching for \"IBM\"</a>.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Note:</strong> See the important remark by @jb. <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7620/can-i-use-google-images-for-my-presentations-without-violating-any-copyrights/7628#comment13031_7628\">in the comment below</a>\n —\n you should verify with the original source (1) that the picture really is free to use, and (2) under what conditions</p>\n\n<p>Good luck and enjoy!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7631,
"author": "Andreas Huppert",
"author_id": 5839,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5839",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In case the search engine does not matter to you, you could also search in Flickr instead of using Google. The advanced search on Flickr has an option to search for pictures with the Creative Commons licence only, which is a good start.</p>\n\n<p>However, check the individual licence terms. E.g. some pictures require that the photographer is mentioned.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7633,
"author": "Javeer Baker",
"author_id": 4475,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>We publish an industry magazine (very colourful and attractive piece!) and we use all our images from <a href=\"http://www.thinkstockphotos.com.au/?countrycode=AUS\" rel=\"nofollow\">ThinkStock</a>. </p>\n\n<p>This is not a free site but once you have subscribed to it (for a year or a month), you can download the number of images in your package.</p>\n\n<p>There is no copyright restrictions and you can manipulate the images in any way you like. </p>\n\n<p>Check this too: <a href=\"http://www.morguefile.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">MorgueFile</a> Its free.</p>\n\n<p>And <a href=\"http://www.stockxpert.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">StockExpert</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 38472,
"author": "amateur3057",
"author_id": 29048,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/29048",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A copyright is still limited in some very important ways, such as Fair Use. This is a legal doctrine which allows even copyrighted material to be used by others for purposes of "criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.", see <a href=\"https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this link</a> (or archived version of <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20210605143659/https://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">original link</a>).</p>\n<p>Since it sounds like you would be using the images for nonprofit educational purposes, as long as you cite the course it is not infringing on anyone's rights.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 72517,
"author": "Ooker",
"author_id": 14341,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14341",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm not a lawyer, but I think that your use of the image is a non-profit commercial use, it might be considered as fair use, so you will be fine. From Nolo, <a href=\"http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/fair-use-rule-copyright-material-30100.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">The 'Fair Use' Rule: When Use of Copyrighted Material is Acceptable</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h1>When Is a Use a \"Fair Use\"?</h1>\n \n <p>There are five basic rules to keep in mind when deciding whether or not a particular use of an author's work is a fair use:</p>\n \n <h3>Rule 1: Are You Creating Something New or Just Copying?</h3>\n \n <p>The purpose and character of your intended use of the material involved is the single most important factor in determining whether a use is a fair use. The question to ask here is whether you are merely copying someone else's work verbatim or instead using it to help create something new.</p>\n \n <h3>Rule 2: Are Your Competing With the Source You're Copying From?</h3>\n \n <p>Without consent, you ordinarily cannot use another person's protected expression in a way that impairs (or even potentially impairs) the market for his or her work.</p>\n \n <p>For example, say Nick, a golf pro, writes a book on how to play golf. He copies several brilliant paragraphs on putting from a book by Lee Trevino, one of the greatest putters in golf history. Because Nick intends his book to compete with and hopefully supplant Trevino's, this use is not a fair use.</p>\n \n <h3>Rule 3: Giving the Author Credit Doesn't Let You Off the Hook</h3>\n \n <p>Some people mistakenly believe that they can use any material as long as they properly give the author credit. Not true. Giving credit and fair use are completely separate concepts. Either you have the right to use another author's material under the fair use rule or you don't. The fact that you attribute the material to the other author doesn't change that.</p>\n \n <h3>Rule 4: The More You Take, the Less Fair Your Use Is Likely to Be</h3>\n \n <p>The more material you take, the less likely it is that your use will be a fair use. As a general rule, never: quote more than a few successive paragraphs from a book or article, take more than one chart or diagram, include an illustration or other artwork in a book or newsletter without the artist's permission, or quote more than one or two lines from a poem.</p>\n \n <p>Contrary to what many people believe, there is no absolute word limit on fair use. For example, copying 200 words from a work of 300 words wouldn't be fair use. However, copying 2000 words from a work of 500,000 words might be fair. It all depends on the circumstances.</p>\n \n <p>To preserve the free flow of information, authors have more leeway in using material from factual works (scholarly, technical, and scientific works) than to works of fancy such as novels, poems, and plays.</p>\n \n <h3>Rule 5: The Quality of the Material Used Is as Important as the Quantity</h3>\n \n <p>The more important the material is to the original work, the less likely your use of it will be considered a fair use.\n In one famous case, The Nation magazine obtained a copy of Gerald Ford's memoirs before their publication. In the magazine's article about the memoirs, only 300 words from Ford's 200,000-word manuscript were quoted verbatim. The Supreme Court ruled that this was not a fair use because the material quoted (dealing with the Nixon pardon) was the \"heart of the book ... the most interesting and moving parts of the entire manuscript,\" and that pre-publication disclosure of this material would cut into value or sales of the book.</p>\n \n <p>In determining whether your intended use of another author's protected work constitutes a fair use the golden rule: Take from someone else only what you wouldn't mind someone taking from you.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>As you can see, this answer might violate the rule 4 and 5. Wish me luck.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 78795,
"author": "Julie",
"author_id": 63799,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/63799",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are plenty of innovative services out there that offer you legal content for low or no cost. Most of them even offer their own PowerPoint add-ins so that you can get your pictures without even going to Google and having to worry about copyright. Shutterstock, Pickit and Pexels are such services and while the first one costs a little amount per picture, the other two are free alternatives with great content. Discovering those has greatly reduced my copyright headaches when I present and I've even made some of my own photos available for usage. Recommended!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 131886,
"author": "G M",
"author_id": 10333,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10333",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<h1>It depends on the image</h1>\n\n<p>Your question is not well posed, and also most of the answers that you get are actually answering other questions. Google searches images all around the web so you have to check if the website where the image is stored has some permissive licence or guidelines regarding the sharing and reuse of the image. Filtering by licences using Google Images could be an option but actually, the way this search works is to check if the pages have a link to an explicit license. So sometimes the authors used images without consent and put the text of the website under creative licences and you think that also the images are under creative licence. In other cases, the website might have a dedicated page for permission to reuse that Google could not find automatically. So Google filters are not always infallible. </p>\n\n<h1>If the image has a restrictive copyright</h1>\n\n<p>If the image has a restrictive, it means you did not find a permissive licence. All content in the web is copyrighted if a permissive licence is not released. However, even for copyrighted images, there is sometimes the option of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">'fair use'</a> in U.S. and in Europe, you may have a look to <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Directive\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Copyright Directive Article .5.3</a> which list exceptions that the European state <strong>might</strong> integrate into their law:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>illustration for teaching or scientific research, provided the source,\n including the author's name, is acknowledged,</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>So eventually you have to check the legislation of the country where you present the talk.</p>\n\n<p>A specific question has already been posted for talks:\n<a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/38876/what-is-the-legal-status-of-using-copyrighted-images-in-academic-conference-talk\">What is the legal status of using copyrighted images in academic/conference talks?</a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7620",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5831/"
]
|
7,624 | <p>It's come up in our lab that we should probably have business cards for when we attend conferences, however, we've been given very little guidance for what is appropriate for a graduate student.</p>
<p>Some questions that have come up:</p>
<ol>
<li>Should we be trying to standardize the cards to look like the official university's cards? (e.g., with the university logo, etc)?</li>
<li>Related to the first question, should we be going for standardized or for something that will make us stand out?</li>
<li>Should we be putting our current status on the card? It seems like if we haven't hit ABD yet then it might be counterproductive because then we'd have to buy new ones each time we made progress.</li>
<li>Should we be adding our research interests directly on the card? What about advisor?</li>
<li>Any other information (other than contact/website) that we should be including or tips on this?</li>
</ol>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7625,
"author": "gerrit",
"author_id": 1033,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I would standardize them and simply put the most relevant information on them. My (dated) business card looks like this:</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/e82qj.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></p>\n\n<p>Now I think it has a little bit more information than needed; fax is almost certainly not needed, but there might be circumstances where it's handy to have the mailing address. But important are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>University + department</li>\n<li>Academic homepage</li>\n<li>E-mail address</li>\n<li>Perhaps phone number</li>\n<li>The fact that you're a PhD student.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I wouldn't add too much information on them. Business cards are for core info, nothing more; they might get crowded otherwise.</p>\n\n<p>My own business card is outdated: a university reform means I'm no longer at the <em>Department of Space Science</em>, but at the <em>Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Division of Space Technology</em>. But I don't care, because the e-mail address is still correct, and the new department/division wouldn't even fit on a business card ;)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7627,
"author": "grauwulf",
"author_id": 5760,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5760",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You should check with your University's communications/pr department before printing up anything that reflects the institution's trademarked materials but I think it sounds like a pretty good idea. You just want to make sure that you don't step into any legal quagmires. Anytime that you produce collateral that associates you to an organization you can get into dangerous territory. For example- if you hand out your Awesome U. business cards at a pro/anti <em>whatever</em> rally, then you associating that activity with the institution. Obviously, they have reason to control such materials.</p>\n\n<p>This sounds especially for nice for full time students that are attending conferences and the like. </p>\n\n<p>Alternatively you could have personal business cards that say what ever you want and just say \"Grad Student\". I'd check first but that seems like a reasonable compromise.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7629,
"author": "Mikael Vejdemo-Johansson",
"author_id": 519,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/519",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Everywhere I have worked so far, there have been standard templates from the University for how their business cards should look, so I've simply used those, ordered through the University press.</p>\n\n<p>My titles have been:</p>\n\n<p>Project Assistant (during my undergrad)</p>\n\n<p>Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter / Research Assistant (during my PhD studies)</p>\n\n<p>Postdoctoral Scholar</p>\n\n<p>Scientific Officer</p>\n\n<p>Postdoc</p>\n\n<p>and everything else has been dictated by the University graphical manual and policies.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7624",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4318/"
]
|
7,630 | <p>I am a first year PhD Student, writing a conference paper with an Italian Professor, very senior and renowned in our field. Every commit he makes to the SVN is riddled with spelling and grammar errors. I have been fixing the errors and also trying to improve the expression but I have this impression he is not very happy about me doing it. (Maybe something to do with him having dozens of publications and me having a total of Zero)</p>
<p>On occasion, he actually reverted my changes to stick with his wrong or inferior-quality expression. How to deal with this? I would hate to see this paper go with an inferior quality language when I could have improved it.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7632,
"author": "Javeer Baker",
"author_id": 4475,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have learnt very fast not to be a perfectionist! So perhaps you can be less judgemental (not saying this in a bad way). </p>\n\n<p>However, you still need to be rigorous and if there is something that is dramatically wrong, you can then discuss it with your professor. </p>\n\n<p>Perhaps giving him two or three correction options may help. Let him choose which version he likes. In any case, you would be preparing the options, so whichever option he chooses will be ok for you.</p>\n\n<p>As F'x said, talk to him.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7639,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You have better things to do like focusing on getting that PhD and the first paper. The guy is renowned as you so at this stage it doesn't matter for him that much. No editor is going to reject a paper you write with him because it had mistakes. At most people will say that the language should be improved etc.</p>\n\n<p>Practical advise:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Don't piss the guy off its not worth it. Be more politically savvy. </p></li>\n<li><p>I don't know your field but in some fields you have to write in a very specific manner and what might seem inferior quality to you might be the standard way to write in that field. </p></li>\n<li><p>Only raise the issue if its a titanic of a mistake! Do it gracefully. Next time don't change it put a polite comment.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7660,
"author": "Anonymous",
"author_id": 4285,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4285",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is always better to be diplomatic in academia, especially when you are a first year graduate student, and your advisor is a well-known person. That is \"never piss off your advisor\". </p>\n\n<p>He can do whatever he wants if you piss him off. After you work with a professor for 2-3 years, your will only have two reasonable options: (1) quit the program, or (2) suffer and somehow get the PhD. The other option is to switch advisor, but if you are in the middle of the program, that is almost a no-option. Note that, even if your advisor doesn't become angry when you point out language mistakes at the moment, he may choose to stay calm, and find a way to react to you in future. My high level point is: be diplomatic. That is how academia works. If you piss off your advisor, you are not going to succeed in getting a PhD or a good job after that.</p>\n\n<p>Coming to your specific question, may be you should leverage the fact that your advisor is well-known. After you submit the article to a journal (they may see his name and may be they won't be harsh), the editors will likely ask for improvements to the language, and may be then you can tell your professor that you will handle improving the language/grammar. Then it will show up as \"taking responsibility\" and he will appreciate you.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7663,
"author": "Marcin Kotowski",
"author_id": 4108,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4108",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Other answers assume that the professor is OP's advisor, which seems not to be the case. I would advise to avoid working with this guy in the future (if he's stubborn on such small matters, it's unlikely to end well), and if he was your advisor, the standard JeffE's response would apply: \"Don't walk, run!\"</p>\n\n<p>I am somewhat appalled that most answers seem to recommend the \"play safe, don't mess with powerful people\" approach. The language errors themselves might not seem like a big enough deal to pick up a fight, but by choosing to be \"politically savvy\" now you make it easier for yourself to compromise in the future on more serious matters. Yes, to fight over such issues requires lack of self-preservation instinct, but by choosing to do a PhD instead of an \"honest job\" you've already shown that's not a problem ;). Sorry if this is a bit off topic/argumentative, but I've seen this kind of answers also in other threads and I think the advice goes in exactly the wrong direction - there is a lot of excellent jobs outside academia, so contrary to other answers in this thread you are actually full of options (being smart enought to be doing a PhD gives you a very strong hand).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7664,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As a French native speaker whose English was gradually improved over the years, I've been on both sides of this kind of situation, and there are different aspects to consider: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>If your collaborator does not like you fixing <em>typos</em>, then there is a real problem; </p></li>\n<li><p>It is usually accepted that papers are not written in British-English, nor in American-English, but in <em>Global</em>-English, and being a native English speaker yourself might not be strict advantage. If your collaborator has successfully managed to publish dozens of papers, then either his style is somehow accepted, or all his papers have been written by others, in which case he wouldn't mind letting you write the paper in your own style; </p></li>\n<li><p>The style of an author is personal, and changing it can be seen as touching the ownership of the text, and can also be seen as offensive, especially when the gain of the modification is not immediately perceived (which might be the case for non native speaker, a \"better\" expression does not necessarily strike as an improvement). This is particularly true if you only change one expression: if you were to rewrite an entire paragraph, to change to some extent the content, it would probably be easier, since you've clearly improved the text. </p></li>\n<li><p>At least for me, there is a clear notion of trust of people I'm working with. There are some people I completely trust, and I don't care a second if they modify my text, but I would be reluctant to see my text modified by someone I just started working with, especially if it's only for cosmetic purposes, like picking the best expression or word when the original one is understandable/correct, or changing a notation, or reformatting the paper, etc. I'm not saying I would be against, but I would need to understand and agree with the gain. In my opinion, this is mostly a notion of trust rather than seniority. </p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In summary, let it slide, as long as it does not impact the overall clarity of the paper, especially in the first stages of the paper (some expressions you don't like might disappear naturally after a while, replaced by new content). </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7682,
"author": "penelope",
"author_id": 4249,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4249",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm also a first year, non-native English speaker PhD, but I've been doing some writing with my Master thesis adviser (native speaker of my language, not English, but very well versed in English and ~2 more languages). In any language, I often have long causal (is that the right word?) sentences, and he sometimes wouldn't agree with my style.</p>\n\n<p>Even though I was the one doing most of the writing, I still feel like I can offer some useful tips. And, before the list, I <em>support everyone arguing strategy and being careful that your actions aren't <strong>misinterpreted</strong> as disrespectful</em></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>if it's just <em>typos (spelling)</em>, or <em>obvious grammar</em> (\"It's advantage\" vs. \"Its advantage\"), just correct it on your own and <em>accompany it with an SVN comment</em> (\"Ran text through spellchecker\", \"Spotted and corrected few minor spelling mistakes\")</p>\n\n<p>If you feel like your professor has an easily-bruised ego, make it sound like not a big deal. Just some routine check-ups and tune-ups you did, nothing major you changed.</p></li>\n<li><p>request <strong>in person meetings</strong>, or (in case it's not possible to meet in person) <strong>video-conference/phone-call meetings</strong> or at least ask the guy (nicely!) if it would be okay to <strong>collect and send</strong> your opinions and confusions on the paper <strong>via e-mail</strong> once or twice a month or so</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>keep track of</strong> passages and expressions that <strong>you would change</strong>. Rank them if you want, from the ones that are just plain confusing you and which you can not understand, to the ones that sound strange language-wise to the ones you just think you have a better expression for.</p>\n\n<p>If you sit on that information for a few days, you'll come to terms with some of them, realize that some are really a matter of personal style, and which parts are just simply confusingly written and hard to understand.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>communicate with the professor</strong>, respectfully and diplomatically expressing your concerns. Some suggestions that I would feel comfortable with.</p>\n\n<p><em>\"I'm not sure if I understood what you meant in this passage here (...). I have interpreted it as (...), is that correct?\" (slip your suggestion here)</em></p>\n\n<p><em>\"As a non-native English speaker, I am not too familiar with this expression or weather it can be used in this context. Do you think it would be a good idea if we / I checked for an alternate expression?\"</em></p>\n\n<p><em>\"I had a very hard time to understand this part (...). After going through it and understanding it, I have re-written it in a way that sounds clearer for me. Would you have time to go through this and offer your opinion?\"</em></p>\n\n<p><em>\"Would you mind interpreting this couple of sentences for me? I do understand the gist of it from my practical work, but I can't seem to put the pieces in place after reading it.\"</em></p></li>\n<li><p>this way, you're not imposing your style or writing, and it can not be misinterpreted as \"I think my writing is better than yours.\" But, as papers are written to be understood by others, <strong>you expressing your concerns might prompt him to re-think the part of the text</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>If he tries to explain on the spot, and looses himself in the explanation, that should be a clear hint even to the professor that it's not really clearly written.</p>\n\n<p>There is no chance of you changing the meaning of something you misunderstood. Also, you showed that even though you would write something differently, you respect his style, reasoning and opinion. My ex-supervisor always told me, it's always okay to have an opinion of your own if you can back it up and defend it. If you can both concisely explain to each other how and why you've written a portion of text, it will be easier to reach an understanding.</p></li>\n<li><p>always offer him the chance to do it (\"we might\" -- it means you) but say that you can implement the changes yourself (\"or I can write the potential changes\" -- it means you again).</p>\n\n<p>Offering them to do it shows respect of their opinion, and offering to do it yourself shows commitment and respect of their time. Very diplomatic :)</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>never</strong> say you think <strong>there is a problem</strong>. <a href=\"http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=848\" rel=\"nofollow\">Saying you have a \"problem\" is a sign of weakness in academia</a> - so you definetely shouldn't accuse a professor of having one. Look through my post, go ahead: I never used the word \"problem\" before this paragraph. Not once.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So, shortly, I strongly advise diplomacy. But also, <strong>talking to your supervisor</strong>. If you offer your suggestions in a way that tell your professor that you value what he's written, his opinion, and his work, he shouldn't have problems doing the same with you. And if he still does have a problem with it... <strong>Don't walk. Run!</strong> (by @JeffE)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7630",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5838/"
]
|
7,636 | <p>In my actual research work, I need some functionality that is not supported natively by any existing solid tools. So I have two choices: rather I implement this functionality my self, or I use an emerging tool which is in beta version.
So, can this have a negative impact on the acceptance of my results by the research community? (I mean when I publish it in a scientific paper)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7637,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There's no simple rule about what sort of software is acceptable. What you do needs to be reliable, publicly documentable, and justifiable. Some beta software satisfies this, and some does not. Ultimately, you need to be able to make the case that your methodology (including the software you use) is trustworthy. Even assuming it is, you need to be able to convince other researchers. If you aren't sure, then you should consult with experts about the particular software. If you're a grad student, then asking your advisor would make sense. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7638,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>At the end of the day, the main requirement is that you can trust the tools you're using. If you're using open-source software, then you may want to double-check that the algorithms are written correctly. If you're using proprietary software, then you may want to consider verifying results with other software for at least some samples.</p>\n\n<p>Note that this is true with any open-source package. For my thesis work, I used a particular open-source analysis toolkit which was very popular in the community. They were regularly releasing updates as people investigated the software and found small glitches. During my regular use, I even helped uncover and report a moderately serious bug that would have resulted in bad output — and possibly erroneous conclusions — in a particular edge case. Always know the limits of your tools.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7636",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/90/"
]
|
7,641 | <p>I'm teaching a programming course with ~20 students, guiding them through coding assignments and helping them understand what they are doing, and why it works or doesn't. Tasks expected of them range from trivial to medium-complexity in the range of a 40-hours curriculum.</p>
<p>Now, toward the end of the course, they know enough to solve moderate programming problems. In order to get them to work on a few things more "exciting" than what we offer them, I am considering asking them to join an online coding (or problem-solving-through-coding) competition, such as Project Euler. I wouldn't expect them to be able to solve all problems, of course, but I could select a list of problems for them to pick from. For example:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>For this session, you are expected to solve between 5 and 10 problems from the following selection of Project Euler numbers: 1-10, 13, 15, 20-24, 26-29, 33, 35-38.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sure, I could just copy these problems and make them "assignments" for them, but I think it could bring some fun for them to see it as part of a competition. Also, why I don't understand why, it seems that to their generation, doing anything <em>online</em> is vastly more exciting than doing the same thing otherwise. Finally, I have some hope that a few students might actually get into it, and continue doing it for fun after the course.</p>
<p>Now, comes the question: <strong>what downsides do you see</strong> to requiring them to participate in one of these online challenges? (I'm most interested in the specific case I detail above, but generic advice/answers for other types of online participation might be interesting too!)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7642,
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"text": "<p>I'm doing my entire Bachelor course by distance (online) from an interstate university in Australia, when I live in antother state. To check that we've done all the related online module readings, etc, for most subjects we have 10-20 marks of the total marks for the subject set out for forum participation. \nYou could allocate a small percentage of marks for this which would hopefully give your students the incentive to do this online task. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7649,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
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"selected": true,
"text": "<p>This sounds like a great idea to me overall, but I can see a few potential issues:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>It's possible that one or more of your students might already be a participant, which could raise issues of fairness. (Other students may complain that he/she got a head start.)</p></li>\n<li><p>Similarly, the fact that these problems are widely distributed on the web may make it easier to find solutions online. I haven't looked at the Project Euler solutions online and don't know if they are any good, but it's not hard to find purported solutions. This could also be a pain for you: if you make it easy to cheat, then you're more likely to have to figure out how to deal with cheaters.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7654,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One potential problem, if you're within the US, is running afoul of your University's interpretation of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Educational_Rights_and_Privacy_Act\">FERPA</a>. My university forbids me from <em>requiring</em> students to participate in an publicly-accessible forum using their real name or university email address, because <em>the fact that someone is a registered student</em> is considered a protected educational record.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 32953,
"author": "Paul Richards",
"author_id": 15788,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15788",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Project Euler is pretty reliable but (as well as the other answers) I can see two risks:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>The website (with the challenges on it) may become unavailable.</li>\n<li>The owner of the page can edit the content as often and as much as they like, so there is no guarantee the challenges set when you viewed them are the same as your students will see.</li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/31 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7641",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
7,643 | <p>Related to this question: <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7484/how-to-buy-plane-tickets-for-job-interviews">How to buy plane tickets for job interviews?</a></p>
<p>What does it mean to accept a job offer? Or maybe more accurately when have you accepted a job offer?</p>
<p>The latest and most conservative might be when you sign a contract. This seems a little late in the game as often contracts, especially in the States are slow to be generated. The earliest might be when you go for an interview. In the UK it is pretty standard for universities to not reimburse candidates to whom offers are made and subsequently turned down. Middle ground might be when you enter contract negotiations or verbally agree to the terms of your contract.</p>
| [
{
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"text": "<p>There are many different takes. “Accepting” a job offer is pretty much that: <strong>if you tell the person who offered you</strong> (your HR contact, the hiring committee, any person of authority in the hiring process) that you accept their offer, that you take the job.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Does it mean there's not turning back? Of course not!</strong> The question then becomes: how binding is that agreement? And again, there are answers on many different levels: legal, moral, diplomatic…</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Legal: as always, better ask a lawyer, union representative or knowledgeable and trusted friend. Everything depends on the local law, the type of offer made, what you said and/or wrote, etc. It may sound logical that nothing's set in stone until you have signed a contract, but that may not always be the case. Some institutions might, for example, require you to write and sign a binding letter of engagement before the contract is drafted (which, as you said, can take time). In some jurisdiction, the simple fact of showing up for work on the first day of the contract <em>is</em> a binding, implicit contract following the terms of your offer. (Though I would say it should be obvious to all that actually <em>coming to work</em> is pretty binding.)</p></li>\n<li><p>Moral: that's the most variable of all. Turning down an offer you had accepted orally, because you now have a better offer from some other place, is not <em>wrong</em> in itself. The important thing is: being of good faith, and being diligent to inform them that you have changed your mind. If it turns out that you have accepted the offer, knowing all the while you would end up turning it down, that would be unexcusable.</p></li>\n<li><p>Diplomatic: people understand the position you're in, as they have most probably been through it themselves some year back. So, they will be sympathetic, as long as they feel you are of good faith, diligent and show acceptable contrition (not sure that's the right term for what I'm trying to describe… let's say you look/sound apologetic enough). Otherwise, well, you risk make enemies and that may not be the best thing to do early in your career.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The fact is: the game is played by both sides. Hiring committees don't dismiss all other candidates immediately when they offer you a position, and they know that Stuff Happens. In a competitive environment such as academia, they surely have a plan B (and probably C and D).</p>\n\n<p>Finally: if that's a tenured or tenure-track position, you'll probably stay very long (life?) there. It's an important choice, and thus you shouldn't find yourself bound by promises made too fast, or you may come to regret it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7694,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
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"selected": true,
"text": "<p>It sounds like customs depend on the field and country, but here's my experience based on mathematics in the U.S. I'll answer based on customs rather than laws, since that's generally more relevant: one can get a bad reputation for doing something perfectly legal, and one can get away with things that aren't legally justified if nobody is willing to enforce their rights in court.</p>\n\n<p><strong>The short version:</strong> </p>\n\n<p>Acceptance is understood to be a final decision that commits you to showing up for a year. You can ask to be released from that obligation, but you shouldn't just announce you aren't coming. If you give a good enough reason for your request, they'll grant it. If your reason isn't compelling to them, they won't try to force you to show up but you'll really damage your reputation (not just at that university). Saying you got a better offer afterwards is not considered compelling, and you are expected to withdraw other applications upon accepting an offer.</p>\n\n<p><strong>The long version:</strong></p>\n\n<p>Negotiating does not imply accepting an offer, and in fact you should always try to negotiate over whatever you care about before you accept, since your leverage will never be higher. (Some candidates don't like the idea of having leverage, but you can think of it as a benefit to the department as well: it's much more effective for the department to tell the administration \"We need to do X to get our wonderful candidate to accept\" than \"Our wonderful new hire wishes we would do X\".)</p>\n\n<p>Accepting an offer just amounts to saying you accept it. In principle, this could be tricky: people's memories of an oral acceptance could be disputed later, and it's possible to write things that sound like an acceptance but might not be meant that way (\"Great, I guess we'll be colleagues next fall then\"). Of course I'd strongly recommend avoiding anything that might be ambiguous or confusing, just in case, but in practice I've never seen this actually cause a serious problem. Any sensible department will follow up to get an unambiguous answer in writing, so if the situation remains ambiguous it's because both sides screwed up.</p>\n\n<p>The real question is how binding an acceptance is, assuming both sides agree the offer was accepted. In the communities I'm familiar with, you cannot unilaterally change your decision once you have accepted. You could presumably get away with it, since the department isn't going to sue you if you don't show up, but that would be very bad for your reputation. Instead, the standard approach is to explain how things have changed and ask the department for permission to withdraw your acceptance.</p>\n\n<p>In certain cases, this is perfectly straightforward. Suppose an unexpected problem has arisen in your life: for example, one of your parents was just diagnosed with cancer and you want to live close to them for the next year or two. Surely any reasonable department would understand and approve.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, most cases are less clear cut, and amount to personal preference. This is more likely to arise after a deferral, where you accepted a job but then went on leave for a year first, since the extra time allows for more things to change. In general, departments will be pretty unhappy if you defer and then change your mind. It's important to ask to be released from your obligation rather than simply announcing you won't come; the department will often agree, since they understand you would likely leave after a year anyway. It's not good and you should try hard to avoid this situation, but occasionally it happens. If it does, you should feel a little guilty for making it harder for other candidates to get deferrals, by contributing to the impression that people with deferrals might change their minds in the meantime.</p>\n\n<p>At the other extreme, you might simply change your mind within a single yearly job market cycle and decide you prefer another offer you already had at the time of your decision. This is probably not even worth asking about: when you accept an offer, it is understood to be a final decision, and you can't just re-evaluate your options. You should officially decline all your other offers when you accept an offer; if you aren't ready to do that, then you aren't ready to accept a job yet.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, the trickiest case is when you get an offer with an early deadline and have to make a decision before other universities you might prefer can make an offer. Most departments don't want to pressure people into making this kind of decision, and it's always worth asking for an extension of the deadline. Many departments will agree, but a few will not (I know of one department that strategizes about how to put time pressure on people).</p>\n\n<p>If you are caught negotiating with a department that is trying to pressure you in this way, then you should be as tough as they are. On the other hand, their behavior does not mean your acceptance becomes non-binding, and unilaterally changing your mind will still look bad throughout the community. If the department refuses to grant an extension or show any other flexibility, then they are clearly indicating they want a definitive answer now, and you'll have to give them one. It's worth considering whether you even want to work for a department that would treat you that way.</p>\n\n<p>As soon as you have accepted an offer, you should withdraw all your other job applications. Partly this is so they don't have to waste time evaluating a candidate who is no longer available, and partly it is because if you don't withdraw them, then it looks like you are still hoping for a better offer. That is what will really offend people, because it will look like you tricked the department whose offer you accepted by giving them what was understood to be a final decision while still staying on the market to see what other offers you could get.</p>\n"
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| 2013/01/31 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7643",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929/"
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|
7,645 | <p>What does it mean when it says under a journal article that it has been communicated by "XYZ" where XYZ is not the author but some other scholar with a very strong reputation? What is the relationship to the actual author and/or the content? Is this some sort of seal of approval to get results out and known quickly? (I am specifically wondering in the context of mathematics and mathematical physics.)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7646,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
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"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Generally, XYZ refers to the editor that handled the paper at the journal.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7647,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
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"text": "<p>See <a href=\"https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/41871/what-does-communicated-by-mean-in-math-papers\">this question on Mathematics.SE</a> and its very good answers for full details, which I will summarize below. It should be noted that this information is part of the journal format, and added by the publisher itself (along with the publication timeline).</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>Some journals published by learned societies or national academies require that “communications” be presented (or sponsored) by a member of the society. This was the case, for example, of the <em>PNAS</em> (<em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em>) until July 2010; the top of an article looked like this:</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/5yWQp.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Some journals use this formulation to denote the handling editor: the one who makes the editorial decision (or recommendation to the full editorial board), after having selected referees and received the referees' reports.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<br>\n<p>This is not common practice: most journals do not indicate who the handling editor was for a given article.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7761,
"author": "Amy",
"author_id": 167,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/167",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is important to note that \"Communicated by\" can mean a direct submission of a paper by a scientist who is not (in most cases) directly involved in the paper itself. It was designed as a way for established scientists to give a \"leg up\" to their younger colleagues by allowing them to circumvent the normal review process. This means you may have to give these types of papers a bit more scrutiny as a reader. </p>\n\n<p>PNAS is the publication where I have most commonly seen \"Communicated by\" publications, but this feature was phased out in 2010:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Until July 1, 2010, members were allowed to communicate up to 2 papers\n from non-members to PNAS every year. The review process for these\n papers was anonymous in that the identities of the referees were not\n revealed to the authors. Referees were selected by the NAS member.\n PNAS eliminated communicated submissions through NAS members as of\n July 1, 2010, while continuing to make the final decision on all PNAS\n papers. (<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings_of_the_National_Academy_of_Sciences_of_the_United_States_of_America\" rel=\"nofollow\">wikipedia</a>)</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
}
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| 2013/01/31 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7645",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/52/"
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|
7,650 | <p>When I was a grad student, I participated in a bunch of conferences, and sent papers to journals and the like.</p>
<p>But now I'm no longer in academia. I've been out for more than three years, and I still get a few emails a week notifying me of new conferences, hotel discounts for those who register, extended deadlines and the other usual stuff.</p>
<p>The thing is that none of these emails offer contact information or ways to unsubscribe from the mailing list. And it's not like they're from organizations I previously interacted with, but they are certainly about my former line of research. They are probably worse than spam, because I don't even think you could report them as spam.</p>
<p>I removed myself from all site registrations I can remember, such as IEEE and ACM, but these keep coming and coming and coming and coming.</p>
<p>How can a former academic get himself removed from all these mailing lists?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7651,
"author": "Paul Hiemstra",
"author_id": 4091,
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"text": "<p>I also get these mails, and I have the impression there is no way to cancel these kinds of emails. Your email address is associated with an academic context, and available in public. This makes it fair game for all obscure conferences and journals who want to lure you in.</p>\n\n<p>The solution I see is:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Get a new mail address </li>\n<li>Try filter out any mails mentioning conferences and such. Gmail has facilities for this kind filtering based on keywords.</li>\n<li>Use a spam filter and let it train on filtering this kind of mails. Thunderbird and other mail programs, and probably gmail have these kinds of self learning spam filters. You just keep flagging it as spam until they are automatically removed from your inbox. Do check your spam box once in a while to catch errors.</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7653,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Sadly, that sounds like spam, and you should treat it however you'd treat spam.</p>\n\n<p>I'm not sure you should assume good faith on the part of the people sending you those e-mails. I'm an active academic with an e-mail address accessible on my university website, and I receive:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Legitimate conference announcements over e-mail lists used by people in the area, which I could unsubscribe from if I wished.</li>\n<li>Announcements from people who actually know me.</li>\n<li>Unsolicited announcements from scam journals and conferences.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I receive several of the last category every week (and more, unsurprisingly, than any other category). I do <em>not</em> get legitimate mass e-mails that are not in the first two categories. It's possible that in other fields there are some legitimate announcements sent the way you describe, but I'd guess very few.</p>\n\n<p>In other words: spam is spam, and you should feel no compunctions about treating it that way.</p>\n"
}
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| 2013/01/31 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7650",
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|
7,655 | <p>Often publications resulting from funded research are published after the grant ends. It seems nowadays more and more publishers are requiring fees (submission fees, page charges, and open access fees). How does one pay for these fees after a grant ends?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7665,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
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"text": "<p><strong>I refuse to publish in a journal that charges me for publishing my years of sweat and labour for their financial gain and asks me for money as well. Its against my principles.</strong> </p>\n\n<p>Once I was asked to pay 500 dollars for color pictures. I asked them to revert them back to black and white and just have them in colour online. </p>\n\n<p>Open access is a different story and I see it as being legitimate on their part to ask for money for it. It you don't have the grant money => no open access. Put a preprint somewhere and publish somewhere that allows preprints or at least turns a blind eye. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7666,
"author": "Leon palafox",
"author_id": 2806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The way it works here in Japan, is that each professor has an amount of money called \"discretionary spending\", from there, they get money for these kinds of things. And is usual that if a professor has his name in the paper , he should use part of this money to pay for the submission.</p>\n\n<p>That money does not comes form a grant, but the University's endowment, so I guess it depends on that.</p>\n"
}
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| 2013/01/31 | [
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|
7,656 | <p>One of the issues we have at my English-language institute is the problem of getting our doctoral students to write papers in English. For some, writing isn't a big challenge. For others, however, the process is about as pleasurable as pulling teeth or a lobotomy (without the benefit of anesthesia).</p>
<p>What we've found is that there are a few problems that tend to creep up:</p>
<ul>
<li>Students don't know how to commit their ideas into paper</li>
<li>Students are afraid of writing poorly, so they don't write at all</li>
</ul>
<p>What I'm wondering is if there are any resources available that can help—particularly international students—with overcoming the "academic" version of writer's block.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7657,
"author": "seteropere",
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"text": "<p>As an international student, I have suffered a lot from writing academic papers. I believe <strong>It is an advantage to be English-native speaker in the academia</strong>. Well, I mean mastering the language not necessarily a mother tongue. Each time I submit a paper, I expect some comments on its english. I remember first time I submitted a paper it was rejected because of what so called bad english on it. Now after five years of writing and submitting and with the help of the supervisor and continuing reading papers, I got minor comments (in most cases its the reviewer style more than the language itself). </p>\n\n<p>I believe it is up to the students, If they want to have a career in academia they should push themselves by reading and writing in English. They will notice their skills will be developed over the time. Also, proofreading ,<em>to know your mistakes</em>, is a good thing specially in the beginning. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Students don't know how to commit their ideas into paper</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is why you should push them. You want them to have successful careers after PhD, this will be very difficult without a good sense of writing academic papers. </p>\n\n<p>Ask them to write first draft and hand it to you. You can comment on it and send it back to them. This is how it worked for me. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7658,
"author": "walkmanyi",
"author_id": 1265,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1265",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Of course there are plenty of resources about <a href=\"http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&tbo=d&output=search&q=overcomming%20writer%27s%20block#hl=en&q=overcoming%20writer%27s%20block\">how to overcome writer's block</a>, however for different people different techniques work. The advices I always found very useful as a PhD student (although I cannot find the original sources, it's been years) were these:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>do not aim high at the beginning. Crappy and hasty first draft is perfectly fine, iterative improvement will come later</strong>: as the author <a href=\"http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/brainstorm_block.htm\">here</a> points out, inexperienced writers tend to have too high standard on themselves. Since I am in a formal field, I therefore refrained to start with the paper's motivation, but rather tried to work out the mathematical flesh first. That one is easier in terms of language since the form can be copied/learned from good papers of others. But this differs across disciplines.</li>\n<li><p><strong>block time every day for writing and do nothing else at that time, even if you should stare at a blank wall</strong>: this is my way to kill the procrastinator in me. Simply three hours every day a week for writing. Even if during that time one would really just stare at a wall and write nothing, it's better than procrastinating. Eventually the boredom is so high that writing becomes welcomed activity. It is imperative not to do anything else, especially not to study, read or otherwise consult any literature, also get disconnected from Internet and colleagues, etc. The best for me was to go for this to the department's library where was no wifi connection. I read somewhere that this technique is used by some novel writers, but can't find any source of this advice.</p></li>\n<li><p>Another powerful technique is <strong>use public commitment wisely</strong>: that is, publicly commit to delivering an artifact at a precisely specified deadline. E.g., first draft of the paper next Friday. Tell to your boss, tell to your office-mate, whatever. The higher the authority you tell, the better. For many people this has a magic effect, because we tend to value our commitments, however painful it sometimes is to stand up to them.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>But again, different techniques work for different people.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7659,
"author": "Aru Ray",
"author_id": 948,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/948",
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"text": "<p>Thank you for asking this question addressing what appears to be a sadly widespread problem in academia. I'm an international student (from India in US) myself, and it's been a great boon for me to be able to communicate fluently in English. </p>\n\n<p>Particularly re: international students, our Office of International Students organizes (spoken) English classes, which are free for all international students and scholars. In addition, at Rice we used to have a group of grad students get together for lunch on Fridays and converse in English (this was a registered student organization called 'English Corner', and they had funding from various sources for the lunches). I realize that you were referring to resources for writing as opposed to speaking, but I believe that particularly for non-native speakers confidence in speaking can translate to confidence in writing. In terms of the actual writing process, there are some online resources, such as <a href=\"http://www.englishforums.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Englishforums</a></p>\n\n<p>As for resources for a more general audience, in certain departments around here I've heard of a thesis-writing class that grad students are required to take for credit. Our Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies has recently been trying to put together some professional development workshops and courses, which often focus on the 'communication' aspect of academia. Another possibility is that the beginning courses in the doctoral program (1st and 2nd year classes) could be made to have a strong (or at least non-trivial) writing component. For example, one might require students to write an expository term paper or something along those lines. </p>\n\n<p>I realize that roughly everything I've mentioned above has to do with resources available at my university, so perhaps my answer consists of 'Here are some resources that might already exist at your university, or might be put into place there'. </p>\n"
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"answer_id": 7662,
"author": "DGarside",
"author_id": 5688,
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Rowena Murray is very good on this:</p>\n\n<p>MURRAY, R., & MOORE, S. (2006). The handbook of academic writing a fresh approach. Maidenhead, England, McGraw-Hill. </p>\n\n<p>MURRAY, R. (2006). How to write a thesis. Maidenhead, Open University Press.</p>\n\n<p>MURRAY, R. (2005). Writing for academic journals. Maidenhead, Open University Press. </p>\n\n<p>Understanding perceptions and fears about judgement (external and internal) and the difference between performance/learning orientations are sometimes useful conversations to have.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7667,
"author": "Leon palafox",
"author_id": 2806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is a strong line in professional writing that suggests that there is no such a thing as writer's block.</p>\n\n<p>Writing for a Journal should be something mechanic, not some work of art that should come from the depths of your hearth, at the end, it is a skill, and a skill that you have to work on.</p>\n\n<p>Many professors are really bad writers, because their own professors were also very bad, there are few writing courses in a grad student's curricula.</p>\n\n<p>These and other very valid points are presented in \"How to write a lot\" by Paul Silva, I find it to be a very useful book, and full of great advice both for students and professors alike.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1591477433\" rel=\"nofollow\">Link to the book</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7674,
"author": "luispedro",
"author_id": 166,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/166",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I recommend <a href=\"https://www.beeminder.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">beeminder</a>. It allows you to set goals publicly. If you go \"off track\", it penalises you in a few ways you can choose (charges you money, posts to your facebook account, ...).</p>\n\n<p>For me it has been very effective to get me to write. I use it according to the following rule: I count writing sessions, where a session is at least 5 words. In fact, most of the time, I will end up writing hundreds of words, and beeminder just forces me to go over the activation barrier and start typing.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7683,
"author": "Pedro",
"author_id": 495,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/495",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't really see this as a problem specific to non-native English speakers. I know plenty of first-language English speakers who are absolutely rubbish at writing.</p>\n\n<p>The problems I've personally witnessed go much deeper than correct use of the language: It's mainly about organizing your thoughts and what you want to say, and then saying it in the clearest way possible. This usually does not involve any in-depth knowledge of the English language. In fact, being <em>too</em> good may make your writing worse.</p>\n\n<p>I use and preach an incremental writing approach which consists of the following steps</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Start identifying the <strong>one statement</strong> that your paper will make, e.g. \"<em>here is a new method to solve problem X</em>\", or \"<em>method X is better than method Y for problem Z</em>\".</p></li>\n<li><p>Once you're clear on what the message will be, write a rough sketch of your paper in terms of the statements you will make. This should be the <strong>main story</strong> of your paper. Each statement should really only make a single point, e.g.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Solving problem <em>X</em> is very important.</li>\n<li>Most people use method <em>Y</em> to solve problem <em>X</em>.</li>\n<li>Method <em>Y</em> has this/that weakness.</li>\n<li>Method <em>Z</em> avoids this weakness.</li>\n<li>Show on an actual example that <em>Z</em> is better than <em>Y</em> for problem <em>X</em>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>At this point you should start worrying about <em>consistency</em>. What you have to look out for is dependencies between your statements, i.e. have you really stated everything you need to state such that I can make the next statement? Will you be using words/concepts/methods before introducing them? It is important that you get these things right at this early phase, where ironing problems out is still relatively easy.</p></li>\n<li><p>Once you've nailed your story line, you can start <em>fleshing-out</em> your individual statements. Here too, I would recommend sticking to bullet points and making only one statement of fact per bullet. The first statement above, for example, can be expanded as follows:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Introduce problem <em>X</em>.</li>\n<li>List several instances of problem <em>X</em>.</li>\n<li>Give a concrete example of where solving problem <em>X</em> is important.</li>\n<li>State benefits of solving problem <em>X</em> more efficiently.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Here again, dependencies are crucial! Make sure you don't use any information without having given it in a previous statement. Also try to keep dependent statements as close together as possible. Remember that you're trying to tell a story and need to keep your reader on track.</p>\n\n<p>Also, note that I haven't said a thing about sections. It is usually only at this point that I would start placing section headings and grouping different statements. Doing so too early may cramp your story-telling.</p></li>\n<li><p>You should now have a somewhat complete story-board of <em>what</em> you're going to say, and you still haven't had to worry about <em>how</em> you're going to write it. What you need to do now is turn the <strong>bullets into text</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>The way I usually go about this is to turn every statement/bullet into a paragraph of text. The first sentence of said paragraph should be the statement, followed by at most one or two sentences either explaining it in more detail or giving an example of what you are saying. If you need an example, almost every paragraph in this answer was written this way.</p></li>\n<li><p>The final phase is <strong>refinement</strong>. Your paper, at this points, will probably consist of a large number of very short paragraphs that don't necessarily flow into each other. This is where you start merging paragraphs and using connectors between them, e.g. \"Thus\", \"However\", \"Furthermore\", etc...</p>\n\n<p>This final step is not something you do once, it's something you repeat until your paper looks, feels, and reads like a regular paper. I usually go through a paper with a red pen and fix things by hand while reading, then implement the corrections, and then wait a day or two before iterating again.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>In summary, the process I've just described is <strong>completely mechanical</strong> and does not involve any in-depth knowledge of the underlying language. The only language ability you need is to formulate clear statements. If you do anything fancier than that, you'll risk loosing any reader whose level of English is below your own.</p>\n\n<p>I am very much aware that there are many people who can just sit down and write beautiful, precise, consistent, and easy to read papers. Good for them. For the rest of us, I suggest using the approach I describe. At least it works for me.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/01/31 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7656",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53/"
]
|
7,668 | <p>Over the past few days, my advisor and I had been going really hard. We got a really good idea and the preliminary results looked good, so I started spending long days in the lab, going home only to sleep. My advisor saw this and he started spending a lot more time with me and we had long meetings whenever I requested. This has been going on for about 4 weeks and although I loved it while I was in it, I feel burnt out now. There are still really exciting things I need to try but I don't know why I can't get myself to do any of them. </p>
<p>What is a good strategy to escape this burnout phase? </p>
<p>I have already tried:</p>
<ul>
<li>Playing an instrument I was good at</li>
<li>Just taking some time off</li>
<li>Limiting my work hours</li>
</ul>
<p>But none of these and others seem to work. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7669,
"author": "Leon palafox",
"author_id": 2806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>For me, having a structure is usually something that brings a good balance.</p>\n\n<p>One of the reasons PhD students can get very disorganized and end up wasting a lot of time is the lack of a fixed schedule, this is both needed to have a productive life and a balance between your work and personal life.</p>\n\n<p>Just try to keep by an schedule, and you'll see you will get more relaxed.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7670,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>For a true burnout you will need to stop working, rest, and seek counseling/medical help. You need to lower your expectations of yourself and virtually eliminate what others expect from you. Ultimately, because work is about expectations (either self-imposed or set by others), I doubt that you can continue working and recover from a burnout. </p>\n\n<p>Given that you state that the burnout occurred over a short period, rather than a sustained year-upon-year effort, my advice is to take a vacation. Three weeks should do the trick.</p>\n\n<p>Just remember, life is about enjoying it, not earning money, because in the end you will take nothing with you.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7672,
"author": "rfle500",
"author_id": 4503,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4503",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I find burnout a reoccurring effect, and to some extent it comes with academic research as you are continually trying solve problems and come up with new ideas. In this respect I find doing science like doing art - if I am not in the mood for doing it then the results won't be good and productivity is low, so the only solution is to stop completely. If you have got the research 'bug' (you normally love research and it preoccupies pretty much every waking hour of your day) then when you are ready you will come back to thinking about it and want to get back in the lab. </p>\n\n<p>My advice is to do nothing until you are ready - don't think about the lab at all or worry that you are not doing anything, just rest completely - go for walks, watch moves, kill zombies, whatever. </p>\n\n<p>As a post doc I have learnt to organise better, and back off if things get too hectic, taking an afternoon off for example. I still suffer a little at the end of the year, where I take a fortnight off but usually I am itching to get back after a week.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7673,
"author": "posdef",
"author_id": 5674,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As an addition to the current suggestions, I can highly recommend adding some exercise to your daily life. Lab life, especially when intensive, makes as sedentary life style. You sit in front of the pc, by the wetlabs... etc</p>\n\n<p>What kind of exercise you do is a preference thing, I personally love high-tempo ball sports like football (soccer) or squash. There's nothing like the endorphine high you get after wearing yourself completely and take a shower afterwards. It will help you get troubles off your mind as well. I can highly recommend squash for this purpose; when playing with an even opponent, an hours workout will get you to a point where forming shorter sentences is as complicated of an intellectual task as you can manage, which means no time/place for daily worries. </p>\n\n<p>Another important thing is to get good sleep. Not just the hours in bed but the quality of sleep. If thoughts and worries about work are haunting you in the sub-conscience, it really doesn't matter how long you are in bed. In this aspect you'll have a positive synergy between physical workout and better sleep.</p>\n\n<p>Hope it helps, and you'll start feeling better soon.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7692,
"author": "Daniel Gottesman",
"author_id": 2746,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2746",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with a lot of the other answers, but I have a few additional ideas that haven't been suggested yet.</p>\n\n<p>Do you find yourself thinking about this project at odd moments, even when you're supposedly resting or doing something else? You need to reset your mind by clearing out this project and replacing it with something else for a while. It needs to be sufficiently compelling to get your attention away from the thing that has filled your mind for 4 weeks. Then, after a bit, your enthusiasm for your old project will regenerate and you can be excited about it again.</p>\n\n<p>When you get sick of working on a particular project, one thing that can sometimes be helpful is to spend some time (perhaps a week or two, maybe more) working on a very different project of some sort.</p>\n\n<p>Another possibility is that you are not actually burned out. You may instead have conditioned yourself to associate this project with working very long hours. Now, whenever you think about working on it, you subconsciously feel like if you work on it, it will consume your life again and you don't have the energy for that. This is a bit harder to deal with. To continue to work on this, you have to break the conditioning. If you can force yourself to work on the project, but with more reasonable hours, that may help.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7693,
"author": "Sylvain Peyronnet",
"author_id": 43,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Burnout is a word of many meanings. But basically, it is characterized by a very strong physical exhaustion, a general anxiety and the feeling that you are a failure at work, that you will never meet the expectations of the persons you work with/for. This last feeling is strengthened by the fact that a person in burnout thinks she owes something to the others. A last symptom is depersonalisation : you have the feeling of living outside you and the world, you are a spectator of your life, not an actor of it anymore. If you have this last symptom, you should go to the doctor right now, not asap, now !</p>\n\n<p>Most of the time, a burnout becomes a real medical problem (as a strong anxiety syndrom) and needs that a medical doctor takes action.</p>\n\n<p>Besides giving a medication, a MD will give life advice such as :</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Stop completely working for a while, do a sleep cure</li>\n<li>Avoid any activity that relates to work (you're in academy, don't read complicated stuff, you're a plumber, don't do any home improvement)</li>\n<li>Change your environment : go visit your old uncle who is a farmer in Ohio (or a fisherman in France, or ...)</li>\n<li>Modify the way you live, be more involved in your own life. Sometimes, we (=people in academy) don't take the time to cook, to do sports, to rest without activity. Even if one can live happily with a 100% focus on work, it increases the odds of being burned out.</li>\n<li>And my last advice : at first try to avoid seeing people from work. It is necessary, so that you can realize that they don't really need you and you don't really need them.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7730,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First of all, noone here can know what is really the matter with you. So we all find it rather alarming, because </p>\n\n<p>\"Not getting yourself to do exciting things\" <em>can</em> be a symptom of serious medical problems. </p>\n\n<p>However, after a \"work-sprint\" you may just be exhausted in a perfectly normal way. E.g. after I had handed in my Diplom thesis, I needed two weeks of basically doing nothing and sleeping a lot (incidentally and very typically, I got a cold as well). It's just paying back your debts in recreation, in the very literal meaning of the work. </p>\n\n<h3>Things to do:</h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Talk to your advisor. From what you wrote, you have a very good relationship. If you think you are in the normal need-for-holidays, tell him, and get the holidays.</p></li>\n<li><p>During the holidays, </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Sleep much</p></li>\n<li><p>Spend much time outdoors. Sun (in case it's winter now where you are) and excercise is good for everyone and you may need to catch up due to the work sprint. Doesn't need to be real sports, for me personally it would be better to do \"excercise\" on a non-exhausting level, but longer. 5 - 8 h of walking, biking or slow cross country skiing would sound good to me, but your marks may vary of course. I'd say, a good amount of fresh air is when you fall into your bed at 8 pm and sleep till next morning...</p></li>\n<li><p>Make sure you eat lots of vitamins </p></li>\n</ul></li>\n<li><p>If you are afraid (i.e. you are not 100% sure that it isn't) something more serious may be the matter:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Don't wait until you know it is serious!</strong> By then, it will be <em>very</em> serious, and you may not be able any longer to seek the help you need. </p></li>\n<li><p>Also talk to your advisor. If you think, holidays may help, take them. However, here are two additional \"saftety lines\": </p></li>\n<li>Schedule a meeting for after your holidays to discuss whether you are again in working condition. Ask him <em>now</em> that he should get you to medical help if you are not in working condition after the holidays. </li>\n<li>Ask him to <em>come and get you to medical help</em> if you don't show up after holidays.</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In addition (before the holidays),</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>find out whether your university has some kind of psychological counselling (not sure about the correct English name), examination offices usually know that.</p></li>\n<li><p>Alternatively, find out a psychological clinic (university hospital?) with emergency counselling hours (again, someone please correct my English)</p></li>\n<li><p>If you don't get yourself to doing this <em>now</em> (till Monday noon), go to your advisor (or very good friends/relatives), tell them you have a psychological emergency and that they should get you to medical help immediately. </p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Normal exhaustion after intense work:</h3>\n\n<p>Personally, I know and love these exciting periods of intense work. However, they are exhausting, and you need the recreation afterwards as you'd recreation after a mountain tour of several weeks. Also, they don't happen every day (I think one couldn't survive that, even though they are incredibly good). BUt from what I know from fellow researchers, these a serious driving force for quite some of us. Welcome!</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Even though you are now exhausted, remember how good it is. I think a healthy balance is if you are exhausted like you are exhausted after a big physical effort. I remember them like physically strenuous tours.</p></li>\n<li><p>They are not an every-day experience, but odds are that this wasn't the last experience of the sort :-) And, while this one may have been too much of the good, you can learn knowing when it is enough (and/or to plan for recreation afterwards). For me, this got easier once I had the experience that new such spells of incredibly good work do come. </p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7668",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5869/"
]
|
7,671 | <p>There are many times when I am faced with the task of extracting data from a published graph (usually a bitmap image in an paper). For example, a scatter plot from which I would like to get a list of individual (<em>x</em>, <em>y</em>) coordinates for the points.</p>
<p>One option is to ask the contact author for raw data. Most will do it, sometimes in nice ASCII format, sometimes in Excel files, sometimes in formats that I cannot open (chemists are fond of software like <a href="http://www.originlab.com">Origin</a> or <a href="http://www.wavemetrics.com/products/igorpro/igorpro.htm">Igor Pro</a>). Some authors never reply, or ask questions like “what do you want to do with it?”. In all cases, it takes time. Sometime, it's not even possible (I can hardly email the author of a 1936 paper!).</p>
<p>The other option is to extract the data. I currently use <a href="http://www.originlab.com">g3data</a> to do that, but for large scatter plots <strong>having to click on every single point is tedious</strong>. Thus, I am looking for a data extraction software that could <strong>recognize individual points automagically</strong>, and possibly filter them by point color or symbol used. Is that even something that exists? What other tools can you recommend to work around this issue?</p>
<p><sup>I don't think it'd be appropriate to have extra requirements on the software, so I'm happy with free or commercial solutions, running on any OS. Of course, if given the choice, I'd prefer open source software running on Linux and Mac OS.</sup></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7704,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>We had a very similar problem at my old job: we had to scour a huge literature database containing literally thousands of papers for any data showing the solubility behavior of different species. A lot of this data was from the 1950s through 1970's, and was data we could not reproduce for a very large number of reasons (time and now safety regulations being chief among these). </p>\n\n<p>The colleague who was responsible for collecting all of this data used a package called <a href=\"http://www.datathief.org\">Data Thief</a> to remove the data from graphs. It seemed to work well, but is also (from what I recall) commercial software (or rather shareware, but still technically not free). It is cross-platform and written in Java, so perhaps satisfies a decent amount of your criteria. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7736,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>A colleague suggested I use <a href=\"http://www.arizona-software.ch/graphclick/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">GraphClick</a>, a Mac OS software that includes (according to its website):</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ul>\n <li>Automatic detection of curves (solid, dotted or dashed), symbols, bar charts, or perimeters of areas</li>\n <li>Frame-by-frame digitization of QuickTime movies</li>\n </ul>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The later is something I had not thought about, but might actually be useful for some teaching needs (analysis of motion from a video). My first experiences are good: the software is easy to use, includes a nice magnification UI, and automatic curve detection works fine if the graph is “clean”.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>And here's a list of other possible software from <a href=\"https://stats.stackexchange.com/a/14440\">this answer on Cross Validated</a> (link thanks to @AndyW and @Paresh):</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://markummitchell.github.io/engauge-digitizer/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Engauge Digitizer</a> (free software, GPL license) auto point / line recognition. Available in Ubuntu repository (engauge-digitizer)</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.getdata-graph-digitizer.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Get Data</a> (shareware, free trial version, $30 for personal license) has zoom window, auto point / line recognition</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.digitizeit.de/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">DigitizeIt</a> (shareware, free trial version, $49 for personal license) auto point / line recognition</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7745,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I used <a href=\"http://www.datathief.org/\">DataThief</a> years ago. From what I remember, it is not fully automated. You start by loading a digital image and identifying the axes, some tick marks, the axis limits and the scale (i.e., linear/log/polar). This lets it handle bad scans (e.g., rotation and warping). Once it knows the bounding box of the plot, you then tell it what to extract (curves, points, errorbars, etc.).</p>\n\n<p>It is written in JAVA so should run on most OS's. I believe it is free as in beer (and it might be open source).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13459,
"author": "Alexey Popkov",
"author_id": 6255,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6255",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><a href=\"https://stats.stackexchange.com/a/72974/25283\">Here</a> I describe how it is possible to recover data from <strong>vector</strong> graph in a PDF file with maximum exactness and even estimate introduced recovery error. I show how it can be done in <a href=\"http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><em>Mathematica</em></a> but the method shown is very basic and simple enough to be easily implemented in other systems.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 19639,
"author": "johngreen",
"author_id": 14369,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14369",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Here is a very good online tool: <a href=\"http://arohatgi.info/WebPlotDigitizer/app/\">http://arohatgi.info/WebPlotDigitizer/app/</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 41635,
"author": "John",
"author_id": 31726,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31726",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><a href=\"http://amsterchem.com/scanit.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ScanIt</a> does well. It is free of charge, albeit not open source; runs on Windows. It can automatically recognize points, and even distinguish between different symbols used as points:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/kr3Ei.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/kr3Ei.png\" alt=\"ScanIt recognizing points\"></a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7671",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
7,696 | <p>Occasionally I find myself currently reviewing a paper where I find that many of the criticisms I have are addressed in papers in which I am an author (and often as lead author).</p>
<p>I don't want to make my identity known to the writers of the papers—but how do I make my points clear without breaking the "anonymity" of the review. Even if I cite a bunch of papers each time, it will probably be obvious what's going on.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7697,
"author": "rfle500",
"author_id": 4503,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4503",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I recently reviewed a paper in a similar situation. The paper was good but some relevant publications I was aware of (not mine) probably should have been cited. When writing the review I simply suggested the specific topic which should be referred to, rather than specific papers. That way the suggestion is there and all they have to do is look. They got a couple of papers that I had in mind, and some others, so all was well in the end.</p>\n\n<p>I don't personally agree with suggesting citation of your own papers directly in a review since as you point out this leads to suspicion of the identity of the reviewer, but also because reviews should be impartial as far as possible. If a paper that I authored is the most relevant work then any proper search will find it, if not then something else equally suitable will probably be ok for most readers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7703,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you believe that there are papers that the author should cite, list them in your review. Yes, I mean the specific papers, with complete bibliographic information. If you include some of your own papers in that list, the author of the refereed paper may <em>suspect</em> that you're the referee, but so what?</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, if you believe that the <em>only</em> papers that the author should cite were written by you, you're probably wrong. Look harder.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7717,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If the author is an unknown nobody, then you don't need to worry about hiding your identity. The author probably has a lot to learn from you anyway, your papers will help him, and the author might even be happy to learn that his paper was reviewed by such an experienced expert in the field. (The number of relevant publication which you authored clearly indicates that you are an experienced expert in the field.)</p>\n\n<p>The story is different, if you know the author quite well. In this case, the author might have been well aware of your publications, but intentionally didn't cite them. In such a case, I would rather avoid reference to my own publications.</p>\n\n<p>The conclusion is, if you think your publications will help the author (and that he will take at least a cursory look on them), then reference the publications that you think are relevant. If you just want to complain that the author didn't cite you, then let it be.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7720,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I don't want to make my identity known to the writers of the papers</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Why?<br>\n(Yes, also in my field reviews are supposed to be blinded on one side. But often very good guesses to who was the reviewer are possible. Sometimes it is obvious, and oftentimes I believe I could track down the reviewers at least to their groups because of the specific use of certain terms. And, yes, you could probably track me down because I also have typical questions. Personally, I'd prefer receiving review swith the reviewers' names (it is useless to thank reviewers A and B, as those two review all my papers, and everyone knows it - but I'd like to acknowledge reviewers by name) and to write reviews under my name as well.)</p>\n\n<p>I see several possibilities here. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>As was suggested already, <strong>name the issue, not the paper</strong>. You can also <strong>guide the authors to search terms</strong> that will lead to relevant papers.</p></li>\n<li><p>There may be <strong>valid exceptions</strong> to this: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Sometimes one wouldn't know from title and abstract that the paper is relevant, e.g. when some methodological point was presented in a paper about an application.</li>\n<li>Sometimes it is impossible to dig out relevant papers between other papers that use the terms differently or some combination of search terms happens also in irrelevant context* </li>\n</ul></li>\n<li><p>Your question sounds as if you are well-known for the topic which you found missing in the paper. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If you are The Big Guy</strong> for this topic, <strong>pointing to your publication does not compromise your anonymity</strong> - any other reviewer who is aware of the issue would have done it, too. </li>\n<li>If you are not The Big Guy, but maybe the only one in that field looking into this topic, odds are still you were asked to do the review <em>because of this expertise</em>. IMHO, the quality of the review matters much more than semi-existent (see above) anonymity.<br>\nIn that case, I'd <strong>write the review so the authors can understand and address the issue easily</strong>. If you really think that this compromises your anonymity, you may <strong>write to the <em>editor</em></strong> that you think your review is not anonymous, because ..., and possibly that he may decide to give your email to the authors and that they could contact you in case of further questions (IMHO it is much less work to answer a few questions that to have to review an additional time). </li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>* e.g. \"soft classification\" in remote sensing is used ina certain way, which I took over into chemometrics. However, one very important classification method in chemometrics is SIMCA, the \"S\" for soft. It could be used as as soft classifier in the remote sensing meaning. But is usually isn't. So I got tons of hits with SIMCA. No hits excluding SIMCA, and after looking into a certain number of them and never finding it used in this \"soft\" way, I gave up and had to say that I didn't find any such application. If anyone knows such a paper, please tell me the proper citation. I don't mind if you're the author.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7735,
"author": "D.W.",
"author_id": 705,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/705",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is a great question. I've run into this situation several times, and I'll tell you what I do:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>First choice: Post a comment visible to authors.</strong> If I'm lucky, the program chairs have chosen reviewing software that allows me to post comments (which are separate from my review) that will be made visible to the authors. Then, I mention that the citation in a comment that's visible to the authors. This way, the citation/comment can't be linked to my review. The authors might guess that I was one of the reviewers, but they won't know whether I was one of the folks who wrote a positive review or a negative review.</p>\n<p>This is the best case, but sometimes you get unlucky and the program chairs have chosen reviewing software that doesn't support this feature. In which case, my second choice is:</p>\n</li>\n<li><p><strong>Fallback: Contact the program chairs and ask for their help.</strong> I contact the program chairs, explain the situation (that I have a comment I'd like to share with the authors, but I don't want it to be linked to my review, because it might identify me), and ask for their help. Often they have a way that they can accomodate this. For instance, most online reviewing software these days can accomodate external reviewers. In that case, the program chair can send me an invitation as though I were an external reviewer, and I can supply an external review whose only content is the citation. As another example, the program chairs might be willing to manually send an email to the authors mentioning this additional comment, or they might be willing to submit a review of their own mentioning the relevant citation.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p><strong>Last resort: Don't mention it in my review.</strong> If none of the above options are available, then I do <em>not</em> mention the citation in my review. I believe reviewers have the right to remain anonymous, and don't have any obligation to the authors that supersedes that. Instead, I mention the related work in a comment to the program committee, to justify my recommendation on whether to accept or reject the paper. Then, I might include a general comment in my review that the authors have not done sufficient review of the literature and that they should do a further literature search; and I might even include some tips, like the conferences or journals that they should be reading. This is not as helpful to authors as I would like, which is why this is my last resort. And, if I'm forced to this last resort and the program chairs aren't able to help me get my message through to the authors, then I tend to view that as a shortcoming of the arrangements that the program chairs have made.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>I think it is great that you are thinking about these issues and doing your best to provide authors with detailed comments and reviews. Kudos! That's the kind of spirit we should all applaud and encourage.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7696",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53/"
]
|
7,698 | <p>In business (e.g. IT industry) remote work (aka "telecommuting") can be relatively common (see e.g. a recent StackOverflow <a href="http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2013/02/why-we-still-believe-in-working-remotely/">blog post</a>). It is exceedingly rare (or even nonexistent) in academia, even though most part of academic work consists basically of thinking and writing, which can be done in any environment. Are you aware of any successful implementations of "remote work" in academia?</p>
<p>Of course, there are many factors making it less feasible - an academic employee usually has other duties (e.g. teaching) which can't be done remotely, there is also the social aspect of research, meetings etc. (although this is not that much different from similar aspects in a programming job, unless we argue that doing science is "more creative" than mere programming and thus requires more physical presence). Also, currently available tools still make e.g. making a web seminar or math meeting difficult (no blackboard), although this too is changing (see e.g. G+ Hangout seminars: <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/plustcs/">TCS+</a>). However, given the scarcity of jobs, "N-body problems" etc., it seems to me that the potential for remote work (even part-time) is, as of now, underutilized in academia.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7699,
"author": "rfle500",
"author_id": 4503,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4503",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my subject area (computational physics) telecommuting is certainly possible, and in fact I am very lucky to be able to spend a significant fraction of time working off campus. As a post doc I generally find that when it comes to research (in terms of developing and running code and writing papers) I am much more productive working in an isolated environment without distractions. However, it is also very important to maintain links with other researchers and students in the group and department. This can partly be done with tools such as Skype, but the importance one-to-one interaction should not be underestimated, as well as just 'being around'. Many problems are solved over coffee, and this interaction is a critical part of collaborative research. </p>\n\n<p>Overall though I think that telecommuting, at least for researchers for some of the time is a good thing, particularly in conjunction with flexitime for those with families.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7700,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Doing it part-time is rather common at least in places i have worked. At moment me and most of my colleagues work from home two days of the week (usually Mondays and Fridays for most and Thursdays and Fridays for some) on the days that no teaching is involved. If there is an important meeting we will show up otherwise we skype. I think i generally work on average 6.5 days in a 22 day work month from home. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7718,
"author": "Renan",
"author_id": 1607,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1607",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Are you aware of any successful implementations of \"remote work\" in academia?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Yes: quite a few people I know are (or claim to be) more productive working from home than going to campus; they only go there for teaching, when they need a lab or when they need to talk to someone.</p>\n\n<p>But of course, it depends on the area where you are working; engineers will eventually need labs, test equipment etc...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7746,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>While there are advantages to remote working for individuals, my feeling is that it is used too much and leads to a bad work environment. Unlike industry, academics are not evaluated as frequently or in as meaningful of a way. When some people work remotely and others don't this can lead to resentment and a feeling that they are not pulling their weight. Academic departments are often on the verge of dysfunctional and generally have cliques each representing their own interests. Extensive remote working exacerbates these problems. Problems can often be solved much more efficiently over a coffee/beer than the telephone.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7772,
"author": "StasK",
"author_id": 739,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/739",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Good science starts from good definitions. You have not given your definition of <code>remote</code>, and I personally can think of at least three different scenarios:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Work in office some days, from home some other days, but the office is withing commuting distance. It is true that academia does not care which computer you write your papers on, especially if you work is only on a computer (pure math, theoretical sociology, may be some computer science). Many companies allow their staff to work like that, especially if their roles are well defined and can be performed off-site.</li>\n<li>Collaborate remotely: you write a paper together with somebody in another university, in another country, etc. At the extreme, you meet the person with whom you published that paper only a couple years later at a conference where you are presenting it. I think nearly every paper with more than one author is written that way... although in some disciplines, a team of 10 authors means the personnel of a single lab.</li>\n<li>Work from home full time, with the nearest office being a few hours away. (My worst commute was get up at 4am, drive 2hrs to the airport, take a flight with a connection, total 4 hrs, spend 3 hours in meetings, take an 8pm flight, drive back, back home 1 am next day. Don't want to do this very often, thank you.)</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>All the responses so far addressed options (1) and (2). To me, \"remote\" means (3): I am sitting at least a time zone away from the rest of the company (I work in a private sector). There is absolutely no freaking way this could work in academia even if your work only involves a computer. (Obviously, if you are a biologist with a lab to attend every day to look at your mice, your question simply does not make sense.) If you raise a question like that in a job interview, you can bid it farewell, pack and go: there are dozens Ph.D.s waiting in line, and nearly each of them will take a job on any condition. (Yes, there's overproduction of Ph.D.s, which they probably did not tell you when you applied for that highly coveted degree. If there were no over-production, there would be no point to have this website, as university managers will be hunting Ph.D.s, not Ph.D.s hunting jobs.)</p>\n\n<p>While you what you seem to see from your Ph.D. student perspective about academic work seems to be research (which is of course doable across continents if needed), you will HAVE to teach, and you will HAVE to do some service (department committees, qualifying exams, colloquia, campus involvement, etc.), and then later on take graduate students that you are supposed to pamper and educate. If you are thinking about post-doc options, then again the expectation is that you learn from your mentor, their lab and their department by being present there and working with them. You can't do this remotely.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7698",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4108/"
]
|
7,711 | <p><sub>This question is based on some observations which could be wrong (in that case, let me know).</sub></p>
<p>I am applying to PhD program in various universities in US in theoretical computer science (TCS). Some of the things that I heard is that getting admission in TCS in top 15 theory universities is tough. The toughness is obviously due to the large volumes of applications that these universities receive (I don't know how much?). However one of the big factors is limited funding available with professors. </p>
<p>So who funds the students? Professors or universities? In some cases I heard, that it is the professor who funds the student. Then in that case, why is the admission process centralized (the professor who is actually funding may not be in the committee)?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7712,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are several models for funding graduate students: often times the professor is responsible for funding. However, in many cases, the system has \"joint\" sponsorship—at first the students are sponsored by the department (while they do teaching service or are taking classes, for instance). After that, they are then paid for by their advisors. </p>\n\n<p>The role of centralized admissions is to cut down on the cumulative workload. Especially with the ease of submitting applications electronically, if each professor were responsible for selecting his or her own students, faculty would be swamped by applications. Having a central pool makes the process simpler for everybody.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7716,
"author": "Zai",
"author_id": 4318,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4318",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Depending on the university, funding for students can be allocated in different ways. From what I've seen in Computer Science, you can be guaranteed funding, which usually means that your tuition will be covered to some extent and you may receive a living stipend. You can receive no funding, which means that you have to pay your own tuition and your own living expenses, or you can receive partial funding which is some subset of guaranteed funding.</p>\n\n<p>Some universities or departments don't admit graduate students unless they are guaranteed funding by either the department or by a professor. In these cases, sometimes the department/school might have some money set aside to fund graduate students, usually as TAs, but professors will have their own funds through grants. This allows professors more latitude in choosing graduate students that they think are promising and who share the same research interests.</p>\n\n<p>Other universities/departments will admit students without guaranteed funding. Students that are admitted without guaranteed funding will need to find their own funding sources through scholarships, fellowships, or finding their own paid positions (e.g., research assistants, project assistants, or teaching assistants). If the student is unable to find any of these, footing the bill for tuition will fall directly on them. This can be very stressful and can lead to students needing to drop out because they can't find funding or a mad scramble/funded positions being very competitive.</p>\n\n<p>My observation, and your mileage may vary depending on university or department, is that if the university does not offer all graduate students guaranteed funding, they still try to limit the unfunded students that are admitted to be balanced against the number of funding opportunities that may become/be available. Departments also tend to admit slightly more students than they have positions for in anticipation of some students choosing to go to a different university after they receive all of their admittance letters.</p>\n\n<p>As to why it's centralized, what people said about uniform standards and saving on administrative costs makes sense, and there's also an argument that many universities like to keep statistics and information on how many students are applying and being admitted to each department, what their demographics are, etc.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7719,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>[...] then in that case why the admission process is centralized (the prof who is actually funding may not be in the committee)</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is because the top universities (you said top 15) want to maintain their high standards of admission into the graduate program and would not <em>generally</em> want to allow a candidate with rather poor qualifications on paper into the program just because someone is willing to fund them. </p>\n\n<p>Remember that a top university will also most likely have a very rigorous curriculum, which the student will have to successfully complete (at least in the US) before they can advance, and this is independent of the student's research work with the faculty that is willing to fund them. So if a candidate's qualifications do not convince the committee that they are capable of advancing the program after 2 years, they will most likely not admit them because it will then be a drain on the university's resources.</p>\n\n<p>That said, it is possible for such candidates to still get in, but the faculty and their references will have to make a <em>really strong</em> case for them and they must have some redeeming quality/ability elsewhere.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7727,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I'm a theoretical computer scientist currently serving on the admissions committee of a large top-15 computer science department.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Some of the things that I heard is that getting admission in TCS in top 15 theory universities is tough. The toughness is obviously due to the large volumes of applications that these universities receive (I don't know how much?).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This year my department received about 50 PhD applications from people whose <em>primary</em> interest is theoretical computer science and probably another 50 with <em>secondary</em> interest in theory, out of 750 PhD applications overall. We've offered admission to about 10 theory PhD students (out of about 200 PhD offers total). We realistically expect three or four theory PhD students to accept our offer (out of about 80-100 total).</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>However one of the big factors is the limited funding available with professor. So who funds the students? Professors or universities? </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>It's complicated.</strong> A typical PhD offer from a strong department includes guaranteed funding in some form. My department promises five years of funding to every incoming PhD student, assuming they make steady progress toward their degree. (Do <em>not</em> accept a PhD admission offer without funding. If they really want you, they'll pay for you.) Most of our students take 6 years to finish, but in practice, (100-ε)% of our students are funded for their entire stay. A typical theory student in my department is a TA for 2-4 semesters and an RA of fellow for the rest.</p>\n\n<p>When a student is admitted, the <em>department</em> is making a contractual commitment to funding that student, assuming they make adequate progress toward their degree. In practice, most of that funding comes from individual faculty grants, most of the rest comes from the department's budget for teaching assistantships, and a small fraction comes from fellowships (university, NSF, DOE, NDSEG, Hertz, etc.). </p>\n\n<p>The <em>number</em> of students that each group is allowed to admit depends primarily on three factors:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Advising capacity:</strong> How many students can each faculty member in the group reasonably advise? The limiting resource here is faculty <em>attention</em>, not <em>money</em>. Theoretical computer science faculty tend to have relatively small groups, compared to some areas in CS. Steady state in my group seems to be about 3 PhD students per faculty. This is the most significant factor, in my opinion.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Funding capacity:</strong> How many students can each faculty member reasonably expect to fund? This isn't just a function of the faculty's <em>current</em> grants; a typical grant lasts only 3 years, but each student needs 5-6 years of funding.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Teaching demand:</strong> How many TAs does the group need to support its teaching responsibilities? Conversely, for how many semesters are students in the group expected to be TAs, as part of their PhD training? The ratio of these two numbers basically determines how many students the department is willing to pay for on its own dime.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>In some cases I heard, that it is the professor who funds the student. Then in that case, why is the admission process centralized (the professor who is actually funding may not be in the committee)?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In US computer science programs, <em>departments</em> offer admission, not individual faculty. Students are completely free to change advisors or even research areas, even if their existing advisor is funding them. (Of course, they have to fulfill their funding obligations, but that's an orthogonal issue.) Formally, students in my department do not even choose their thesis advisors until the end of their first year. (One of my recent PhDs entered the department as an RA in distributed systems/sensor networks; he switched to algorithms at the end of his first year.) For that reason, it's crucial that the admissions decision does <em>not</em> rest entirely with a single faculty member.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7711",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5619/"
]
|
7,713 | <p>When writing academic papers, I am really bad at improving what I have already written. I have heard that most of the time writing should be allotted to revisions. I know a few academics who are really good at keeping on revising until they are happy, but I simply can't do it. Knowing that a sentence/paragraph/section can be improved but not being able to do so is very frustrating.</p>
<p>My partial self-diagnosis:</p>
<ol>
<li>I refuse to make big changes, probably since it is a lot of work. (This sounds like I'm just procrastinating.)</li>
<li>If write with collaborators (almost always), I do not want to change what they wrote or revised, unless it is obviously wrong. (This sounds like I lack confidence in my writing skills. Or I just don't want to upset my coauthors?)</li>
<li>Before rewriting, I can't even re-read properly. I don't want to re-read the paper carefully and create a current copy of it in my head. I tend to skip parts. Even after I have re-read the manuscript, it is not always clear what the current state of the paper is.</li>
</ol>
<p>I am sure I have many weaknesses that I am failing to verbalize in this question, but I'd like to hear <strong>what others did to train their rewriting skills</strong>. Also, I want to hear <strong>how you rewrite</strong>.</p>
<p>FYI, I am not a native speaker of English but I have seriously written only in English. My field is science and engineering.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7714,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think the more efficient way would be to start reading and focusing on how to write in the first place and then focus on editing your work. This approach is going to save you a lot of time. </p>\n\n<p>Perhaps the fastest way is to get some professional help which often is free in academic institutions in the form of academic writing courses. If you get the opportunity through these classes to show your writing to a linguist you can gain a lot.</p>\n\n<p>If that's not an option then some classics on writing are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>White, E. B., & Strunk, W. (1972). The elements of style. MacMillan.</li>\n<li>Zinsser, W. (2006). On writing well: The classic guide to writing nonfiction. Harper Perennial.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Perhaps then you should start focusing on editing and I recommend these for the start:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Cook, C. K. (1986). Line by line: How to edit your own writing. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.</li>\n<li>Ross-Larson, B. (1995). Edit yourself: A manual for everyone who works with words. WW Norton & Company</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>BUT</strong> personally the most important guide for me was the edits/comments that I got back from my supervisors, mentors and senior collaborators during the years. I checked their edits over and over again to systematically diagnose what was wrong with my writing and I think those edits/comments were the most helpful resource. I went as far as creating a corpora of literature relevant to my fields of research to know how exactly people write in my domains of interest in engineering and social science but well that's going a bit too far in the beginning. </p>\n\n<p>Also one thing that I have noticed which makes a major impact on my editing is switching the edits on screen and on paper. I usually first do a round on screen. Then print and do it offline and then switch again! I don't know about others but in my case I tend to focus on completely different issues on when checking the scree or printed material and if I only do one I will miss a lot more. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>2014 EDIT:</strong> One additional method for editing your work is listening to it. Text-to-speech software are really helpful here and you will pick up issues that you might normally neglect. There is something magical about listening to your writing which is totally different from reading it. I definitely recommend trying this as well. Obviously higher quality text-to-speech software that have more and better natural voices will enhance the experience...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7715,
"author": "Pedro",
"author_id": 495,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/495",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I recently posted a <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7656/resources-on-how-to-overcome-writers-block-especially-for-non-native-english-s/7683#7683\">lengthy answer</a> for a similar question a few days ago, the essence of which was to separate <strong>what</strong> you're going to say from <strong>how</strong> you're going to say it.</p>\n\n<p>If you've done this for a paper, you can edit it focussing on writing style alone. This is a good way of avoiding the \"big changes\" you mentioned in your question: You will have made all these before actually formulating the text. As a consequence, you should also know precisely <em>what</em> it is you are trying to say in each paragraph.</p>\n\n<p>Iteratively refining a text can get you stuck in dead ends, e.g. if you choose a certain formulation and then can't make it sound right. One thing I often do when I get suck with a paragraph or chunk of text that I don't know how to fix, is to just <strong>delete</strong> it and <strong>rewrite</strong> it. </p>\n\n<p>If you get stuck on the specific formulations themselves, i.e. you don't know <em>how</em> to re-write a certain paragraph, you could try explaining it (remember that you know <em>what</em> you want to say, but not <em>how</em> to say it) <strong>out loud</strong> to an imaginary listener.</p>\n\n<p>Reading a paragraph out loud is a good way of forcing yourself to re-read it. It's also a great way of checking if something sounds silly or is not really comprehensible.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Update</strong></p>\n\n<p>If you're having trouble reading to yourself, you may want to try pairing-up with a colleague or co-author, and reading parts of the paper to each other. Granted, this may feel a bit awkward, but just look at it as editing the paper together. Working in pairs is <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair_programming\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">known</a> to improve motivation and productivity, and will basically <em>force</em> you to concentrate on the task at hand.</p>\n\n<p>If you have problems concentrating in general, I can give you a few tips from my own experience:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Break down your editing into short bursts of at most an hour, and focus only on a part of the paper, e.g. the abstract, a figure, or any specific section.</p></li>\n<li><p>The first few hours in the morning are the most productive for me. Try to find out where your own \"best time\" is.</p></li>\n<li><p>Coffee. In certain cases, the caffeine can help you focus.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7726,
"author": "earthling",
"author_id": 2692,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2692",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think you're question is a VERY good one and one that impacts a lot of people. Because of that I upvoted it. However, the answer, which I think you at least have an idea of, is \"suck it up and get to work.\"</p>\n\n<p>Writing well takes a lot of time. Writing well includes planning, writing, reviewing, revising, reviewing, revising (ad nauseam - and I do mean nausea). If you look at great writing, you'll see it's often written by great writers. You should not think that they get it right their first time. When I (I consider myself an OK writer, not a great one) write for publication I usually write the piece and then end up editing it 10 times. In the end I spend much, much more time in the editing processing than in the initial writing process.</p>\n\n<p>Writing takes time. Writing well takes more time. If you want to write well, you need to be willing to push through the discomfort and keep working on it. That said, don't try to do it all at once. Edit several times spread across several days (or weeks, if you have the time) - a fresh mind helps.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7729,
"author": "Javeer Baker",
"author_id": 4475,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My simple strategy is as follows:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Draft your paper. Make it as complete as you can.</li>\n<li>Give yourself atleast a12 hour period in which you dont look at the paper, no matter how tempting it is.</li>\n<li>Use a read-back program that can read the paper back to you loudly. Mac has a free built-in program.</li>\n<li>Listen and note which sections need reworking.\nIf you don't like what you hear, its likely to be poorly written.</li>\n<li>Revise as if you are writing the paper for someone with little knowledge of your field.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The best advice I have got while writing my PhD dissertation was to focus on the arguments in the drafting stage and on the details in the revision stage.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7850,
"author": "Dror",
"author_id": 3926,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3926",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would recommend using some <strong>versioning control system</strong> (like <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_Subversion\" rel=\"nofollow\">SVN</a> or <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_%28software%29\" rel=\"nofollow\">git</a>) for your paper. These tools gives you the freedom to change what ever you want with you paper, and have all the history recorded. You could practice any kind of change, and still keep the ability to revert to older versions. Even better, you could merge <em>good</em> elements from old version into newer versions. By reviewing your history and seeing what you changed, you can learn what types of mistakes you tend to make, and you can work to avoid them in the future. </p>\n\n<p>Note that some popular note-taking tools, such as Evernote or Simplenote, also keep track of previous versions of your notes, although it's more primitive than Git or SVN.</p>\n\n<p><code>DropBox</code> provide a (terribly) simplified notion of versioning control. The advantage, however, is that it works \"out-of-the-box\" - no learning curve, or fancy tools.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27327,
"author": "Oneira",
"author_id": 20371,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20371",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One great way I have found to improve my writing, is to reread it side by side with someone not directly in the project (significant other, friend, ...). </p>\n\n<p>So this person would read it while you are here and will directly ask you questions on what you meant or tell you this and that is not clear. Also you can propose better phrasing together, wondering if such formulation is clearer. </p>\n\n<p>Supervisor comments are often great, but they most probably won't have time for such detailed discussion over your text. Having a \"live\" discussion is really so much more insightful on how your text is received. If you do it with someone you have a good relationship with, it can even be fun and motivating!</p>\n\n<p>Of course, it is a great burden to put on someone else, it can take hours, so you need to be ready to return the favour or find another way to make up for it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27340,
"author": "emmalgale",
"author_id": 12089,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12089",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have a lot of problems with my writing (although I am a native English speaker), and was made to do a writing course by my PhD panel.</p>\n\n<p>I did this course, <a href=\"https://www.coursera.org/course/sciwrite\" rel=\"nofollow\">Writing in the Sciences</a>, on coursera, and I can thoroughly recommend it. It took a few hours of my time over around 8 weeks, but you could easily pick and choose which bits you wanted to do if you wish. There are assignments to complete, which can lead to a certificate if that is something that interests you, but you don't have to do them. I actually did all the assignments as it helped me practice writing and editing my own work. I also got to practice editing other participant's work. Although the instructor is from the medical sciences field (as are most of her examples), everything she teaches is applicable to other sciences. I am from the atmospheric sciences field myself.</p>\n\n<p>I learnt some really good tips on how to go about the writing process itself (i.e. how much time to spend on each step in the process), but the majority of the course is about how to edit writing (either your own or someone else's) to make it more exciting and interesting to read. Many of the tips given already are included in the course.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 48088,
"author": "posdef",
"author_id": 5674,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When you need to rework bits of, or the whole, manuscript it might be a good idea to <strong>alienate</strong> yourself from the manuscript. One thing I noticed is that it's difficult to look at a piece of text I have worked on for weeks, with fresh eyes. Hard to be creative in formulating things when you are stuck in a particular thought pattern. </p>\n\n<p>It does wonders to put that aside and go deal with something else entirely. If you can forget the existence of the manuscript, even better. When you take a look at it again some days after, you might be able to see awkward formulations, hanging sentences or unclear paragraphs. During an academic writing class I took a couple of years ago they had this fantastic quote, <strong>\"<em>the author is dead!</em>\"</strong></p>\n\n<p>While the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_the_Author\" rel=\"nofollow\">full context of the quote</a> is somewhat deeper and besides the point here, it should suffice to say that seen from the eyes of the reader, the author is long dead and gone... You, as the author, need to be aware of that and at least try to objectify yourself from the text in order to be able to see it as a reader might, and see the potential weaknesses.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>On a different note, another thing that might be a good exercise in revising or reformulating scientific text, is to attempt to rewrite some existing text. For instance take a published article (could be yours or someone else's) and rewrite/summarise/revise it. Then submit both texts to a plagiarising-checking tool (there are some free ones online), to see if you can minimise the similarities in between the texts while keeping the message as intact as possible. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 60430,
"author": "Drew",
"author_id": 46315,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/46315",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<ol>\n<li><p>Focus first of all on the <em>content</em>: your <em>message</em> -- the points you want to get across. Do <em>not</em> focus on the language -- the way you communicate the message.</p>\n<p>This is the most important guideline, IMO. Clear ideas will lead you to clear organization and clear language. Unclear ideas will not lead you anywhere useful. Do not start by worrying about the language.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Especially if English is not your first language, write short, simple sentences. Very short. Very simple. Later, if appropriate, you can always combine them.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>The secret to <em>writing</em> is...<strong>reading</strong>. To start with, reread and rewrite your <em>notes</em> about the message, before trying to write the text that conveys the message (see #1).</p>\n<p>After you've written your message, read, reread, and rereread what you've written. Each time you read it, you will naturally improve (rewrite) it. When you read it, try to erase any knowledge of it beforehand - read it like your intended audience would read it.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Repeat #3. Repeat it again. Reread to write better. (It will also help you read better.)</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>All of the above apply to <strong>editing</strong>, as well as to writing. If you are editing the work of someone else, then you are interested, first, in understanding that writer's <em>message</em>. If the message is not clear then forget about improving the wording and provide the feedback that you do not understand what the message is (and perhaps help by pointing to language that confuses you).</p>\n<p>If the message is clear to you, then move on to how it is conveyed. If you read carefully it will be clear to you what is not as clear as it should be, what might be missing, and what might be extra (unnecessary). You will naturally discover problems of order of presentation. Just read and reread, carefully, and you will be fine.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 187763,
"author": "kamilazdybal",
"author_id": 98345,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/98345",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I also used to resist making big changes. At some point, I realized that this resistance was coming from a fear of having to delete sentences that my brain has already created and now feels emotionally attached to them as my precious pieces of writing. (Even if objectively they aren't such good sentences anyway!) Subconsciously, I would think: if I delete them now, who knows if I ever come up with the same idea on how to put something in words?\nThe strategy that helped me is really a psychological strategy to address that fear:</p>\n<p><strong>Don't delete anything permanently.</strong> Cut a sentence that does not fit in your current text and paste it into your "sentences bank". I have a Notion page for this purpose called "My writing snippets", which collects all those phrases, sentences and even whole paragraphs that didn't make it into any manuscript yet. But it can even be a <code>.txt</code> file on your desktop. This way you don't dread permanently deleting your prose. And, with your next writing project, or when you're stuck in your writing, you can look over your sentences bank to see if there is anything that you can utilize. I've observed that even if I never use a sentence again, saving it calms my brain that it's <em>still out there, just in case I need it</em>.</p>\n<p>This helped me move on with applying the most impactful changes, e.g. ones that improve the flow of the story, and require moving or removing many sentences or whole paragraphs.</p>\n<p>In addition, I do recommend removing stuff from the sentences bank once it has been applied in a manuscript to avoid self-plagiarism.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7713",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/386/"
]
|
7,723 | <p>I have some papers to review and I am wondering whether I should do an <strong><em>in-depth inspection</em></strong> over the whole paper format? I see nothing major but there might be some tiny format errors here and there.. </p>
<ul>
<li><blockquote>
<p>Does the organizing committee <em>expect</em> reviewers to check submissions<br>
against the conference format?</p>
</blockquote></li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7724,
"author": "Paul Hiemstra",
"author_id": 4091,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4091",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I would say the responsibility of the reviewer is to judge the content of the paper. So, checking if the format of the journal/conference has been followed is not part of this job. Very large and obvious deviations can be pointed out, but for example spotting that the font of the caption is in size 11 and not 10 is not part of a reviewers task.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7725,
"author": "grauwulf",
"author_id": 5760,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5760",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Reviewers check content. Copy editors, prior to publishing, check format and adherence to publication style guides. </p>\n\n<p>Your Milage May Vary based on the expectations of your committee. If you have a question about what you are supposed to be checking don't be afraid to ask. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7728,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In general I agree with the other two answer but somehow in every paper that I have ever received a review for there has been some sort of comment on something formatting related from at least one of the reviewers. These have ranged from suggestions for changing the fonts of the formula or captions to spotting that font for footnotes should be 9 instead of 10 for that journal etc. </p>\n\n<p>I think there is some sort of a code that if you find something you don't neglect it and ask for correction but in general that's not your job and you don't actively seek them you just \"catch\" them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7751,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As grauwulf comments, your job is to focus on the content. However, when poor formatting clearly affects your ability to understand the scientific formatting, it should be commented upon. For instance, when somebody writes \"x^2\", but really means \"x (Ref. 2)\", that's a problem that should be commented on (because a copy editor might <em>not</em> catch that!). Similarly, if the way a graph is formatted makes it difficult to interpret (labels or legends too small to read, or are garishly presented), then it behooves the reviewer to mention it.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7723",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/532/"
]
|
7,737 | <p>Many journals sometimes publish <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festschrift">Festschriften</a>, i.e. special issues in honor of a distinguished (but still alive) researcher in their field. Articles for such issues are typically invited articles by other groups in the same field, and current and former collaborators of the researcher honored.</p>
<p>A colleague told me that such articles are peer-reviewed, much in the same way regular papers are. I somewhat suspect that this might not be entirely true, and that the standards used by the editor (and even reviewers, if they are aware of the context) are lower for these special issue invited papers.</p>
<p>A quote on Wikipedia (from one Endel Tulving) seems to agree with me:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>a Festschrift frequently enough also serves as a convenient place in which those who are invited to contribute find a permanent resting place for their otherwise unpublishable or at least difficult-to-publish papers</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So, my questions are: <strong>in your experience, are reviewers given a hint by the editor that the paper they review is intended for a special issue? and is the review process and editorial decisions typically as strict as they would be for a regular paper?</strong></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7738,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In two such instances that I have been involved since November (invited papers for special issues but not Festschrifts) no indications were given to the reviewers and strict double blind procedures were followed. I would go as far as we had even stricter procedures because of the notion that special issues are not of the same quality to the point that I found it frustrating.</p>\n\n<p>I suspect this is entirely dependent on the editor and the practices vary significantly depending on the journals editor, the special issue editor, and the relation between the two. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7744,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think there is a difference in the peer-review process, but not so much on the reviewer end. In general, when I review a manuscript, I do not consider the target journal. I attempt to point out the good and the bad and leave it to the editor to decide what to do with my reviews. The difference then arises with what the editor does. While the topic of a manuscript might not fit in with the journal in general, hence making it difficult to publish, it might be a perfect fit for a special issue. Similarly, the manuscript might not have as much data as typically required for the journal making its scope narrower, but it still might fit fine with the special issue (especially give the time constraints).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7748,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my experience in mathematics, papers submitted to a Festschrift are held to the same standard as any other papers as far as correctness and novelty go, but there is definitely some flexibility regarding importance. The Festschrift is often considered a good place for articles that would be of particular interest to the person being honored, because they build on this person's work or involve topics close to their heart, even if the papers are not particularly important in absolute terms. Referees know the paper is submitted to the Festschrift, and I think this vision of which papers are appropriate is broadly shared among authors, editors, and referees. An embarrassing or inappropriate paper would be rejected, but for example a minor observation related to the honoree's work could be accepted.</p>\n\n<p>It's hard to say how this compares with typical journals, since there's a range from low-end journals that will publish anything arguably new and correct to high-end journals that regularly reject excellent papers because they aren't quite wonderful enough. A Festschrift will never match the very most prestigious journals (there simply aren't enough thematically-appropriate papers at that level to fill it up), but it can be comparable to a middle-of-the-road journal or occasionally better.</p>\n\n<p>As in Stephan Kolassa's comment, a large majority of the Festschrifts I've seen are monographs, rather than journal issues. When they are special issues of a journal, it's generally not a particularly prestigious journal. (However, it can happen: the Duke Mathematical Journal published a Festschrift for Nash.) My interpretation is that prestigious journals generally don't want to publish Festschrifts because they know the papers won't all meet the highest standards of importance.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7749,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I think the difference is whether the Festschrift is its own book (then the quality solely depends on the editors) or in a renowned peer-reviewed journal (who'd have a reputation to loose with a bad special issue). And I'd have a look what is the title and what the subtitle - the impression of \"Festschrift for Big Guy\" is entirely different from \"Scientific Subject\" subtitle \"dedicated to Big Guy\" or \"collected in honor of Big Guy's scientific work\".</p>\n\n<p>In my field, special issues of peer-reviewed journals about conferences or concentrating on a certain subject are common. The idea behind the conference issues is to ensure the normal peer-review process because conference proceedings have a bad reputation of no or no real review after the contribution is accepted (by abstract only). To the point that many people do not submit conference proceedings because they see them as a complete waste of time.<br>\nThe indications I have are that the peer review process is up to the usual standard of the journal. </p>\n\n<p>If you look at <a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09242031/38/1-2\" rel=\"nofollow\">this table of contents</a> of a special issue dedicated to Prof. Mantsch, you'll see that the special issue consists of original research, there isn't even a review article in about the historical development of the field in that issue (there is an editorial, though). Also, it is primarily a conference special issue, and this conference (of a regular series) also had the dedication (which came out most at the conference dinner speech, not at the scientific sessions).<br>\nOur paper had a two-line dedication before the abstract, and besides that it is a normal original research paper that underwent peer-review. I have not seen in my field a special issue that was primarily dedicated to someone and not primarily thematic with a dedication. </p>\n\n<p>(thematic special issues):</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>I don't know whether the reviewers know that the paper is intended for the special issue, I never had a review to do that indicated anything of the sort.</p></li>\n<li><p>In my experience not only the normal quality but also the normal subject criteria apply.</p></li>\n<li><p>Sometimes, the invitation takes place only after the peer-review process is over: after the acceptance of a paper we were asked whether we'd like it to be published in a special issue that was upcoming and where it thematically fit in. </p></li>\n<li><p>Sometimes, special issues are not filled by invitations, but the fact that a thematic special issue is planned, is circulated. </p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7750,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have reviewed a few articles for special issues. At some journals, you know that there's a difference, because you're recruited as a reviewer by the \"special editor\" for that issue. </p>\n\n<p>With respect to the <em>standards</em> used, I would say that there <em>should</em> be no difference between the two. However, I think it's fair to say that some allowances might be made for special issues that would not apply under normal circumstances. At the same time, I think that the awareness of this is fairly widely known in academic circles, and therefore some allowances are made for this. These tend not to be the \"super groundbreaking\" papers, but often tend to be \"current progress\" or \"latest but perhaps not greatest\" work out of the labs submitting them. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8220,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would argue that this may differ quite a lot between individual journals and, I venture to guess, may also differ between journals with different status. A basic \"rule\" for a journal (upheld by its editors) is to make the journal as good as possible, to attract good and high impact papers. To have an issue that is sub-par is therefore not favourable. Hence each editorial board will impose restrictions on such \"festschrift\"s. In the journal where I am Editor-in-Chief, we have had a tradition of such \"schrift\"s but we decided to not accept such themes. We do run thematic issues with guest editors but in all cases the papers and their reviewing is transparent to the Editors-in-Chief which means we can intervene and ensure a fair review process and uphold the quality we strive to ensure. In my opinion the \"festschrift\" is something which is generally not looked upon favourably since it signals that there may be dodgy reviewing or just buddy-reviewig involved. Most journals probably stay clear of such issues for this reason. In the end the local traditions will determine whether such \"schrift\"s will be produced. So the bottom line is that certainly editors would be cautious about such journal issues. This means that the review process may not be any different, in fact sometimes more strict, while in some cases anything could go through and it is this uncertainty which on the whole makes the \"festschrift\" concept unattractive to any journal which tries to uphold a good reputation.</p>\n\n<p>So my (probably unsatisfactory) answer is: yes and no, it will vary quite substantially between journals. Such differences should not exist but they do and it is difficult to know or judge in each individual case.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7737",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
7,752 | <p><strong>Why are a majority of jobs in academia offered on a fixed term basis?</strong> </p>
<p>I have noticed that most teaching or researching positions have a contract term (e.g. 3 year contract). Some contracts may be renewed, subject to additional funding, while others simply end. </p>
<p>I am wondering if there is an <strong>academic reason</strong> for this system (akin to the system being designed to compel the incumbent to continually publish in order to remain in a position).</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7755,
"author": "410 gone",
"author_id": 96,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is a product of various reasons that are academic, economic, legal and institutional:</p>\n\n<p>In many jurisdictions, it's easier and cheaper to remove staff at the end of a fixed contract: it can be very very expensive to remove staff on a permanent contract.</p>\n\n<p>Enough able people are willing to work on fixed contracts that universities don't need to offer permanent contracts for every post.</p>\n\n<p>Track record, CV and references are not enough to tell how good someone really is, nor how productive they'll be in your team; that needs an extended probation, which a fixed-term contract effectively functions as.</p>\n\n<p>Funding tends to come in bursts, with no guarantee of follow-up funding; so while it can be possible to ensure a post can be funded for 6 months or 5 years, at the end of the funding, there may not be the money to fund that post. On a permanent contract, the resulting severance can be very expensive for the university. The fixed contract gives clarity to both employer and employee.</p>\n\n<p>Productivity changes over time. Some employees are more productive when they have a lot of job security; others are more productive when their future employment depends on the current performance. I'd love to see some studies on the impact on productivity of needing to repeatedly apply for funding: oddly, it seems to be one area where we academics don't take a scientific approach to analysing!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7757,
"author": "Jeromy Anglim",
"author_id": 62,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I agree that there are many positions in academia that are fixed term. However, I would question your claim that a \"majority\" of positions are fixed term. Presumably this varies a lot by country and other factors.</p>\n\n<p>From my casual observations in Australia, some positions tend to be fixed term or casual. E.g., </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Post docs</li>\n<li>Research assistants</li>\n<li>Positions filling teaching gaps (e.g., related to maternity leave, short term increases in demand for subjects, filling-in while)</li>\n<li>A selection of lower-level teaching positions</li>\n<li>Research only positions funded by external grants or contracts</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>while others tends to be continuing positions most notably</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Standard faculty positions that combine both teaching and research</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Standard faculty positions are often funded broadly out of revenue from teaching even if there is an expectation that you will secure additional sources of research funding. Teaching revenue is generally more stable than research funding that tends to be linked to particular grants of particular duration.</p>\n\n<p>Continuing academic positions in Australia typically have a probation period lasting several years as one means of encouraging performance. That said, the promotional system means that there are other extrinsic rewards to continue performing well once a continuing position is acquired.</p>\n\n<p>As can be seen from the earlier list pure research and lower tier positions tend to be fixed term. This can be because the funding is inherently uncertain or perhaps because the employer feels that they can recruit an adequately skilled employee without incurring the additional costs associated with continuing positions. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7752",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475/"
]
|
7,753 | <p>I tried asking this question in cstheory.stackexchange.com but it was closed and it seems like this question is more appropriate here.</p>
<p>I am an undergraduate and an American citizen who recently applied to Computer Science PhD programs in the US. Based on conversations with friends and posts on gradcafe I am very likely to be rejected from all the programs I applied to (I haven't heard anything while others have gotten acceptances and interview requests from all the schools I have applied to). I am now trying to brainstorm ideas for what to do after my graduation in order to improve my chances of getting into a PhD program when I try to apply again next year.</p>
<p>One option that seems to be brought up a lot is to attend a master's program. However, unless I can get funding, or transfer credit will lower my tuition significantly (I'll have 6 or 7 graduate level cs courses that will not count towards graduation requirements by the time I graduate), I'm not sure if I can afford such a program.</p>
<p>Another popular option is to be a lab technician or something similar. I'm not sure if such positions are available in theoretical computer science.</p>
<p>Is there anything else I can do?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7760,
"author": "Mohamed Khamis",
"author_id": 703,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/703",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you intend to do a PhD, then you're tackling the academic career path, so you're at the right place here :)</p>\n\n<p>I am as well applying for a PhD currently, and went through the process of applying for a masters, here're the things I learned the hard way,\nIn general, there are two phases in acceptance, the university acceptance and the departmental acceptance</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>You should avoid applying to programs directly without contacting anyone in the department you want to work in. So first, check the faculty's members, see their research interests, and contact one of them, telling him that you would want to work under his supervision for your masters because you find his research topics matching your interests and expertise. That person may then make the departmental admission easier.</li>\n<li>Most of us google for the top most universities and apply there, which makes our chances lower. Try to look for the 100-200s or search for new offers.</li>\n<li>When you contact faculty members, NEVER COPY PASTE EMAILS! these will be very easy to detect, and will result in considering you a spammer. Make sure you tailor your email on the person's research interests and write your most interesting qualifications in the body of the email (not as an attachment, because usually they are too busy to check that, unless you really impressed them through the email's body)</li>\n<li>Try to target funding organizations that give out scholarships based on minorities, ethnic groups etc.. these are easier to get accepted in, than the ones available for all the public</li>\n<li>Narrow down your focus of the research area that you like most and would love to work in. If you have worked in that area before, it will make your application more unique.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>So take care of the above points the next time you apply. As for the skills you can work on</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Do some research, try to publish scientific papers</li>\n<li>Work on a research proposal, learn how to write a good one as it will help you in future applications and when contacting faculty members. Try to contact your undergraduate university's professors and try to join a research group or work with one of them on a topic that you can publish papers from.</li>\n<li>Take the GRE General test, that is a must in most of the universities in the US</li>\n<li>Take the GRE computer science test, which is optional in most of the applications but distinguishes your application</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>If you are not from an English speaking country, make sure you</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Take the TOEFL exam, most programs require 80/120, in US they usually ask for 90, which is pretty easy for you from what I can see in your question (take care as the score expires in 2 years, it has to be valid till the time of being admitted, not just the application time)</li>\n<li><p>Make sure all certificates/transcripts are translated to English (by a trusted entity)</p>\n\n<p>It is usually difficult to get funding for your Masters, because it is mostly studying and not actual working, and you're just staying for two years, thus not contributing that much to the funding organization, but keep trying, never underestimate yourself and go on applying. And remember that even if you keep failing, you are still a long way ahead of those who never tried.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>All the best</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7838,
"author": "Irwin",
"author_id": 5944,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5944",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>How are your grades? Grades are a large factor when it comes to Ph.D admissions and it may be worth taking courses that enable you to increase your grades.</p>\n\n<p>Presumably, you are applying to a University abroad, but if there is a local University that performs research where you are, then you may want to work with a professor at your institution for a summer. The chances of getting this type of position may be slim but if you do get one, it gives you some research experience that you can put on your application materials.</p>\n\n<p>If neither of these are good options, then you will probably want to spend your time reviewing related work in the area and working on your research statement. Write it using principles from the <a href=\"http://theprofessorisin.com/2011/07/05/dr-karens-foolproof-grant-template/\" rel=\"nofollow\">foolproof grant template</a>. As a potential student, you might not use all of the elements (as you are limited in both experience, as well as getting about a page's worth of writing) but you should follow the structure for the \"first two paragraphs\".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7839,
"author": "user5619",
"author_id": 5619,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5619",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have applied for FALL 13 in US and awaiting results. Therefore what I am writing here is a mix of my own experience and the accumulation of my understanding of others (includes forums/blogs).</p>\n\n<p>I applied to all colleges which I thought were good in theory (my area of interest). This list was basically influenced by - </p>\n\n<p>i) the papers I read during my master/undergrad and </p>\n\n<p>ii) the fact that each of the college in the list must have at least 3 potential advisors in theory. </p>\n\n<p>Now the BIG problem was : am I a good fit for these colleges? Frankly, these colleges never disclose their candidate profiles and mostly, the home-pages of the current PhD students do not exist. So I went to forums like gradcafe where there is ton of data but very little useful information but still worth a visit. Some people suggest to mail prof before you apply. In my case I have been advised to not to contact them unless I have strong reasons. Plus, I do not expect any prof to evaluate my profile and see if I am a good match. </p>\n\n<p>What do the admission committee look into any candidate? - research potential. If you have published work then it speaks for itself. Otherwise we have typically three recommendations and statement of purpose (sop). </p>\n\n<p>For recommendation letter, two things matter - </p>\n\n<p>i) Is your recommender known in your area?</p>\n\n<p>ii) How good he knows you? (your association)</p>\n\n<p>Now ideally you should have done some research work with your recommender. </p>\n\n<p>SOP is important and can be seen as you recommending yourself. It also shows your proficiency of writing and communicating with others.</p>\n\n<p>GRE,TOEFL - Some basic cut-off should be cleared. I do not have any idea about the cut-offs.</p>\n\n<p>Funds - If you can manage funds then you cost nothing to college and therefore would be preferred by them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7857,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's difficult to <em>really</em> answer your question without actually seeing your application, but here's some general advice.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Remember that the admissions process is random.</strong> — There is <em>nothing</em> you can do to absolutely guarantee admission <em>anywhere</em>. The most you can do is maximize your <em>expected</em> return.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Calibrate your expectations.</strong> — Are you <em>really</em> a good candidate for a top-5 department? (Hint: Do you have a STOC/FOCS/SODA paper?) For a top-10 department? For a top-25 department? <em>Really?</em> Be respectful but brutally honest with yourself. Ask your letter-writers or other faculty mentors to be brutally honest with you as well. Listen to them.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Identify potential advisors.</strong> — Every department you apply to should have <em>at least two</em> faculty, preferably more, whose <strong>specific</strong> research interests closely match yours. Your research statement should not only name those faculty but explain why you think they'd be a good match. Ask your references (or other mentors) for feedback and advice. Listen to them.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Spread your applications.</strong> — The rule of thumb I heard when I was applying was apply for four schools where you have a reasonable chance of being admitted, one or two backup schools, and one dream school. <em>Do <strong>not</strong> let the backup schools know that they are backup schools!</em></p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Get good letters.</strong> — Your letters <em>must</em> address your <strong>potential for research</strong> in personal, specific, and credible terms. A letter that only describes your performance in class is worthless. Your letters must come from research faculty — not PhD students, not postdocs, not lecturers, not managers. If possible, your references should have direct experience with strong PhD students (either as a reference or as an advisor) to make direct comparisons. If possible, your references should be well-known active researchers, but this is actually less important than experience with students. Since you've taken half a dozen graduate classes, you should be in good shape here.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Write a good statement.</strong> — Your research statement (or \"statement of purpose\" as everyone bizarrely insists on calling it) <em>must</em> address your <strong>potential for research</strong> in specific and credible terms. Do not start with an inspiring quotation. Do not write about how computers are changing the world. Do not write about how you've been programming since you were in the womb; nobody cares. Write about your <em>research</em>. Describe your experience. Describe your specific interests (not just \"theoretical computer science\"). Describe a problem that you <em>might</em> want to work on, with enough background and technical language to convince the reader you know what you're talking about <em>and</em> that you actually care. Bonus points if you correctly cite one of your potential advisor's recent papers, but don't force it.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Get feedback.</strong> — Send the <em>final</em> version of your research statement to your letter-writers (or other faculty mentors) and ask for their brutally honest feedback. Give them plenty of time. Expect to get your statement back soaked in red ink. Expect different people to give you conflicting advice. Listen to all of them. Lather, revise, repeat.</p></li>\n<li><p>But this is all about the <em>form</em> of the application. The best way to improve the <strong>content</strong> of your application is <strong>DO RESEARCH</strong>. Get paid to do research if you can, but do research anyway if you can't. Find a mentor (at your undergrad institution?) if you can, but do research anyway if you can't. Post technical questions <em>and answers</em> to cstheory.stackexchange. Follow CS theory blogs and read the papers that they write about. Keep a copy of the most recent STOC or SODA proceedings nearby to read while you're compiling, or waiting for the laundry, or riding the bus, or whatever. Talk regularly with your letter-writers about your progress. Write, write, write.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7859,
"author": "D.W.",
"author_id": 705,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/705",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The most important thing you can do to strengthen your application is: <strong>get additional research experience</strong>. PhD programs focuses on research. This means that the most important criteria for admission is arguably: <em>likelihood for success at research</em>.</p>\n\n<p>One of the best ways to demonstrate the likelihood that you will be successful at research is to provide evidence that <em>you've already been successful at research</em>. To do that, you need to get involved in an active research and do some serious research. So, my recommendation is: go do some research. If you've already done some, do some more. The more successful research experience you have, the better your odds of being admitted in the future.</p>\n\n<p>Beyond this, it's hard to give more specific advice without understanding why you were rejected and what were the weakest aspects of your application. Therefore, my recommendation is: contact a mentor you trust (a faculty member who is active in research at a Ph.D. program) and ask them to review your application and give you advice about how to strengthen your application.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7753",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5913/"
]
|
7,754 | <p><strong>What is a "publishable" thesis?</strong></p>
<p>I have often heard this term thrown about in conferences and even as advice to new grad. students.</p>
<p>From what I know, it is indeed rare for a thesis to be published entirely as a book, though one can publish papers out of the thesis.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7758,
"author": "Jeromy Anglim",
"author_id": 62,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>In some cases it might mean that the thesis could be published as a book. However, I'd generally interpret the phrase to mean that the thesis could readily be adapted and published as one or more journal articles.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7811,
"author": "DennisH",
"author_id": 5744,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5744",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I assume that, once again, this probably depends on your field and country.<br>\nIn the Netherlands, apparently, it is required to leave a large quantity (>100) with your university. Also, an ISBN will be assigned, according to my contract. This should mean that anyone could quite easily order a copy. I don't want to know the costs of such an order though.<br>\nSometimes you can also find them on Google Scholar. Although I'm not sure how i will have to proceed to have mine appear there (in years), I like to read them. They usually are well written and give a very good overview of the field in a concise manner. Reading papers to achieve that kind of overview usually takes a lot longer.<br>\nThis would be my answer to the title question. A well written overview of the work, done during your PhD, in relation to what is known in the field.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7754",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475/"
]
|
7,756 | <p>I am in the process of designing a major. However, I am worried that using a self-designed major can make an application look bad. As it stands, this potential major is about 70% computer science classes, 30% psychology and neuroscience classes. As such, this leads me to the questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>Are these self-designed majors seen as "weird" or simply unacceptable?</li>
<li>In general, are self-designed majors unattractive for graduate admissions?</li>
<li>For computer science specifically, do majors matter?</li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7759,
"author": "Amy",
"author_id": 167,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/167",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The disadvantage of having a \"made it myself\" degree is that in situations in which you are being compared with your peers (i.e. graduate admissions), you are comparing apples to oranges, and the admissions committee only know apples. A committee sees two applicants with CS degrees, even if they come from different universities, they can be somewhat certain that both have covered a certain number of bases. In these situations, your degree compared to a CS degree can look like 70% of a degree vs. 100%, even if you have a higher GPA (and this may read as \"they have a higher GPA because they took psych classes instead of Operating Systems, Databases, Compilers, Networks, Computer Architecture, and Theory of Computation\"). </p>\n\n<p>Admissions committees are less concerned with whether you took classes \"related to your interests\" than whether or not you passed or exceeded the same thresholds as your peers. If you're worried that people wont give your transcript a good look, most won't (especially if you end up entering the workforce). Don't get a degree in anything that will take more than 30 seconds to explain. </p>\n\n<p>Look at all of the people who are doing the work that you some day want to do. Look at all the professors that you might someday want to work with. What did they get their degrees in? (here's a not-so-big secret: most professors hire students who remind them of themselves)</p>\n\n<p>Get in touch with professors at research universities, admission committees, grad students, and get their opinions. Ask \"What are you looking for in an incoming student?\" People will be pretty forthcoming with you. Ask your professors if they have any contacts at research universities that you could talk with. Also, your professors all got into grad school - ask them how they did it. Find the youngest ones, they'll have the best idea what admissions are like these days. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7767,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I believe this would hurt your chances. From the point of view of the admissions committee, there's no guarantee that the 70% of CS (or 30% of psych/neuro classes) that you chose to include in your custom major covers everything you'll need in graduate school, and you may have large holes in your fundamentals that would give you a distinct disadvantage.</p>\n\n<p>A much better approach would be to simply choose a standard major and fill all your electives with a concentration of psychology and neuroscience courses. This would still give you multifaceted knowledge while still providing the admissions group a way of measuring you against your peers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7770,
"author": "Eric Marsh",
"author_id": 5631,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5631",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you intend to go into an interdisciplinary grad program, it may actually help your chances of being admitted. For example, my Ph.D. is in Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Engineering. My research had a heavy psychology component. A hint of neuroscience in my background would have certainly benefited me. In HCI, the combination of CS, Psychology, and Neuroscience could make you a quite attractive candidate. Importantly though, it depends if you see yourself applying to one of the truly interdisciplinary programs vs. just applying to a CS program to research HCI. There may be other interdisciplinary programs out there as well that would be interested in such a combination, though HCI seems to be a fairly perfect fit with that background.</p>\n\n<p>The concern I would have is that you are still early in your academic career and your grad school plans may change by the time you are done earning this degree. In this case, a traditional major would probably be a better choice. Keep in mind there are also options for double majors and minors that are well-known degrees as opposed to a build-your-own degree.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7773,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you're at a school where self-designed majors are fairly common, there may be records of what sorts of jobs people with self-designed majors have gotten (and whether/where they went to grad school).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7786,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <ul>\n <li>Are these self-designed majors seen as \"weird\" or simply unacceptable?</li>\n <li>In general, are self-designed majors unattractive for graduate admissions?</li>\n <li>For computer science specifically, do majors matter?</li>\n </ul>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Having a self-designed major is definitely <em>not</em> a problem for graduate admissions in computer science. We don't care what your major is; that's a stupid administrative hurdle. We only care what you've done.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, an undergraduate transcript that does not cover the foundations of a computer science major <strong>might be</strong> a problem. My department commonly admits graduate students with non-CS undergraduate degrees, but if they haven't taken at least the core of a computer science degree and a few advanced CS classes, we're more likely to admit them to one of our master's programs instead of to the PhD program directly.</p>\n\n<p>Your transcript will look different to different departments. The mixed major you describe might actually give you a slight advantage in departments with research programs in HCI and/or some branches of AI, or with interdisciplinary programs in (say) psychophysics or cognitive science. It might also hurt you at departments without researchers in those areas.</p>\n\n<p>But the real issue, at least for PhD admissions, is whether the admissions committee is convinced that you have <strong>strong potential for research in computer science</strong>. At the top CS departments, what classes you've taken really a second-order concern (unless your grades are bad or there are glaring gaps). Your research potential and experience, as described in your statement and recommendation letters, are much more significant. If an applicant has a strong research record, and their research interests match our faculty, we may admit them without even looking at their transcript.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7790,
"author": "Ana",
"author_id": 322,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/322",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm just a grad student with no real insight into admissions processes, but I do believe that this wouldn't hurt you if you wanted to go into cognitive neuroscience. The reason is that neuroscience is such a multidisciplinary field that everyone eventually needs to learn something outside their field. Having that hurdle out of the way before beginning graduate studies would be seen as a plus (in my opinion), but it would be wise describe the combination of courses a bit in your letter of motivation. </p>\n\n<p>Extrapolating from this, perhaps self-designed majors are less of a problem in multidisciplinary fields.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7756",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5914/"
]
|
7,768 | <p>I want to cite something that I have learned from a Wikipedia page. However, I'm loathe to cite Wikipedia because of the perception of it by my tutors, so I try to cite the original source.</p>
<p>What should be the correct thing to do when I'm unable to have sight of the primary source myself, or find it in a collection (for clarity, I should add that I have the details of the source - I just can't find it in collections available to me)? Should I just cite as much original information as I can, or should I defer to citing Wikipedia? I'm hesitant to do that, because a glance at the citation would suggest that I was 'too lazy' to source original material or just dig deeper.</p>
<p>For additional clarity - I <em>know</em> that citing Wikipedia is 'bad' etc. The emphasis is on how to cite something that has been learned via Wikipedia (as an example) but for which the original material cannot be seen or retrieved from available collections or searches.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7769,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First, I would <strong>try harder to get the primary source</strong>. Really. But, if that isn't possible (price, availability, etc.), you may have to do without. In that case, a few solutions:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Find another secondary source</strong>, possibly one that is more “academically acceptable” than Wikipedia. For example, try to find a textbook on the topic that make mention of the fact you want to source, or a review article, a book, etc.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>If not possible, what I have usually seen people do is cite the primary source anyway. That's bad, but people do it. If you write for a journal, where the reviewers might not allow a reference to Wikipedia, you might not have any other choice.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>What I would recommend, if the format and/or editor allow it, is to cite both the primary source and the secondary source, possibly indicating the relationship:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>J. Doe, <em>Journal of Failed Experiments</em> <strong>10</strong>, 1024-1028 (1971); as cited by <em>secondary source</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7771,
"author": "posdef",
"author_id": 5674,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't think you can cite something to which you have no (original) source. I mean anyone can edit Wikipedia (or any other similar webpage) so that would practically be citing a random person, without any way for a third party to check up. </p>\n\n<p>Luckily Wikipedia articles usually have references you can check (to see whether or not they are actually accurate and relevant) and cite accordingly. If there is no reference then you should probably not be citing (or trusting) that piece of information.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7776,
"author": "apsillers",
"author_id": 5920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5920",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>What you're referring to is an <em>indirect source</em>. In general, you should always work as hard as you can to find the original source. If that is not possible, all of the major style guides include a way to cite indirect sources. Note that you should not cite Wikipedia (see the \"do not cite Wikipeida\" note at the end of this answer). If an indirect citation is absolutely necessary, it should come from a reputable, peer-reviewed journal or other academically respected source.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>According to <a href=\"https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Purdue University</a>, the <strong>MLA rule</strong> is to name the author of the indirect source in the text and cite the work you have in-hand:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>For such indirect quotations, use \"qtd. in\" to indicate the source you actually consulted. For example:</p>\n \n <blockquote>\n <p><em>Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as \"social service centers, and they don't do that well\" (qtd. in Weisman 259).</em></p>\n </blockquote>\n \n <p>Note that, in most cases, a responsible researcher will attempt to find the original source...</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://library.williams.edu/citing/styles/mla.php\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Williams College</a> further clarifies that the indirect work should be included in your Works Cited list:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>...include the indirect source in the Works Cited.</p>\n</blockquote></li>\n<li><p>The <strong>APA rule</strong> (also from <a href=\"http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/03/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Purdue University</a>) is to <em>exclude</em> the indirect source (called the \"original source\", below) from your reference list and only include the work you have in-hand (called the \"secondary source\"):</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>...name the original source in your signal phrase. List the secondary source in your reference list and include the secondary source in the parentheses.</p>\n \n <blockquote>\n <p>Johnson argued that...(as cited in Smith, 2003, p. 102).</p>\n </blockquote>\n \n <p>[...] Also, try to locate the original material and cite the original source.</p>\n</blockquote></li>\n<li><p>The <strong>Chicago rule</strong> (once again, from <a href=\"http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/03/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Purdue</a>) is to cite the indirect source, followed by the in-hand resource:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>...Chicago discourages the use of [indirect sources]. In the case that an original source is utterly unavailable, however, Chicago recommends the use of \"quoted in\" for the note:</p>\n \n <ol start=\"7\">\n <li>Ian Hacking, <em>The Social Construction of What?</em> (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999), 103, quoted in Manuel DeLanda, <em>A New Philosophy of Society</em> (New York: Continuum, 2006), 2.</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>That said, <strong><em>do not cite Wikipedia</em></strong> in a formal document (unless, perhaps, you are actually writing about Wikipedia or collaborative editing techniques). I love Wikipedia, and I believe it is reasonably well-maintained and has a lot of good information. However, you have no way to verify if the information in an article is true -- or, if you do have a source to verify it, you would just cite that source. Aside from the tired, \"Anyone can edit it!\" complaint, two severe issues with Wikipedia as a citation source are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>You get whatever version of an article stands at the exact moment your web browser fetches the page. No matter how hard Wikipedia's editors work, they can't stop a bad edit from reaching your web browser if it was made seconds before you fetched the page. Wikipedia doesn't undergo any kind of pre-publication review; all review is post-publication, which means you may see totally unreviewed information. (You can mitigate this by citing a specific past revision, but it still stands that a post-publication review process means that any given revision of an article could have claims that have been reviewed by absolutely no one except the author.)</li>\n<li>In order for a reader or reviewer to ascertain the usefulness of a source, it must have an identifiable set of authors (or, for anonymous works, at least a consistent, reasonably small set of authors). Wikipedia makes that requirement incredibly difficult to satisfy. (Again, it's <em>possible</em> to satisfy this requirement if you cite a specific revision of a page and find out what contributors wrote each part of a page, but it is still difficult since a potentially huge number of contributors have helped build that revision.) It's hard for a Wikipedia article to be <em>reputable</em> where there are no clearly identifiable authors to which a reader could attach a reputation.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7782,
"author": "Legendre",
"author_id": 1190,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1190",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>Note: This is written from the perspective of a postgraduate student in applied mathematics.</em></p>\n\n<p><strong>1) Do not cite Wikipedia.</strong></p>\n\n<p>This is not about perception or laziness but rather, your thought process as a researcher. Suppose I read about a mathematical fact that might be useful to my research. I need to verify that the fact is true and have some ideas about why this is true.</p>\n\n<p>By stating that the mathematical fact has been published in a reputable peer-reviewed journal or in a reputable textbook, I demonstrate that I have at least verify its authenticity, and perhaps even read technical details about it.</p>\n\n<p>However, if I cite Wikipedia, it demonstrates that I accept facts off the internet without verifying or having technical understanding about it (Wikipedia usually don't go into deep technical details). This does not bode well for my reputation as a researcher.</p>\n\n<p><strong>2) Try to find an academically acceptable source to cite the same information from.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Suppose I want to use an equation. Random example: <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kullback-Leibler_divergence#Definition\">Kullback-Leibler Divergence</a>. But lets pretend there is no source or citations on Wikipedia.</p>\n\n<p>What I will do is to search directly for \"Kullback-Leibler Divergence\" using search engines like Google, Google Scholar or Google Books. I will also try to search for the term in my university or local library's search tool.</p>\n\n<p>Assuming this fails. Then, I would look at topics that the Kullback-Leibler Divergence is in or is related to. For this specific example, I would look for textbooks or materials on \"Information Theory\" and look up their index or table of contents for \"Kullback-Leibler Divergence\". If this fails, I will dig deeper: think about what this equation does and search for similar topics. For this example, it compares two probability distributions. I will then look for ways to compare two distributions in Information Theory.</p>\n\n<p>Once I find a paper or textbook talking about it, it shouldn't be too difficult to locate the source or pick a suitable paper/textbook to cite the equation from. If after all these searching and perhaps asking my supervisor/professor, I cannot find anything acceptable to cite from, I would ask myself these questions: Is this equation valid? Why should I believe in the authenticity of this equation?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7784,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to many good points made in other answers: while I agree that Wiki is not an acceptable <em>final</em> \"authority/source\" for nearly anything, the better articles do give external references that can put one onto the right track for more primary sources, as well as giving internal links via other keywords... As to how-to-cite, I have gotten more and more into the habit of at least footnoting that I <em>found</em> a reference (to a primary source) via Wiki.</p>\n\n<p>Yes, of course, in one's primary \"specialty\", one should have better pointers to the \"official\" literature than Wiki, but with regard to necessary but peripheral topics for one's work, often Wiki can provide hints, which can then be <em>verified</em> afterward, after one has become aware of them.</p>\n\n<p>So I use Wiki to begin to get a grip on keywords and vague ideas in things unfamiliar to me, to get started. Also, sometimes historical pointers are more readily accessible there, and then subsequently verifiable on MathSciNet, <em>after</em> one knows what to look for.</p>\n\n<p>I note that \"peer-reviewed\" stuff should also be viewed skeptically/critically, especially with regard to recognition of prior art, and also simple correctness, since except for significant results, often referees are encouraged to <em>not</em> worry about certifying correctness, but more \"novelty\" and \"interest\". And history and prior art are often either omitted due to disinterest or ignorance, or pushed out by editing-down considerations, so that papers often do not give an effect look \"backward\".</p>\n\n<p>Finally, in the spirit of giving credit where credit is due: when I find Wiki useful, I don't pretend that I didn't! Not that I view it as authoritative, either. A new category of information, perhaps.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7785,
"author": "Kaz",
"author_id": 3900,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3900",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Note that if the Wikipedia article doesn't have the original source for a claim, then that section of the article is a work in progress that is below the Wikipedia standard. It requires a <code>{{citation-needed}}</code>, otherwise it could be \"original research\" which properly doesn't belong there. </p>\n\n<p>It's probably a bad idea, in your academic paper, to quote Wikipedia material which the Wikipedia itself disavows!</p>\n\n<p>There should never be a need to cite the Wikipedia, since anything credible is supposed to have references to the outside. In serious work, you always borrow the citations from the Wikipedia, not the text. Citing from the Wikipedia itself is good for cafeteria arguments.</p>\n\n<p>When you make any kind of citation, you are basically expressing trust in the author. This is because you are not reproducing all of the research, such as experiments. You trust that the data haven't been falsified and so forth. There is some safeguard in that the paper appears in some trustworthy publication, and that it has been peer reviewed.</p>\n\n<p>Suppose that the Wikipedia is actually the only source for some paper. Firstly, that situation is wrong and blatantly violates the Wikipedia's rules about original research, so the page will probably be deleted. Secondly, the Wikipedia isn't a journal that reviews and publishes material, so you would have to take that paper completely at face value. The Wikipedia cannot lend any credibility to anything, according to its defined mission and scope.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7788,
"author": "Mark Hurd",
"author_id": 5930,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5930",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you consider citing Wikipedia, <em>don't</em>, as others have explained, but IMHO you should at least acknowledge it as being helpful, either with just a mention like that or a list of \"non-cites\" that could be used as starting points for others wanting to review Wikipedia's (latest) views on your topics.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7768",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1484/"
]
|
7,774 | <p>In many fields of academia, a professor must get grants to fund his research (e.g., medicine, biology).</p>
<p>Early in academic career, a scientist can have naive expectations about how things work in academia and later may be surprised by the reality. One such surprise is the compete and collaborate paradox.</p>
<p>Later in career, it may be not so simple to collaborate and share fully your ideas, since twice a year (or so) we all submit grants and we suddenly are less friendly colleagues who share ideas, but we compete with each other or between "groups". For example, we don't let anyone see our full grant submissions. (e.g., NIH medical grants - full text must be requested by freedom of information act and only abstracts are on the web).</p>
<ul>
<li><p>How do you handle in every day life, at conferences, in hallway conversations this paradox of collaborating and competing at the same time in academia? </p></li>
<li><p>How do you determine what to share? </p></li>
<li><p>Do you avoid colleagues who are known to 'tell only the minimum' at congresses and then surprise later with an accepted grant?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Philosophically, it is impossible to collaborate and compete at the same time and one has to have some ethical structure but everyone's boundaries seem to be different!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7778,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How do you handle in every day life, at conferences, in hallway conversations this paradox of collaborating and competing at the same time in academia?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I ignore it, except around known jerks. I'm lucky enough to work in a research community that generally values collaboration over back-stabbing. There are a few exceptions, of course, but they fall under the category of \"known jerks\". I'd much rather gain a coauthor and get the result out together than to keep secrets and risk being scooped.</p>\n\n<p>Yes, I have developed coauthors this way. Yes, I have published papers this way that might not have been published otherwise. Yes, I have been scooped, but only by people I had <em>not</em> discussed my ideas with.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Your mileage may vary.</strong></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>How do you determine what to share?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I don't share ideas or problems that students (either mine or not) are actively working on, without the students' explicit permission. Otherwise, I'm open about everything, except around known jerks. In particular, if you want my latest grant proposal, just ask.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Do you avoid colleagues who are known to 'tell only the minimum' at congresses and then surprise later with an accepted grant?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No. Why should I?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27040,
"author": "chris",
"author_id": 4275,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4275",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n<p>How do you handle in every day life, at conferences, in hallway conversations this paradox of collaborating and competing at the same time in academia?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>It is very difficult indeed. Motivation for pursuing a career in academia vary significantly, and accordingly, what is considered as ethically acceptable.</p>\n<p>From experience, it is often the issue of the <em>man in the middle</em>,\nwhich in practice is <em>the</em> major source of frustration. Individual A talks to Individual B about his ongoing (unpublished) research. Individual B then more or less forget about where he got this information, and speaks to Individual C, who implements it, unsuspectingly. Everyone behaves ethically at his level,\nbut globally, Individual C effectively can be perceived to <em>compete</em> aggressively with Individual A.</p>\n<p>A solution that some people seem to adopt in conferences in my field is to only present/discuss <em>published</em> material, which makes attending conference less interesting, as it only involves outdated research. Another sub-optimal approach is merchandizing, i.e. present one's research at a superficial, advertising level, so that the actual real issues/breakpoints are effectively not discussed.</p>\n<p>On the other hand, research thrives in confronting honestly different perspective on a given typically complex problem, so there is a lot to be gained in collaborative behaviour.\nModern research is also fairly specialized, and conferences are the one place where you are likely to meet experts in your field who have given some thoughts to the problems you are interested in.</p>\n<p>In the end, everyone has to balance these things out.\nMy advice would be to behave on the cautious side, but then again I tend not to follow my own advice. Another approach is to make sure you are so much on top of things that it does not matter :-)</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Do you avoid colleagues who are known to 'tell only the minimum' at congresses and then surprise later with an accepted grant?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Well, life is short, so interact preferentially with colleagues whose motivation for doing research seem to overlap most with your own.</p>\n<p><strong>UPDATE</strong></p>\n<p>Striking a balance between collaboration versus (unrestrained) competition is not specific to research/academia in fact. It is the basis of civilization! What is a bit specific to academia is that it is (poorly IMHO) self-regulated. There is no such thing as academic police/justice. <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBmJay_qdNc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">I found this RSA Animate to be instructive</a> to get a measure on how a small amount of policing in enough to get the system working.</p>\n<p>Another point worth mentioning is that predatory behaviour is in fact not that common, if only because people are too busy with their own train of thoughts, and also because it takes time for new ideas to percolate. To understand why a given idea is novel, typically requires having spent some time thinking along similar lines.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7774",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1537/"
]
|
7,775 | <p>I am working on a project in which I have a direct supervisor in addition to the head professor of the lab. The direct supervisor only agrees to being written first or last on the article we are writing. Needless to say, my professor won't agree to be anywhere but last. He also feels that I deserve to be written in the first place. Is it possible to write both of them in the last place as co-last authors?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7777,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is it possible to write both of them in the last place as co-last authors?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>No</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>As expected, an author list is not a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_%28data_structure%29\">tree</a> or a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_%28mathematics%29\">weighted graph</a>, but a simple flat (one-dimensional) list.\nThere is exactly one last author. Possible solutions or mitigation of the issue include:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Alphabetical author list</strong>. This happens in some field, and is totally unheard of in some others (including chemistry and biology, which is your field, so this might not be a possibility).</li>\n<li>Having <strong>two contact authors</strong>, or have the professor who is not last author to be the contact author. In the past I have used this as a way to “pacify” a co-author who wasn't happy with his spot on the author list. (Needless to say, it's a perversion of the system, and should only be done if the author can actually act as contact author.)</li>\n<li>Have a <strong>statement indicating the contributions of each author</strong> (“X and Y contributed to this work equally”). Some journals require such statements, some will refuse to include them, so your mileage may vary. <strong>I doubt this will pacify your reluctant supervisor</strong>, though: people who are worried about their rank in the author list are most probably thinking about how it looks like on a publication list or CV.</li>\n<li><strong>Have the head professor take responsibility for the final decision</strong> (as senior professor and project instigator). That's the most sound solution, but it does not mean it's an easy one.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Good luck with your negotiation! And remember that they're not yours to handle (see my last point)!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7779,
"author": "shigeta",
"author_id": 5921,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5921",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This happens in biology quite frequently. Take a look at this <a href=\"http://www.jlr.org/content/early/2007/06/25/jlr.M700077-JLR200.full.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">example</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><sup>§</sup> Both authors contributed equally to this work.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In this case it can be any two authors on the list. If the notes are on the first two or last two authors, then this is often viewed as the two primary and equal collaborators. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7775",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5927/"
]
|
7,794 | <p>I just started a PhD and I was looking for some guidance on what I could expect in the following years, more specifically, what is the recommended way to progress, how should I allocate my research hours and other responsibilities, and , finally, when and how should I start writing my PhD thesis. </p>
<p>Is there any book written on how to conduct yourself during the course of a PhD? What would be your overall recommendations?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7808,
"author": "Jeff",
"author_id": 1171,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1171",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Have a look at this excellent memoir by a recent CS PhD: <a href=\"http://pgbovine.net/PhD-memoir.htm\">The Grind by Philip Guo</a></p>\n\n<p>Although written from a CS perspective, many of his experiences transcend disciplines.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7813,
"author": "Javeer Baker",
"author_id": 4475,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is a lot written on the 'PhD journey' but there are some things I learnt along the way that took me across the void (so as to speak!).</p>\n\n<p>I am listing them in no particular order:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Be true to yourself and your supervisor. Keep your end of the bargain. Meet deadlines. Keep your supervisor in the loop (even on trivial matters - the matter may be trivial from your point of view). Respect him or her. Of course you can have friendly arguments. Follow his or her instructions/suggestions/advice closely.</li>\n<li>If you don't know, ask. You can ask your supervisor or email other scholars. My dissertation benefited from several prominent thinkers in the field. I simply emailed them and asked for assistance. There is no shame in asking. It is a learning process.</li>\n<li>Celebrate your big and little achievements. When you finish writing a difficult chapter, give yourself a treat. Set small goals - you cannot finish your dissertation in a day but you can draft a section of your chapter in a day.</li>\n<li>Learn and try to become an expert in your field. After graduation, you would be expected to have advanced knowledge in your field. Be genuinely interested in what you are doing. Think of new ways of addressing the issues. Discuss your approaches with your fellow PhD students. They are often your first audience. Have a network of support.</li>\n<li>Most importantly, recognise that there would be some good days and some bad days. Make the most of them both. On bad days, give yourself a break. I think the literature says that most PhD student will start enthusiastically and then lose interest in the middle years and then gain momentum again. </li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>My overall recommendation is to never lose sight of your goal.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7819,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>what is the recommended way to progress</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Steadily. Make small progress every day.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>how should I allocate my research hours and other responsibilities</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Consistently.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>when and how should I start writing my PhD thesis.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>Now</strong>, and in LaTeX. Write down everything you read, everything you do, everything you prove, everything you try that doesn't work, every crazy stupid idea you have. Write, write, write. Always in LaTeX.</p>\n\n<p>Most importantly: <strong>It's <em>your</em> PhD. <em>You</em> have to hunt it down and kill it.</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 161724,
"author": "fouad_shoz",
"author_id": 132307,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/132307",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>the way i see it (i use excel to track my work, but other people maybe use ms gant or just paper checklist , whatever works for you):</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>set up an excel mini sheet with Everything you need to learn to deliver your final thesis (from literature review methodologies , to coding and statistics with nvivo or spss) video courses or book , whatever fits the schedule , you can divide the day you work on your phd by 1/2, half learning , the other half thesis and research</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>set up another excel mini sheet with Everything you need to learn to advance your career on your specific domain (post phd) certifications , continuous learning , because pure research jobs are hard to find(we have high requirements in my country) , require at least 2 good papers indexed in high journals(like elite) and at least 3-5 years experience in a lab or similar research environment</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>If you dont know just ask , if you need a paper you can ask the author , if your stuck you can ask old staff on the lab , or phd team mates ....</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>want to keep the momentum , help the community , help new phd students, join a sig on latest current problems and help them on the way , also schedule some time off with friends , family , and hobbies</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Draft a timeline and either print it and stick it on your wall or keep it on a folder , each mile stone you reach on your thesis you cross it , this visualisation of your objective on a graph timeline helps you keeping focus and discipline</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7794",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/477/"
]
|
7,805 | <p>In my experience, academics are almost always expected to contribute some of their time to activities beyond their principal teaching or research roles. These extra tasks include, for example, attending open days, visit days, serving on one or more committees, acting as head of a student year group, admissions officer - the list is long. </p>
<p>Whether this should be the case is not in question here. </p>
<p>In one of my previous institutions, there was in place a "brownie-point" system which was supposed to keep a track of how much extra administrative/organisational/outreach or otherwise "extra-mile" work an academic had taken on. When a new task required action, the academics could use their accumulated points to argue why they shouldn't (or indeed should, in some cases) be allocated the task. Setting the value of a task relative to all the others, as you might imagine, raised some difficulties.</p>
<p>My question is: has anyone experience of any other kind of formalised system of evaluating and allocating these "extra-mile" tasks? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7807,
"author": "gerrit",
"author_id": 1033,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>At my university, we have this system for PhD students.</p>\n\n<p>I am a PhD student. In my contract, I have \"up to 20% department duties\". When I get assigned tasks not related to my research — teaching, administrative tasks, presenting our institute to visitors, etc. — I write down the hours. At the end of the semester, I report to my boss how many hours I have worked on such duties. Then, a corresponding fraction of my salary is funded from a different pot of money. At the end of my PhD, this means I will have an equivalent amount of time extra to finish my research before my contract finishes.</p>\n\n<p>I think the system is quite fair, although some tasks — most notably teaching — don't get the actual time assigned, but according to a certain formula. So in practice, I <em>do</em> lose research time by doing teaching, because teaching takes more time than the formula accounts for, certainly if it's a first time. However, it's still much better than a system with no accounting at all, such as I have understood to be common elsewhere in the world.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7893,
"author": "earthling",
"author_id": 2692,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2692",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is similar to the answer from @gerrit but after the comment from @F'x I thought I would write it up separately.</p>\n\n<p>I would think the best way would simply be to track how many hours are spent on each of these tasks by each person. If task A takes person A 2 hours and task B takes person B 4 hours, then it seems clear how much effort people put in. Though, one does need to watch out for padding any time people log hours for any purpose but that's management's job. </p>\n\n<p>I used to do this in industry and while I would have preferred to avoid it, I didn't find it maddening. It simply added about 10 minutes to each day to log everything I did and who should be charged for it. It would be VERY maddening if task A was allocated 2 hours and task B was allocated 2 hours just because of some formula (like the teaching example from @gerrit)</p>\n\n<p>Another issue is that person A might be able to perform task B in 2 hours, in which case, person A should do it. Quantifying other than by number of actual hours invested is only going to lead to resentment and ill-feelings within the department (whether you're talking about academia or industry). As far as knowing who is better at something, that's also management's job. I say this after being in management for more than a decade before moving to academia.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7805",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1424/"
]
|
7,809 | <p>Although this stackexchange seems to be a little hostile towards metrics (especially when they are about research productivity), it is still sometimes fun to indulge in a little bit of arbitrary measurement and quantification. Sometimes it can help you set targets, or let you know what is possible. In this case I am curious about blogs. </p>
<p>Having a <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/616/66">web-presence is important</a>, but <strong>how do you know if your academic blog is doing a good job?</strong></p>
<p>From <a href="http://egtheory.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/first-5/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">my own experience</a>, I have noticed that my blog gets a lot more readership and mention than any of my papers. I usually find this encouraging, and at times it helps me increase productivity by incorporating blogging into my research work-flow and feeling like I am able to communicate with people before having complete results. Sometimes even receive feedback (although my blog is not at the level of regular commentators, and nowhere close to the comment activity I see on popular blogs that I follow).</p>
<p>However, getting more mention than my papers is not a fair standard. In fact, I have no standard by which to decide if I am doing an alright job blogging, and what I should aim for to improve the ability of my blog to engage other researchers or interested readers. Having some hard data is also useful for converting people new to blogging to the online community.</p>
<p><strong>Are there any statistics on typical readership, posting rates, and commenting frequency for small (non-superstar) academic blogs?</strong> I would be especially interested in statistics that are broken down by area, since I expect a nutrition or cancer blog to inherently get more readership than one dedicated to Stone-duality. Of particular interest to me would be information about blogs in theoretical computer science and/or mathematical modeling.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7812,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't know if it is the answer you are looking for, but I would be cautious with looking at blog views (or even likes/tweets): </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>First, they may be superficial. You don't even know if someone actually read it (maybe (s)he entered just because of a sexy title, or a nice picture, or - misleading keywords).</li>\n<li>Second, they is are measure of popularity, not necessary quality, with a lot of mechanisms making scaling exponential (e.g. snowball effect). </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Personally, I often look at stats of page visits of my various sites... but I cannot make much sense of it. But what I find important is:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>How often I can send someone a link to my post, so it save my time of explaining something once again?</li>\n<li>How much I learn something from readers, or make new contacts through it?</li>\n<li>Do I hearing feedback, especially from strangers or people I don't know very well?</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Moreover, then I can compare blogs to regular articles on this ground. Still it's apples to oranges... but now they are quantized fruits. :)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7814,
"author": "rfle500",
"author_id": 4503,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4503",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I can't say much about statistics, as I have not come across any, but in my experience blog readerships are usually small and most likely by specialists in your area. However, I view a blog as free advertising for my research, as blogs are generally more highly ranked than academic papers by google and the like. I also view a blog as an ideal platform to put your research into laymans terms. From my blogs I have had an out of the blue invited talk, and also requests from numerous researchers who I hadn't met for copies of papers or general queries about my work. </p>\n\n<p>I personally find maintaining a nice website and blog well worth the effort, and I try and spend a couple of hours a week on new content, but usually concentrated when new articles are published. Ultimately it's all about raising the profile of your research, and having more accessible material is always helpful, even for specialists. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7815,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I used to track my stats compulsively, but no longer do so. this is mainly because I get lots of readers through an RSS feed, which doesn't directly impact traffic. Sometimes I'll monitor the relative hit rate of specific posts, and I have seen dramatic jumps (for example if I do business meeting blogging, or if I post on something controversial).</p>\n\n<p>As a rule of thumb, the more technical the post, the less traffic it gets. The more buzzwordy, the more traffic. I had some thoughts on deep learning recently and that got huge traffic in comparison to some of my more technical posts. </p>\n\n<p>Now, because of G+, twitter, and blogs, my \"visibility\" is diluted across all three media, and while I'm sure there's some way to monitor all of them, I haven't paid that much attention. Ultimately, I blog because it's fun, and the more I get distracted by audience response, the more I find myself distorting the things I post about. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7837,
"author": "Jeromy Anglim",
"author_id": 62,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think it's interesting to consider the relative value to society of blog posts relative to more traditional forms of content distribution, such as book chapters, text books, journal articles and so forth.</p>\n\n<h3>Obtaining Benchmark statistics</h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li>RSS counts: Many blogs, particularly popular ones, show their RSS subscriber count. You can use the Explore Search feature in Google Reader to search for blogs you know. This returns the number of Google Reader subscribers. This is less than the total reader count, but it can give you a rough ball park.</li>\n<li>Page views: Some blogs occasionally post their site statistics. <a href=\"http://www.alexa.com/search?q=jeromyanglim.blogspot.com&r=home_home&p=bigtop\">Alexa</a> can provide a very rough estimate of the popularity of a site.</li>\n<li>Comments: It is straight forward to look at other blogs to get a sense of how many comments they typically get.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>My rough rules of thumb</h3>\n\n<p>I've been blogging since 2008 and have kept an eye on RSS feeds and page views over timeon my own blog. I've also picked up information from other blogs that I follow.\nMy main observations are that it takes time to produce content, get indexed by Google, obtain RSS subscribers and so on. These would be my rough benchmarks for academic blogging. In the fields that interest me (e.g., psychology, statistics, R) I can think of specific blogs that fall in to one or other of these categories. This helps to inform the benchmark. Anyway, these are just my casual rules of thumb; of course, they aren't anything definitive.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>RSS subscribers:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>0 to 10: Not popular</li>\n<li>10 to 100: Just getting started</li>\n<li>100 to 500: Moderate levels of popularity</li>\n<li>500 to 1000: Relatively popular</li>\n<li>1000 to 10,000: Popular Blog </li>\n<li>10,000+: Superstar blog</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li><p>Annual Page Views</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>0 to 1,000: Not popular</li>\n<li>1,000 to 10,000: Just getting started</li>\n<li>10,000 to 50,000: Moderate levels of popularity</li>\n<li>50,000 to 300,000: Relatively popular</li>\n<li>300,000 to 2,000,000: Popular Blog </li>\n<li>2,000,000+: Superstar blog</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>What does a page view mean</h3>\n\n<p>It is a little difficult to know what a page view means in terms of achieving broader blogging goals. Only a proportion of page views correspond to a person reading the entirety of the page. And only a proportion of those page views have any meaningful impact on the reader. In order to get a sense of what these proportions might be, I reflect on my own browsing. For example, I might be searching to diagnose a software error, do a tutorial on something, or get a review of a product. It might take a few search results to find what I'm looking for. That said, perhaps something between 1 in 10 and 1 in 2 search results provide useful results.</p>\n\n<p>In summary, even if only 1 in 20 pageviews helped someone in some meaningful way, if you're getting a hundred thousand page views per year, that's still 5,000 instances of people being helped. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7809",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/66/"
]
|
7,816 | <p>What are some guidelines and best practices for PR statements and releasing a project summary to the general public? My first tendency is to always shorten the project summary, reduce the length of sentences and use more "crisp" words. But what else? </p>
<p>Does anyone have any pragmatic/practical/ advice and is there any sort of tool out there aside from the likes of MS Word readability stats that gives you suggestions to what to change?</p>
<p>EDIT:
Came across this tool today which is inspired by XKCD (what is not?):</p>
<p>CAN YOU EXPLAIN A HARD IDEA USING ONLY THE TEN HUNDRED MOST USED WORDS? IT'S NOT VERY EASY. TYPE IN THE BOX TO TRY IT OUT:</p>
<p><a href="http://splasho.com/upgoer5/" rel="nofollow">http://splasho.com/upgoer5/</a></p>
<p>There should be something on these lines available to help with simplifying the language for instance (perhaps with 5000 words rather than THE TEN HUNDRED which is very limiting).</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7820,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It may be worth looking to see if your university has a press office. My university has a press office. They are happy to meet with research groups to talk about the press release process in general. They are also happy to edit copy to make it more likely to be picked up by the press. I believe they also are willing to work one-on-one and write the actual copy with you. They also have all the contacts and know how to get press-releases actually published in useful places.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7858,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>More than making the text crisp and understandable, you should work to make it <em>relevant</em>. Typically your \"press releases\" are in the form of articles for the research community, which understands why you find your work relevant; you're advancing the field. When dealing with the general public, you can make no such assumption. You have to state very explicitly why your work is important.</p>\n\n<p>If you're having a hard time with this, I've had success looking back at the grant proposal which is funding my research. In some proposals, the introduction will have some overarching, practical goal, which will be easily understood by a layperson. Couch any achievement or research breakthrough in this context and the press (and the general public) will have a much greater significance for what you did.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7860,
"author": "D.W.",
"author_id": 705,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/705",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Talk to someone at a media relations, public relations, or press office at your university. Most universities will have folks who work in this area; they are the experts and have a ton of experience, and you should take advantage of them. They will likely be glad to help.</p>\n\n<p>Here are some tips that I have learned from public relations folks:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Identify your message. What's the takeaway lesson? Can you write it in one short sentence, in a form understandable to the average person on the street? Take a lot of time to craft this carefully. Then, your entire press release should be centered around supporting this message.</p></li>\n<li><p>Look for three facts or points that support the message. Numbers and statistics are very powerful.</p></li>\n<li><p>Stay on-message! I cannot emphasize this enough. Everything you talk about should be focused on your message. Avoid the temptation for digressions or tangents. Yes, you are a witty raconteur and can wax on enthusiastically for hours about your work, but this is not the place for it. Avoid unnecessary details; give a spare answer that provides just enough for folks to understand the message.</p></li>\n<li><p>Yes, I know that you and your fellow researchers are fascinated by all of the details of your experimental methodology, the alternative hypotheses you considered and rejected, the details of why your finding is correct, your calculations, and so on. Sorry, but the average person on the street doesn't care. Your top priority is to explain your bottom-line finding, why the average person should care, and <em>maybe</em> a teeny bit of something to give some intuition about why your finding is true (enough to make it sound plausible to an average person).</p></li>\n<li><p>Edit ruthlessly. You want as many eyes on it as possible, and ideally people who are <em>not</em> involved with your project. Lean heavily on your press office.</p></li>\n<li><p>In many universities, the press office will help you draft a press release. They'll talk to you informally, ask you a bunch of questions, and then work with you to write a press release. If they're available to do it, grab the opportunity; it can be very helpful.</p></li>\n<li><p>Brainstorm a list of about 10-20 questions that you expect reporters might ask you. Next, for each question, draft a candidate answer. Your answers should be concise (at most a few sentences) and simple; and, the chance to throw in an analogy or fact or figure can help, too. When you are talking to a reporter on the phone, have this list in front of you. This way, when they ask you a question, you can refer to the list and give your honed, crisp answer -- or at least, you have it to refer to if you need it. The reporter will never know.</p></li>\n<li><p>Remember that the purpose of talking to a newspaper reporter is not just to educate them about your project. It is also to supply them with as many pithy quotes that they can use in their article. The more quotable you are, the more likely it is that you will be quoted. They will be listening for those great quotes. Take the opportunity to brainstorm in advance a few short quotes, and make sure to throw them into every conversation with every journalist. Read a bunch of newspaper articles in advance so you can see what kinds of statements tend to get quoted.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The public relations folks may also be able to offer media training. If you can get the chance to take a media training course, take it! This is especially important if you might be on TV, where you have to make every second count. There are some powerful but non-obvious techniques that they can teach you.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7816",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467/"
]
|
7,824 | <p>There are a lot of post about peer review of papers, but how about graduate/undergraduate thesis?
Is there somewhere on the vast internet, where one can submit his thesis for a peer review.</p>
<p>The reason I am asking this is because I am finishing my master's in engineering and so far my advisor has not seen my thesis even once. The only "review" I got was a friend who found out only grammatical and punctuation errors and I did the same for her. But the fact that we know nothing about each other's research stops us from performing a quality peer review.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7827,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>There is a full-blown, high-quality peer-review process for a thesis</strong>: it's called <strong>the thesis committee</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>If you mean a service where you can get help improve your document before you submit it to your committee, that is something that one's advisor(s) tasks. Maybe you can actually get help from friends, colleagues, or in the most severe cases your advisor's friends, but there is not much.</p>\n\n<p>The thing that may be closely related is that, in some systems (the French one at least), there is a person that is responsible for validating the PhD student's manuscript <em>before it gets sent to the committee</em>. Then, it's that person's responsibility (in theory) to do a basic check of your manuscript and your work, and decide if there is enough to gather a committee. I say “in theory”, because this person will probably get dozens of theses per year (at the very least) and can only perform the most basic checks. In practice, they most often do not check the manuscript content, but its form (does it follow the University's standards), as well as some simple indicators of your research (has the candidate published? how many times? did he attend conferences? that sort of stuff).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7831,
"author": "Javeer Baker",
"author_id": 4475,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Your situation suggests that your relationship with your adviser has broken down. Fix it. I usually find going out for coffee and just talking, not necessarily about your thesis, always helps.</p>\n\n<p>You can always get editorial assistance but you want expert assistance. This is where your adviser comes in. Make it easy for him or her. Submit perhaps a chapter at a time. Then meet and have a good honest discussion.</p>\n\n<p>Other than the above, search for a newly minted PhD candidate in your department, perhaps a former student of your adviser, and ask him or her to review your work. Believe me, this does wonders because of the motivation that the newly minted PhD candidate brings to the review. By newly minted PhD, I mean a person who has already completed his study.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7824",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5623/"
]
|
7,833 | <p>I have been reading that many students have a PhD committee. I assume this is a group of experts supervising the student.</p>
<p>In my case, and I think this is quite common, I had two people. One was the principal supervisor and the other was the associate supervisor.</p>
<p>Almost all my contacts were with the principal supervisor. The associate supervisor was a back-up resource if and when needed. </p>
<p>This was a simple one-on-one contact between me and my principal supervisor.</p>
<p>I am just wondering how does a PhD committee work?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7834,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The answer to this question differs based on the country, university, faculty, department and the particular members of the committee.</p>\n\n<p>In general universities and departments have regulations and procedures that describe in exact detail the roles and responsibilities of the PhD committee. No one in here can give you anything but some general idea which is already described in more detail in those documents. PhD committees have completely different roles in US and UK for instance. In US they are the ones that assess you but in UK your examiners assess you and then report back to the committee in the department. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7836,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>At least in the US, a Ph.D committee will have 4-5 members, and there are rules about the composition of the committee (there might need to be at least one person from an external institution, and at least one person from a different department, or variations thereof). </p>\n\n<p>The committee's formal job is to assess the Ph.D student's dissertation proposal, determine that the work being proposed is sufficient for a dissertation, and then evaluate the final dissertation defense and decide whether to grant the student a Ph.D or not. </p>\n\n<p>Informally, a Ph.D committee provides a set of resources/expertise for the student to tap into for advice, research directions and even contacts for future work (yes, there's life after a Ph.D :)). There's <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/3719/how-to-select-a-dissertation-committee-member-wisely\">prior discussion</a> on how to choose your committee. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7845,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I want to clarify a point about your first paragraph: at least in the US, the PhD committee does <em>not</em> usually supervise the student very much. A PhD student has an advisor, who is typically on the PhD committee, and may be its chair, who supervises the student. The committee's main role is to determine whether the thesis gives adequate grounds to grant a PhD. At some schools the committee convenes only once or twice---perhaps once to approve a plan for the thesis, and once to approve it. At others, the committee might meet once a year to consider whether the student is making adequate progress.</p>\n\n<p>Regardless, at least in the US, it's unusual for the committee to have a formal role beyond that. Of course it's possible that committee members besides the advisor might be involved in supervising the student, but the causation is more likely to run the other way: because they're involved in supervising the student, they're invited to be on the committee.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7833",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475/"
]
|
7,835 | <p>No textbook is perfect. So if I want to supplement my course with some material (a few pages from different references every now and then, on topics I find lacking or weak in the textbook):</p>
<ul>
<li>is it legal to make copies of those a few pages and give them to the
students as hand outs? </li>
<li>is it legal to scan them and upload them on
the course site? </li>
<li>should I email the authors to take their permission
1st? what if one author is dead? </li>
<li>in case the above is a violation of copyrights so what should I do then? asking the<br>
students to go read those parts in the library? (the students would need to keep a copy
of the reading/supplementary materials)</li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7840,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>First, in most cases, the channels through which you distribute the material to your students (hardcopies, restricted-access course website) is not important. Secondly, the copyright holder for each work is (again, in most cases) the publisher, not the author. Thus, getting permission from the author is not necessary.</p>\n<p>So, the surest way to avoid trouble is to secure the permission to reproduce the content from the publisher. Publishers should have an online page (e.g., see <a href=\"https://pubs.acs.org/page/copyright/permissions.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here for the American Chemical Society publications</a>) explaining how to obtain this permission. Many academic publishers nowadays rely on a centralized online service called <a href=\"https://pubs.acs.org/page/copyright/rightslink.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">RightsLink</a>, where you can directly select the material you want to reproduce and the conditions in which you will use it:</p>\n<p> <img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/uSpAT.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n<p>The tool then tells you if you can get a permission to reproduce at no charge (it usually is if you want to reproduce only small parts, a few figures) or if you would need to pay.</p>\n<p>Finally, under US law you may qualify for a <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20210605143659/https://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><em>fair use</em> right to reproduce parts of a copyrighted content</a>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7855,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>For Germany, <a href=\"http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/urhg/__53.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">§53 of UrhG</a> allows actually a lot (compared to other countries' fair use policies). The deal is that flat fees on copying machines, scanners, printers, etc. (as well as on paper) are collected and redistributed to authors.</p>\n\n<p>I find §53 <strong>slightly ambiguous for the university teacher</strong>:</p>\n\n<p>(3) says rougly:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>It is allowed to make copies of small parts of works, of small works, or of single articles that are published or made publicly available in newspapers or journals for personal purposes </p>\n \n <ol>\n <li><p>to illustrate in teaching at schools, non-commercial facilities for education and advanced training as well as in facilities for professional training in the numbers required for the course participants.</p></li>\n <li><p>for state exams or exams in schools, universities, non-commercial facilities for education and advanced training as well as in facilities for professional training in the numbers required.</p></li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>So the \"universities\" are missing in 1. Usually, I'd say they are covered by those other categories, but they are explicitly listed in 2.</p>\n\n<p>However, for sure the <strong>students are allowed to make a copy</strong>: (2) 1. runs:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>(2) It is allowed to make or have made single copies of a work </p>\n \n <ol>\n <li>for personal scientific use, if and as far as copying is needed for this purpose and does not follow commercial purposes.</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7835",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2719/"
]
|
7,843 | <p>I noticed that some conference have different deadline for paper submission: an "abstract" submission deadline, before the usual "paper" submission deadline.</p>
<p>For example, on the <a href="http://iswc2013.semanticweb.org/content/call-research-papers">International Semantic Web Conference 2013 webpage</a> you can read:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Submission dates</strong><br>
Abstracts: May 1, 2013<br>
Full Paper Submission: May 10, 2013</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Why do they need the abstract before the paper?
To estimate how many papers they'll get?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7844,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>From what I have observed, having a specific deadline for abstracts is used for two main reasons: <strong>having a rough idea of the number of submissions</strong> and <strong>organise a bidding for the reviewers</strong>. </p>\n\n<p>Having the number of submissions can help deciding of a possible deadline extension and possible to \"recruit\" more PC members or reviewers if the number largely exceeds the expectation. </p>\n\n<p>Organising a bidding based on the abstract allow the PC members to indicate their preference for each paper (e.g., I want to review this paper, I could review this paper, I couldn't review this paper), so that when the actual papers arrive, the distribution is already organised. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7853,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my field (chemistry/spectroscopy/chemometrics), the abstract decides whether you'll get an oral presentation or a poster (total rejection is extremely rare).\nThe paper submission deadline is usually after the conference. </p>\n\n<p>Once submitted, the paper undergoes <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/7749/725\">normal peer-review</a> for the journal it is submitted to, which doesn't have anything to do with the presentation at the conference. The only connection is that the conference organisers have spoken with the journal editors that they'll collect papers about topics presented at the conference in a special issue of the journal.</p>\n\n<p>So the paper deadline is needed by the journal editors to make people submit in time so that the special issue will be ready at the specified date.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8842,
"author": "Anon",
"author_id": 6211,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6211",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>An unspoken reason is to enable conference presenters to prepare their abstract months before their paper or poster is ready, while they are still doing their research. Some large conferences, such as the American Geophysical Union, request abstracts months in advance of final submission. What's a struggling (or highly distinguished--both find themselves in the same predicament) researcher to do? Write something, and hope that by the time of the conference, the research meets or exceeds the statement of the abstract.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7843",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/379/"
]
|
7,849 | <p>I just started a research position coming from the industry. I am supposed to work on an ongoing project and branch it out to a new direction.</p>
<p>There is one member of the research group that did quite a lot of work on what I am supposed to modify. So I asked him if he could share his work and code with me. He told me that it is still unpublished work and there is no way he is going to give me his code. He said this is the way he does research.</p>
<p>I'm sort of stumped and don't know what to do. He told me that I should go and do it on my own what he has done for about a year now. My supervisor agreed to my suggestion that I should work with this person, but when I told him that he wouldn't share the code with me, he was just laughing nervously and didn't say anything.</p>
<p>Is there a way that I can persuade this person to collaborate with me, or am I banging my head against a wall?</p>
<hr>
<p>So just to clarify. My supervisor is (one of) the project lead. I first talked to the supervisor suggesting, then talked to the person who rejected, then to the supervisor again. This project has been going on for a year. There are about 5 people working on it in this lab. I joined the lab to extend on the work done here and to contribute in the final stages of the project. To my surprise, there is no shared code repository, but rather each person does their own thing and in meetings discuss it.</p>
<p>I told the person that I will not steal his code. He replied to me that he doesn't share the code because I will not understand it. I told him that it helps me understand the work by looking at the code. He told me that no.</p>
<p>So my plan is to read the draft papers again and try to understand it that way, then try again in a few days. I don't want to re implement the same thing he has done...</p>
<hr>
<p>I was given access today to the research group server and I could view everyone's work (around 15 people) and all project material... except his directory and implementation which is permission denied. I talked to him again, and clearly he is afraid that I will steal his work and possibly has to put one more name on his paper if I find something interesting, thereby diluting his achievements. He kept telling me that this is his work, and he is the first person on the paper and I should do something else or re-implement the whole code on my own.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7851,
"author": "seteropere",
"author_id": 532,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/532",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>My supervisor agreed to my suggestion that I should work with this person,</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Why you suggest someone who is not willing to collaborate with you? </p>\n\n<p>Since you had the initiative and suggested his name, I think its clear that <strong>your mate is not motivated for your project</strong> so not giving the code is an expected behavior. </p>\n\n<p>Your mate is either</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Part of the project team</strong>. In this case, his role should be very clear. is he supposed to supply the code? if yes raise it to the supervisor and ask for help. If supplying the code is part of his project contribution, then the supervisor should play his role here and ask the student to do so. </p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Not Participating in the project</strong>. In this case, he's doing a favor if he supplied the code to you. You should do the implementation yourself but make sure not to include him in the project later on!.. or <strong>try to convince him that <em>it is beneficial to him</em></strong> to supply the code (i.e. co-authorship in the resulted paper). </p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Either ways, it is the supervisor responsibility to scope/assign work to students in team projects.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7852,
"author": "Javeer Baker",
"author_id": 4475,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Talk to the other person. Yes, talk not email. Find out what his or her concern is. Perhaps his or her concern is that you may just use his or her work and not give him or her credit. Assure the person that this would not be the case. This is the right and ethical thing to do. Prepare to put this in writing if it could save 1 year of your life.</p>\n\n<p>I think it is important to acknowledge that there may be other people who could also assist you. Ask. This is part of the learning process.</p>\n\n<p>If all fails, be pragmatic and modify your project scope if you can in consultation with your adviser. There is no point wasting your time in anticipation the cirumstances may change. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7854,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This attitude is very common in academia, as the academic environment is often highly competitive. That said, I've never seen someone do that <em>within a team</em>. I agree with <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/7851/56594\">seteropere</a> that if this person is indeed on your team, you will likely have to raise this issue with your supervisor.</p>\n<p>Still, there's likely a reason why he's unwilling to share, and if you can find the reason for that you may be able to convince him to be more of a team player. Is he worried that giving you access will hurt his publication chances? You can work with your supervisor to convince him that he will still get authorship even if the code is shared. Is he afraid you'll ruin the code? Suggest using some sort of versioning to keep track of changes. Is he just being a jerk about it? If so, then it just comes down to <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/7851/56594\">seteropere's answer</a>, and you'll have to hope your boss has enough of a backbone to help you out.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7874,
"author": "Ankita",
"author_id": 5959,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5959",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As you said you sit next to him, I would suggest you to be patient with him and wait for some days...</p>\n\n<p>Start your research work as you are supposed to do, and in the mean while try to be helpful and good in behavior with him. During your research if you would require some small help then surely consult him and he will answer you... I am quite sure after some days of being helpful + good behavior to him + asking and sharing some knowledge with him will surely change his attitude towards you!</p>\n\n<p>I would avoid suggesting you to consult your supervisor for the same again and again because you will eventually bother him and spoil your impression. Handle things by yourself, Be cooperative. Be patient for few days and there is a chance to save one years effort.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8715,
"author": "Anon",
"author_id": 6211,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6211",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>At this point I am a broken record: this is one of the situations I found myself in. None of my colleagues have been forthcoming, with techniques, code, documentation--nothing. One of the team members insists that he does not document code because it should be evident how his code works by reading it. This is patent nonsense--he has forgotten what his code does or else does not want to say. He absolutely refuses to provide a conceptual overview of his system--even the postdocs complained that he wastes their time with the minutia of command line options and stories about the old country instead of describing the main algorithms and the necessary configuration to get his model to work. I have been forced to reproduce or rewrite code. It turned out to the PI's surprise that my code was better, but I must say I intensely disliked being in this situation. The other comments suggest being optimistic in the face of intransigence. I myself decided (details are scattered around this site) to get out, for several reasons:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>my colleagues were not forthcoming and preferred that I duplicate their work.</li>\n<li>in the once case that I managed to persuade my teammates to share some work they did, they were gratuitously patronizing as they grudgingly handed it over, although it was completely obvious they should simply have shared the work</li>\n<li>the work was essentially unpublishable and of low academic value</li>\n<li>I was misled about my role within the research group</li>\n<li>the pay was abysmal</li>\n<li>it was pointless to continue working for little money without being included in any of the group's publications. I might as well work in industry for more money and no publications. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The first applies in your case--be prepared not to receive any cooperation from your team members.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7849",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/477/"
]
|
7,865 | <p>I'm the kind of graduate student that finds many research topics interesting and wants to participate in lots of student organization activities related to science and academia. But recently, one of my professors warned me against "doing too much" beyond my research focus, both in terms of publications and in terms of extra-curricular activities. As I see it, your goal as an academic is to develop a "specialty", so it is important to focus on one narrow topic and pass over opportunities to research other interesting, but unrelated topics. But can research outside of your particular focus in graduate school really negatively affect your ability to get hired in an post-doc or tenure track position in the future? How can "doing more" reflect negatively on one's self?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7866,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The issue is fundamentally that of \"categorization\": people want to have a box to put you in. \"Dr. X is an expert in field Y.\" Early on, if you're all over the map, people don't have a clear sense of what your focus really is. That makes it harder for them to feel that you're going to be focused on <em>their</em> needs in your next position. Instead, the worry is that you'll continue to be all over the map. </p>\n\n<p>This is also a problem for young faculty: they need to have a broad enough profile that they aren't trapped in a particular \"niche,\" but not so broad a profile that they don't have depth in any one specific field. If someone can't be recognized as \"the expert in her field,\" where 'her field' is somewhat arbitrary in scope, that makes for problems when it comes time for promotions and tenure cases.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7867,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's true in an abstract sense that doing more is better than doing less, but there are psychological factors at play here.</p>\n\n<p>Regarding extracurricular activities, hiring committees are unlikely to value them much, and they will come across as a distraction from research. For each activity mentioned on your CV or website, someone may read it and wonder whether you might have written another paper if you hadn't been doing this instead. It's not really fair, but you don't want people to be thinking about this.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>But can research outside of your particular focus in graduate school really negatively affect your ability to get hired in an post-doc or tenure track position in the future?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Partly it depends on how good it is. If you add a truly excellent paper to your CV, it should only help. However, research outside of your specialty or done on the side is probably less likely to be excellent, and someone who looks at just that paper may end up with a lower opinion of you than you would like.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7869,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>Read broadly, publish <strike>narrowly</strike> deeply.</em></p>\n\n<p>This is roughly what I've been telling my students. Now all of this depends greatly from area to area, but here's what I believe to be true. Having a broad background in your area might slow you down initially when trying to publish. But over the long term (your entire career), a broad base will help you more - it will let you be flexible about topics of interest, it will allow you to see connections where others might not, and it will help you place your work in a larger context. </p>\n\n<p>But from your question, you appear to be referring not just to \"exposure to outside topics\" but \"activities related to the larger enterprise of science and academia\". With those activities also, you should be careful. Maybe choose one or two outside activities and devote your extracurricular efforts there. The advantage is that by focusing, you're more likely to be able to do something meaningful, and it also prevents you from frittering away time in busy work.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7889,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'll echo what the other answer have suggested and add a little more. On the academic job market you want to be able to explain what you do in a way that people can understand in a sentence or two. Your question seems to imply that already understand that having <em>a focus</em> is important and excelling in it is of utmost importance.</p>\n\n<p>There are two ways that work or research outside of this core/focus can hurt:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Peripheral work may leave you with less time to make the core/focus really shine. You may simply have less achievements or publications than you would have if you had focused more on your core research. The issue is not only that people reading your CV might think this. It might really be true!</p></li>\n<li><p>The second issue is that this peripheral work might be seen as a signal that you are not serious about your core body of research. Do you really care about devoting your life to the field, topic, or question that you are asking someone to hire you to work on? Are you likely to leave your career for this other thing? The core of your work might be seen as less focused than it actually is if it looks like you've got all these others things going on.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>This second issue is a real risk, but it's possible to deal with this. Basically, it's your job to convey to people that although your extracurricular work is there — and although it may even constitute some impressive achievements or skills — <em>you</em> don't treat this other work as seriously as you treat your research.</p>\n\n<p>This often means leaving irrelevant stuff off of your CV and website — although there are limits to what you can leave out. It also means organizing your CV so it's clear that the central thrust of your research is your priority. Many people have \"selected papers\" on your website or other personal materials. You can get to make that selection.</p>\n\n<p>For example, I have written several technical books, served on several non-profits, and given hundreds of talks at (non-academic) technical conferences. I mention these things in brief and in passing at the end of my CV and on other pages on my website reserved for my non-academic work. I don't hide these achievements as I think they speaks to my skills and qualities as a researcher. But I make sure that when speaking to academic audiences, I — quite literally — place the core of my academic work first.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7865",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/931/"
]
|
7,870 | <p>I am a physics undergrad who has worked with profs mostly on areas in Quantum field theory, string theory. However, my interests have changed slightly over the areas, and now I want to pursue a PhD in Pure Mathematics, perhaps in algebraic geometry or topology. Is it OK, if I apply for a math grad school with recommendation letters from physics profs, or would this diminish my chances to get selected? Should the recommendation letter be given by a prof working in the same area as that you want to apply to? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7871,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>No</strong> I don't think you need to worry about it as long as you have a good track record and evidence for your interest in the other field which is demonstrable. If you get good recommendation letters (not the boilerplate type) from people who know you well and can provide evidence for their recommendation and can talk about your merits objectively you will not be at a major disadvantage. Of course it would be great to have people who can provide recoms in the same area but this is a common thing for people to change their field when they pursue higher level degrees so you will not be the first one having this issue. </p>\n\n<p>It would definitely not diminish your chances if you get strong recommendation putting you in top percentiles of your program and supporting you in your decision. It also comes down to having a very good statement of purpose and explaining in detail why you are interested in changing field and painting a clear picture for your reasons and why you think you will be capable of doing what you want to do it. I have done this personally twice and encourage you to pursue your interest because in graduate school if you want to be successful you really need to be interested and love what you do. </p>\n\n<p>My advise is to talk with your profs and explain your decision for changing your field. They will most likely support you and provide justification on why you can manage (if they think you have the capacity). Good luck!</p>\n\n<p>Edit: I also want to point out that I have had many friends who have jumped from Math to Physics and vice-versa (and also to CS). </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7883,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I agree with blackace that you should probably be OK, but let me sketch what some of the drawbacks are:</p>\n\n<p>Ideally, an application to math grad school will have recommendations from mathematicians. The further you get away from that, the less meaningful the letters are. (For example, at least once per year I see a letter from an English professor, which is utterly unhelpful.) The basic issue is that you need recommenders who really understand what it takes to succeed in math grad school and as a mathematician. Fortunately, physics is close enough that physicists can do a pretty good job of judging this, so you should be OK. In my experience, the admissions committee will worry about two things:</p>\n\n<p>One is that physicists may not appreciate certain math-specific issues. For example, the expected coursework and background. A physicist may not fully understand the extent to which someone's background is nonstandard or deficient for the math program they are applying to.</p>\n\n<p>A second reason is the belief that most people's standards go down a little when making recommendations for other fields. If someone is applying to the top schools in your field, you know very well what the standards and competition are like, and you have something invested in the system and your own reputation as a recommender. In practice, recommenders from other fields seem to be a little more cavalier about making strong recommendations based on a feeling that the applicant is smart, rather than a comparison with the rest of the applicant pool. This means recommendations with be taken with a grain of salt.</p>\n\n<p>So if you have equally good prospects for letters writers from math and physics, you should choose the mathematicians for math applications. On the other hand, a physicist who knows you is still a good choice, much better than a mathematician who doesn't know you. (But a mathematician who doesn't know you is a better choice than an English professor who does.)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/09 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7870",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
]
|
7,872 | <p>I'm a fairly new chemical engineering graduate student. I've been doing research for one semester so far (in molecular dynamics) and in the process have learned about journals and "impact factor" (a concept I didn't even know existed in my undergrad).</p>
<p>My advisor has told me that getting in Nature or Science is very difficult to do. I don't think anyone in the department has a paper in that journal. In fact, looking at the professors' research in my undergrad school (a top 5 engineering school), I don't see Nature papers either.</p>
<p>So after reading the journals themselves, I have to say that I'm kind of confused on what makes the articles published in them different than those published in something like JACS or ACS Nano. They seem more general in scope, and maybe some of them are "groundbreaking" in a sense, but the other articles, I just can't really tell...</p>
<p>What kind of research would I need to do in order to successfully submit a paper to one of these journals? I've got 4 years left and have some sway in what I would like to research, so I think this would be a good goal for grad school (even if I don't reach it).</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7873,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>First, <strong>don't obsess about it</strong>. In chemical engineering, <em>Science</em> and <em>Nature</em> papers are rather rare, and probably even more so if you're doing theory. So, while a paper in those very high profile journals can give your career a great boost, not having one is not a career-breaker.</p>\n\n<p>Now, if you want to know how to orient your research to things that get you a greater chance of being published in such venues, my first advice would be: <strong>do something you're excited about</strong>, something you think challenging and you want to address. If you enjoy solving the problems you work on, you'll do much better work and get a better chance of getting that shiny paper. Also, you might just be happier doing stuff you like, obviously, even if you don't publish it in <em>Science</em>.</p>\n\n<p>However, it is true that some fields and subfields are over-represented in journals. This depends on journals, but very high profile journals tend to prefer:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Hot topics. In your field, it used to be carbon nanotubes. Nowadays, I'd say “nano” is a good keyword, metal-organic frameworks are a widely published system. But… that's not entirely foolproof, because this will change and it's not certain that the choice you make right now will still be a hot topic in 4/5 years.</li>\n<li>Theoretical work that addresses very basic questions that are not yet fully answered: dynamics of water, the nature of the hydrophobic interaction, the Hofmeister series, that sort of stuff.</li>\n<li>Controversies, work that challenges common assumptions.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><br></p>\n\n<p><sup><em>Oh, and if you make it, I claim co-authorship based on the above contribution!</em></sup></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7879,
"author": "JRN",
"author_id": 64,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/64",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<h2>For <em>Nature</em></h2>\n\n<p>From <a href=\"http://www.nature.com/authors/author_resources/how_publish.html\">http://www.nature.com/authors/author_resources/how_publish.html</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The Nature journals comprise the weekly, multidisciplinary <em>Nature</em>, which publishes research of the highest influence within a discipline that will be of interest to scientists in other fields, and fifteen monthly titles, publishing papers of the highest quality and of exceptional impact.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Who decides if the research is \"of the highest influence\" or \"of the highest quality and of exceptional impact\"? The editors. If you want to know what they consider publishable, then you should ask them. <em>Nature</em> allows presubmission enquiries.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Researchers may obtain informal feedback from editors before submitting the whole paper. This service is intended to save you time — if the editors feel it would not be suitable, you can submit the manuscript to another journal without delay. If you wish to use the presubmission enquiry service, please use the online system of the journal of your choice to send a paragraph explaining the importance of your paper, as well as the abstract or summary paragraph with its associated citation list so the editors may judge the paper in relation to other related work. The editors will quickly either invite you to submit the whole manuscript (which does not mean any commitment to publication), or will say that it is not suitable for the journal.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<h2>For <em>Science</em></h2>\n\n<p>From <a href=\"http://www.sciencemag.org/site/feature/contribinfo/prep/gen_info.xhtml\">http://www.sciencemag.org/site/feature/contribinfo/prep/gen_info.xhtml</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><em>Science</em> seeks to publish those papers that are most influential in their fields or across fields and that will significantly advance scientific understanding. Selected papers should present novel and broadly important data, syntheses, or concepts. They should merit the recognition by the scientific community and general public provided by publication in Science, beyond that provided by specialty journals.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In addition,</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>In certain cases, reviewers are satisfied that a paper's conclusions are adequately supported by the data presented, but the general interest of the findings is not sufficient to justify publication in <em>Science</em>. [...] Conversely, some papers provide provocative new concepts, but are not thought to be sufficiently persuasive to be appropriate for a general-interest journal like <em>Science</em>.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>That said, I do not think a person should do research with the goal of having a paper published in a certain journal. A person should do research with the goal of advancing knowledge.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7880,
"author": "Paul Hiemstra",
"author_id": 4091,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4091",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To be publishable in <em>Science</em> or <em>Nature</em>, your subject needs be interesting for a broad audience, i.e. it needs be sexy. It also helps if you write more speculative, and thus the rate of papers that turn out to be not correct is quite high. So, although publishing in <em>Nature</em> is good for your career, it might very well not be your most scientific work that ends up in <em>Nature</em>, but rather the most popular sounding. So write a paper on how you intend to solve the.climate problem using nanotechnology, and you'll be certain to get published ;).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7904,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As somebody who is working in essentially the same field as you—with many more years of experience—I can assure you that it is indeed very difficult to get a paper on molecular simulations published in a journal like <em>Nature</em> or <em>Science</em>. Usually it requires some sort of accompanying experimental effort, and generally needs to fit the focus of the journal.</p>\n\n<p>It should also be pointed out that journals like <em>Science</em> and <em>Nature</em> are both heavily slanted toward biological sciences: of the 30 editors for <em>Science</em>, only about five work in physical science areas. <em>Nature</em> is slightly more balanced, with about a 3:2 split between biological and physical science. (But then, remember \"physical science\" means \"anything not biology,\" and extrapolate how thin the coverage really is!)</p>\n\n<p>So, my advice is: don't worry about <em>trying</em> to get published in <em>Science</em> or <em>Nature</em>. Instead, focus on doing the highest-quality research work you can, and then submit it to the most appropriate journals for the particular area you're working in. (Talk with your advisor about how to figure this out.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 48355,
"author": "user36830",
"author_id": 36830,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/36830",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is an old thread, but amazingly no one really answered the question.</p>\n\n<p>Yes, Science and Nature are difficult for Physical Sciences, being slanted toward biological sciences as they are. But there's a more general question of \"how do I get my paper into a high-profile journal?\". </p>\n\n<p>The trivial answer is: \"well, do high-profile research!\". But the answer is, high-profile research changes with the times, and there's no guarantee that your paper will be in with the particular trends of research when you go to publish it. </p>\n\n<p>So I'd say that the question is more \"how do I write up, arrange, or plan my research to maximize the chances it will end up in a high-profile journal?\". This is an easier question to answer.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Design your research with the questions/hypotheses in mind. <a href=\"http://www.ee.ucr.edu/~rlake/Whitesides_writing_res_paper.pdf\">This excellent article by George Whitesides</a> covers how to design a good publication outline. The key to this is that the outline is most valuable long before the paper is published. It allows you to avoid experiments that <em>don't</em> fit into the paradigm you're trying to explain in the paper, and to think about the implications of data as soon as possible.</p></li>\n<li><p>Theoretical implications are valued far beyond just experimental results in high impact papers. An important result is one thing, but an important result <em>that changes an existing hypothesis in the field</em> is valued much more. Hence, when you write your research outline, you should consider how your hypothesis approaches other theories/hypotheses in the field. If there's a convenient place to do work that more closely addresses a broader hypothesis in the field, do it.</p></li>\n<li><p>Along with (2) a title that relates your work to the rest of the field, rather than the individual topic at hand, is much more interesting to editors. \"New material x does y\" is a perfectly serviceable title, but \"New material x demonstrates theory y is wrong/right/needs to be revised\" is much more interesting.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 125712,
"author": "Ivan Kovalets",
"author_id": 105069,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/105069",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think that to some extend this is a matter of chance. To get published in such journals your work need to be both important scientifically and interesting to wider audience. In many scientific fields people rarely have occasion to do both. Chances increase when you work in a large multidisciplinary team. So there is everything in your collaborative work: experiment and theory and applications. I think R. Hamming provided <a href=\"http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/YouAndYourResearch.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">excellent advice</a>: think of what is really important and do things that are really important. Then may be you will be able to use chance of publishing in such journals when it will happen. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 134774,
"author": "Kamil S Jaron",
"author_id": 79431,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/79431",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One non-yet mentioned strong predictor of publishability in high ranking journals is whether you (or your co-authors) already published in there - this is called The Chaperone effect and it was described in <a href=\"https://www.pnas.org/content/115/50/12603\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Seraka et al. 2018</a>. From a <a href=\"https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2018/12/yes-it-getting-harder-publish-prestigious-journals-if-you-haven-t-already\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">blog post</a> covering that paper:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>So-called “chaperoned” researchers who first publish in these journals\n as nonsenior authors have a leg up when it comes to publishing in\n these journals as principal investigators (PIs), the study found—and\n the trend has gotten stronger in recent years. In Nature, for example,\n the share of papers authored by chaperoned senior authors grew from\n 16% to 22% between 1990 and 2012, while new senior authors dropped\n from 39% to 31%.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It is not clear what causes this phenomenon, whether it is due to editorial biases or inherited skills in study design and writing (or a combination). However, as a conclusion, if you want to aim for a Nature/Science paper, the best is to find a coatuhor who already published there.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/09 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7872",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5958/"
]
|
7,875 | <p>When I read research papers I often come across many things that I'm unclear about and would like to talk over with someone. My advisor is not available to do this with me as she does not have time. I'm not sure with whom should I discuss these research papers with, in order to help me understand the papers better. I am the only student who is currently being advised by my advisor. How should I go about finding people to talk through these things with, so I can better understand the research papers I'm reading?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7878,
"author": "410 gone",
"author_id": 96,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Your advisor is not the only person to go to, to get answers to the questions that research papers are raising for you. Talk to other researchers, in your department, or online with peers at other universities.</p>\n\n<p>But it does sound like you are getting insufficient advisory support. Do you really just have the one advisor? Time to build up your supervisory team.</p>\n\n<p>Talk to your advisor about what's expected of you, and what's expected of them. It sounds like you've got a mismatch between your need and their resource, and it's important to get that fixed as soon as possible.</p>\n\n<p>You'll also find a lot of good, relevant advice on these questions: <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/670/96\">skimming a paper</a> and <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/797/96\">running a reading group</a>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7891,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are many things not clear in your question. For example, is the paper something that your advisor has asked you to read ? Or is it just something that you're browsing for your own edification ? Did the advisor say that she cannot or will not help, or that she's busy ? </p>\n\n<p>I can understand an advisor finding it difficult to spare the time to explain papers that maybe even she hasn't read. But if it's something related to your work with her, then I'd expect her to help a little more. You have to realize though that just because someone is your advisor, it doesn't mean that they know more than you about every single topic :) - in fact, part of your evolution as a student will be to get to the point where your advisor asks you for help ! </p>\n\n<p>But I think the general answer is as EnergyNumbers indicates: find other students in your department to discuss these papers with. That's really the best way. Also, realize that working through a difficult paper, on your own or with others, is the best way to learn new material. It's a normal part of the training process.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7894,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'd suggest that you form a reading group! (As also suggested in passing by <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96/energynumbers\">EnergyNumbers</a>.)</p>\n\n<p>What helped me out early during my PhD was to create a series of reading groups around literatures I wanted to learn. A model I often followed was to organize a weekly meeting to read 1 book or 3-5 papers with 2-5 other students. We'd usually meet for 2 hours or so. I found other students in my cohort/program and others in the university who had similar interests. Ask around! If the papers you are reading are the kinds of things that are likely to be on your general or qualifying exams, chances are pretty good that others around you will have to be reading them as well!</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/09 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7875",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4457/"
]
|
7,876 | <p>This question expands a bit on my previous one <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2685/acknowledging-funding">Acknowledging funding</a>.</p>
<p>I am unsure how to write proper acknowledgments at the end of a research paper. The wording that I read most often is <em>Author XY is [partially] supported by...</em>, which does not correctly describe my situation unless one stretches the meaning of these words.</p>
<p>More in detail, here are the two sources with which I have trouble:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>a foundation that used to give me a postdoc grant. I did part of the work of this paper while living off this grant, which expired six months ago, and part of it under my new employer. How should I write this? If I write <em>is supported by</em>, I give the impression that I am currently being paid in full by the foundation; if I write <em>partially supported</em> I give the impression that I just got a smaller grant.</p></li>
<li><p>a research institute that paid my travel expenses for a conference. While this funding is not directly related to the paper, I met my co-author there and had a chance to discuss its state. And, besides that, it is basically my only occasion to acknowledge this grant. How should I write this? Is <em>partially supported</em> the correct wording, or is there a better expression?</p></li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7877,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>\"if I write partially supported I give the impression that I just got a smaller grant.\"</p>\n\n<p>Not necessarily. It can mean different things like one of the co-authors was funded by them or your situation in which they funded some of it before.</p>\n\n<p>I am not sure if I would mention the research institute that provided the travel expenses. If you feel like you want to do it its a different story. Then I would write that the \"collaboration between the co-authors would not have been possible with out the financial support from research institute blah blah blah\" or \"The co-authors would like to acknowledge the support of research institute blah blah which resulted in blah blah blah\".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7881,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First: check if the institution who provided the funding requires a specific sentence for acknowledgment. Some do! Otherwise, read on…</p>\n\n<p>Many large research projects nowadays are supported by more than one funding source, especially if you include the institutions you are affiliated with (although, being already listed as affiliations, they need to be acknowledged specifically). Saying <em>“partially supported by”</em> does not have any negative implication to me, and saying <em>“is supported by”</em> does not imply that this is the only support received.</p>\n\n<p>But if you want to avoid this particular phrasing, it also common to simply say:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>Acknowledgements</strong><br>\n We thank the John Smith Institute for funding, along with the William and Melinda Bates Foundation for post-doctoral fellowship (to F. P.).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The second part of the sentence makes it clear what was the support, while the first part is more ambiguous. Frankly, noöne cares! That is, except for the funding agencies: they want is their name mentioned for their statistics, but probably don't care how it is written.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7885,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>If I write <em>is supported by</em>, I give the impression that I am currently being paid</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>\"Work by this author <strong>was</strong> partially supported by the Hitchcock Institute and by the Norman and Norma Bates Foundation.\"</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>if I write <em>partially supported</em> I give the impression that I just got a smaller grant</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Nonsense. Unless the institute was your <strong>sole</strong> source of income and equipment during the <strong>entire</strong> research and writing process, \"partially supported\" is correct. Also, it's standard idiomatic language; nobody will think twice about it.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/09 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7876",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/958/"
]
|
7,886 | <p>I'm at a North American, state-run university (not an elite institution), which is relatively modern in terms of supporting mobile devices. The school is proud of its WiFi coverage in every classroom, and recently rooms were updated to have electrical outlets at every student's seat (even in auditoriums), so they can charge their devices. All courses are three-hour periods, once a week.</p>
<p>This mobile-friendly environment is great when integrating mobile technologies in class. I make use of <a href="https://www.mentimeter.com/">Mentimeter</a> (real-time quizzes), the students can follow the PDF lecture notes and/or electronic copies of texts, take notes on their laptops, look things up on the web when I ask questions or when they do exercises, etc. </p>
<p>However, it makes for a challenge during courses when students use these devices in distracting ways. Definitions of "misuse" are situational, but for this question, I'll call it any use that detracts from a healthy learning environment. Concrete examples include watching a video or playing a game on a laptop (distracting neighboring students), texting, using Facebook rather than working an exercise in group, etc.</p>
<p>Laptops and smart phones in class are not new; in the past I was able to deal with their "misuse" relatively easily. A student would be easily embarrassed and close his laptop if you called him out when you saw that 5 students around him were all looking at his screen and smiling. I ask a lot of questions during my classes, so I could "pick on" students who caused disruptions with their mobile device (or otherwise). Drawing attention to one student in large groups is an effective way to change behavior, usually.</p>
<p>However, last semester was more difficult than ever, with 40+ students in an newly-electrified auditorium. During one class interruptions occurred 3 times, and I had to talk to offending students during the break about it. During the mid-term, I had one student argue with me at the start because he wanted to keep charging his iPhone at his desk in front of him. He insisted he wasn't going to use it during the exam to cheat, but I cited the policy barring mobile devices during exams and mentioned he'd have to explain that to a discipline committee - he complied. Needless to say, those "correctional" situations don't win points for the professor in the course evaluation. On the other hand, I learned that if I don't intervene (early in my career I would ignore these behaviors), students who feel distracted will complain during evaluations (most are too shy to say something during the semester).</p>
<p>The solution it seems is to add yet another item in my already lengthy syllabus and explain the desired behavior during the first lecture. My school has no official policy as far as I know regarding mobile device use, apart from an IT security policy that doesn't address the distraction issues. I did some searching on the web and found that some schools have policies, e.g. <a href="https://secureweb.mcgill.ca/secretariat/sites/mcgill.ca.secretariat/files/Mobile-Computing-Commun-devices-MC2-guidelines-11June2010.pdf">McGill</a>. What is not clear is how effective the policies are in large classrooms, how easy they are to enforce without becoming the "text police", how well they work in non-elite universities, etc. </p>
<p>I contrast all this with the fact that my students almost never misuse the "phone" part of their devices (they don't ring during lectures and they don't talk on them except at the breaks). None of that is in my course plan and I never have to explain it at the start of the semester or take action. </p>
<p>So, how to reduce misuse of mobile devices in large classes while maintaining a friendly atmosphere?</p>
<p><strong>EDIT</strong> see this <a href="http://www.academia.edu/870812/_I_Get_Distracted_By_Their_Being_Distracted_The_Etiquette_of_In-Class_Texting">article</a> for the students' perspective of the problem, and why it's not like other classic forms of distraction. In the conclusion, they state it could be useful for institutions to define policies about proper behavior in the classroom regarding mobile devices.
<img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/QduJl.png" alt="enter image description here"> </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7887,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>There is nothing new in what you describe. As a student who oft got bored during lectures, I have done some distracting things during them, even though I didn't have access to any electronic device at the time (I'm young enough that they existed, but it wasn't accepted practice to bring them to class). We did crossword puzzles (collaboratively), we played <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse\"><em>cadavre exquis</em></a>, we read newspapers and discussed them, we flirted, we worked on other stuff, … <strong>What makes you think the situation you are experiencing is specific to mobile devices?</strong> The cause of the distractions is different from other situations, but I think the issue is the same and the solutions are, too.</p>\n\n<p>So, what I would suggest is: warn your students that while what they do is their business, you expect that their behavior does not interfere with other's study or the general class atmosphere. Tell them that mobile devices are useful, but that they should be careful not to abuse them. Handle non-compliance as you would a typical incident: talk to them, give fair warning, but clearly set the limits and enforce them if it comes to that.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7892,
"author": "earthling",
"author_id": 2692,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2692",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Your problem is quite a common one and one that I face all the time. It is easy to see the benefits brought by laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. and for those of us who were focused students, it seems like a benefit we want to give the younger generation. However, there are a lot of non-focused students who do use these devices to distraction, both their own and others.</p>\n\n<p>For me, I try to make the class more interactive, less stand-and-deliver. That is, I tend to call on students all the time and I asked one student to comment on the opinion of other students. If the students are unable to give any meaningful answer (e.g., if they simply say 'yes, I agree with his point') then I dig until it is clear that the student was not paying attention. If that's the case, then one warning if I'm in a good mood and none if I'm not.</p>\n\n<p>I make it clear that they have the choice to be there or not. University is not for everyone. If they don't want to be there, get out. If they do want to be there, then act like it.</p>\n\n<p>I usually don't have to do it too often but I do have to do it from time to time to remind them that school is not relaxation time. Keep the classroom a little tense...it will keep them on their toes.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8980,
"author": "Fuhrmanator",
"author_id": 3859,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3859",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Here's the policy I will try in my course next semester:</p>\n\n<h3>Policy for the use of electronic devices</h3>\n\n<p>To promote a better learning environment in my classes, I established this policy of using electronics devices (EDs). Allowing EDs in my classes is a privilege and not a right. That is, until my university establishes its own policy in this regard.</p>\n\n<h3>Goals</h3>\n\n<p>EDs offer several advantages in my classes. The lectures may be richer and more dynamic, you can perform Internet searches, answer questionnaires given by the teacher to validate comprehension immediately, do exercises with UML tools, take notes in an electronic document, etc.</p>\n\n<p>However, there is a less positive side of the use of EDs in a lecture.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Several studies on multitasking [1] [2] show that students who focus on a single task in a course to learn more and have better results than their colleagues who work on multiple tasks simultaneously.</p></li>\n<li><p>Another study [3] shows that the time to read a text is greater when responding to text messages during the reading.</p></li>\n<li><p>According to surveys at several universities [4] students find laptops distracting during lectures. I have personally received comments in written evaluations for my courses that showed students were disturbed by other students who attended the course with a computer, but who used it to do other tasks during class.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Code of conduct</h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li>You should minimize the use of EDs for tasks not directly related to the course.</li>\n<li>You must not access (or leave plugged into an electrical outlet) EDs during any kind of evaluation (quiz, exam, etc.), without my permission.</li>\n<li>You must put your ED in a \"silent\" mode during the course.</li>\n<li>You must place the screen of your ED to allow eye contact between you and me and other students.</li>\n<li>You must close your ED when I ask, for example when doing team exercises.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Enforcement of the policy</h3>\n\n<p>Here are some indicators of possible non-compliance with the policy that are easy to detect and for which I have given several warnings in the past:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>A student with his hands between his legs who looks down occasionally, smiling...</li>\n<li>Many students staring at the a computer screen of a colleague...</li>\n<li>A laptop fan running at full speed...</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In case of non-compliance with the policy, I will give you a warning. After a warning, you may lose the privilege of bringing your ED to class.</p>\n\n<h3>References</h3>\n\n<p>[1] Hembrooke, H., and Gay, G. \"The Laptop and the Lecture: The Effects of Multitasking in Learning Environments.\" Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 2003, 15 (1), 46-64.</p>\n\n<p>[2] Young, J. R. \"The Fight for Classroom Attention: Professor vs.. Laptop. \"Chronicle of Higher Education, June 2, 2006, 52 (39), A27.</p>\n\n<p>[3] L. L. Bowman, L. E. Levine, B. Mr. Waite and Mr. Gendron, \"Can students really multitask? An experimental study of instant messaging while reading, \"Computers & Education, vol. 54, no. 4, p. 927-931, May 2010.</p>\n\n<p>[4] Joan A. Williams, Helen Berg, Hannah Gerber, Melinda Miller, Donna Cox, Nancy Votteler, Carwile Dixie, and Maggie McGuire, \"'I Get Distracted By Their Being Distracted': The Etiquette of Texting In-Class\" Eastern Education Journal, vol. 40, no. 1, p. 48-56, 2011</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 64121,
"author": "TOOGAM",
"author_id": 30772,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30772",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'll start by quoting from <A HREF=\"http://academia.stackexchange.com/a/7892/30772\">earthling's answer</A>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>For me, I try to make the class more interactive, less stand-and-deliver.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>To me, that's the key. I'm writing this as a separate answer because I elaborate significantly differently.</p>\n\n<p>Consider the technique of a \"flipped\" classroom. This teaching technique involves:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>eliminating lectures</li>\n<li>have students learn material at home (e.g., by reading text)</li>\n<li>in-class experience involves:\n\n<ul>\n<li>Students asking questions</li>\n<li>Students doing exercises that provide hands-on experience</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I've heard quite a bit of positive feedback by a college administration that was pushing this. I also read some feedback (one example: <A HREF=\"http://academia.stackexchange.com/a/61012/30772\">this question</A>) which seems to indicate some dissatisfaction, particularly among students.</p>\n\n<p>I'm actually not trying to promote the flipped classroom here, but simply to use it as an example of another approach. If students aren't asked to just sit and listen (and take notes), they may be more inclined to do things other than be distracted.</p>\n\n<p>Eventually, the <strong>situation</strong> (some may call it a \"<em>problem</em>\") of <em>electronic devices</em> will <strong>intensify</strong> (some may say it will <em>worsen</em>). I really do predict that people are going to get cybernetic implants. A lot of people may disagree because it seems too far-fetched, but here's my counter argument: the biggest problems with putting a cell phone into the body is that current cell phones use poisonous/bad/dangerous chemicals in the battery, and having the antenna under the skin might not be something I've seen yet. However, under-skin electronics are in use today, including pets that have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID tags), and people placing more advanced Near Field Communications (NFC) devices in their hands. In theory, the body can probably be an energy (power) source, which would also be useful for medical applications. Now, once these technologies improve and teenagers figure out that an under-skin antenna will allow them to text message without adults knowing about it, I predict that's no way the teenagers won't get implants.</p>\n\n<p>Therefore, attacking the visible use of devices is not going to be the best approach. (Also, as more and more people use electronics, including adults in the workplace, forbidding them can become more and more challenging and risks making the instructor seem more and more irrelevantly out-of-touch.)</p>\n\n<p>So, the key I see is this: Get them engaged and focused, by requiring interactive involvement. That may be by using a \"flipped\" classroom, or by competitions (that keep evolving as skills improve and competitors get better), or some other methods.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 87358,
"author": "Faceplanted",
"author_id": 71532,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/71532",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Ban distracting others, don't ban doing your own thing</p>\n\n<p>Students will always want to do their own thing, you're likely not going to be the one to convince them that texting isn't okay in a lecture if 18 years of schooling up until now hasn't taught them that, but playing something bright and flashy in a lecture is obviously distracting to people behind them. Lecturers at my previous institution's solution to this was to tell the hall at the beginning of the course that if someone's screen was being distracting to use that same universal free wifi to send him a message through a little page he'd set up so he could give a general reminder not to do distracting shit. Which only had to happen a couple of times before the laptop users realised they should probably stop in general. They never bothered with phones because fighting against phones today is just so much more trouble than it's worth, and it's almost impossible to tell whether what the person is doing is work related or not, I personally used to set reminders for myself to google things later in the evening and google for other explanations of things that I didn't understand on mine, and I probably would have been worse off for not having it.</p>\n\n<p>I don't know if you'd be able to do things similarly, but that's how it was solved at my previous university anyway.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/09 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7886",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3859/"
]
|
7,895 | <p>Is there any significance of having received multiple "best paper awards" (in the field of theoretical computer science) when applying for faculty positions after a postdoc? Do the hiring committees watch out for such awards or do they fall into the category of "nice to have but no one cares"?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7897,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Depends on the prestige of the conference or journal that you have got it from. If it was a 20 person workshop I would say no but if it was the paper of the year award in a leading journal or best paper in the leading conference in your field then it is definitely an indicator of the relevance of your research and recognition of your contribution and its quality. It is one of the factors that my faculty looks into when hiring so the quality of the publications, where they were published and these awards do matter. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7898,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Best Paper Awards — especially at top conferences — count for a lot in computer science and can certainly help you stand out on the job market. I've seen people introduced multiple times in computer science venues as having won \"many best papers awards\" or \"multiple best paper awards.\" People notice and people care.</p>\n\n<p>Lots of other things matter as well and will matter more. A best paper awards at a conference nobody has heard of is unlikely to help much. In that sense, I don't think that hiring committees are \"watching out for\" best paper awards in any systematic ways. But I think it's absolutely normal to note your award winning papers as such in your CV and I think you <em>definitely</em> should. Having your work recognized as among the best at a conference will only help so there's no reason not to mention it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7922,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Yes.</strong> Best paper awards at top conferences like STOC, FOCS, and SODA—especially multiple such awards—are taken <em>very</em> seriously by faculty hiring committees.</p>\n\n<p><em>I'm a theoretical computer scientist currently serving on my department's hiring committee. So I probably know who you are.</em></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7895",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5964/"
]
|
7,900 | <p>I am trying to reproduce published results in a paper. Those results come from numerical simulations. The original authors and I do not use the same software, and theirs is proprietary (I don't have access to it). I have tried to reproduce their results, and it works qualitatively but not quantitatively: the differences between their results and mine on typical quantities of interest are between 2 and 5 times the expected accuracy of the method.</p>
<p>So far, I have communicated with the original authors, trying to clear out all possible sources of error I could think of (checked that I got the tricky parts of the algorithms right, checked that the “usual” parameters that were missing from their paper had the “usual” values, everything I could think of). They are forthcoming enough, and reply to my questions quickly, but it's clear they don't want to invest time in doing any serious follow-up on their side. And without access to their software, it appears I'm stuck.</p>
<p>Now, my question is on how to proceed. The “ideal case” for unreproducible results is to make a detailed analysis of how and why they cannot be reproduced, and possibly find out a source of failure (or at least plausible issues). This advances the field, and is probably publishable (not in a very high-profile journal). Here, this is not possible.</p>
<p><strong>I have, however, nice results that I have obtained (extending their work far beyond what was already published), and if I didn't have these differences with their paper, it would make a very attractive paper. What can I do with those?</strong> Is it possible to publish them, merely noting the different with their paper without more comment? Or are my results simply unpublishable? I welcome any comment, especially from people who have found themselves in such an uncomfortable situation!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7901,
"author": "410 gone",
"author_id": 96,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Just publish. Publish your attempts to replicate the findings, documenting the discrepancies, together with the nice results you've obtained by extending their work. Consider sending a draft to the original authors for their comments.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7903,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Can you/are you willing to throw a bone? </p>\n\n<p>It might be worthwhile to discuss having them as an author on the paper. Perhaps you can strike a deal to get what you want (get access to their software, results, etc.) in return for including them in your publications and having some level of collaboration. You might be surprised just being honest about this and talking about it openly might work! My best two papers to date come from doing exactly that and then developing working relation with the people that were not that forthcoming. After that we have published two additional papers together. Who knows you might actually end up collaborating and doing bigger and better thing together if it works. I would give it a try before deciding to just publish the results the way you described.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7907,
"author": "Pedro",
"author_id": 495,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/495",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Publishing results that contradict previous publications can be awkward, but if you can show that your method is correct beyond reasonable doubt, then it shouldn't be a problem. No code is guaranteed to be completely free of errors and no result is guaranteed to be correct just because it is published.</p>\n\n<p>You don't say much about the nature of your computations/methods, but do you have any test cases for which analytical solutions are known or can be derived? If you can show that your code reproduces these results, then you can make the case that your code's results for the specific problem in question should be reliable.</p>\n\n<p>Ideally, if you have such a test-case, you could ask the other authors to run it with their own code, and see if they also produce correct results. They may not want to, but that's their problem, not yours.</p>\n\n<p>In summary, if you go to reasonable lengths in your paper to demonstrate the accuracy of your code/method against known analytical solutions, you shouldn't be too worried about not matching other people's results. At least that would be my opinion as a referee.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7910,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would be very wary of publishing and as a reviewer I would be wary about recommending publication. The unexplainable difference in results hints at a mistake. That mistake is either yours or theirs. I would like to know for sure that it is their mistake before publishing. Even though you cannot compare the two methods directly, you could still publish your method independently showing that it gives the \"correct\" answer in a battery of test cases and then noting that it gives a different answer in the non-testable case.</p>\n\n<p>You could then refer to this paper when you publish the real work. The advantage is that it removes the need to dilute the message of the real paper with the details of the method. A second advantage is it may result in the original authors running the test batter with their method. This is especially true if you call them out in an earlier draft and send them a copy prior to submission. You could also request them as reviewers.</p>\n\n<p>A different strategy might be a lab visit (physical or virtual) to use their software on your test battery.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7912,
"author": "Ilmari Karonen",
"author_id": 496,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/496",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>(Disclaimer: I have no personal experience with such a situation, so I'm just going off plain common sense. That said...)</em></p>\n\n<p>It sounds like you've already taken every reasonable step to discover the source of the discrepancy, and you're now left with just an \"unexplained deviation\" between your results and theirs. You also say that the discrepancy doesn't actually affect the qualitative conclusions drawn from the results in any way.</p>\n\n<p>At this point, if I were you, I'd just go ahead and publish your extended results, and just briefly note the discrepancy when you compare your results with prior work.\nAs long as you're reasonably certain that your results are correct (up to expected limits of numerical accuracy), you can't really be expected to be able to explain any inaccuracies in other people's results. Of course, you definitely should make sure that others can easily reproduce <em>your</em> results and verify the correctness of the methods you used to obtain them, e.g. by making your software freely available.</p>\n\n<p>If you really think that merely documenting the discrepancy between the two sets of results would be publishable on its own, doing that and then citing that publication in your main paper could also be an option. Generally, though, I'd expect that to be practical only if the precise quantitative values in dispute are actually of importance to others working in your field.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7917,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with others that have suggested that publishing the new results are OK. Mention that there is a difference with the old method but that it is not qualitatively different.</p>\n\n<p>Many journals have a policy of asking for a comment/rejoinder from the author of any study whose work directly contradicted. If the editors think your comment within the paper qualifies, you might finally get the answer you are looking for.</p>\n\n<p>But I would also urge you to think hard about how much you want to put on the line for this discrepency and how much time you want to spend on it. It sounds like the results are qualitatively the same. If you end up being 100% correct on everything, the contribution from a paper that only talks about the difference will be a slightly better estimate. In some situations, that can be worth a lot. In lots of others, it doesn't count for much. You'll know how important this is for your field.</p>\n\n<p>I once found a small methodological problem in a paper in my second year of grad school. I asked a similar question to yours to a professor who asked me if the methodological error was likely to change the result or invalidate the core findings. When I said it was very unlikely, he told me that it was probably not the best use of my time to work a lot on a rejoinder.</p>\n\n<p>It's tough. I think you <em>should</em> say something. A note in the paper is probably enough. For this sort of thing, I think a research note on Arxiv that you can cite might be an alternative.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7923,
"author": "antmw1361",
"author_id": 5644,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5644",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>All the publications in the scientific journals should be reproducible and accurate. It is very important task to examine others' results. Original authors get lots of credit if an independent researcher verifies their theory or model.</p>\n\n<p>Almost all journals have a section named <strong>Comment,</strong> *<em>Letters</em>* or <strong>Letter to Editor.</strong> Below are some links to these columns:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Comment</strong> in IEEE Trans. Antennas. Prop. <a href=\"http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6193149&contentType=Journals%20&%20Magazines&refinements=4291944246,4294956607&sortType=desc_p_Publication_Year&searchField=Search_All&queryText=comment%20on\" rel=\"nofollow\">A Comment on “Joint elevation and Azimuth direction finding using L-shaped array”</a> </p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Letters</strong> in PNAS <a href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/110/6/E445.full\" rel=\"nofollow\">Genome composition, caste, and molecular evolution in eusocial insects</a></p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Correspondence</strong> in Nature <a href=\"http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/v8/n3/full/nnano.2013.31.html?WT.ec_id=NNANO-201303\" rel=\"nofollow\">Reply to 'Measurement of mobility in dual-gated MoS2 transistors'</a></p>\n\n<p>You can send your findings to the same journal and explain all of your finding. Then the editors send your comments to the authors, and they need to provide appropriate response to the journal.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Of course, this is tricky, and you need to be careful. If you think everything is precise in your code, comment on the paper is an option.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7925,
"author": "gerrit",
"author_id": 1033,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'd like to add one point that has not been mentioned yet. It may or may not be applicable to your situation, but it might be in the general case. You mention that the output from the numerical simulations don't agree. Therefore, I suggest:</p>\n\n<p>If two models can't be made to agree, it's time to do <em>measurements</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Actually, this is a good idea even if they do agree, but if you can do measurements, you will be able to confirm that at least one of the models is incorrect at least for the specific situation of the measurement.</p>\n\n<p>Of course this is not always possible.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7900",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
7,902 | <p>I am planning to start running a group seminar, with talks scheduled regularly, at my institute.</p>
<p>The seminars might be of interest for people in neighbouring areas, too, so I would like to have an "archive" website with all the abstracts and a calendar of the upcoming seminars, and of course I'd like to send out e-mail notifications (and optionally also a RSS feed/calendar widget for the more tech-savvy users).</p>
<p>Is there any software or service that can help me automate some of this setup? I thought of opening a blog-type site on some hosting site, probably either Wordpress or github/Jekyll.</p>
<p>Do you have experience working with similar tools? Do you think they would really save me some time? Or maybe is it better if I just add a page to my academic website, send the mails manually and forget about the other fancy addons?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7905,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A site hosted by your university, on your university website, will probably be a better choice than an externally hosted website. This is because you'll be able to immediately identify the seminar series with your university, and that will help to improve its branding. (It also looks a lot more professional!)</p>\n\n<p>As for software, there are a lot of different options. I can't really offer a lot of guidance on this, as we have staff whose job it is to maintain our websites. Which one you pick will depend <em>a lot</em> upon the kinds of features you want, and how steep a learning curve you're willing to negotiate. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7918,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have always hosted reading groups and seminars using a page within a wiki. There are a bunch of firms that will provide you with a wiki for free or for a small price and many that specialize in doing it for Academia (e.g., <a href=\"http://pbworks.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">PBWiki</a> and <a href=\"http://www.wikispaces.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">WikiSpaces</a> and I'm sure there are many others).</p>\n\n<p>You might have to send out your own email announcements but that burden is pretty minor.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7921,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You might consider using google groups combined with a google calendar. It can be set up to provide email alerts and a calendar, and you should be able to extract an RSS feed as well. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7926,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Having once been the guy making a site for a lab only to have it abandoned because I made it too complicated, I would strongly recommend that, whatever you do, you make it <strong>simple to maintain</strong>; unless you're the lab PI, the site you build will likely outlast you.</p>\n\n<p>Wordpress is very easy to use, with lots of built-in functionality, freely available themes, and tons of tutorials online describing how to use it. Other CMS packages have similar benefits. Unless it's strictly necessary, I would avoid \"rolling your own\" software; almost all lab websites are the same few pages, and you don't need something complex for that.</p>\n\n<p>I agree with @seismail that you should check whether your department will make the page for you or at least agree to host it. It will definitely improve branding.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7902",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/958/"
]
|
7,908 | <p>I have been approached by an international student about doing a PhD with me. As an MSc student in his home country he has published 3 articles in pay-to-publish venues, that are known to have little peer-review process, with his supervisor as second/senior author. These articles are not particularly good and likely would not have been publishable in more traditional venues.</p>
<p>I am struggling with how to evaluate these articles and the candidate. Should I simple ignore the place/type of publication and evaluate the work on its own? Can articles in pay-to-publish places really be fairly evaluated? I am worried that changing his behavior will be difficult. I don't want to accept a student whose goal is to publish things in pay-to-publish places.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7909,
"author": "Pedro",
"author_id": 495,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/495",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>That is indeed a tough question.</p>\n\n<p>What would raise the most red flags for me is the fact that he does not have any articles in regular peer-reviewed journals. This raises, again in my opinion, the question if the candidate has simply bought himself/herself a publication list.</p>\n\n<p>The student's <em>academic</em> merits should definitely be judged based on the content of the articles themselves, irrespective of where they were published, no question about that.</p>\n\n<p>What would worry me, though, is this student's views on research, publishing, and the academic process in general...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7911,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I second Pedro's answer, but I note that it's not actually clear from your description whether the journals they published in had peer-review. Note that some well established peer-reviewed journals charge publication fees to the authors. One example of relatively high-profile journal following that policy is <a href=\"http://publish.aps.org/authors/publication-charges-physical-review-letters\"><em>Physical Review Letters</em></a> (flat publication fee of $690 per article).</p>\n\n<p>Now, if the articles in question were not peer-reviewed, then <strong>you should treat them as any non peer-reviewed publication</strong>: book chapters, arxiv papers, blog posts, etc. Read them, see what they're worth. (Well, you'd do the same thing for peer-reviewed articles.) In addition, it probably depends on your field, but at least in mine being a MSc student without peer-reviewed publications is not a hanging offense :)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7913,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>From your description, it sounds like the problem is more likely to have been the MSc supervior than the student. As evidenced by some of the questions we've seen here, it's very hard for people new to academia to figure out which venues are reputable on their own---and the advice we give usually includes talking to someone in academia. If the supervisor's name is on the publication, that presumably means the supervisor encouraged publication in these venues.</p>\n\n<p>Especially if it's a journal which does a small amount of peer review, I wouldn't assume, without further evidence, that the student has any idea that the papers weren't fully peer reviewed. If the supervisor isn't active in the international research community, I'm not sure I'd even assume the supervisor knows that.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7916,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have one addendum to the great answers by <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/fx\">F'x</a> <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/495/pedro\">Pedro</a>, and <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8/henry\">Henry</a>.</p>\n\n<p>If you believe the work is good and your lingering concern is about that the student has some miscalibrated idea of what publishing should entail, <em>talk to them about it.</em></p>\n\n<p>If she/he is a Masters student, she/he probably isn't particularly set in their ways in terms of how they want to publish. A conversation with them — about this anything else that is worrying you — is a very sensible thing before you agree to spending the next <em>n</em> years working with them.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7908",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929/"
]
|
7,924 | <p>While peripherally related to <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2448/flying-with-a-poster-tube-as-a-hand-luggage/2488#2488">Flying with a poster tube as a hand luggage</a>, I am trying to avoid this. I would like to print my poster at the conference. I am considering this for two reasons. First, it means I don't have to fly with the poster. Second, it gives me a few extra days to work on the poster.</p>
<p>I can see three potential drawbacks.</p>
<ol>
<li>Being unable to print the poster when you get to the conference. I
have lots of experience printing posters at my university, but no
experience in the conference city</li>
<li>Not being prepared/able to return with the poster to hang in the lab</li>
<li>Getting reimbursed for printing charges</li>
</ol>
<p>As for point 1, the conference is in a major US city with at least 4 Kinkos (large scale professional print shops) within reasonable walking distance of the venue. My poster is not until day 4 of the conference and I am arriving 1 day early. On point 2, I do not plan on hanging this poster in my lab. I am a little worried about getting reimbursed, but our on-line reimbursement system has a category for printing charges. If I cannot get reimbursed, I am willing to pay out of pocket.</p>
<p>Am I missing anything that can go horrendously wrong with this plan?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7932,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I had your problem 1 when I accidentally forgot the poster tube in the taxi when I arrived at my hotel. The problem was I arrived on Saturday and the poster session was on Sunday. For your case, where you have four days, there probably shouldn't be a problem, especially with so many print shops within walking distance. You could even perhaps arrange for the poster to be sent online <em>before</em> your arrival, and pick it up when you get there. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7933,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you're not worried about transporting the poster or getting reimbursed, and the destination city has the same facilities as your home location, then there's no functional difference between printing locally and remotely. </p>\n\n<p>In other words, once you define away all the differences, the two scenarios are the same :)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7936,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Reimbursement is related to a particular institute's policy; and taking by plane - to a particular airline's policy, so I won't speak about it.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Being unable to print the poster when you get to the conference.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Possible problems with printing facilities:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>they may by further from the conference venue than expected (or not as easy to get to them, or masked so it's they are not easy to find even if you are nearby),</li>\n<li>delays larger than you expect (at least assume \"the next day\", in general or due to other prints ordered),</li>\n<li>page can be out-of-date, or they may be not working for some reason,</li>\n<li>they may not print A0 format (permanently or temporarily),</li>\n<li>local holidays (or local customs related to working hours) may be different.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>(I printed posters on-site two times, and it went almost without problems; some of people I knew had problems, especially with instant printing and poster sizes).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7937,
"author": "Javeer Baker",
"author_id": 4475,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is not to scare you but what if you fall sick and lose the 3 or 4 extra days you have.</p>\n\n<p>Remember it is a new place you are going so things may not be as familiar as at home. </p>\n\n<p>Its good to prepare in advance. Perhaps you can forward your poster in advance and collect it on your arrival. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7939,
"author": "Stylize",
"author_id": 3966,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3966",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I do not see any reason why you would not be able to print your poster at arrival. In the past, I have used fedex (or whatever is easy) to ship the poster to my hotel. That way, the poster is waiting for you when you get there. You do not have to carry it on the plane and no need to stress about Kinkos not wanting to print your posters...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7941,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>Printing at a conference is absolutely no problem</em>. Many conference centers and associated hotels have print shops and Kinko's sprinkled around specifically for people at conferences and meetings to use for print posters, handouts, and other things. You can usually call and in advance and send in some material if you like and it will be ready to print out when you arrive.</p>\n\n<p>In fact, the times I've gone to Kinko's near a conference on similar errands, there were other people from the conference waiting in line to do the same thing.</p>\n\n<p>If you're presenting the first morning of the conference and getting in the night before, you might want to roll it up. Otherwise, you'll lose no sleep and shouldn't have an issue. The only real downside is that it will probably be more expensive than doing it at your university.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7942,
"author": "Irwin",
"author_id": 5944,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5944",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The plan's fine.</p>\n\n<p>Be sure to check if you only need to submit the poster to print and then return to get it, or if they require you to verify a proof first. Some print shops may refuse to print unless you sign off on the proof first, so be sure you ask about that so you can plan if you need to make more than one trip.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to be the local hero, buy thumbtacks and scotch tape for your poster while you're out and be the envy of all of the poster presenters, as well as the conference organizers, who will undoubtedly have forgotten to bring one or both of those things. ;)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/11 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7924",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929/"
]
|
7,927 | <p>I am a Physics undergrad who is interested in pursuing a PhD in pure maths in the future (algebraic geometry/topology) but I am a bit unsure. My question is quite general, and I don't wish to provide more background for fear of bias in the answers.</p>
<p>My question: Is it is advisable/possible/unfavorable/favorable to apply for a PhD in a field, different from that in which you have done most of your undergraduate research?</p>
<p>My research (includes just reading and understanding papers, writing summaries until now, I havent published anything) mostly includes Quantum field theory, and gauge theory. Would the selection committee turn down an application to a pure maths field, if I have no research experience whatsoever?</p>
<p>I would also like to ask the question other way round. What if I concentrate my undergraduate research SOLELY on topics in pure maths such as algebraic geometry/topology and take other physics courses, would I be able to apply to a string theory PhD with a high chance of success?</p>
<p>Should I consider spending time on both of these (which is almost an impossible task), to improve my chances in both the areas or would research in one area, and grad level courses in the other suffice?</p>
<p><strong>In brief: Should the PhD field you are applying to be the same as your undergraduate research area?</strong></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7928,
"author": "Zenon",
"author_id": 257,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/257",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You should do what makes you happy and you find interesting. PhD is a considerable investment and it is worthwhile only if you are highly interested in your research. It is quite common for people to change domain from undergrad to grad studies (between math/CS/physics/Bio-info).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7929,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You can definitely apply in a different field than your undergraduate. Some major fields of research don't even exist as undergraduate majors in most colleges (e.g., neuroscience), so it's understood that many students will come from different backgrounds.</p>\n\n<p>The more similar your major is to the new topic, the easier the learning curve. If your major is significantly different you may want to take some post-bachelors undergraduate courses before beginning the PhD program to bring yourself up to speed.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 42979,
"author": "Stephanie",
"author_id": 32695,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32695",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When you apply for a PhD, they are not expecting you to already be an excellent researcher in the field you want to go into, most early research is purely for experience and training and seeing whether you like research and they will understand that. </p>\n\n<p>What's more important is that you can explain the choices you've made. They will look at your research history in context of your PhD choice. You just have to make sure that it shows off the skills they want you to have to do the PhD, those skills are not really subject specific. </p>\n\n<p>I did an undergraduate and masters in Physics and got offers from Oxford, Cambridge and CRUK among other less well known UK institutions to do PhDs in cancer research so it's definitely not essential to have experience before hand, but will also depend on how competitive your chosen field is. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 42983,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, this is definitely possible.</p>\n\n<p>When I was doing my undergraduate degree, I was pretty sure my interests lied within the area of nonlinear dynamics and systems of ODEs, and I had picked up some research experience in my third year as well as during my MMath dissertation. My third year summer project was on critical factors and tipping points (with application to a prey-predator population model) and my MMath dissertation was on nonlinear laser dynamics. However, I was finding towards the end of my undergraduate degree and the MMath project that I wanted to do something more rigorous, involving pure mathematical analysis and how this applies to partial differential equations (and I had taken some courses in fluid mechanics and PDEs beforehand). My current project is on statistical solutions of Navier-Stokes equations, which is a very different area to what I researched at undergraduate level. My ex-supervisor gave me vanilla advice, saying \"your PhD topic should be the same as your MMath project\" - in some sense this is true, because one piece of advice I've heard is that one should choose an area to specialise in as soon as possible, even though this may not suit everyone (and when applying for PhDs I was very unsure about the area of research I wanted to pursue, so I had offers to study a wide range of topics with varying mathematical backgrounds). I chose my current project because there would be opportunities to fill in the gaps from my previous university, the area of research is fairly lucrative, it would enable me to see things I had applied before in a new and rigorous light. I explained all this to my supervisor when I had my interview with her and admitted that my background of mathematical analysis wasn't as strong as it could be - but I emphasised that I was willing to learn and that the project in question would be one to help me become a better all-round mathematician. Subsequently I was accepted onto the project and (bar the usual PhD student woes) on the whole I am quite enjoying it as it's a completely different area to the ones my previous university offered. My background would imply that my strengths lied in numerical methods and applied nonlinear dynamics, and even though I would probably have much better luck at PhD programmes along the lines of these, I decided that I didn't want to spend my academic career simply \"number-crunching\" and doing stuff I found relatively straightforward. Doing more pure stuff is harder, but in my opinion, much more rewarding (as you can actually understand the background theory of why things are the way they are rather than just running a simulation and accepting that it works).</p>\n\n<p>So to answer your question, if you apply to a PhD programme and explain your strengths and limitations of your background (be honest!) and explain why you would benefit from the programme, then that can be equally as important as knowing what the research itself is about I suppose. Some people may not advise making the change of topic, but if your heart is set on it, then grab the opportunity while you can.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/11 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7927",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
]
|
7,931 | <p>I'm asking for approaches to include interesting, but not perfectly fitting results in a dissertation or a paper.</p>
<p>During my PhD project I have made an accidental discovery, which is what I believe you call <em>serendipity</em>. The finding is related to the overall topic of my dissertation and certainly interesting, but it interrupts the "leitmotif" of my argumentation, as this discovery is really just the result of a stupid mistake. So my question here is: <strong>How do you eloquently include stupid mistakes (aka accidental findings) in a dissertation or a paper without sounding stupid or breaking the flow of arguments apart?</strong> Is there even a generalizing answer to this question?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7934,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><em>“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but rather, 'hmm... that's funny...”</em> (Isaac Asimov, thanks to EnergyNumbers for reminding me of it)</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>If you're worried that it will distract the flow of your thesis, why not <strong>put it in a “special” part of your thesis (e.g., an appendix) and refer to that from the main text, at the point that would be most logical</strong>.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><em>[Following the description of your experiment.]</em> In the next few sections, I describe the results obtained from operating the Pocket Helium Flux Positron Annihilator on a variety of samples: metals (section II.B), graphene (section II.C) and heavy water (section II.D). You will also find in Appendix A a description of the observations made following an accidental operation of PHFPA without a helium flux <em>[you may not want to be specific and say: some moron forgot to replace the bottle]</em> which allowed to check what happens when electroneutrality is violated on the µm scale.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>An appendix is a good place, or maybe a small section as the end of the relevant chapter.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7935,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Thesis is a good place to place things not yet developed enough to make a full paper.</p>\n\n<p>If it is at least tangentially related to you thesis topic, just add a relevant (sub)section (e.g. in further discussion, or near to the place where it is the most related). </p>\n\n<p>BTW: Many groundbreaking discoveries were accidental. So I don't see a reason to value them less than ones planned in advance.</p>\n\n<p>Again, if \"accidental\" means than some values were set such as a mistake - again, mentioning such is related to motivation/story, not the value of results.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7943,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The traditional ways people introducing important or interesting peripheral information without breaking the flow or core thrust of a manuscript is with footnotes/endnotes or with an appendix as <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/fx\">F'X</a> has suggested.</p>\n\n<p>If it's a short aside, consider making it a long footnote. If it's longer, put in in an appendix and reference it either in the footnote or in the text. Long — even paper-length — appendixes are not abnormal in dissertations.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7945,
"author": "Javeer Baker",
"author_id": 4475,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the social sciences, there is traditionally a section in the concluding chapter that discusses limitations of the present study and scope for future research.</p>\n\n<p>You can include your 'discovery' in this section. In this way, you are presenting your 'discovery' and suggesting some ways in which it can be researched - two-in-one, I suppose!</p>\n\n<p>The other section in which you can include your 'discovery' is where you highlight what contribution your research is making to the body of knowledge in your field. This is traditionally another section in the concluding chapter of a social science dissertation. You can 'wrap' your 'discovery' as an accidental but important contribution to knowledge.</p>\n\n<p>In my case, I talked to a number of people in my field as part of my stakeholder consultation. I soon discovered that they were telling me far more than what was needed for my topic. I summarised this information in my concluding chapter and said that it represented an important contribution to knowledge because it would lost if not captured in writing (the stakeholders were mostly from the older generation).</p>\n\n<p>So, there are many ways to include it in your dissertation.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/11 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7931",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3885/"
]
|
7,944 | <p>I am unsure for books but I know for certain that selected journal articles are peer-reviewed. (This just shows I am not in academia!)</p>
<p><strong>Do books go through a peer-review process? If so, how does this happen?</strong> </p>
<p>If one is approached by a small publisher, does it matter if this publisher does not have a peer-review service (if there is one for books).</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7946,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Typically, after an author presents a book proposal to a publisher, the publisher will circulate the proposal to some selected reviewers to vet the content. This is not like peer review in the usual sense: the reviewers only get to see the outline and maybe a chapter or two. </p>\n\n<p>Once the publisher decides to go ahead with the book and it goes through the editing process, it might undergo further review, but nothing like a journal review.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 155441,
"author": "Bob Brown",
"author_id": 16183,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/16183",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The major textbook publishers pay for "subject matter expert" reviews of completed books prior to publication, and even of new editions of previously-reviewed books. Some reviewers apparently just submit the publisher's questionnaire. Others, like myself, submit extensive comments. I've proposed corrections that were accepted for books by well-known authors.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 155443,
"author": "user129606",
"author_id": 129606,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/129606",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I guess this is field-dependent because my experience (in math) is different from what is presented in the other answers. At the very least, some book series by some publishers have a peer-review process similar to that of journals for books that are about new research (not textbooks or similar material). The editors would give the whole book to several referees and ask each of them a report about the mathematical correctness, the context, the presentation, etc. There can even be a similar editorial process as the one for articles, with a back-and-forth of corrections and new reports. Sometimes referees would only each be asked about some part of the book, but each part would be covered by at least one referee. I would guess that this does not concern textbooks or "survey" type books, but my experience there is limited.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7944",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4475/"
]
|
7,948 | <p>I quite enjoy paying attention to how I design my documents and presentations. I usually spend hours thinking over and designing my slides for a workshop or presentation, so that they are aesthetically pleasing and as intuitive as possible. Likewise I recently started revising my CV I figured and I wanted to make it stand out a bit more. (Just to make it clear I don't mean making a clown of a document but just better use of colors, contrast and design elements.)</p>
<p>I have long wondered whether or not this is something that can backfire, since most documents in academic context are extremely plain, at least in my experience. It's very common to see the default Powerpoint slides (white bg, black arial text) or <a href="https://www.google.se/search?q=terrible%20powerpoint%20slides&hl=en&safe=off&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=HxAaUe3PBM74sgb70IC4Aw&ved=0CCgQsAQ&biw=1282&bih=1065">something as hideous as that</a>. </p>
<p>My question is as follows: is putting time and effort into design of academic documents something that can backfire? Will I risk being prejudged with first impressions such as "well he put much effort in the presentation his documents, perhaps because the content is sub-par"? </p>
<hr>
<p>I realize that the question might be somewhat subjective from person to person but I encourage everyone to consider it in terms of this SE blog entry: <a href="http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/09/good-subjective-bad-subjective/">Good subjective vs Bad subjective</a>. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7949,
"author": "Eekhoorn",
"author_id": 3885,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3885",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Some scientists don't know how to properly layout a thesis, a presentation or a poster. They probably never learned it and too often don't care about it. This doesn't mean that you have to follow this bad example. I always appreciate when my students care about readability of text and figures, and think for a long time how to present something in the best way. </p>\n\n<p>As for your question, I'd say this really depends on what you consider 'unconventional'! If your CV bursts with colours and Comic Sans, it will certainly backfire. If it's a sleek design with understatement, it certainly won't. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7950,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>It all comes down to a cost/benefit analysis. But, there is little risk to improve the design, graphics and typography of your documents (theses, figures, presentations). There is little risk that it backfires if you present a higher-quality document. In fact, the only case I can think of is if it seems that form took over content: i.e., if you have a very shiny designed presentation with just-meh scientific content, the contrast might draw attention.</p>\n\n<p>One thing that might be a problem is if you put too much theatrics, 3D effects, animations, cartoons… I had a colleague who used every single “animation” possible (it was the early days of Apple's Keynote and its nice 3D effects) in the same presentation, and it was simply too much. It distracted people from his message.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, coming back to the cost/benefit analysis: I believe that as in everything, 20% of the work can get you 80% of the reward if you choose wisely. People will have different pet peeves, but the areas which I think you should polish for presentation slides are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Graphics quality</strong>: no pixelated crap</li>\n<li><strong>Consistency between graphics and text</strong>, and self-consistency of graphics: same quantities reported and plotted, same units, consistency between graph scales (as much as possible), etc. Sometimes you take pictures from an earlier paper, and they don't quite match what you are showing with them. Avoid things like “graph on the left is concentration, graph on the right is volume fraction” when they can be converted straightforwardly.</li>\n<li><strong>Careful about background colors</strong>: to me, this makes the different between decent slides and good slides (for the presentation, not for the scientific content). If you use a colored background (not saying you should), don't include graphics with white background. Try to use graphics with transparent background (easy with vector graphics, use PNG with alpha channel for bitmap images).</li>\n<li><strong>If visualization requires it, use movies</strong> to show a complex system: time evolution of spatial distribution, autorotation of a structure you present if it makes it clearer, etc.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7951,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are different kind of academic documents, and it might change from one field to another. For instance, journal/conference papers often have a required style, and so there is little room for improving the overall design of the paper. </p>\n\n<p>About the CV, I have seen many places asking for a specific style for the CV (i.e., they give you a Word document to fill in ...), but when they don't, as long as the content respects the traditional Education/Experience/Publications, then it shouldn't be a problem. </p>\n\n<p>When it comes to presentations, I would say it's a bit trickier. The overall impression I've had when talking with colleagues at a conference, is that the quality of the <em>speaker</em> matters first. I've attended excellent presentations where the slides where black and white powerpoint, because the speakers were merely using them as a support to put the keywords and the important formulae. Conversely, I've attended boring presentations where the slides where very nice, just because the speaker was not comfortable speaking. </p>\n\n<p>In other words, I don't think putting time and effort in the design of slides will backfire, and it will not necessarily bring you bonus points, what matters is the quality of the presentation itself. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7952,
"author": "DQdlM",
"author_id": 248,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/248",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Good design is invisible. The goal of design is to increase understanding/clarity. If your design is truly good then it will go unnoticed but your content will be better understood. If your design is noticed and distracts, then it is bad. I feel these principles are universal. </p>\n\n<p>So to answer your question, yes, good design is worth it (it increases the amount that your content is understood), but just adding \"design\" elements without a good understanding of the audience and their expectations will not likely result in good design.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7957,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The only other note I'd have to add is that you should also remember <em>who your audience is</em> when designing your documents. </p>\n\n<p>You can have a fancy version of a CV or a presentation template, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, as an example of where this could backfire: assume you have a LaTeX'ed CV that is being sent to an HR department of a large company. The text of the CV will probably be tested against some set of keywords for \"appropriateness\"; if it can't match because of ligature issues, you're out of luck. </p>\n\n<p>Similarly, if the documents will need ti be scanned in on the receiving end (perhaps because they require an actual signature), then the design should be one that doesn't make the scanned version illegible. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7982,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Assuming that we have similar concepts of what good design is (clarity, readability, ...), the only point I can see where it could potentially backfire is if there is a mandatory layout and you choose not to use it.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>thesis formats are often mandatory, and you don't want to risk failing because of not meeting formal requirements. </li>\n<li>The call-for-papers that comes with an ugly Word template that <em>is to be used</em></li>\n<li>Many universities have a corporate design that is mandatory for public/outside presentations.<br>\nHowever, my complementary experience is that judicuous changes that leave the overall impression of where you belong intact, but e.g. allow better contrast in diagrams are usually not backfiring. </li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7948",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674/"
]
|
7,955 | <p>I am currently applying to faculty positions, primarily teaching positions at 4 year colleges and universities. I am told many of these jobs have more than 100-200 applicants. Some of the jobs ads themselves say they get hundreds of applicants, and go on to say something to the effect 'you probably aren't going to hear anything from us', which says to me - 'don't bother us'. I have 3 questions, which overlap:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If I don't hear back from them at all, is it appropriate to contact the department?</p></li>
<li><p>If I hear back that they got my application and materials, is it appropriate to contact the department?</p></li>
<li><p>People that I know from the business world encourage me to be more aggressive by calling the departments to check in, and even asking if I can come visit the department. I am concerned that this sort of attitude can have a backlash effect. Is this sort of aggressive approach accepted in academia?</p></li>
</ol>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7956,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is certainly appropriate to ask whether they got your application. It is also appropriate to enquire about how the process is progressing. I would avoid being too pushy about it, as this will not influence anyone, at least not in a positive sense. And sometimes these application processes take an extremely long time.</p>\n\n<p>It may be appropriate to visit the department to give a presentation, as this is one thing academics do anyway, even when they are not applying for positions. Give a good presentation and this might help your application – though it could be the case that the people judging the application are completely disjoint from the people in the audience.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7959,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You should keep in mind that the people running searches are busy academics who are doing this as service to the department. Checking-in aggressively — following your intuition for how this would work in business — <em>will annoy and will be very unlikely to help</em>. At the moment (early/mid- February), it is still early enough in some job markets that interviews have not been scheduled so asking for updates might be seen as pushy. I think it's unlikely that your chances will <em>go down</em> if you ask, but it still might be nicer to wait.</p>\n\n<p>That said, there are many situations where contacting in normal and you might to do it through one of those channels:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>For example, if you have another offer from somewhere with a deadline, it is normal — and a good idea — to contact other departments to let them know that you will have to move forward without them. I've had friends who have had interviews offers <em>within hours</em> of telling a department this. </p></li>\n<li><p>Also, if you have updated material on your CV (e.g., a paper accepted, positions changed, an award, whatever) go ahead and send your updated CV. You can mention in that email that you're excited to hear about any updates from their search.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Contacting search committees in this context is normal and can signal that you continue to be very interested in a job. I was told by a search committee that ended up making an offer that they thought I might be unlikely to accept an offer and that one of these update emails rovided a useful signal. Of course, if they're not interested, emailing will probably just be noise and extra work for them.</p>\n\n<p>I think that emailing or not-emailing is unlikely to tip the scale either way. They're going to make a decision based on the intersection of the quality of your work and what they're interested in having in their department. But out of kindness for the work of the search committee and its chair, try to do it as little as possible.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7955",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4269/"
]
|
7,962 | <p>My department has several non-tenured/non-tenure-track faculty in teaching-only positions. My department is also hiring at the tenure-track level this year and these non-tenured faculty are taking an active role in the search, even voting with the tenured and tenure-track faculty on who should be hired. Is this appropriate? Is there a precedent?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7963,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>While on the job market this last year, I talked with top departments that gave all their full time non-visiting members of the faculty a vote in tenure-track faculty hires. So there is definitely precedent.</p>\n\n<p>Personally, I'm not thrilled by the shift at many universities to having a larger proportion of the active faculty be non-TT. But when this means that the <em>responsibilities</em> of non-TT jobs are similar, it is only reasonable that the <em>rights</em> should be similar too.</p>\n\n<p>Benefits of doing so include all things that come from a work environment that is perceived as more democratic and where all faculty get a vote in determining the future directions of the department. The drawbacks are much less clear to me.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7964,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Actually, there's a wide variety of latitude given to hiring processes. </p>\n\n<p>At both of the universities I attended as a student, undergraduate and graduate students were involved in the selection processes for new <em>university presidents</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Similarly, at the school where I currently work, undergraduate students regularly sit on the hiring committees for faculty hires, and can actively sink a nomination if they have concerns about his teaching credentials. (Normally, however, this implies that the other committee members have a bone to pick with the candidate as well.)</p>\n\n<p>So it seems to me that there would be nothing wrong with a policy that lets non-tenured faculty vote on such a hire. After all, they are going to be colleagues, and it makes sense that there's a consensus. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7962",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5981/"
]
|
7,965 | <p>I'm just an undergraduate math student, and I need to make a CV for a research application. However, from the CVs that I have already seen I have nowhere near enough to fill probably half of a page. I mean I can really only put my education history which is 3 schools. What else should I put?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7967,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You may want to consider looking at resume samples. \nMy university has some great samples that students of all levels have used:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.students.ubc.ca/careers/students/get-career-guidance/job-search-skills/resumes/\">http://www.students.ubc.ca/careers/students/get-career-guidance/job-search-skills/resumes/</a></p>\n\n<p>Notice that many of them make up for their lack of experience by providing specific examples of work they had done.</p>\n\n<p>For example, suppose you had done an empirical project for an applied mathematics course. You could list that on your CV and provide information on how you had gone about doing the research.</p>\n\n<p>Most undergraduates, I find have lots of experience relevant to the position they are applying to from experiences that on face-value appear to not be connected. Think of anything that utilizes skills that would be relevant for research.</p>\n\n<p>Here is an example of something I used awhile ago.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Example</strong></p>\n\n<p>Research Experience:</p>\n\n<p>Honours Thesis - Aging, Risk Aversion, and Stock Investment</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Compiled and arranged data from the Survey of Financial Security.</p></li>\n<li><p>Constructed statistical models to analyze trends in investment over Canadian's life-time.</p></li>\n<li><p>Controlled for violation of statistical assumptions, such as: auto-correlation, non-normality, and multi-collinearity.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7972,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Before starting research, An undergraduate student really only has a résumé. A <em>curriculum vitae</em> is generally intended for someone who is intending to pursue a career in research, and has a somewhat \"standardized\" format (although there are still many variations). </p>\n\n<p>But as a young student just beginning to do research, I would recommend that you focus on listing skills that you have that would make you appealing to someone interested in hiring you. If you have more than the standard training for someone at your level in university (more courses, have already done research projects, etc.), then you should list that information. Similarly, if you have special skills (programming languages, familiarity with specific techniques or tools, etc.), then those should also be listed. </p>\n\n<p>Any jobs that you've held that might also prepare you for such an experience would also be of interest. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7994,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>CVs and resumes vary greatly by field and level of experience. A CV of an undergraduate applying to graduate school is very different than the CV of a associate professor applying to become a full professor. I would suggest talking to your classmates and the career services at your university.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7965",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5983/"
]
|
7,968 | <p>First, I hope this isn't the wrong place to put a question like this.</p>
<p>I have a very specific graduate school question. I graduated last spring with my BS and intended to go to graduate school. I accepted an offer from (Big State School). However, during the summer before I could go, one of my parents became terminally ill; so I ended up declining the offer (well after the acceptance deadline) to move back in with my parents and help them out. At the same time, I also arranged it with my undergraduate institution to continue towards my masters there (since I had already acquired a bit of graduate credit) with the intention of transferring to complete my PhD elsewhere.</p>
<p>I am considering mentioning in my statement of purpose the reason why I graduated as an undergrad, have a semester gap, and then started taking graduate classes again at my old institution (I've heard going to grad school at the same place you did your undergrad looks bad?). But I'm also not sure if it's relevant to applications or even the sort of thing that belongs in a statement of purpose.</p>
<p>Would it be in poor form to do this, or should I leave such things out of application materials?</p>
<p>(reposted from MSE)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7969,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Yes, you should mention your situation in your statement, briefly and unapologetically.</strong> Omitting any explanation might raise a red flag with admissions committees, and most people will be sympathetic to your family situation.</p>\n\n<p>You might also get back in touch with (Big State School) to see if they would be willing to reactivate your earlier admission. It's a long shot, but it couldn't hurt.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7970,
"author": "Chris Gregg",
"author_id": 4461,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4461",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with @JeffE's answer, but would reiterate that you should mention the situation briefly. You may want to consider a short addendum to your statement of purpose so as to keep the statement of purpose completely on topic. As to your concern about \"going to grad school at the same place you did your undergrad look[ing] bad,\" your situation will cover that, but it is not uncommon for students to get their master's at their undergraduate school and their PhD elsewhere. That said, some of the best scientists I've known have received their PhDs at their undergraduate institutions, and ultimately it is your publishing record that will make or break future employment opportunities.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7995,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Better than just mentioning it in passing in your application would be to reflect on the illness and how that life experience has helped prepare you for graduate school/research.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/13 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7968",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5986/"
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|
7,971 | <p>This is a usual problem of mine, I have a page limited conference (usually 8) and my paper is 15 pages long, or in a less dramatic case 10.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How do you go about taking stuff off the paper. Do you have any rule
of thumb?</p></li>
<li><p>How do you know what is "irrelevant" enough for you to take it out
of the paper?</p></li>
</ol>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7973,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Before you go about the longer process of deciding \"what to delete,\" have you first tried to remove the \"dead weight?\" Academic writing is often quite leaden in style, and can be trimmed quite substantially. Following Strunk's commandment to <a href=\"http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html\">\"omit needless words\"</a> can often cut down a page or two out of your manuscript <em>without</em> sacrificing \"actual\" content.</p>\n\n<p>If, having pruned your text, you find you still need to reduce things, ask yourself the following question:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>What information do I want my readers to retain?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Then ask yourself:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>What sections of the paper do not provide information necessary for the reader?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Those should be a fairly good guide about what to delete.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7974,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The first thing I do when trying to cut material is to make a backup of the paper (or a branch in your version control system). Cutting 20% is relatively easy while cutting 50% is much harder. For a 20% cut, the first place I look is the methods section. In my field we often include descriptions of methods that have previously been published. You can often save some space by simply referring to a previous published account of the method. In my field the methods section might be 10% of the paper and if you are lucky you can cut that in half, saving you 5%. The second place I look is my figures and tables. In my field figures and tables take up 25% of a paper. If you unneeded figures and tables, combine a couple, reformat and scale the rest, you can save another 10%. The third place is the efficiency of the writing. Obviously being succinct helps, but I find it helps to read your conclusions and then prune anything that is not directly relevant. These steps can help reduce a paper without changing the content.</p>\n\n<p>If I still am not under the limit, I look at my conclusions and decide which one I want to cut. I then go back and remove the portions of the paper that lead to this conclusion. there is usually some setup in the introduction, a piece of results, and some discussion. This obviously changes the content of the paper.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7976,
"author": "Chris Gregg",
"author_id": 4461,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4461",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are many technical ways to reduce paper length without affecting your content.</p>\n\n<p>If you use LaTeX for your papers (I highly suggest it), there are many web pages that help you reduce the number of pages without changing one bit of text. Do a Google search for \"squeeze space latex\" and you'll find plenty of information. My favorite one-liner command is <code>\\linespread{<factor>}</code>, where <code><factor></code> is a decimal number, such as 0.99 or 0.98. I've reduced a twelve page paper to ten pages without any noticeable difference in formatting using that single command.</p>\n\n<p>Obviously, you must stay within the paper formatting guidelines, but I've never had a problem with conferences and judicious use of re-formatting.</p>\n\n<p>Other tricks that don't require significant content changes:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Find all paragraphs that have one or two words at the end and find a way to rephrase the sentence to make it fit on one line. This is relatively easy in many cases.</p></li>\n<li><p>Make sure any figures are tight (while still looking good). For instance, don't have a title on graphs with captions -- the caption takes care of the title.</p></li>\n<li><p>Make sure paragraph/section titles are a reasonable font size, and limit the space between the titles and sections. Make sure your titles fit on a single line. Sometimes you can get away with bold titles in the same font size instead of larger titles.</p></li>\n<li><p>Reduce the font size for references. I've used <code>footnotesize</code> references without anyone batting an eye.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7978,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First of all, a convenient approach is to \"publish\" the long version as a technical report or as a preprint (e.g., on <a href=\"http://arxiv.org\">arXiv</a>). In this way, it is always possible to refer to missing parts in the shorter version. </p>\n\n<p>If there are only a few pages too many, then it's probably possible to \"tweak\" the paper to fit within the page limit: scale the pictures, inline the equations, use only acronyms of the conference in the bibliography (e.g., <em>in POPL</em>, instead of \"in Proceedings of the 40th Annual ACM SIGPLAN-SIGACT Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages), transform subsubsections into paragraphs, rephrase some paragraphs, move the proofs into the appendix, etc. </p>\n\n<p>However, if you have too many pages, and you actually need to cut some <em>content</em>, then it might probably be better to directly cut an entire section rather than some bits and pieces in each section. For instance, I've rejected some papers because \"due to the lack of space\", the authors didn't provide any illustration of some quite complex notions, making the paper not understandable. Similarly, I've rejected a paper that was addressing many different points, but never in depth, due to the lack of space ... so it was quite hard to see the contribution (it was not a survey paper). </p>\n\n<p>If you can't find a proper section to cut, i.e., you make a single contribution and you need 15 pages to explain it, then the venue is probably not suited, and you might rather look for a venue with a larger page limit. </p>\n\n<p>Basically, if you have a 15 pages paper and a 8 pages limit, write <em>two</em> papers!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7992,
"author": "Irwin",
"author_id": 5944,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5944",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't know a single academic who's been able to get close to deadline and not say, \"Look we're right on the page budget!\"</p>\n\n<p>Here are some strategies;</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Don't cut too early. Cutting too early is a good way of losing some important numbers or paragraphs that your co-authors will keep asking you about.</p></li>\n<li><p>Cut stuff that doesn't fit the story. I'm in computer science, so conferences are archival, but in general, if something isn't important to the overall contribution, then it goes away. </p></li>\n<li><p>Make really nice tables and figures. Much of the time, having these separated and somewhat self-explanatory may actually save you the space of having to explain what's in each figure. As above, if your figure/table isn't related to the story, then cut it.</p></li>\n<li><p>Write more concisely. You could either write, \"The participants we recruited for the study were students who came from a wide variety of majors including computer science, electrical engineering, chemistry, nuclear engineering, and physics.\" Or, you could write, \"Our participants were science/engineering majors\". Different details, but functionally equivalent.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7993,
"author": "Zai",
"author_id": 4318,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4318",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are definitely some good tips already listed, in addition, here are some things that I've found really help:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Go back through your sections and write a bullet point outline of what you want that section to say. Assign 1 bullet point per paragraph and put it right above that paragraph. Go back through and re-read that paragraph making sure that each sentence supports your paragraph's point. If it doesn't, remove it or put it someplace else.</li>\n\n<li>Go through your work keeping an eye out for terms that you use repetitively in each section or throughout the paper. If it's appearing more than a couple of times, consider creating an acronym or abbreviation for it (unless it's really going to make your paper difficult to read).</li>\n\n<li>Ask someone else to read your paper and tell them that it is too long. Ask them to cross out or to mark parts they thought were unnecessary. If possible, have several people do this. Sometimes as the writer it is difficult to decide where to cut because you're too close to it. Having others read the paper and cross things out gives you a fresh perspective on if you're being repetitive or if some parts don't need to be there.</li>\n\n<li>Take a break. If you have the time to do it, try not looking at your work for a few days or a week and then on your first time re-reading it make sure to mark any parts that stick out to you as unnecessary.</li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/13 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7971",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806/"
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|
7,980 | <p>In recent years, there has been a number of quality peer-reviewed open access journals launched. Some of them are what I would call “mega-journals”, such as <a href="http://www.plosone.org">PLOS|One</a> and the newly-launched <a href="https://peerj.com">PeerJ</a>. However, most of those mega-journals which boast broad scope focus in fact only on medicine, biology and health sciences (e.g., <a href="https://peerj.com/about/aims-and-scope/">PeerJ’s Aims and Scope</a>). Why is that so?</p>
<p>Are there other such open access journals with high-quality, focussing on other topics (Physical Sciences, the Mathematical Sciences, the Social Sciences, or the Humanities)? If not, what is the specificity of biology and related sciences?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7981,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think one of the major issues here has been the existence of <a href=\"http://www.arxiv.org\">arXiv</a> in all its various incarnations. Since there was already a major open-source distribution network—even if it eschewed important parts of the publishing process like peer review—it made the need for a <em>PLOS|One</em>-like journal much smaller.</p>\n\n<p>A secondary issue is that many of the journals in the mathematics and physics communities have fairly liberal policies on the use of open-source repositories to distribute papers; for instance, the <a href=\"http://journals.aip.org\">American Institute of Physics</a> and <a href=\"http://publish.aps.org\">American Physical Society</a> allow publication within their journals, while still allowing authors the right to \"self-publish\" using their own version of the materials. Similarly, the <a href=\"http://pubs.acs.org\">American Chemical Society</a>, while having slightly more restrictive policies than AIP or APS, still effectively allow open access after one year of \"exclusive\" access.</p>\n\n<p>So, ultimately, I think the emergence of <em>PLOS|One</em> and similar efforts is an attempt to move more in the direction <em>that already exists</em> in the various physical sciences communities. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Edited to add</strong>: One additional issue that may explain the state of activities are some of the recent decisions by the NIH to require that manuscripts published with NIH financing (thereby including the majority of biomedical research in the US) had to be made publicly accessible within six months of publication. This is a development that has <em>not</em> been matched by the NSF and other major funding agencies, nor is it a rule in most of the European Union, as far as I can tell (although I believe the UK is haltingly starting to move in that direction).</p>\n\n<p>As a result, there is a strong impetus for open-access in biology and biomedical science that is not matched by the other fields (which might not have nearly as much money and therefore would not have the clout of the NIH).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7983,
"author": "Andy W",
"author_id": 3,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are certainly other examples in the social sciences if you look hard enough, although they may not be as publicized as PLoS ones. For instance I know it is becoming more popular for journals to make back issues freely accessible after a certain time period (see for example <a href=\"http://journals.lww.com/epidem/pages/issuelist.aspx?year=2007\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Epidemiology</a>, <a href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1538-4632\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Geographical Analysis</a> before 2004 and <a href=\"http://projecteuclid.org/browse\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Project Euclid</a> journals). Also Springer has there open-access venues <a href=\"http://www.biomedcentral.com/journals\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">(BioMed central)</a>, which is mostly biological sciences related but has a few social science journals (also Springer has the option to publish an article open-access for a fee, although the fee is pretty hefty).</p>\n<p>So in short, I'm not sure why there is a popularity in the bio-medical sciences (perhaps because of the sheer size?) but it is certainly a trend across academia for both contemporary publishers to open the archives and for new open-access journals to form (and existing ones to become more reasonable and respected alternatives).</p>\n<p>Similarly to <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/7981/3\">aeismail's reponse</a>, the <a href=\"http://www.ssrn.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">SSRN archive</a> is heavily devoted to Law articles, and many of those journals are entirely open access as well (see for one example the <a href=\"http://www.columbialawreview.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Columbia Law Review</a>).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7984,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>First, I'm not sure I believe that it is true to say that, \"<em>most of those mega-journals which boast broad scope focus in fact only on medicine, biology and health sciences</em>.\" This might be true of <a href=\"https://peerj.com/\">PeerJ</a> but it is not true of PLOS ONE. I have read sociological experiments, physics-based network analyses, and pure computational work published in PLOS ONE. I get the sense that bioscience makes up the core of their editorial board and bulk of their publications, but it's far from the whole thing. Also, there are other \"mega-journals\" that serve other communities and fields. For example, <a href=\"http://sgo.sagepub.com/\">SAGE Open</a> focuses on the humanities and social sciences. There are others and new ones being created frequently.</p>\n\n<p>That said, it is true that the first and biggest mega-journals are more focused on bioscience than they are on other fields. I think that the reason is because the \"mega-journal\" model is closely tied to the modern open access movement which has its largest amount of support in biological and health sciences. Basically, I think that PLOS ONE attracts so many biological articles because they have a biological heavy editorial board. They have a biological heavy editorial board because they have leveraged the network that exists for PLOS. PLOS' flagship journal is, of course, <a href=\"http://www.plosbiology.org/\">PLOS Biology</a> and the organization was started by a group of bioscientists.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/timeline.htm\">Peter Suber's open access timeline</a> is instructive. Although OA has a broader history, folks like <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Varmus\">Harald Varmus</a> have used institutional support at places like the NIH to push for a set of norms around open access through projects like <a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/\">PubMedCentral</a> and requirements from funders to publish OA. The result is an OA movement that has simply been much more successful and influential in the biosciences than it has been in other fields. There are structural reasons this might be the case. Pay-to-publish models are easier to swallow in fields that are largely grant based. Biological and health sciences makes up an enormous proportion of grant funded research through the NIH, NSF, and other private and public agencies.</p>\n\n<p>But my sense is that, fundamentally, PLOS ONE has provided the inspiration for most mega-journals because it quickly became the largest journal of the world and, through that process, managed to maintain a surprisingly high impact factor (~4 in 2011!). To the extent that PLOS ONE has created the mega-journal model, there may be a bioscience bias — especially early on — that comes simply from PLOS ONE's own roots in bioscience.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 95612,
"author": "Chai Eng Tan",
"author_id": 79512,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/79512",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Sage Open covers the social sciences and is also another megajournal. Currently it is Scopus indexed and in the Emerging Sciences Citation Index</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 95623,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I suspect that this is actually a combination of several co-occuring factors:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The lack of an arXiv or arXiv-like service that has been widely adopted means that biomedical research largely relies on journal-mediated access to research.</li>\n<li>NIH open access mandates have helped drive the acceptance of open access, the tendency to put money into grants to fund OA publications, etc. which creates a <em>market</em> for new journals.</li>\n<li>The biomedical research field is <em>huge</em>. Consider non-defense R&D spending in the U.S:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nd3sN.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nd3sN.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>If <em>you</em> had to pick an audience based on that picture, what would you pick?</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/13 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7980",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
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|
7,985 | <p>I am interested in going back for my masters. While I have been accepted by a masters program (quite a while ago) previously, I am looking at another university and require a fresh set of references. I have lost track of my previous advisors and am unable to get work references.</p>
<p>So I need to prove myself at this point to somebody. There are some optional courses in the undergrad that I am interested in, but to be honest I could just read the textbook and save some money. </p>
<p>So:<br>
Is it ethical/acceptable to take courses for the sole purpose of getting a reference letter?</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>Should I inform the prof before taking the class of my intent if this is a gray area?</p>
<p>Note: I know that it is still the prof's choice if I get a letter and this method is nowhere near ideal. Just the best I could come up with.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7986,
"author": "Srikant Krishna",
"author_id": 6005,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6005",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Absolutely, this is ethical. </p>\n\n<p>Life is about proving yourself, and if you want to take a challenge to make a statement, there is nothing unethical about it.</p>\n\n<p>I would absolutely go ahead. </p>\n\n<p>The purpose of a reference letter is for someone to make a character or professional evaluation of an individual. The reason as to why the individual needs the evaluation should not make a difference.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7987,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you take a class for the express purpose of getting a letter, are you sure the class is to your interests ? If it isn't, and you aren't good at the material, you're not going to get a letter (or worse, you'll get a tepid letter). </p>\n\n<p>If on the other hand you're taking the class because you like the material AND you hope that you can impress the professor enough to get a letter, then that's perfectly normal. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7988,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Students have lots of reasons for taking courses and I don't think I want to be in the business of telling students that there are right and wrong reasons to take a class. I certainly think it's a good idea for prospective PhD students to think about who might be good letter writers early on in their program and to make sure they work with some of them — not doing so can make the academic job market very difficult. I don't see this as being substantively different. If you take the class, do well, and then ask for a letter, you might get a good one. Or you might not. So I'd say go ahead.</p>\n\n<p>That said, there is something very mercenary about the way you have phrased your question that makes me skeptical. Do you <em>really</em> think that working with faculty wouldn't teach you <em>anything</em>? If it's true that the <em>only reason</em> you want to take a class is because of the letter you might get, something seems off. Maybe your interests are different enough from the professor's that I'm skeptical that this person would be such a great letter writer <em>for what you want to do</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Being able to excel in a Masters program means not resenting the idea that you may have to learn from professors when you could \"just read the book.\" I think it's OK to take a class for a recommendation but you should use this as opportunity to learn something you are passionate about in ways you could not with just the textbook.</p>\n\n<p>Talk to the professor. Let them know you are an advanced and passionate student. Get feedback on your work. Go beyond what is just in the book. If you do that, you will get more than you would otherwise. In the process, you will also earn a much stronger letter. If you can't get over that hump, I suspect that your recommendations — and your experience in grad school — will underwhelm.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 7989,
"author": "grauwulf",
"author_id": 5760,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5760",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is a completely personal decision. Is it ethical? Sure. People audit courses for all kinds of reasons. You're not the first person that has needed to get references so if you want to do that then just make sure that you're ready to give that course 110% to ensure that you get a 'good' reference. </p>\n\n<p>There is, however, another implied question in your post: 'If I just go back for one class to get a reference will it have any value?'. Again, this is highly subjective. </p>\n\n<p>(and here is why I didn't flag this question as being off topic)\nYour references should provide the admissions board with enough relevant information about your work, accomplishments, intellect, and character, to support your admission to the program. Taking one class, after a long academic absence, does not provide any frame of reference for your professor to make these types of assertions about you. You may find it better to solicit references from managers or people that you've done research with. Those people have the context to make a legitimate assessment of you and your work. </p>\n\n<p>At the very least you should consider how your references support each other. If you need to have an academic reference and you don't have access to your previous references then taking a class to get one should be fine, just don't forget to support that as appropriate. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/13 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7985",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6003/"
]
|
7,997 | <p>I'm in the following situation: In 3 months, I'll finish my PhD in theoretical physics, and I'm certain that I want to pursue an academic career. However, I'm just as certain that my PhD research is a dead end. (My advisor doesn't think so, but I disagree with him.) Thus, I seek to change the direction of my research, but I need a few months to obtain the necessary skills. Anyway, I missed the main application period for post-doc positions (in the US).</p>
<p><strong>Given the following options (feel free to expand this list), which do you think provides the best perspective of leading me to a interesting post-doc position?</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Finish my PhD. Get any post-doc position. Do the work I'm required to do there. Work hard in my spare time to teach myself the stuff I want to. After 1-2 years, find a post-doc position I'm really interested in.</li>
<li>Finish my PhD. Get a well-paying job in the software industry. Do the work I'm required to do there. Work hard in my spare time to teach myself the stuff I want to. Work harder to keep publishing papers. After one year, find a post-doc position I'm really interested in.</li>
<li>Abort my current work. Find a new subject and a new PhD advisor.</li>
<li>Live on unemployment money as long as possible. Work hard in my spare time to teach myself the stuff I want to. Work harder to keep publishing papers. After one year, find a post-doc position I'm really interested in.</li>
</ol>
<p>Pros:</p>
<ol>
<li>Get the PhD title sooner. Stay in the scientific community.</li>
<li>Get the PhD title sooner. Earn lots of money (6 figure). In a 9-to-5 job, have more spare time for private research than on a post-doc position, where work is never finished. Go to a foreign country.</li>
<li>It's what I should've done 2 years ago. I'll have the education I want when I finish my PhD, not later (but be older anyway).</li>
<li>No immediate advantages over the other options.</li>
</ol>
<p>Cons:</p>
<ol>
<li>If a logical continuation of my PhD work, I'll suffer from demotivation. My next advisor will not want me to work on other topics that I'm not paid for. Might have to stay for 2 years.</li>
<li>I'll move out of the scientific community for some time. I know it's hard to get back in.</li>
<li>I'll be even older when I finally get my PhD. Not sure if I would find another advisor. Open fight with my current advisor.</li>
<li>I don't want to live on unemployment money for long.</li>
</ol>
<p>A particular question concerning the options above: <strong>Does being out of academia for a year kill your prospects of obtaining a postdoc position later?</strong></p>
<p>I do have some collaborators who will help me to keep publishing, provided that I put enough work into my research. Also, I'm willing to familiarize myself with other topics on my own (a prerequisite for an academic career anyway).</p>
<p>The next application period will be from October to December 2013, which isn't far away. I'm sure I'll have most of the skills I want by then (and a paper published proving that), but still would have to work until summer 2014 wherever I am applying now.</p>
<p>Please give me honest answers, even if they hurt. I'll provide more information as soon as possible, if anyone has questions.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 7998,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my experience, when you start a post-doc, you will start working on a topic that is rather different from what you did in your PhD. This is often simply the case because you will be working for someone new who has different research objectives. Some shifting of topic is not only permitted, it is required.</p>\n\n<p>For example, in computer science, if you did your PhD on programming languages you could continue your post-doc research on another aspect of programming languages, though it would be less likely that you could do a post-doc in machine learning.</p>\n\n<p>Think broadly about what your skill set is and be willing to learn new skills on the job when you start a post-doc. Your new boss will expect that you know how to perform research (at a high level), though s/he will generally not expect that you know every single detail about the research you will be employed to do.</p>\n\n<p>Regarding the application position for post-doc positions. In Europe, for example, these are heavily tied to various funding bodies, and in my experience, these are available (at different places) pretty much all year round. The season(s) for each country will vary.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8001,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Some postdoctoral advisors have a policy of intentionally making their postdocs do something radically different from their previous experience. I know that was certainly the case with my postdoc—I had to start on a brand new technique and a completely different problem than the one I was expecting to work on!</p>\n\n<p>So, there really is no problem with jumping into a new field, if you find the right advisor. I also don't believe that there's an absolute \"window\"—some people may still have spots available; it's a question of being the right fit for the right project with the right advisor.</p>\n\n<p>You might also have some other options available to you at your current department—is it possible that they can keep you on as an instructor? That way, you could have a little bit more of a cushion to look for your postdoctoral position, while not having to worry about having to take a job out of total desperation.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8003,
"author": "Chris Gregg",
"author_id": 4461,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4461",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>As one of my advisors once told me,</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The best dissertation is one that is written.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Tongue-and-cheek as it may be, I would strongly advise finishing up your PhD first, especially if you can do it in three months. If you have doubts about whether your committee will approve your work, then you should be having that conversation very frequently (at least once a week, if not more) with the committee members that you think will have an issue with the work.</p>\n<p>If you are indeed "certain [you] want to pursue an academic career," choice (2) may be the hardest path. I've known a number of people who were certain they wanted to move back into academia after working in industry, but they didn't publish enough once they had a full-time non-academic job, and they weren't competitive for future academic positions.</p>\n<p>Choice (3) would be a soul-killer if I were in that position. To see the finish line three months away and then scrap it for 2-3 more years of work? Not for me.</p>\n<p>Choice (4) would probably be the worst decision -- every day you stay unemployed lessens the chance someone would eventually hire you (although maybe there are a ton of post-docs in your field). Proving that you've learned these things on your own is difficult, although you would have more time to publish (but will you have a university association still?).</p>\n<p>Tough choices all around, but I suggest finishing up the PhD at least.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/14 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7997",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5997/"
]
|
8,002 | <h2>Question:</h2>
<p><em><strong>Are there any guidelines, sources, or examples of good practices for maintaining theorist's research notebook?</em></strong></p>
<h2>Motivation and context:</h2>
<p>Maintaining a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lab_notebook">lab notebook</a> is a much advised (if not a vital) tool for doing research. Many do that nowadays also in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_lab_notebook">electronic form</a>. While the methods for writing and maintaining a labbook might differ in details, in "dirty-hands" (no offense!) experimental, or field disciplines, the basics are relatively straightforward and clear. The advice tends to boil down to keep a labbook per single topic one works on and then record all the experiments and thoughts related to those experiments into the notebook. Simplifying a lot, in the end, the researcher (team) would compile a paper from the notes in the notebook.</p>
<p>Now situation of a researcher in a more theoretical discipline is strikingly different. Usually one engages in research on several topics at the same time. The problems a researcher works on are often intertwined and one's view on them changes over time, often merging originally separate streams of thought into a single one, or vice-versa. The work revolves not around experiments which would have a clear objective, but rather around currently prepared papers and then "a cloud of ideas". In summary, theorist's workstyle tends to be very non-linear. Maintaining some kind of a notebook is still a good thing, if for nothing else, then for not forgetting about stuff. My question is about how to go about doing it.</p>
<p>I am after a practical tool helping me to <em>archive</em> my thought process for <em>long-term</em>, as well as efficiently <em>manage</em> and <em>keep an overview</em> of the evolution of the several interacting topics I engage in.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8005,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I cannot say that this is the perfect way to do it, but I'll cover how <em>I</em> do it.</p>\n\n<p>Background on my perspective: I'm a mathematical/theoretical epidemiologist who came up not through applied math or one of the related fields, but through a circuitous route from laboratory biology. So, as far as I can remember, Science Is Done In Lab Notebooks.</p>\n\n<p>A couple work patterns I've developed:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>My lab notebooks are actually notebooks. I experimented with a Wiki for awhile, and just using something like EverNote, but I found they didn't work for me. They didn't capture the same feeling of permanent documentation, and freedom of notation. So now I use notebooks from <a href=\"http://www.blacknred.com\">Black and Red</a>. Mainly because the generic black-and-white composition books remind me too much of undergrad.</li>\n<li>Like wet-lab science, I keep one notebook per topic - but to address your problems, I tend to broaden the topics. A particular focused project (like something I'm being hired to consult for, or a one-year RA, etc.) gets its own notebook. Projects involving the modeling of a particular type of disease all get a notebook. Side projects involving a different aspect of theory...you guessed it, get a notebook. I've also got a small notebook that is literally \"random musings and paper ideas\". So rather than one lab notebook, I have several. These are identified in ways that are sometimes logical (a GitHub sticker on the very code-heavy project book) and governed by whimsey.</li>\n<li><strong>Always have the book out</strong>. Just like a wet-lab notebook, if you're working on a project, you should have the book out. Don't be afraid to write random musings. If you've done some math in your head, <em>write it down</em>. See also diagrams and sketches. Print stuff out and tape it in the notebook, just like one might do pictures of a gel or western blot. In the notebook currently on my desk, I've got several graphs, and even a printout of a question over at CrossValidated that makes up some portion of my thoughts at that point.</li>\n<li>Reference yourself. Occasionally, as you've noted, ideas cross-polinate. I page number all my lab notebooks, so occasionally I will end up referencing myself. \"See Lab Notebook X, Page 47.\"</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8070,
"author": "rfle500",
"author_id": 4503,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4503",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is a problem I struggled with for three years. My background is computational physics, and like you I have many active projects at any one time. My work involves three main activities: scientific research, software development and paper writing.</p>\n<p>During my first post-doc position of three years duration, I managed to come up with many different ideas for research and features for the software package I was developing, but simply lacked the time to progress with them all. I flitted from one to another, trying to devote a little bit of time to each idea, but never making real progress on most. I also never kept a proper lab book, just having a directory on my computer for each project. This meant that I often left work untouched for weeks, and couldn't remember what I did last, often having to rely on time stamps to see which data was newest - very unsatisfactory indeed.</p>\n<p>However, I recently made two changes which have made a massive difference to my ability to effectively deal with many projects. The first is dedicating large blocks of time (3 hours generally) to a single project and focussing on that one task exclusively - no email, no meetings, no Internet if I can avoid it. The other change is setting out a master plan for each month. I prioritise the best quality ideas and time critical work such as project reports, conference abstracts and talks. Other projects are put off until I have free time or they develop into something better, at which point it becomes a priority anyway.</p>\n<p>My tool of choice from a practical perspective is Evernote. The ability to group collections of notes and restructure/combine them as needed is crucial to dealing with many related ideas which may converge or diverge at different points in time. Also when I finish a block of work on a project I religiously add my thoughts and results to the lab book, so that next time I come back to it (which potentially could be weeks or months hence), I know exactly where I got to. I also refer to specific directories on my computer so that I can always recreate the data/figures at a later date, without having to hunt for the right directory.</p>\n<p>When I have a new idea I start a new notebook under Research, which contains a few bullet points about the idea - enough that I can recreate the thought should I completely forget about it (it happens!). Later I will usually come back and add a project plan, from which point things are usually pretty linear. Given each idea/project has its own directory of notes, I always have an overview of what is going on, while the linear series of notes catalogues the thought processes and data. Using this approach I find it much easier to keep control of my research and its direction, and I am much happier and productive for it.</p>\n<p>For me an electronic lab book is essential. As others have mentioned if you travel a lot then physical notebooks are suboptimal. I still have a book for quick notes and equations, but they get typed into the lab book/LateX as soon as I get to the computer. Although my lab book is currently quite small, as it grows I want to be able to search for data and text. There is of course a potential downside with my current solution - it relies exclusively on the existence of Evernote. If the company fails for some reason then I potentially lose all my notes (since they are hosted on their servers). I am always on the lookout for new software which does the same thing, and preferably open source which takes away the heavy reliance on a single commercial entity.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8075,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>First, the fact that you're asking the question is already a good step forward. Being a researcher is about managing ideas and data, and some researchers don't fully recognize it!</em></p>\n<hr />\n<p>After a few years as a researcher in theoretical chemistry (all computer, no wet lab), I have seen pretty much every kind of notebook possible:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Single notebook documenting your progression linearly. I started with that, it hurt a lot.</li>\n<li>No notebook, everything in files: put a 00README file in each topic/subtopic directory, then simply write in there to document your progress. In meetings, either type directly (if you have a mobile device) or write meeting notes then scan them.</li>\n<li>Thematic notebooks (well described in other answers).</li>\n</ul>\n<p>What you need is <strong>something that works for you</strong>. Draw inspiration from the examples above, the other answers, and <em>try it!</em> If at first you don't succeed, change the way you do, identify things that prevent you from fully using the workflow you set out to.</p>\n<p>In particular, important factors to be considered are: <em><strong>how much do you travel? where do you work from?</strong></em> For me, thematic notebooks are a no-go because I work from the office, work from home, work from conferences, work from hotels and planes, work from vacation (<em>I know, I know…</em>). Thus, I can't carry around 5 or 10 notebooks.</p>\n<p>To be honest, the combination I have seen used very efficiently (by me or people around me) is:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>One single “take everywhere” notebook</strong> (I make it a <a href=\"http://www.moleskine.com/en/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Moleskine</a>: because it feels special, it makes me <em>want</em> to write in it). Each lasts about a year. They are organized as follow:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>at the back, few pages reserved for key information (important dates we set, strategic research decision, contact numbers for project leads, that very funny quote that had me laughing throughout an entire hour)</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>at the back, just before that: a few pages <em>per project</em>, with very high-level tracking of the progress (I write about one line or two per week, when the project is running). This allows me to remember</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>from the front: everything else, chronologically but clearly dated and labeled. Notes during meetings, notes about important stuff running and its analysis when it has finished running, etc.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>everything else (long math derivations, paragraphs of text I started to write, full meeting minutes, detailed graphs): electronically</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You can further refine: a colleague of mine uses small colored sticky index-tabs on the top of the notebook to index the content that turns out to be the most important (important results on each project, color-coded). I cannot force myself to do that, but I must admit that it really helps her access older information quickly.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8094,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>(Supplementing <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/8075/49\">F'x's answer</a>.)</p>\n\n<h2>Physical notebook</h2>\n\n<p>I use it all the time, as it is the quickest way to write mathematics and jot diagrams. It's low tech, so it's \"always on\" (e.g. I cannot run out of batteries). </p>\n\n<p>I have one A4 notebook (so I take it anywhere), with removable pages.</p>\n\n<p>I try to devote a single page only to a single project. On each page I note 3 things:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>date,</li>\n<li>title (or, actually, a pictogram) of the project,</li>\n<li>\"page number\" for pages on the same project in a given day.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>After some time (could be the same day, could be never) I take off pages, to fit them into thematic folders (and usually throwing away most of things, because they are \"non-recyclable\" rubbish; if it is \"recyclable\" then I scrap the important things, writing them on a new page).</p>\n\n<p>However, such operation has trade-offs:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>(+) sorted by topic,</li>\n<li>(+) higher valuable content density,</li>\n<li>(+) can be viewed \"all at once\" by putting pages on a desktop,</li>\n<li>(-) I cannot take all of them anymore,</li>\n<li>(-) it's somehow easier to loose it, unsort, or torn/coffee split/... it.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h2>Electronic notes</h2>\n\n<p>Electronic content is much more linkable, searchable, easier to share, more polished etc. However, it takes much more time to write formulas or draw diagrams.</p>\n\n<p>Different things work for different people, but some kind of personal wiki (or a well-organized text file system) seems to work the best.</p>\n\n<p>I'm not settled down, but I'm switching from <a href=\"http://tiddlywiki.org/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">TiddlyWiki</a> (very neat but requires a browser to run) to <a href=\"http://gitit.net/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Gitit</a> (so I can write in Markdown, with LaTeX inclusions, in any text editor).</p>\n\n<p>I tried <a href=\"http://evernote.com\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Evernote</a> as well (and I'm using it for other content) but for highly-linked content it does not work for me.</p>\n\n<p>See also:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://mathoverflow.net/questions/1785/how-do-you-keep-your-research-notes-organized-closed\">How do you keep your research notes organized? - MathOverflow</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/109/non-linear-note-taking-software\">Is there any efficient non-linear note-taking software?</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1085/software-app-for-electronic-research-notebooks\">Software/App for electronic research notebooks</a></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 11303,
"author": "New Alexandria",
"author_id": 3962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3962",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you lab notebook could be used to document a <strong>patent-able device or process</strong> then you <em>must</em> use a stitched notebook with numbered pages, <em>and do not remove the pages</em>.</p>\n\n<p><em>Even under the first-to-file rules</em>, some cases can draw on the history of notes and creative documentation. (e.g. same claims on the same day)</p>\n\n<p>As annoying as this is for modern methods (hyperlinked docs, etc), there is no alternative yet. </p>\n\n<p>(Source, a 20yr patent attorney's career)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 71321,
"author": "Naomi Nascimento",
"author_id": 56645,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/56645",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I few years ago I moved to MacOS and discovered a journaling program called Day One. My journal is automatically backed up to a server. You can have one journal per topic, or use tags to identify research projects within a single \"research\" journal. Many of my thoughts apply to more than one project, so I use tags and one journal.</p>\n\n<p>Perhaps the most important feature is that there are apps for iPhone and iPad, and you can add pictures to the journal. So, when I am talking to someone and she writes something on the board, I can take a picture and add it to a journal entry. I can also take a picture of a calculation I do on paper, or export a mind map (I love Inspiration mind-mapping software) to an image and import that into the journal entry.</p>\n\n<p>I also have great ideas while jogging in the park, at the gym, driving to work, and I can add them to my journal from my phone. I can add longer notes using my iPad when at a conference.</p>\n\n<p>Since it is journaling software, everything is organized in date order, but you can click on a tag to see just the entries with that tag. I don't know how I lived without it.</p>\n\n<p>You can export your journal to pdf for extra backup or sharing.</p>\n\n<p>There might be something for Windows too (not OneNote, which is more like a Wiki). I had problems with EverNote losing my notes, never to be found again.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 179146,
"author": "Sophie MacDonald",
"author_id": 70756,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/70756",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm a PhD student in mathematics, and I am finding a physical research notebook to be very helpful as a "clearinghouse" between (1) my research scratch notes, which are very messy and usually on the back of paper that has been used for something else, and (2) my typeset notes or code. I first work out a proof/calculation/algorithm on scratch paper, probably scattered all over my desk. Then, once I feel that a given proof is ready to write up, I write it out carefully in my notebook. In the process, I often discover gaps or inefficiencies in my scratch work.</p>\n<p>I do something similar if I'm reading a paper and writing my own interpretation of what I find there (e.g. if someone gives a constructive proof and I want to turn it into pseudocode, or if they prove something in a general form and I only need a special case). The notes I make while reading will be on scratch paper, often on the printout of whatever I'm reading, and then what goes in the notebook is my takeaway, ready to consult later.</p>\n<p>I don't try to keep different notebooks for different projects -- my two or three projects bleed into each other enough that trying to separate them wouldn't be worth it.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/14 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8002",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1265/"
]
|
8,006 | <p>As a <strong>Tenured Full Professor</strong> and given your long experience in Academia, what valuable lessons have you learned over the years that you wish somebody had shared with you earlier when you started as an Assistant Professor? Given these experiences what would you do differently if you had the chance?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8010,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Learn how to say <strong>NO</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>It is very easy to say yes to every PC invitation, every paper collaboration, every committee, every this and every that. But this spreads your time too thin and means that you perform far less than optimally at everything you do. Ultimately, work encroaches too much on family time, and life becomes less enjoyable. </p>\n\n<p>Also, learn how to teach properly. Take a teaching course or two. It will make your job easier and increase the amount you enjoy teaching.</p>\n\n<p>See also: <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/3327/what-is-expected-of-a-postdoc/3328#3328\">What is expected of a postdoc?</a>. Many of my comments there are applicable.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8044,
"author": "Fuhrmanator",
"author_id": 3859,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3859",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<h3>You do not have to accept responsibility without appropriate authority.</h3>\n<p>It's a classic problem in any organization, and it's related to <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/8010/3859\">Dave Clarke's answer</a>. Some concrete examples:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rather than extend the deadline for homework when the bookstore doesn't have enough copies of the course textbook, give the students the email of the manager of the bookstore so they can write him directly about their situation.</li>\n<li>Rather than ask meekly for a bigger classroom when there aren't enough seats for the 47 students enrolled in your class, give the email of the department coordinator who's responsible for assigning classrooms and say this is the person to whom you should vent your unhappiness.</li>\n<li>Rather than teach a course that is watered down because it has no prerequisites, teach to the higher level students and explain clearly in the syllabus what you expect people to know. If students complain, explain to them your predicament (if you teach the basics, half the class will feel they wasted their experience). Students have more power to change an academic program by organized, constructive complaining than a non-tenured professor.</li>\n<li>If the department chair doesn't involve you in selecting TAs for the course you are responsible for, and students are not happy about the quality of the TA (or the TA hounds you for a lot of help because he wasn't qualified to teach the course), encourage the chair to allow you to be involved in the selection process (refer to the principle of authority and responsibility).</li>\n<li>If you're asked to be on a committee, insist that the committee have a clear mission that's feasible within the authority of its members. If a mission cannot be clarified or you can't identify with the mission, then minimize the amount of time/energy you put into it.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8091,
"author": "Irwin",
"author_id": 5944,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5944",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>While on the interview circuit I ask this question of almost every faculty member I meet with: \"What advice would you give to a new assistant professor who's starting up?\"</p>\n\n<p>Here are some of the universal, non-conflicting advice I've heard.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Put enough time into your teaching to do an adequate job, not an excellent job. Save the rest of the time for research. It was emphasized that you want to teach courses that involve the minimum amount of preparation as well. You can have a tenure case stopped in its track for poor, unacceptable teaching, so you want to ensure that it's maintained to a minimum standard, but it is rare to have a weak research program that's propped up by teaching excellence. (Yes, it's somewhat unfortunate that this is the state of things in the United States's higher education, but that's the culture). </p></li>\n<li><p>Develop your research program so that it is deep, rather than spreading out into too many research areas peripheral to your main research. Stay focused and specialize first.</p></li>\n<li><p>Be aware of how you select students and especially how the department selects students. This varies from department to department, but in general I was given advice to be reasonably careful when choosing students, and to consult with other faculty members to see if others know the student who's looking for an advisor.</p></li>\n<li><p>One faculty member I spoke with mentioned concern about getting all of the hardware set up (for computer science), and mentioned that was something that took a little longer than expected, so have a contingency plan to continue research while your own hardware's going through purchasing. This faculty member used another faculty member's cluster until he got his own up and running.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8158,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Can I give advice as a former Assistant Professor who did not get tenure? Here is where I went wrong:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Be quick to change. It takes a lot of time to change into a new field. If you feel you may need to do this to secure more funding, don't delay. Make time to continually evolve. Sticking to one thing may have taken you to where you are now, but successful academicians are continually branching into new fields and collaborations.</li>\n<li>Collaborate early and often in your career. Do not isolate yourself (and be careful going to a department where you are the only person doing what you do). You will need collaborators to get consistent funding.</li>\n<li>Hire the best graduate students and postdocs. It's tough when you're new, because you feel like you have to grab the first student that expresses any interest. The problem is you may waste more time and money training a bad student than it's worth in the end. The difference between a success and a failure in academia often hinges on getting the right trainees. Do not underestimate the importance of this.</li>\n<li>Don't worry about teaching for your first few years. Do as little as possible. Same goes for service (i.e. committees). Most departments will give you a break your first few years anyway, but some make the mistake of volunteering time they really should be spending on research and securing funding.</li>\n<li>Learn how to play the game. A lot of the effort to getting funding these days is about marketing yourself and your projects. Figure this out early. Why should people care about what you're doing? Why do you deserve this million dollar grant? Not everyone is trying to cure cancer, but you need to be able to justify your research to anyone. You need to be able to generate excitement about your research.</li>\n<li>Think long-term in addition to short-term. There are short-term goals everyone has to accomplish, but make sure your long-term strategy makes sense for your chosen career path.</li>\n<li>Figure out what you're good at. Before you become a professor, everyone is always patting you on the back, but that's before there's real money at stake. When you start to apply for $1M grants, you need to be an expert in your field. One of my biggest issues was I tried to do a little bit of everything, but in the end, I wasn't a true expert in anything.</li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8006",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467/"
]
|
8,012 | <p>I reviewed an article and submitted my review along with a short letter to the editor. As a service the journal permits to see the decision letter and the other review. However, I am also able to see the other reviewers' letter to the editor, which is signed with a name. My own short letter to the editor I did not sign with my name.</p>
<p>Is this supposed to be? If not, should I do anything in particular if I do find out by accident?</p>
<p>The issue is somewhat addressed in some of the answers for the question <em><a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/1609/1033">Are reviewers allowed to discuss their review with each other?</a></em>. <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/1611/1033">One answer</a> states <em>you're not meant to find out</em>, while <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/1910/1033">another one</a> states <em>once you've submitted your own review, it is normal to know who the other reviewers are and be able to see their reviews</em>. There are two different issues here:</p>
<ol>
<li>Knowing the other reviewers' identity <em>during</em> the reviewing process.</li>
<li>Knowing the other reviewers' identity <em>after</em> the reviewing process.</li>
</ol>
<p>Is case (2) normal?</p>
<p><strong>Edit:</strong> I might add that the policy of the journal is <em>not</em> a double-blind: the full list of authors and affiliations of the manuscript were purposefully disclosed to the reviewers.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8013,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>No</strong>, its not normal to know who the other reviewers are if the journal has a <strong>double-blind</strong> review policy ( my background is Engineering disciplines, might be different in other fields). </p>\n\n<p>What I have experienced in the double-blind review process both as a reviewer and the author:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Knowing the other reviewers' identity during the reviewing process? <strong>NO</strong>, not normal.</p></li>\n<li><p>Knowing the other reviewers' identity after the reviewing process? <strong>NO</strong>, not normal.</p></li>\n<li><p>Knowing whether the editor accepted or reject the paper? <strong>NO</strong> (a very good practice as I have learned).</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8014,
"author": "StasK",
"author_id": 739,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/739",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is no good answer to that, and that's once again an example where the answer is discipline-specific. Many disciplines insist on double-blind review: the reviewer does not know who the author is, and the author does not know who the referees are. (Of course, in most specific enough topics, you hit a circle of about ten people who understand a given topic, and you kinda figure out whose paper it is even without googling it; likewise, you can often figure out the reviewers from their suggestion to cite their work.) Some disciplines, or some journals, just send you the original submission with the author's name on it. Some journals disclose the names of the referees after the paper is accepted, but they would warn you of that. Most journals would publish a thank-you list of all the referees in the past year in the last issue of the year.</p>\n\n<p>Now, some interesting twists. I had a referee from a math department contact me directly with his opinion on my paper that was submitted to a psychology journal. Now, psychology is very tight-lipped, and it was on a boundary of a scandal for the journal. But this seemed to be the standard and natural practice in the home field of the referee. Moreover, on some mathematicians CVs, I have seen not only the papers authored, but also the papers reviewed, so it's the opposite of double-blind.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8024,
"author": "silvado",
"author_id": 3890,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3890",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Generally, reviewers are not supposed to learn the identity of other reviewers for the same submission. As mentioned in the comment by David Ketcheson, this looks like an error from the journal's side. It could also be the other reviewer's error, if he typed his letter to the editor into the wrong field - but the journal should have checked this before letting other reviewers see it.</p>\n\n<p>In general, I never heard of reviewer names or their letters to the editor being revealed to another reviewer for the same submission. In my field, the letter to the editor is often described as \"Confidential comments to the editor\", and I always interpreted this as only the editor being allowed to see these comments. It is common though in many publication venues that as a reviewer, you get to see the other reviews for the same submission - but always <strong>after</strong> you submit your review and surely without the reviewers' names being shown.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8064,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is normally no process to inform reviewers of their respective reports. Some journals may relate back the editor verdict based on the reviewers' comments to the reviewers but not even that is commonplace. In journals with an open discussion format (see e.g. Copernicus' journals), reviewers may become aware of each other and certainly read each other's reviews after they have been posted. But, as long as reviewers are allowed to be anonymous, it is unlikely that journals will adopt such an exchange. It does not appear as if electronic submission systems have such structures built-in (not the ones I have been involved with). To keep reviewers unknown to each other and keep their review reports "secret" until the review is done is of course sound since it ensures independent reviews.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 176507,
"author": "Andreas Blass",
"author_id": 14506,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14506",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I've experienced big differences between mathematics and theoretical computer science, despite the closeness of the two fields and the overlap of the two communities.</p>\n<p>In mathematics, papers are normally submitted to journals. (Conferences are useful for many purposes but are not important publication venues.) Journals usually have just a single referee for a paper, but even when a paper has several referees, they don't learn each other's identities nor do they see each other's reports (except in very special cases).</p>\n<p>In theoretical computer science, the top conferences are the important publication venues. Papers (or more precisely "extended abstracts" of 12 to 15 pages) are assigned several referees (members of the program committee, who may sub-contract the refereeing job to others if they wish). After submitting a report on a paper, a referee gets access to the names and the reports of the other referees. Members of the program committee who are not assigned to referee a particular paper get (as far as I know) access to the referees' identities and reports as soon as these are entered into the system. (In all the cases I've been involved with, "the system" is the conference management software EasyChair.)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8012",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033/"
]
|
8,019 | <p>I have lots of research papers, but can I tell which of them are peer-reviewed. Also, on Google Scholar, is there any way of finding only peer-reviewed articles?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8020,
"author": "Paul Hiemstra",
"author_id": 4091,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4091",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If the journal is listed by <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Scientific_Information\">ISI</a>, it has an impact factor and the chance is high the journal is peer reviewed. </p>\n\n<p>In addition, proprietary search engines like Scopus seem to be more critical to its sources. Google Scholar picks up more, e.g. also the deliverable report I wrote for an EU project, which is not a reviewed paper. Using something like Scopus thus, imo, increases the chance of finding reputable journals. This comes however at a hefty fee, although is probably paid already by the institute.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8021,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The cynical answer is that in borderline cases it's impossible to be certain what is peer-reviewed without a lot of investigation. Fraudulent journals claim to be performing peer review, and it's hard to disprove their claims (you have to distinguish between no peer review, incompetent or corrupt peer review, and genuine peer review with a very low requirement for how interesting the papers have to be). Sometimes someone gets a clearly absurd paper accepted (see <a href=\"http://pdos.csail.mit.edu/scigen/\">SCIgen</a> and follow-up projects such as <a href=\"http://thatsmathematics.com/blog/archives/185\">Mathgen</a>), in which case we know something is terribly wrong. However, there are other cases where we just don't know for sure, even though nobody really trusts the journal. It takes a lot of work to investigate, and there are tons of ridiculous \"journals\" operating on the web, so nobody has the time or energy to look into every case.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, this doesn't come up except with pretty weird journals. Everyone working in a field has a pretty good idea of which organizations and journals are reputable; if an expert doesn't know what to make of a given journal, then that's a bad sign. I don't know of any systematic way to make this judgment other than based on experience and mentoring, although <a href=\"http://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/\">Beall's list</a> is a useful tool to flag highly questionable publishers.</p>\n\n<p>In particular, I know of no automated tool to do searches only for peer-reviewed articles, and I see no prospects for building a reliable tool of this sort (given that some publishers are simply lying).</p>\n\n<p>This makes the situation sound much worse than it is. I've never run across a paper I was even remotely interested in where I had any doubt about its peer review status. However, it's a hard problem if you go dredging through junk journals.</p>\n\n<p>Incidentally, in mathematics it would be a bad idea to limit your reading to peer-reviewed articles. Preprints are not yet peer reviewed, and if you ignore them until they are formally published, you may never catch up to the state of the art.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8019",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6017/"
]
|
8,023 | <p>I have finished my PhD and am currently a postdoc. Since receiving my PhD, I have not worked with my PhD advisor. I am planning to apply for jobs for after I finish my postdoc — mostly tenured-track positions.</p>
<p>I am considering not asking my PhD advisor for a letter of recommendation. I feel this might be appropriate because I plan to ask my postdoc advisor to write a letter, because my PhD advisor may not have kept up with my current research, because my coauthors know my work better, and for other reasons.</p>
<p>What are the pros and cons of not having my PhD advisor as a letter writer?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8025,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The only time that you shouldn't ask for a letter of recommendation from your PhD advisor is when you are <em>not allowed to</em> ask for one. This is not often the case, but it does arise in a few instances. The best-known one I can think of is that in Germany a <em>Doktorvater</em> (supervisor) is not allowed to write a letter of recommendation in support of an applicant whose PhD he supervised. </p>\n\n<p>Other than that, you should have your PhD advisor write a letter; it is expected by just about everyone that the supervisor <strong>will</strong> write a letter, and it will definitely raise questions for you if you do <strong>not</strong> submit such a letter. If there is a particularly compelling reason, then, you should have that well in hand at the time when you are writing your applications. Otherwise, you'll have a lot more explaining to do, and probably a lot of potential postdoc supervisors may not even bother giving your application a second look.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8028,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>You should ask your supervisor for a letter.</p>\n<p>Not having your supervisor write a letter is going to raise red flags. People are going to ask themselves, <em>why isn't this candidate's thesis supervisor writing a letter?</em> If you don't have a letter, you need to answer that question. Unless there's a very good reason to not have that letter, I think that it's better to avoid the question altogether. The reasons you've given so far do not seem good enough to me.</p>\n<p>You suggested that (1) there may be more appropriate letter writers and that (2) your advisor might not be up-to-date on your current research.</p>\n<p>I think these are not good enough reasons to not ask your thesis supervisor to write a letter and I think you can easily address these concerns:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>You <em>should also</em> ask your postdoc supervisor to write you a letter. Not doing so will also raise red flags for similar reasons. If there are other great letter writers, ask them as well. For the tenure-track jobs I applied to, each expected <em>three or more</em> letters. There's room for everybody.</p>\n<p>You can prioritize the more important or relevant letters. In your cover letter, it is normal to list the names of people writing you letters and it is normal to list those names in the order that you want them to be viewed. You can also specify in the letter which letters reflect more recent relationships, closer collaborations, or relationships closer to the core of your current research efforts.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>It is not a critical problem if your advisor is not up to date on your current work. Presumably, their letter will talk the work that they know about and about your qualities as a researcher, colleague, and person that will not change. Also, you can point your advisor to or summarize the work you've done more recently.</p>\n<p>I provided a copy of a draft cover letter, research statement, and teaching statement to each of my letter writers so that they could see how I was pitching and framing my work. I didn't do this because we were out of touch, but it seems like something similar would help address your concern.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8033,
"author": "Noah Snyder",
"author_id": 25,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/25",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I wanted to reemphasize something that Benjamin said in passing. If they're asking for n letters, they mean at least n letters. So asking your advisor for a letter doesn't mean that you'd need to not ask the other people. Ask your advisor for a letter and ask the other people who know your current work better for letters.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8023",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6019/"
]
|
8,026 | <h3>Background</h3>
<p>I was ignorant as an undergraduate and didn't focus heavily in any specific area. I finally graduated with a single math/computer science degree that consisted of 5 math classes beyond multivariable calculus and a few relatively basic computer science classes (algorithm analysis, SQL database design, etc.). My only research experience is in economics.</p>
<p>Now, I work at a research institution in economics where I primarily write Stata/MATLAB code.</p>
<h3>Question</h3>
<p>I'd like to get more mathematics under my belt over the next few years in order to either enroll in a PhD program in economics/finance or a M.S. program in finance. What are my options for getting more math experience that I can use in graduate school admissions?</p>
<h3>Options</h3>
<p>These are the options I thought of so far, but I would like to know more if possible.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Study enough courses through a system like Open CourseWare to gain enough experience to enroll in more advanced undergraduate classes part time, which my employer might pay for, and then ideally move into an M.S. program in applied math.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Return to my alma mater for a M.S. degree in math that would at least give me a basis to either move into another math graduate program with higher rankings or a lower-ranked graduate program in the fields of my choice.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Join the Air Force and hopefully take advantage of the GI bill to take more courses somewhere and gain entrance into an M.S. program in applied math.</p>
</li>
<li><p>(Sadly) Forgo advanced mathematics and find a consulting job, which although unpleasant in the field of economics (in my opinion), wouldn't be difficult to obtain given my research background in the field.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Do I have any other options? I also plan to take the GRE subject test in mathematics to prove that I have at least minimal knowledge, regardless of what course I pursue (since many graduate programs will require it).</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8027,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>It sounds like your best bet would be to contact the graduate officers at the economics and finance programs you're interested in attending, and ask them what their minimum entrance requirements are. It's a much more efficient route than just deciding to take more math courses, and spending significant time, energy, and money on a quixotic goal.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8030,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are several schools that offer a post-baccalaureate or \"postbac\" program in mathematics. These are typically one-year programs intended for students in precisely your situation: interested in pursuing graduate study, but lacking sufficient preparation from their undergraduate degrees. </p>\n\n<p>Here are the top few I saw when googling \"math postbac\": </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><a href=\"http://www.math.smith.edu/center/postbac.php\">Smith College</a> (aimed at women)</p></li>\n<li><p><a href=\"http://departments.columbian.gwu.edu/math/certificates/postbaccalaureate\">George Washington University</a> (transitioning to a similar \"Graduate Certificate Program\")</p></li>\n<li><p><a href=\"http://www.iuk.edu/academics/majors/science/graduate-programs/pbc-mathematics/index.shtml\">Indiana University Kokomo</a></p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14910,
"author": "Hedge Fund",
"author_id": 10098,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10098",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You could enter a mathematical finance masters or a financial engineering masters. There are also math masters designed for non-math majors, but I would find it hard to enter a straight math masters without a math major.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 75092,
"author": "MikeP",
"author_id": 51610,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/51610",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my experience...<br>\nI needed a few business classes before I'd qualify to apply for the MBA. So, I simply took a few business classes, after my BS. Then, I had all of the undergrad requirements for the MBA program. </p>\n\n<p>Figure out which advanced degree you want, find out the pre-requisites, and you should be able to take them, either at your undergrad college, where you want to go to grad school, or even somewhere else, or online. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 75108,
"author": "yoyostein",
"author_id": 22728,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22728",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Perhaps you could study for the Math subject GRE and use that to support your admission.</p>\n\n<p>I believe admission into Math Masters programs should be quite possible even for someone without a math major undergraduate background. PhD is possible too but harder.</p>\n\n<p>Math masters (self-funded) usually have lower entry requirements than PhD. So you may want to look in that direction first. Possible route is self-funded Masters --> funded PhD.</p>\n\n<p>Also see <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/9439/math-major-and-grad-school-necessary\">Math Major and Grad School -- Necessary?</a> which is related to your question.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/16 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8026",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4317/"
]
|
8,031 | <p>I've been reading papers authored by professor A's PhD students. I have read about a dozen of papers by now, and realized that all of them are <strong>exactly</strong> 10 pages long. These papers were written by different PhD students and they were published in several different venues (very good ones). Is 10 the magic number for paper-length? (at least in professor A's field, which is computer science - human computer interaction)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8032,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Conference papers often have fairly strict page limits; however, there is no uniform consensus even between different conferences in the same field, and certainly not between fields! For example, one fairly extensive series of conference papers (whose conferences I attend semi-regularly) limits contributions to <em>six</em> pages.</p>\n\n<p>Similarly, many journals—such as \"letters\" journals—have even more severe restrictions (four or five pages), while other journals have (seemingly) no page restrictions at all: I've known papers in both engineering and mathematics journals that have gone for 20, 30, or even 40 pages. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8035,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Most American computer science conference papers are precisely 10 pages long, because most ACM conferences have a strict 10-page limit on proceedings papers.</p>\n\n<p>(ACM is the Association for Computing Machinery, the primary professional society for computer science.)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/16 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8031",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/773/"
]
|
8,034 | <p>I am thinking of self funding a PhD in Applied Mathematics at either the University of Oxford or Cambridge. Would employers, both for academic (postdoc etc) and industry (research) jobs think less of a PhD holder if he or she is self funded?</p>
<p>E.g. Would they feel that because I failed to secure funding for their PhD, I am inferior to students who did? Although I am planning to self fund to UK schools, it would be nice to hear about views from across the pond (USA) as well.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8036,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>There's nothing on your CV that needs to indicate exactly how you were supported during your Ph.D. In fact, if you were self-funded, and managed to get an occasional fellowship or other form of support, that's a plus !</p>\n\n<p>All a recruiting committee should (and does) care about post-PhD is the quality of your work (for faculty positions there are additional issues). No one cares about how you were paid to do that work. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8037,
"author": "mako",
"author_id": 5962,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5962",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Self-funding alone need not be visible in your applications and is unlikely to hurt in any case. That said, getting outside funding <em>is</em> likely to help and you should pursue it if you can.</p>\n\n<p>First, it's not clear how any potential employer would know that you were self funded. Although it's normal to list fellowships or funding that you have received, it's just not normal (in my experience) to list the amount of money you received from a particular fellowship/grant unless it was a very public award.</p>\n\n<p>That said, a list of grants, fellowships, and outside funding will help build a stronger CV. One thing many search committees are looking is a demonstrated ability to bring in grants and funding. Although that can be hard to discern in a graduate student/post-doc, the ability to apply for and get student fellowships can bring a little comfort. Being able to point out in your coverletter that you've thought about grants will inspire a little confidence in your application.</p>\n\n<p>But the standard answer to questions of the form \"<em>does x matter for the job market</em>\" still applies. The quality of your work, your publications, your letters, and many other things will weigh <em>much</em> more heavily than the fact that you don't have fellowships that others do.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8051,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In <em>theory</em> I would say self-funding shouldn't hurt your employment chances, as there's not necessarily a reason to report how you were funded as a PhD student.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, I have found that some people who have an external funding source not tied to a particular project/professor/etc. have two major problems:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>It's not particularly urgent that you find a project to fund you, which means there's more time spend exploring, \"finding yourself\", concentrating on classes, etc. This is a double-edged sword - it can slow things down.</li>\n<li>It's hard for any particular professor to \"take ownership\" of you - responsible for funding generally comes along with feeling responsible for other things as well, like your aforementioned progress. There's also less pressure to get involved in the early stages of grant writing, since you don't need to worry about it.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Those aren't necessarily reasons not to self-fund, but it's something to consider. None of those will impact <em>employment</em> chances, but they can effect your experience in ways that have downstream effects.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8063,
"author": "Tara B",
"author_id": 5955,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5955",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First I have a couple of questions, and suggestions for ways to try to avoid self-funding your PhD:</p>\n\n<p>Do you already have a Masters? If not, it could be a better idea to self-fund a one-year research masters and then try for funding for a PhD after that. That would not leave a 'gap' in your CV, except that probably it's actually too late already to apply for next year.</p>\n\n<p>Have you actually applied anywhere else than Oxford and Cambridge for a PhD? If not, that may be the reason you were unable to obtain funding. There are a lot of other very good universities in the UK (which specific ones are the best will depend on your subject), and doing a PhD with funding at one of those would surely be better than doing one without funding at Oxford or Cambridge.\nOr if you were not set on doing your PhD in the UK, you could also choose a country (for example the US or Canada) where PhD students are offered funding as a matter of course. <br>\nBy the way, if you only applied to Oxford and Cambridge, then Noah Snyder's point, which I think is a good one, doesn't really apply, since it's not the case that you couldn't find anyone willing to fund you, it's just that you didn't try enough possibilities.</p>\n\n<p>It may be possible to apply for funding again once you have already commenced your PhD. I know a few people who self-funded their first year and managed to obtain funding for the rest (these were all in the UK). At least one of them is now a lecturer. </p>\n\n<p>In my opinion you should only try this if you can afford to fund the whole PhD (i.e. <em>don't</em> take out a loan for it!), and even then only if you are very passionate about your subject.</p>\n\n<p>Now to my opinion on your actual question:</p>\n\n<p>You needn't mention how your PhD was funded in job applications, but I suppose that in applications for academic jobs in the UK, employers might notice if no funding source is mentioned. I highly doubt this would count against you at all, \nas what is really important for your first job after your PhD is the work you have done in your PhD (although an ability to attract funding <em>is</em> highly valued in academia!).</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/16 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8034",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1190/"
]
|
8,040 | <p>I have been hearing different views about my likelihood of getting accepted into a math graduate program.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Which of the following factors contribute most to the acceptance of a <strong>non-math</strong> undergraduate into a math graduate program (please order them)?</p>
<ol>
<li>GPA </li>
<li>Recommendation letters </li>
<li>Publishing math papers </li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>Since I am an engineering student I only registered basic math courses (such as calculus, linear algebra, etc.). However, I studied a lot of other more advanced courses by myself. My GPA is about 3.5. A lot of people have told me that I need to raise my GPA in order to get accepted into a decent math graduate program and this is worrying me. </p>
<p>Courses that I self-studied: Undergraduate abstract algebra, real analysis (with an introduction to measure theory), first 4 chapters of Munkres' <em>Topology</em>, elementary number theory, graph theory</p>
<p>Courses that I am self studying: Hungerford's abstract algebra, algebraic topology</p>
<p>Courses that I plan to study: algebraic geometry, algebraic number theory, complex analysis.</p>
<p>I also managed to finish 2 math papers. So the question is: </p>
<p>Where do I stand now?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8041,
"author": "Halil Duru",
"author_id": 6025,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6025",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>3,1,2 .\nAnd high GRE (subject) score may help.The content and level of your papers is crucial.\nAnd your goal will determine your chance.By the way ,<a href=\"http://www.mathematicsgre.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">this math-gre website</a> lists many applicant profiles and admission results.\nDefinitely worth a look..</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8042,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Since you are an engineering major who took only the standard math courses, I infer that your overall GPA is driven by your engineering coursework. I don't think that graduate admissions will learn much from your grades in engineering, good or bad. The GPA of 3.5 is not that bad in engineering, especially if (as it seems) your heart was not really in it. </p>\n\n<p>Self-studying is great, but the knowledge acquired from it needs to be evaluated by someone. Acing GRE Math would send a signal that you indeed learned something. If during your studies you kept in touch with math professors in your school, and they know enough about you to write an informed letter full of specifics, that would be even better. </p>\n\n<p>The opinions on undergraduate papers in math are divided: e.g., not everyone considers them a good way to spend time as an undergraduate. I would not expect the admission committees to seriously read papers sent with an application, though they will glance at them. </p>\n\n<p>So, my order is: letters, GRE math, papers, GPA. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8045,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't see this question as being definitively answerable without a lot more information, both about your background and qualifications and about where you are applying. Grad schools differ enormously in their approach to admissions in unusual cases. Some lower-tier schools are eager to take a chance on smart but nontraditional applicants who will be rejected by more prestigious universities. Others have established rigid rules after having had bad experiences with admitted students who had inadequate backrounds or didn't understand what they were getting themselves into.</p>\n\n<p>Regarding grades, keep in mind that the world has seen a lot of grade inflation, and there are startlingly large numbers of applicants with nearly perfect grades. You generally cannot impress an admissions committee by having excellent grades, although poor grades can hurt your chances. Math departments typically care a lot about grades in mathematics and heavily mathematical fields (e.g., theoretical physics or CS), a little about grades in other scientific or engineering fields, and not at all about other grades, except that exceptionally poor grades in any field suggest the applicant is not good at getting things they don't care about done (which is not a good omen for their career). I.e., math departments don't care if you get a B- in history, but getting an F in history could be a problem.</p>\n\n<p>Recommendation letters are absolutely crucial. In my experience they are by far the most important factor: other aspects of the application could hurt your chances even if you get good letters, but those other aspects cannot get you admitted by themselves. If you can't arrange for enthusiastic letters that the admissions committee will trust, then you have no chance at all of being admitted at a higher-ranked school. It's possible that a lower-ranked school might take a chance on you, but as I understand it every graduate program cares a lot about letters.</p>\n\n<p>As for math papers, it's unfortunately not hard to write a near-vacuous or unoriginal paper and get it published somewhere obscure, and carefully evaluating a paper can take a lot of time and effort (refereeing is hard). If you simply list a paper in your application, with no evidence of its quality, then it's unlikely anyone will have the time to investigate carefully. The important thing for graduate admissions is not the publication per se, but rather the research experience that led to it, and you need a letter of recommendation that talks about this research and vouches for it. (In fact, having such a letter can be very valuable even if the research did not lead to a published paper.) This means you need a letter from your supervisor or mentor, or at the very least from someone who has read the paper and knows something about how it came about (for example, someone who can single out your own contribution if you had coauthors). In principle, if you publish in an especially prestigious journal and without senior coauthors, then the journal's high standards might serve as enough of signal of quality by themselves. However, this very rarely happens with undergraduate research.</p>\n\n<p>So in short:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Bad grades could hurt you but good grades won't serve as a strong argument for admission.</p></li>\n<li><p>Recommendation letters are crucial.</p></li>\n<li><p>Research experience could help you get great letters but is very difficult to judge except through the letters.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>However, as I said in the beginning, there are a lot of graduate programs out there, with different approaches to admissions. If all goes well, you'll get strong letters from math faculty and will be admitted in more or less the usual way. Otherwise, you may have to find a school that is willing to take a chance (usually because they have trouble attracting strong students with conventional backgrounds).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8047,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The earlier answers make good points...</p>\n\n<p>And I would say, in your situation, most likely the \"papers\" are of little consequence in admission-or-not, and a 3.5 GPA is fine. No one cares beyond that. <em>Letters</em> matter a great deal when I recommend-or-not admission. What I read <em>first</em>, however, is the personal statement. Do be aware that in many programs there is a dominating impulse to \"mechanize\" admissions, which obviously has difficulty making use of either letters of recommendation or personal statements. But, still, if you explain your interests, your self-study, this can have a huge, repeat <em>huge</em>, impact on admission chances. I suspect you've not had much contact with math faculty in the course of your self-study, so can't get letters from math faculty. (If this is not correct, so much the better!) Letters from engineering faculty about students' mathematical talent are typically nearly worthless, since there seems to be a general tendency for \"engineers\" to believe that \"mathematics\" is \"just a tool\", and that they've mastered it, etc. Nevermind.</p>\n\n<p>But the point is that you should not expect even glowing letters from engineering faculty to have much impact on admission to math grad school, exactly because the prejudices of many engineers are very familiar to mathematicians.</p>\n\n<p>The subject-test GRE may help your chances, and you <em>must</em> take it, because a low-ish score is vastly better than the cluelessness indicated by having no score at all.</p>\n\n<p>But for a person approach mathematics with genuine enthusiasm, but \"belatedly\", the personal statement, explaining unapologetically how you came to your present course, is the most important thing. Very few people choose to self-study mathematics... (although quite a few seem to believe that they have special gifts that require <em>no</em> study...!)</p>\n\n<p>Explain yourself in your personal statement. Get letters from the people who think well of you who have the best idea of what professional mathematics entails.</p>\n\n<p>Edit/addition: very literally, it is best to have letters from people who have been to math grad school themselves, preferably at better places, so have an idea of what that entails. Many or most math grad programs have \"breadth\" requirements apart from the eventual goal of \"original research\"=thesis. So it's not so much a question of your letter writers' \"peer-reviewed publications\" so much as their first-hand experience with math grad school. (These days some people who've done PhD's in math do end up in engineering depts, and vice-versa, but this is still unusual.) Thus, a recommendation letter should perhaps literally say something like \"From my first-hand experience in math grad school at X, and observations of math grad students at Y and Z, [student] will be a success.\" That's the kind of thing that leaps out at me when I read these letters. (No, don't have your letter writers send CVs or publication lists.)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/16 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8040",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6034/"
]
|
8,048 | <p>I finished my MS in mathematics 5 years ago. Over these years I have been teaching at a community college (primarily calculus 1,2,3 with analytical geometry and Ordinary Diff. Eqs). When I was in my masters program I was having trouble narrowing my interests and decided to stop at my masters and start teaching. During this time as an instructor I have become very interested in some applied mathematics (biology in particular). I plan to apply to several PhD programs in the near future. With that said, I didn't keep in touch with too many people from the university I attended. I did stay in touch with a couple of my professors (on a minimal basis) and plan to ask them for letters of recommendation.</p>
<p>My questions...</p>
<p>Would a letter of recommendation from my department chair at the community college be of any advantage (and even suffice as 1 of the 3 required)? Or should I call a professor from 5-7 years ago that may remember the grade they gave me? To me the latter seems very generic and I feel my department chair could say more about my dedication to mathematics and teaching.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8049,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree, the letter from your current department is likely to be more meaningful than a letter from someone who barely remembers you. The people reading your file will immediately recognize you as a \"non-traditional\" applicant (i.e., not straight out of undergrad), and will not be surprised that the letters in your file do not follow the pattern of traditional applicants. </p>\n\n<p>While many employer letters are utterly dispensable in graduate admissions, it's a different story when the employer is a math department, \"even\" at a CC. Chances are that some of your target departments (at least those that combine pure and applied math) are struggling to staff their remedial courses. Slightly cynically speaking, they will be happy to have an instructor with faculty-level experience and TA-level salary (in addition to research prospects). </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8065,
"author": "Chris Gregg",
"author_id": 4461,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4461",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I was accepted into a number of Computer Engineering PhD programs with recommendations from the following people:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>My then-current department chair at the high school where I taught physics and computer science.</li>\n<li>A professor from the graduate education program where I got my Master's degree in teaching.</li>\n<li>A professor who taught \"how to teach physics\" courses at another university, where I had been taking a series of the courses in order to become a better physics teacher.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I would have loved to get recommendation letters from professors from my undergraduate engineering curriculum, but my degree was from 15 years prior, and no one would have remembered me, nor been able to write anything substantial.</p>\n\n<p>The letters I did get gave detailed information about my work performance from a teaching perspective for technical classes, and from a learning perspective in (somewhat) technically-minded classes.</p>\n\n<p>Bottom line: get letters from people who can comment on your ability to do research, if possible, but more importantly from people who know you well and can add information to help a committee decide on whether or not to accept you.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 29860,
"author": "Tom Au",
"author_id": 755,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/755",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As a \"non-traditional applicant,\" you will be evaluated more on your work experience, and less on your coursework than most. So a letter from your department chair where you teach would be very helpful.</p>\n\n<p>Fortunately, your work experience is very germane to your graduate study aspirations. I (and most others) can see how an interest in \"applied mathematics (biology in particular)\" grew out your your teaching calculus, analytic geometry, and differential equations. (And there's the old saying, \"those that don't want to practice, teach. Those that don't want to teach, do research.\")</p>\n\n<p>Even in a research-oriented graduate program, teaching ability is a \"tiebreaker.\" In your case, with your heavy experience, a potential \"deal maker.\" Graduate students are expected to do research first, but teaching, second. You already offer the teaching \"bird in hand,\" and if someone has doubts about your academic background, the likely thinking is that since you can teach this stuff, you're not likely to be bad.</p>\n\n<p>While research earns the advancement, teaching \"earns your keep.\" You may take particular interest in programs where there are tenured associate professors, people who can't get promoted to full professor based on research, but get tenure based on teaching ability.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8048",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6029/"
]
|
8,052 | <p>I received this comment from a reviewer: <em>“ It is better to add a nomenclature section with a list of all the used symbols and their meaning as example (DVB-T, DVB-S2, BCH, OSFBC, LDPC...), consequently the paper should be re-arranged eliminating all the definitions given in the sections”</em>.</p>
<p><strong>Are there any specific position for this section ?</strong></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8053,
"author": "Paul Hiemstra",
"author_id": 4091,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4091",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you add such a section, it would need to be directly after the abstract. This way, any nomenclature is explained before it is used in the main text.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8068,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The correct position for a nomenclature section is the location normally used by the journal in question. While as Paul suggests, the logical location for this should be at the <em>start</em> of the paper, in many journals, the nomenclature section is placed at the <em>end</em>, largely because it does not \"look as good\" to have the nomenclature section right on the first page (which is optically the \"prime real estate\" of the paper). </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8052",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3845/"
]
|
8,055 | <p>Do community colleges have good mathematics libraries (with advanced books)? I am sure that it is different from place to place. I am interested to get some feeling of the general situation. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8059,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Of course, as Dave Clarke says, every institution is different. However, in general I would expect the answer is <strong>no</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Community colleges typically offer only lower-division courses and don't expect their students or faculty to carry on research. Moreover, they are usually publicly funded and charge only nominal tuition, so they are not likely to have a lot of extra money. Given this, it's difficult to see why a community college librarian would want to spend money acquiring advanced mathematics books or journals.</p>\n\n<p>That said, a community college library would almost certainly have access to the interlibrary loan network, allowing one to (eventually) acquire any resource of interest. Some might also have a reciprocity agreement with a nearby research university library. It is also quite possible they would have access to online databases that could include a lot of material in mathematics.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8062,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I fully agree with Nate Eldredge's answer, but here are some resources for exploring what sorts of mathematics books you might find at primarily undergraduate institutions:</p>\n\n<p>If there are specific community colleges you are thinking of applying to, you can look for an online library catalog, or visit the library in person and check it out. This is by far the most reliable way to tell whether you would be happy with the library.</p>\n\n<p>The Mathematical Association of America provides a <a href=\"http://mathdl.maa.org/mathDL/19/?nodeId=959\">basic library list</a> of books recommended for undergraduate libraries, annotated with how essential they feel the book is. Decades ago the list had two-year and four-year sections, but nowadays it is probably aimed more at four-year colleges. Still, it will give an upper bound for what one can reasonably expect of a typical community college. You won't find research monographs on the list.</p>\n\n<p>The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges apparently had a similar list, at least as of 1993 when <a href=\"http://www.amatyc.org/documents/Guidelines-Position/GuidelinesforMathDept.htm\">these guidelines</a> were written (see D.1), but I cannot find it online. You could probably learn more by asking them.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, underfunded institutions may lack even the most essential books on the basic library list, while fancy schools may have all of them and more. Note that while there are some pretty fancy liberal arts colleges out there, you don't generally run across community colleges with big budgets.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8055",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6036/"
]
|
8,058 | <p>I am in my second year as an Associate Professor (with tenure) at a top research university (listed among top 20 in <em>US News & World Report</em> in my field). My publication, teaching, and service records are all very good to excellent. I have also received numerous awards such as Sloan Fellowship and NSF's Career Award. In general, I am happy with my current institution, but sometime wonder if I can move to more prestigious university. There are other personal reasons as well that makes me ponder about such possibility. Would it be a good idea to apply other universities for someone at this stage of their career? How do search committees feel about hiring someone who has a tenure?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8067,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>\"Poaching\"—\"stealing\" a tenured faculty away from one department to another by offering a more lucrative package—happens in academia with some frequency.</p>\n\n<p>Obviously, if the position you're interested in applying for is a tenured position, then there might be a chance that the search committee will consider already-tenured candidates for the position. However, it is not a guarantee that this will be the case. (It depends a lot upon the candidate and the relative \"fit.\" Also, a candidate who is fairly close to retirement may not be at the top of their priority list—simply because that means the search may have to be repeated in a few years anyways!)</p>\n\n<p>One other thing to keep in mind—the working relationship you have with your <em>current</em> faculty may be significantly strained if you handle this the wrong way. You may want to see what you can find out on a confidential basis <em>before</em> committing to applying for positions. Once you've sent it out, it's out there—and could cause problems for you if word gets back to your present department. </p>\n\n<p>You may therefore want to have a discussion with your department chair, but I would strongly recommend <strong>not</strong> using \"these schools are more prestigious\" as a reason for applying to them. If that's the only reason you're doing it, then you may want to reconsider, as switching schools is a time-consuming and nontrivial process.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8069,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's rare that a search to fill a tenured position proceeds along the usual lines (post an ad, interview candidates, make an offer). Because of the delicacy involved in poaching, it's usually a lot more \"under the radar\". Which is to say that if someone hasn't approached you yet, they might not be interested in what you have to offer. </p>\n\n<p>Having said that, one strategy (if you're really interested in moving) is to drop hints in the right places with the right people. Contrary to what aeismail says, I'd argue that \"moving to a much higher ranked place\" is probably the ONLY reason to move that won't create hard feelings (in that people usually can understand the desire to move up the rankings). Even then, the shift should be significant, else moving between universities that are similarly ranked doesn't make a lot of sense unless you have other reasons (geographic, two-body, etc). </p>\n\n<p>I realized I didn't answer the question in the title. The short answer is: it's very hard, but not impossible. It depends much less on the availability of positions in general, and much more on the specific match between the institution and you.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8058",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6037/"
]
|
8,061 | <p>When a US institution that manages grant programs (such as NSF) suddenly sees its funding cut, as will be the case after the US sequester takes effect in March, <strong>how long does it take for that cut to trickle down onto grant programs and grants?</strong></p>
<p>Namely: <strong>Can grants already started get cut</strong> (like, they tell you you'll lose 20% funding for the last year)? What about <strong>grant programs where the selection was already announced</strong>, can they make changes to that? Or will it “merely” impact the number of grants they can fund from now on?</p>
<p><em>(I know that the government will move, and though the situation is stupid, it's not as much of a dead-end as it is pictured… this question assumes that the sequester goes in effect, and not deal is made to lessen its impact.)</em></p>
<hr>
<p>This question was spurred by today's <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PhD Comics</a>:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1561" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/w1UUw.gif" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8066,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>See the NIH answer below on what's happening to grant budgets, at least for their agencies. It sounds like there is some budget trimming for the amount awarded for new grants, but they're trying to mitigate that somewhat. Where I think there's going to be a much greater impact is with <em>new</em> awards - with less money, and not wanting to hamstring grants with further cuts, they're simply likely to make less awards.</p>\n\n<p>As for how much time before the possible effect of the sequester hits? It already has. Several people I've spoken to who do program planning, grants work, etc. for the Federal government have expressed the feeling that, because of the level of uncertainty about what money they'll have in the future, funding agencies are being very conservative about what they commit to spending. We could see this in the last budget cycle and the near shut-down - funding slowed to a crawl for a bit, and then when the continuing resolution got passed, there was a small \"bump\" as agencies spent out money they hadn't yet promised \"just in case\".</p>\n\n<p>So if the sequester goes through, what that will really do is make those conservative, \"We better not spend $$$ until we know we'll have it\" plans a reality, followed by more severe paylines etc. in the next grant cycle.</p>\n\n<p>So worst case: It's already here, we're just not committed to it yet.<br>\nBest case: The next funding cycle.</p>\n\n<p>Edit: The actual answer has come from the NIH:\n<a href=\"http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-13-043.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-13-043.html</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The NIH continues to operate under a Continuing Resolution as\n described in NOT-OD-13-002, and therefore all non-competing\n continuation awards are currently being funded at a level below that\n indicated on the most recent Notice of Award (generally up to 90% of\n the previously committed level). Final levels of FY 2013 funding may\n be reduced by a sequestration. Despite the potential for reduced\n funding, the NIH remains committed to our mission to seek fundamental\n knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the\n application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and\n reduce the burdens of illness and disability. </p>\n \n <p>Should a sequestration occur, NIH likely will reduce the final FY 2013\n funding levels of non-competing continuation grants and expects to\n make fewer competing awards to allow the agency to meet the available\n budget allocation. Although each NIH Institute and Center (IC) will\n assess allocations within their portfolio to maximize the scientific\n impact, non-competing continuation awards that have already been made\n may be restored above the current level as described in NOT-OD-13-002\n but likely will not reach the full FY 2013 commitment level described\n in the Notice of Award. Finally, in the event of a sequestration, NIH\n ICs will announce their respective approaches to meeting the new\n budget level.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8136,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Okay, I read today in <em>Chemical & Engineering News</em> an <a href=\"http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i8/Spending-Cuts-Set-Kick.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">article</a> that gives good, fact-based information on the issue. It seems to indicate that <strong>already accepted grants would be cut down</strong>, not only current and future proposals:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>At the National Institutes of Health, for example, sequestration is expected to cut $1.5 billion of its funding for 2013. The cuts would amount to a 5.1% reduction for each of the agency’s 27 institutes and centers. “That translates into hundreds of grants that would have been funded in this fiscal year that simply won’t get paid,” says NIH Director Francis S. Collins. As a result, several thousand research positions could be eliminated.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8061",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
8,077 | <p>I'm a first year master student currently taking courses on the second semester. For the most part I did pretty good on the first semester except that I got behind in one course which is specially demanding and hard. </p>
<p>Now I'm taking the equivalent amount of work as before plus I'm trying to finish my assignments for the other class in order to get my grade. And I'm also collaborating in a research project which I wasn't doing last semester.</p>
<p>I'm having a hard time trying to manage my time in order to accomplish everything. As I don't want to get behind in another course I try to be on top of what I'm seeing in class. However I find that this consumes a lot more time than I expected and I never accomplish the goals I set for the day.</p>
<p>As an example, if I have some class the next day I try to really understand everything we saw the previous meeting, and by the time I manage to do that (if I do), there is only about 3 hours left to do everything else. In a normal day I expend all the time doing my "academic stuff" and I only stop for eating and sleeping. Where the sleeping time could vary from 0 to 6 hours depending if I feel I'm getting too far behind or if I managed to finish all I wanted for that day (rare). I have to admit that I always try to get the most miniscule detail and expend a great deal of time thinking how to go from point A to point B on the text which in some sense is a pedantic attitude. However, I find that if I don't do this, then the ideas are very shaky (there are holes in my understanding) and I tend to forget those very easily, which is not good for doing exercises or taking an exam.</p>
<p>I have tried to split the day in blocks and only expend a fixed amount of time doing an specific task. However, this way I feel I go so slow that I'm not accomplishing anything. So basically what I end up doing is working nonstop in one task (which can take more than one day) and then try to compensate for the other tasks I didn't do by cutting sleeping time or further delaying other work.</p>
<p>I sometimes think that if I'm working that hard at this level, I have no chance of getting a PhD or continuing in academia. I see that some of my peers have time to have fun, go out and still get good grades while I barely have time to enjoy a meal. I also get good grades (I have to in order to keep my scholarship) but I feel that the effort I'm putting is too much for the reward (not exceptionally good grades).</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8078,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One of the biggest challenges in any professional career is mastering time management. It's a tough assignment—and in recent years has become even tougher.</p>\n\n<p>The most important thing to realize is that there is <strong>never</strong> enough time to do everything you want to do perfectly, unless you tackle a very small number of things in aggregate. For instance, if you are a professor, your list of tasks probably includes some combination of:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Supervising research of your students</li>\n<li>Teaching classes</li>\n<li>Performing committee work</li>\n<li>Writing grant applications</li>\n<li>Networking with colleagues</li>\n<li>Writing, revising, and reviewing papers</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>And there may be a whole host of other administrative duties that eat up a lot of time, but don't otherwise help you get things done. Unfortunately, the day is currently limited to 24 hours [1], and you still have to figure out how to do all the other tasks of daily living (eating, sleeping, exercising), and having some semblance of a social life as well (so that other people know you're still alive!).</p>\n\n<p>You can do many things well; the trick is to realize that you can't do <em>everything</em> perfectly. After a certain amount of time invested in working on something, you will hit the <em>point of diminishing returns</em>: an additional unit of time spent will yield a smaller incremental gain than the preceding unit. That's the point at which you should start moving on to other activities. It can be frustrating to have to stop working on something (it's certainly intellectually unsatisfying!), but it's the only real way to get everything you need done. </p>\n\n<p>One other thing to think about: most of your tasks (in academia, at least) are known somewhat in advance: classes have an established duration, papers are in progress for a while, meetings with multiple groups do not happen at the drop of a hat. Thus, you may be able to at least get a rough schedule for your week planned at the start (or at the end of the previous week). Leave yourself a few blocks of time that aren't completely scheduled, and schedule a block of \"personal time\" (whatever you choose to do with that that helps you to \"recharge your batteries,\" or get in touch with your inner self, or however else you relax). </p>\n\n<p>[1] Days <em>will</em> get longer eventually, thanks to the slowing down of the earth's rotation, but not quickly enough to help us out!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8079,
"author": "Tara B",
"author_id": 5955,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5955",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I want to give you one piece of advice which I think is very important: Sleep more.</p>\n\n<p>If you don't get enough sleep, your brain won't work as well and so it will take you longer to understand things. You will be able to work much more efficiently with enough sleep. Also, your brain does a lot of important work during sleep, helping reinforce connections made during the day etc. So the time spent sleeping is not at all a 'waste of time' as far as your study is concerned.</p>\n\n<p>Try not to view sleep as something optional that you can leave out if you don't have time. Have a go at sleeping at least six hours <em>every</em> night for a couple of weeks (I need at least eight most nights, myself, but six would be a good start at least) and see if you feel a lot more on top of things after that!</p>\n\n<p>In my Honours year I found that it was hard to get to sleep if I had been doing maths within the last two hours before going to bed, so I made a rule that I had to stop doing maths at 10pm every night. I mostly stuck to it, and it worked very well.</p>\n\n<p>Also, I'd like to offer some encouragement that having to work this hard now doesn't mean you couldn't do a PhD or continue in academia if you wanted to. I am now doing my second postdoc, and have never worked as hard as I did in my Honours year (that's like the first year of a two-year Masters).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8081,
"author": "benroth",
"author_id": 6043,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6043",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<ul>\n<li>Seek contact to other people that work on the same tasks or have solved similar tasks before. An active communication about what you are working on can be a lot of fun, can accelarate learning and productivity a lot, and open a bunch of new chances.</li>\n<li>Do your best at the moment, don't worry about lost time or chances, since the only time where you can act and use real chances is now. Learn from the past and focus on the future, but don't get obsessed with analysing and planning. The mind set of 'now is the moment' can be both relaxing and motivating.</li>\n<li>Do some time management. Instead of focusing on tools and life-hacks, I would recommend to focus on the following principles:\n<ul>\n<li>Get a long term perspective (meaning: picture your own funeral) what you want to achieve in life. Your intermediate goals should have some connection to your long-term goal.</li>\n<li>Prioritize your activities and goals. Priorization should be dependent only on YOUR goals, not what someone else wants to make you believe is important.</li>\n<li>Reserve a lot of time to socializing, because most goals you cannot achieve without the interaction with others. </li>\n<li>Don't exploit yourself, don't ignore your needs. Reserve enough free time.</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8082,
"author": "Zai",
"author_id": 4318,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4318",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In general, I've found that awareness is a key part of time management. Here are some tips that can help:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li> Take the time over a week or two to really log exactly where your time is going, what you're doing, and how long it's taking. While sometimes it is the case that you're working at 100%, often there are snippets of time here and there that you could be using more effectively. It can be difficult to adjust how you're managing your time until you really understand where your time is going. As an example, I know a guy who says he works at least 16 hours a day, but after working in the same room as him I came to realize that it can take him 4 hours to write one paragraph because he is constantly getting distracted with browsing the web, answering his phone, replying to e-mail, and talking to other people. While he is technically \"working\" the whole time, it makes it easy to understand how he's always missing deadlines and complaining that he doesn't have enough time in a day.</li>\n<li> Based on that log, look at what is taking the most time and think about why. For example, maybe it turns out that you spend 120 minutes a day answering e-mails. If you notice trends, consider whether there's anything that you can do to decrease that time or spend that time more efficiently. In the example, maybe you could designate \"e-mail time\" at two points during the day to aggregate your work in it rather than constantly checking and being interrupted.</li>\n<li>Brainstorm other resources that might help you to reduce some of the larger blocks of time. For example, if you're spending a ton of time trying to understand your classwork, can you form a study group that's a set amount of time and perhaps cover the material faster? Are there on-campus resources to help with difficult concepts such as tutoring?</li>\n<li>At the beginning of each week, start a prioritized to-do list to manage what really needs to get done and what it would be nice to get done. As others have said, it's normal to have too many things to do and not enough time. However, you can definitely order your time so that the things that need to get done, get done. Don't be surprised or shocked if you always have carryover for the next week. There are some great online tools for this such as <a href=\"http://teuxdeux.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">teuxdeux</a> and <a href=\"https://trello.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Trello</a>. These tools can also help you track what you've accomplished each week. Sometimes it's easy to think that you haven't gotten anywhere but I find that an archive of the things that I've finished can help to dispel that impression.</li>\n<li>Lay out what your ideal schedule would be like. Make sure to prioritize blocking out time to sleep (you work more efficiently if you've had some) and time to eat. You don't need to go overboard on these and there will be times where you'll have to skimp on them, but you should have a baseline to aim for.</li>\n<li>Last, learn to know when your schedule is blown and set a goal or deadline for when you will get back on track. Sometimes you have a deadline that makes it impossible to get enough sleep and you need to put in 110%. This is normal, but you also need to have a plan/date for ratcheting the workload back down to manageable levels or you will burn out. Once you've burned out, it can be very difficult to get back on track, so don't think that you can just keep working at maximum levels.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>As an added note, when I first started graduate school a senior professor told me, \"Done is better than perfect.\" Sometimes this really helps me to figure out what's a priority.</p>\n\n<p>Hang in there and I hope that helps!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8087,
"author": "Mr.Mindor",
"author_id": 3934,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3934",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It sounds like your primary issue is not as much <strong>\"I don't have time to finish what I <em>need</em> to do.\"</strong> as <strong>\"I don't have time to finish what I <em>want</em> to do.\"</strong></p>\n\n<p>Combined from your original post and your comments this is what you currently are undertaking: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Normal current course load for your program.</li>\n<li>Catch up from last semester's <em>exceptional</em> class.</li>\n<li>Research project.</li>\n<li>Additional research (expanded syllabuses) on your normal course work.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>With your additional research, you are adding extra work for yourself on top of what your peers are doing and then wondering why you don't have time to finish what you <em>need</em> to do.\nThat you have the interest to dig deeper is wonderful thing, but it seems you are getting carried away, and you may not see any long term benefit for your efforts.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Unfortunately this doesn't usually get reflected on the grades but I\n feel that in the future (when doing research) I won't waste too much\n time trying to understand the fundamentals.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>While this <em>may</em> be true, in the short term you are killing yourself. I say <em>may</em> because by this supposed point in the future, through the normal <em>expected</em> course work for your program, you might find yourself with the same level of expertise. Unless this extra work is done under some guidance, it seems highly unlikely you are choosing the best sources for your research. Worse, you may also be spending all your extra hours mastering some techniques that are <em>even now</em> obsolete by the state of the art but are taught as stepping stones for future topics. </p>\n\n<p>Really, why are you are doing something that is <strong><em>not</em></strong> reflected in your current grades at the cost of something that <strong><em>is</em></strong> reflected in your current grades? Your grades are Academic currency as you said yourself you need them to keep your scholarship.</p>\n\n<p>You mention your peers discuss problems that give them trouble or would ask the the professor or course assistant for help. How often do you? There is limited class time so some things don't get full treatment, or they have to choose the manner a topic is presented out of many options, one of the other options may make a troublesome topic just click for you.</p>\n\n<p>If you continue with the extra research. Discuss it with your professors, they should be able offer advice as to what is worth exploring, what is a waste of your time, and what would be better left for a future point in your studies. For what is worth your time, they'll be able to point you in the direction of the best resources to use. Discussing with them will also make them aware of the extra work you are doing which cannot hurt.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I see that some of my peers have time to have fun, go out and still\n get good grades while I barely have time to enjoy a meal. I also get\n good grades</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It may very well be that they see better outcomes for the time spent because they take time to enjoy themselves. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>As others have pointed out, we need an appropriate amount of physical rest to be at our best.</li>\n<li>We also often need time for things to soak in mentally.</li>\n<li>Long term retention works best with many short study sessions.</li>\n<li>Relentlessly cramming on the same subject without break until you master it is almost never the most efficient way to learn. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Mental focus is a finite resource. It can be divided between foreground (conscious) and background (sub-conscious) processes. Both are required to learn. If you work relentlessly, you don't give the background processes a chance to do their part.</p>\n\n<p>By taking time to have fun, they give themselves time for it to settle, for their brains to run those background processes. They give themselves a chance for the 'Ahh Ha!' moment where it all falls into place.</p>\n\n<p>For myself, most 'Ahh Ha!' moments came away from the books, away from actively working on the related topic.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8077",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5894/"
]
|
8,085 | <p>I will try to describe my situation briefly.
The university I'm currently studying at offers a 4-year Bachelor program in mathematics.</p>
<p>I am currently in my 3rd year and the program for the 4th year consists only of optional courses (which I choose). As I have taken a rather high amount of optional courses so far, I can satisfy my ECTS requirements for the whole program in 3 years. The university, in this situation, would allow me to graduate at the end of my third year. Then, I could pursue an MSc. degree at the same university for a year and graduate with an MSc at the end of my 4th year of study in the university.</p>
<p>I would like to note that this has been done before by other students here and I'm not fantasizing.</p>
<p>My intention is to apply for a PhD at a university in the USA after the 4th year. (I am not a US citizen and I haven't studied there).</p>
<p>My question is: would getting an earlier BSc and MSc degree affect (negatively or positively) my chances for admission in a top university in the USA?
Should I just graduate with a BSc. in math?
I know that sometimes having a MSc. from the same university can be a negative sign. Should I be worried about that?</p>
<p>Some other background:
My current university is not really "elite" of any sort; it barely enters the top 600 in the world. I have a few published articles and I have participated in conferences. I am also currently pursuing an internship in a research institute in the country.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8086,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One issue to keep in mind is that in the US, the PhD program includes the coursework phase associated with the Master's degrees in Europe.</p>\n\n<p>While this wouldn't be a negative factor in your admission, you may or am not be able to get a waiver for the coursework phase, even with a Master's already in hand. In some cases, they'll let you place out of courses, in others, they might not. Therefore, you should contact the individual schools you want to apply to and inquire about their policies.</p>\n\n<p>However a Master's degree will help you if you do well; if you struggle, it probably won't be of much benefit at all.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8092,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>(I'm on the admissions committee of a top-10 US computer science department; my advice may be way off base for mathematics PhD programs.)</p>\n\n<p><strong>All else being equal, getting a master's degree in one year would probably count <em>against</em> you.</strong> You're far better off taking some graduate-level courses, and possibly getting some research experience, while staying in the BSc progam.</p>\n\n<p>At least in my department, PhD applicants who already have master's degrees are held to a significantly higher standard than applicants who only have bachelor's degrees. While having formal research experience is an <em>advantage</em> for undergraduate applicants, it's a de facto <em>requirement</em> for applicants with an master's degree. One year is not a lot of time to get some real (meaning publishable) research experience, especially since most one-year master's programs have heavy coursework requirements. And you'll be competing with other MS applicants who've already spent two years in graduate school.</p>\n\n<p>My department steers PhD-oriented undergraduates <em>away</em> from our 5-year BS/MS program for this precise reason.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8085",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6022/"
]
|
8,090 | <p>APA Format: When writing the name of a program I used in a study (MyFriendQuest) do I need to italicise the name or add a trademark sign? I am not sure how to stylise the name of the program or if I even need to. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8093,
"author": "amanda witt",
"author_id": 5847,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5847",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have to cite my online university references in APA, and know that the journal article/book title has to be in italics, to make it stand out. I'm not as sure about a program like this, though it could be in my 15-odd page style guide I have to use. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8108,
"author": "JRN",
"author_id": 64,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/64",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>According to Section 7.08 (page 210) of the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the APA,</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Do not italicize the names of software, programs, or languages.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Furthermore,</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Reference entries are not necessary for standard software and programming languages, such as Microsoft Word or Excel, Java, Adobe Photoshop, and even SAS and SPSS. In text, give the proper name of the software, along with the version number. Do provide reference entries for specialized software or computer programs with limited distribution.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>An example of a reference entry:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (Version 2) [Computer software]. Englewood, NJ: Biostat.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8090",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6053/"
]
|
8,098 | <p>I am currently writing a report and I have been compiling a list of references (from IEEE mostly) and I also have a number of websites.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My question is, what is the best way to note a website URL? Would it be to reference and cite a URL, would it be adding a footnote? An example would be a reference to google.com. Would it be the correct to just create a footnote?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I've started to just add a footnote each time a website is mentioned (using LaTeX) so for example if a javascript plugin is mentioned then a footnote would be added to the website URL. How would be best to do this as it would not suffice as a reference as it is just noting a website for further reading. I do not have time to waste be writing the whole report to then have to go back through and edit the document hence my question.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8112,
"author": "Irwin",
"author_id": 5944,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5944",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I suppose the easiest way would be to use the <code>\\newcommand</code> command in LaTeX.</p>\n\n<p>Put something like this before your <code>\\begin{document}</code>:</p>\n\n<pre><code>\\newcommand{\\jquerynote}{\\footnote{\\url{http://jquery.com}}~}\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Use it as follows.</p>\n\n<pre><code>We used JQuery\\jquerynote to build the user interface.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>If you want to change the reference to a citation or another format, you can replace the contents of the <code>\\newcommand</code></p>\n\n<p>As far as to \"What is the best way to cite a website URL?\" the answer generally is that there isn't a standard. Personally, I use web sites as a citation if it contributes some kind of important intellectual argument to the paper. If I use web sites as a footnote, it's because it has to do with some kind of tool I used and is there simply to inform the user that I used Tool XYZ.</p>\n\n<p>Using your example, if I said in my paper, \"We used the Google search engine to identify evidence of bias in search engine results\" I'd probably put that as a footnote, whereas if I said, \"Company web sites from Google, Microsoft, and Apple about employment all state that having fun at work is important\" may be citations.</p>\n\n<p>(I should finally note that this is a personal convention rather than anything spelled out in a styleguide, but maybe it helps you?).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8120,
"author": "Marc van Dongen",
"author_id": 1194,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1194",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I wouldn't use footnotes because they are disruptive. Also this may lead to an abundance of repetition in your document, with the same footnote appearing over and over again.</p>\n\n<p>Instead, I suggest you treat URLs as normal references.</p>\n\n<p>The <code>biblatex</code> packages provides support for URL references. Another advantage of using the package is that it lets you create a separate bibliography for the URLs. This is not explained here.</p>\n\n<p>The package supports values for <code>url</code>, <code>date</code>, and <code>urldate</code> keys in your BibTeX database.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><code>url</code> describes the URL.</li>\n<li><code>date</code> describes the official date.</li>\n<li><code>urldate</code> describes the date you visited/retrieved the URL.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The package also lets you customise the text in the bibliography that precedes the value for <code>urldate</code>. For example, you can set it to <code>Visited</code> or <code>Retrieved</code>. Customising the string is done by setting the <em>bibliography string</em> <code>urlseen</code>.</p>\n\n<p>The following is based on an example from <a href=\"https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/51079/add-retrieved-last-accessed-or-similar-information-to-authoryear-in-biblate\">Marco Daniel</a>. It shows the basic mechanism. Save it, run LateX on it, then <code>bibtex</code>, and LaTeX.</p>\n\n<pre><code>\\documentclass{article}\n\n\\RequirePackage[style=authoryear,\n useprefix=true,\n backend=bibtex,\n block=space,\n language=british]{biblatex}\n\\renewcommand*{\\bibopenparen}{[}\n\\renewcommand*{\\bibcloseparen}{]}\n\\renewcommand*{\\finalandcomma}{,}\n\\renewcommand*{\\finalnamedelim}{, and~}\n% 3em recommended by Bringhurst, p 80.\n\\renewcommand*\\bibnamedash{\\rule[0.48ex]{3em}{0.14ex}\\space}\n\n\\usepackage{filecontents}\n\\begin{filecontents}{\\jobname.bib}\n@Online{ctan,\n label = {CTAN},\n title = {CTAN},\n subtitle = {The Comprehensive TeX Archive Network},\n date = {2006},\n url = {http://www.ctan.org},\n urldate = {2012-04-07},\n}\n\\end{filecontents}\n\\addbibresource{\\jobname.bib}\n\n\\DefineBibliographyStrings{english}{%\nurlseen = {Retrieved},\n}\n\n\\begin{document}\nI always get my {\\LaTeX} packages from\n the Comprehensive {\\TeX} Archive Network~\\parencite{ctan}.\n\n\\printbibliography\n\\end{document}\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The <code>\\parencite</code> command is for parenthetical citations. (<code>biblatex</code> also provides other kinds of citation commands.) The <code>filecontent</code> related stuff makes the example a standalone example (so you won't have to create the BibTeX file). The command is not recommended for day-to-day LaTeX.\n<img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMK1A.png\" alt=\"sample output\"></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8133,
"author": "walkmanyi",
"author_id": 1265,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1265",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Echoing the comments and other answers, citing a website is no different to citing any other resource, such as a book, or a paper. Depending on your favorite text editor and reference manager, you would like to produce bibliographic entries, such as</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>... for the implementation of the prototype, we used the <em>Ruby</em> programming language [23] and ...<br/>\n ...<br/>\n ...<br/>\n <strong>Bibliography</strong><br/>\n ...<br/>\n 23. Matsumoto, Yukihiro. <em>Ruby Programming Language</em>. <code>http://www.ruby-lang.org/</code>, 2009.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In BibTeX, there's @misc entry for that. You would use it as follows:</p>\n\n<pre><code>@misc{links/Java,\n author = {{Sun Microsystems Inc.}},\n title = {{J}ava{\\texttrademark} {P}latform, {S}tandard {E}dition 6},\n howpublished={\\url{http://java.sun.com/}},\n month{jun},\n year = {2006}\n}\n\n @misc{links/xml,\n author = {{W3C}},\n title = {{Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0}},\n howpublished = {\\url{http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/}},\n publisher = {World Wide Web Consortium},\n year = {2008},\n month = {November}\n}\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Since websites are a dynamic resource, you should always include the date (year/month) of the last retrieval. </p>\n\n<p>For the url, the code above would assume <code>\\usepackage{url}</code>.</p>\n\n<p>Another technical issue with this is whether your chosen bibliography style would include the URL in the reference, or not. You might want to consult <a href=\"https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/36248/url-of-cited-web-site-in-bibliography\">this questions at tex.SE</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 26452,
"author": "Massimo Ortolano",
"author_id": 20058,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20058",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you are using BibTeX to maintain your bibliography, you might want to use the <a href=\"http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/IEEEtran/bibtex/\" rel=\"nofollow\">IEEEtran</a> bibliography style, which takes care of the <em>url</em> field in the BibTeX entries by adding an [Online] tag in the bibliography followed by the given url. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 30194,
"author": "user2768",
"author_id": 22768,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22768",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Given that web content disappears, you could cite the Internet Archive URL, e.g., <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/19981111184551/http://google.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://web.archive.org/web/19981111184551/http://google.com/</a> rather than <a href=\"http://google.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://google.com/</a> (I bet you can't remember Google looking like that!) This also ensures that the content you cite is the content your readers see.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8098",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6063/"
]
|
8,099 | <p>Recently, some of the reviews I received mentioned their decision at the end of the review (i.e. 'I recommend acceptance of the paper'), while others do not have such statements. </p>
<p>What is the point of adding the decision statement while the overall evaluation (i.e. on EasyChair system) explicitly says it? Is it just the reviewer's habit?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8100,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Typically I include an explicit recommendation in the report to be shared with the authors when I have a strong opinion, but not necessarily otherwise. In the former case, the editor can still decide either way (referees make recommendations, not decisions), but if they disagree with me at least the authors will know for sure what the referee thought.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>what is the point of adding the decision statement while the overall evaluation (i.e. on EasyChair system) explicitly says it? is it just the reviewer habit?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It may be habit, and it may reflect uncertainty about what information from the web form will be available to the authors.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8101,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The only reason I can think of to include a outright recommendation the authors can see is if the \"feel\" of my comments and the decision don't necessarily align naturally. For example, if I've issued a lot of criticisms, but most of those are \"With fine tuning, this would be an outstanding paper\", or hoping to see what is an adequate treatment of really spectacular data turn into a great treatment, I might not that despite the page of suggestions, it could probably fly as is.</p>\n\n<p>At the same time, I've reviewed a paper with a very small number of comments, but in those comments have been tempted to use words like 'fatally flawed'. So including a 'I would reject this paper' comment might help with \"There are only three things you need to change, but you need to take them seriously.\"</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8105,
"author": "Marc van Dongen",
"author_id": 1194,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1194",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As far as I can see there are two main reasons:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The editor usually isn't an expert in every area. Adding an explicit recommendation (accept, reject, ...) may help the editor.</li>\n<li>An explicit recommendation (accept, reject, ...) is the reviewer's ultimate summary. The reviewer should only provide it if they can defend it and feel it's fair. In that sense adding the recommendation strengthens the review.</li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8099",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/532/"
]
|
8,106 | <p>I just finished an MBA in the UK. It included a research dissertation (about 18,000 words) and a research methods module and adviser to go with it. However, my adviser made it clear during my research that it was my project and my responsibility and not his. It was clear that he was happy to mark my dissertation but didn't want to be bothered by actually helping me to learn much about research.</p>
<p>In the end, I did the research on my own and got distinction on the paper, which I was happy about. However, now I'm thinking more and more about pursuing a PhD, perhaps in intercultural management, and I feel like a highly respectable school would not consider me because I do not have much research experience.</p>
<p>So, my question is: What can I do to gain research experience, now that I've finished my MBA, with an eye towards getting into a good school for a PhD?</p>
<p>As I have read, publications will help a lot but I feel like I don't have the experience to do the kind of research to get into a good publications. I really think I need to build my research skills...and would like to know how to do that.</p>
<p>Another related problems is when doing business research (I get the feeling most people here are from the science/math side of academia) is gaining access to companies (to gather data) and I'm not sure how to do that without an adviser.</p>
<p>I have read <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1136/how-can-i-improve-my-research-experience-for-phd-application">this</a>, <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5522/what-is-a-good-research-experience">this</a>, and <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7780/what-are-the-key-points-in-short-descriptions-of-research-experience">this</a> question but I think my question is different from each of them.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8114,
"author": "blackace",
"author_id": 4467,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4467",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is not an immediately short term solution and would require some time:</p>\n\n<p>Try to get in touch with a professor who does what you like to do for your Phd. Like here clearly explain your situation. If you get a response continue the discussion, you might be offered to go and visit the lab or if after a couple of exchanges you feel it’s the right time offer to go and see them. </p>\n\n<p>Try to see if you can do some work for them part-time. If they say day don’t have money etc. if you can offer a day or two of part-time unpaid if it works for you from home/weekend etc. If you get lucky they might offer you paid work if they get money later. From the beginning discuss publications and research experience and hopefully over time you can get a paper or two under your belt and get recommendation letter as well. </p>\n\n<p>Who knows they might offer you a Phd position after some time as well if you work well together. We have done this before and in fact this happens a lot. Someone with a master does some paid or unpaid work and if we are happy with him or her and money comes in later we will get in touch and ask if they are interested. Now that I think about it is quite common with many of the PhD students we have.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8127,
"author": "Legendre",
"author_id": 1190,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1190",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I am only familiar with the UK system, but here are some points about getting research experience in the UK.</p>\n\n<p><strong>1) Find a supervisor for your PhD.</strong></p>\n\n<p>A lot of UK departments prefer to admit PhD students who has found a faculty member who is willing to supervise and has a research proposal written together with that member. If doing a PhD in the UK is part of your goal, you could start by looking at departments/people you want to work with and contact them as a prospective student.</p>\n\n<p>Some patience is required as they might not be looking to supervise a student at the moment. But I have found that most are willing to give prospective students a research project to work on before admissions or while working on the proposal. In fact, all those who were willing to supervise me ended up offering me a research project.</p>\n\n<p><strong>2) \"Cold calling\" for projects.</strong></p>\n\n<p>You might find that some professors, lecturers, postdocs or research fellows etc are very happy to have students with the experience to work on their projects. You can try emailing people with a very short version of your academic CV, asking for research opportunities. I have successfully gotten projects this way too.</p>\n\n<p><strong>3) Official Internships/Studentships.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Some UK universities have official internships or studentships for someone to work on a research project for 3-6 months. These may not be advertised so you need to do point 1) and 2) or simply ask. I have successfully gotten these before and they were willing to at least help pay the rent (400-500 pounds I think) or given you a token sum. I cannot be more precise about the pay because I turned down the payment in order to keep my part time job. Do note that getting paid or being in an official position will come with the requirement/expectation that you report to work daily and stay in the office for some minimum number of hours.</p>\n\n<p><strong>4) General advice.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Academics are incredibly busy people, especially famous tenured professors. Also, they might have a steady stream of students to work with. I think I was quite lucky to get around 30-40% respond rate when emailing people asking for research experience. Most of them are because I am asking as a prospective student. So please do not be too disappointed that people don't get back to you. And don't spend all your time trying to get just 1-2 famous faculty to give you research opportunities.</p>\n\n<p>You should be prepared to travel and meet them, paying for all the travel fees yourself. You should also not talk about reimbursement/payment first. In my humble opinion, you need to be prepared to work on a project for free, making it clear that you want the experience on your CV and a possible paper. Then, they might arrange for payment for you. It is your responsibility to show that you are serious and trustworthy and not a waste of their precious time.</p>\n\n<p>I think it helps a lot (with regards to funding) if you are from the EU as funding in the UK is usually restricted to EU citizens.</p>\n\n<p>I hope this helps.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8326,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I feel like a highly respectable school would not consider me because\n I do not have much research experience</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In terms of research experience, there is a big difference between much and none. Most grad schools I know of are wary of applicants with no research experience, but do not go so far as to require \"much\". Yes, more is generally better, but some is often enough. I would generally classify an MBA with a research dissertation as being enough to be considered, especially one awarded distinction.</p>\n\n<p>The best way to get more experience is to volunteer in a research group. Most research groups need someone to do data entry/analysis and general lackey work. You need to be prepared to enter as low man on the totem pole and do some boring tasks to get access to better tasks. Even boring and menial tasks in a research group can be good experience.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8358,
"author": "Fuhrmanator",
"author_id": 3859,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3859",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If your MBA dissertation had some scientific method to <strong>validate</strong> the research results, then leverage that in your PhD application. Try to publish the results on your own in a peer-reviewed conference or workshop. To me, lack of that kind of culture is the big risk when taking on a non-research master's student for a PhD.</p>\n\n<p>Research methodology courses are mandatory for research master's students at my university, and PhD supervisors can force PhD candidates to take this course if they didn't get it elsewhere. There are some decent textbooks on the subject. See if you could audit such a course someplace. However, to make up for the experience of a research master's, you will need to focus the methodology on a specific area of expertise (few textbooks do a good job explaining this, and it's where a supervisor is crucial in my opinion). From your original question, it almost sounds like you did this already, but with little guidance. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8106",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6073/"
]
|
8,111 | <p><em>Related to <a href="https://mathoverflow.net/questions/122374/where-to-find-nsf-reports-for-mathematical-expository-purpose">this question</a> on mathoverflow…</em></p>
<p>Indeed, I just found out that to see full proposal or later reports. One needs to file a FOIA request, as described <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/policies/foia.jsp" rel="noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
<p>So I am curious if anyone has done so? And how is the process like?
In particular, can the requester remain confidential after the request (so other people will not know that I made the request)?</p>
<p>Additional follow up question: What kind of people can file FOIA request? Does it have to be US citizens? Or just anyone working in US? etc..</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8115,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The name of the requester does not remain confidential.</p>\n\n<p>A friend of mine was recently on the other end. NSF contacted him to tell him that an FOIA request had been made for a copy of his proposal, told him the name of the requester, and asked whether the proposal contained any sensitive information that he wished to have redacted. </p>\n\n<p>The general feeling was that making such a request, rather than contacting the PI directly, was unprofessional and borderline creepy. I second JeffE's comment: <strong>Ask the PI first.</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8154,
"author": "rptr",
"author_id": 6078,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6078",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>OK. Now I have some <strong>very clear answer</strong>. The list of all requesters is in fact <strong>PUBLISHED</strong> on NSF website.</p>\n\n<p>See, for example, all NSF FOIA request in 2010 (PDF)\n<a href=\"http://www.nsf.gov/policies/2010_FOIA_LOG.pdf\">http://www.nsf.gov/policies/2010_FOIA_LOG.pdf</a></p>\n\n<p>The link is found at the bottom of this page:\n<a href=\"http://www.nsf.gov/policies/foia.jsp\">http://www.nsf.gov/policies/foia.jsp</a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8111",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6078/"
]
|
8,116 | <p>I'm currently a research assistant in a neuroscience lab at MIT and I'm considering pursuing a PhD in math or theoretical computer science. The RAs in my lab who want to eventually become neuroscientists are in a perfect place - a large, collaborative environment where they get paid to work closely with neuroscientists and learn hands on what the entire research process is like in that field before committing to a 5 year grad program. </p>
<p>I want an environment as close to this as possible in math or theoretical computer science to solidify my belief that I would be happy pursuing research in these areas. Is this kind of opportunity available in these fields? What is the closest I can get? I did an REU program in undergrad and loved it, but want more if it's out there. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for your advice, this is a great community. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8115,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The name of the requester does not remain confidential.</p>\n\n<p>A friend of mine was recently on the other end. NSF contacted him to tell him that an FOIA request had been made for a copy of his proposal, told him the name of the requester, and asked whether the proposal contained any sensitive information that he wished to have redacted. </p>\n\n<p>The general feeling was that making such a request, rather than contacting the PI directly, was unprofessional and borderline creepy. I second JeffE's comment: <strong>Ask the PI first.</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8154,
"author": "rptr",
"author_id": 6078,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6078",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>OK. Now I have some <strong>very clear answer</strong>. The list of all requesters is in fact <strong>PUBLISHED</strong> on NSF website.</p>\n\n<p>See, for example, all NSF FOIA request in 2010 (PDF)\n<a href=\"http://www.nsf.gov/policies/2010_FOIA_LOG.pdf\">http://www.nsf.gov/policies/2010_FOIA_LOG.pdf</a></p>\n\n<p>The link is found at the bottom of this page:\n<a href=\"http://www.nsf.gov/policies/foia.jsp\">http://www.nsf.gov/policies/foia.jsp</a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8116",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6084/"
]
|
8,118 | <p>I obtained my PhD about five years ago and immediately took up a postdoctoral position at a national lab in Japan to continue my research in computer engineering.</p>
<p>Over those five years I worked with the person who is now my supervisor, and trusted him in the same way I would trust any ordinary person, only to learn (too late!) that my trust was misplaced.</p>
<p>After working on a large project of his for about two full-time years, he forced
me to "leave the project". Now that the large project is nearing completion, I have since discovered that he has started to present my ideas and my work as his own.</p>
<p>The administration vacillates between feigning ignorance and admitting there is a problem but then claiming that they are powerless to do anything about it.</p>
<p>What can I do? What <em>should</em> I do - and why?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8123,
"author": "Nobody",
"author_id": 546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is harder to deal with plagiarism in oriental countries than in the western world. It's even harder when your employer is a national lab.</p>\n\n<p>To answer your question, how to <strong>encourage</strong> the administration to handle plagiarism?</p>\n\n<p>There is something you need to know (I suspect you already know it to some extent), orientals tend to treat their faces much more seriously than anything else. This is the key.</p>\n\n<p>Things may not be that serious as you would think. So far, he only presented the idea and the work as if they were his. But I agree that it's a bad sign. You need to deal with it as soon as possible before he goes any further.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Edit</strong> (I would like to argue that we do not have sufficient information to tell if plagiarism will happen or already happened.)\n <strong>End of Edit</strong></p>\n\n<p>From what you described in the comments, your supervisor seems to have personal issue with you. You might have some conflicts with him without you even knowing it. The key word <em>face</em> is the most probable reason I could think of. There is probably some cultural thing buried somewhere you would need to figure out if you want to resolve it. It may not be that serious as you think, could be just misunderstanding.</p>\n\n<p>There is some different thinkings between oriental and western world. In the <strong>western</strong> world, <strong>people take individual ownership</strong> for what they think and do. In the <strong>oriental</strong> world, some tend to think the ideas and the works are products of the <strong>whole team/group</strong>. Thus, the head of the group would present the idea and the work as <strong>the head of the group</strong>. This could be construed as plagiarism in the western world</p>\n\n<p>You said <em>they are powerless to do anything about it.</em> This is probably due to that thinking. I must say that changing a culture takes huge efforts and long time. If you want to talk to them to encourage them to handle plagiarism, you need to</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Talk to them politely, professionally and <strong>discreetly</strong>.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8174,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As you've mentioned, a paper trail is always harder to deal with in presentations—and taking credit is a lot harder to define than on a paper.</p>\n\n<p>Right now, you have a few key challenges: you will first need to find a new job as soon as possible. Secondly, you will need to establish the paper trail that shows that the ideas and results that you have obtained are in fact yours. This requires having a clear email trail, plus any relevant lab notebooks and supporting evidence that shows such work was in fact yours.</p>\n\n<p>Beyond that, you have already done due diligence in that you have alerted the administration to the possibility of academic dishonesty on the part of your advisor, and you have also informed him of your intentions in this matter (by email, which he has received). </p>\n\n<p>If you have done both of these things, then you should be able, as you suggested, to work directly with the editors of any journals in which your advisor chooses to publish this work without you.</p>\n\n<p>However, one other thing that you could do is write up your work independently. Presumably, you are much more knowledgeable about the specifics of the methods and techniques that you've performed, and would be able to write a better paper on this topic than he can by himself (which he would need to do in order to publish without you). You could then offer him to publish those manuscripts. (Before sending him such a manuscript, however, I would be sure to watermark the PDF, and lock it down so that it can't be printed, edited, or copied. Alternatively, I'd only send part of the paper—by withholding the methodologies and conclusions sections, for instance.) </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8190,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Let me start with plagiarism/academic dishonesty is a serious offense and it should always be dealt with. You said, \"After working on a large project of his for about two full-time years...\" this immediately puts us into a gray area. Did you discuss authorship at the start of the project and if so what was agreed then?</p>\n\n<p>When I employ someone to work on a grant, that doesn't guarantee them co-authorship on everything they work on. Often I need someone to turn a crank and there just isn't the opportunity to make a contribution worthy of authorship. Other times I may not trust the person enough to do anything independently enough and therefore spoon feed them. In my opinion the extent to which supervisors \"steal\" the work of their advisees is often overrated by advisees, especially ones who have had a falling out with their supervisors. </p>\n\n<p>You have a sour relationship with your former advisor and the first thing you need to do is to repair the relationship. Accusing a former supervisor of academic dishonesty by brandishing words like plagiarism is not helpful in this regards. Talking to him and explaining that you need to publish the work is useful.</p>\n\n<p>I would suggest creating a list of all the projects that you worked on while in his group. From this list, you need to identify the publications that you can generate without needing any resources from him (i.e., access to HIS computer/software) and ones that you need to collaborate with him on. The goal is to identify all potential publications and establish authorship (i.e., what should have been done at the outset).</p>\n\n<p>For each publication that does not need any additional resources, write a short description/abstract about the key findings, propose an author list and order, provide a time line until submission. For these publications, you should be the only one responsible for anything on the time line (apart from providing feedback on drafts). Ask him to provide feedback on the key findings, author list, and time line so that you can tailor them to better fit his needs.</p>\n\n<p>For each publication that requires additional resources, you need to remember, he can ignore your previous work and just regenerate it and write the publications on his own. What you are offering is a collaboration. Again, you need to write a short description/abstract about the key findings and the additional work required, propose an author list and order, and provide a time line until submission. For these publications, the more you expect of other and the more resources you need, the less enticing the collaboration is.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8118",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6082/"
]
|
8,121 | <p>I am an apprentice employed to do mechanical engineering but my real passion has always been computing.</p>
<p>I recently came up with IMHO a good idea to help mitigate DDoS attacks on web servers. I would like to do a write-up of my idea to help contribute to some personal portfolio perhaps so it would help me get into a career in computing if/when I decide to take that path.</p>
<p>I have no exposure to University resources etc but feel a white paper on this topic is probably the best way to present it. So how should I go about writing an academic paper as an outsider to academia?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8122,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>There are basically no restriction on <em>who</em> can write a paper, so, clearly you can. If you have no affiliation, it might be hard to go publish a \"free\" paper (e.g., a technical report or a pre-print on arxiv), but you can always consider submitting your idea to a workshop/conference. However, you might have to pay the conferences/travel fees (although some conferences might help you, if you can't afford it). You can also submit your idea to a journal, as many don't charge anything to publish. You can of course also just write a PDF and put it on your website, or even do a long blog post. </p>\n\n<p>There is one thing you might need to be careful of, since you might not be used to write academic paper: a good paper is not just a good idea, this idea needs to be <em>validated</em>. In other words, you can't just write: \"here is a cool idea I had\", you also need to describe how it differs from existing approaches (perhaps your idea has been already published), and you need to describe <em>why</em> it's a good idea. There are many approaches to do so, for instance by presenting your idea in a formal setting and <em>prove</em> that you can mitigate DDoS attacks (probably under some assumptions). You can also run some experiments, and show that your approach mitigated x% more attacks than some known approaches. </p>\n\n<p>If you're interested in eventually pursuing a career in academia, showing that you can explain and validate your work might be as important as having a good idea (because not only you have a good idea, but you can convince others that it's a good one!). </p>\n\n<p>Note that another approach in your situation could be to implement your idea as an open-source software, and if it's adopted by the community, then it's another form of validation. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14659,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There's an alternative approach: <strong>Speak to \"an academic\".</strong> Don't be afraid of the weird people we are :) </p>\n\n<p>Just one true story: There are two papers by the same two authors, one of them is a renowned professor and the other one works at a farm. The farmer had a very nice idea, wrote it to this professor, and they published it.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://taylortiling.com/index.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Joan Taylor</a> lives, according to the address in the papers, in Tasmania, Australia. Professor Joshua Socolar is affiliated to Duke University, North Carolina, USA. Their two common papers are available: <a href=\"http://arxiv.org/abs/1003.4279\" rel=\"nofollow\">arXiv:1003.4279</a>, <a href=\"http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.1419\" rel=\"nofollow\">arXiv:1009.1419</a>. I personally witnessed the passion with which Joshua spoke about the details of this story on SubTile conference in January 2013.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>At any case, make sure that your ideas are clear, because academic people receive various weird stuff and you don't want your mail to just get trashed.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, you might feel \"unsafe\" that someone \"steals\" your idea. In that case, a pre-publication of any form (arXiv, blog, free software as mentioned above, etc.) is enough to verify your attribution.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8121",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6083/"
]
|
8,125 | <p>I am working on my PhD now for 1.5 years and was recently asked by my supervisor to assist him with a review. The reviewed paper was also written by a non-native speaker.</p>
<p>For my first publication I bought a book on English writing skills for research papers, which was very helpful for me.</p>
<p>Can I suggest this book to the author of the paper I got for review, so he can improve his English? I do not want to critize him, only to give him an advice I also give my colleagues.
I am not sure if this exceeds my responsibility.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8126,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Certainly, poor English is a significant problem, one that hinders communication, and undoubtedly has an impact on one's ability to publish top-quality articles.</p>\n\n<p>It may sound a bit rude to make such a suggestion, but in extreme cases I think it is warranted. It's probably better and more cost effective than trying to improve the English yourself and better in the long run than simply ignoring the problem (and suggesting to reject the paper).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8207,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>As editor in chief of an international journal I often come across these problems. There are several ways forward (in no particular order):</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Does the journal publisher offer links to services to improve the language? Cite those to the author.</li>\n<li>You can start correcting the English for about a page or two and then state that the authors must seek the help of a native English speaking person (I have found that this is unfortunately not always a sure way to success). By high-lighting the level of problems, it is harder to ignore by anybody. It is after all the author's responsibility and most journals state this very clearly. Remember that the editor is also part of the publishing procedure and you may express your thoughts to him/her to get assistance in your requests. </li>\n<li>If the problems are less severe and you think the paper is very deserving, do the work. But don't make it a habit.</li>\n<li>If the first author has an identifiable native English speaking person as a co-author there is no real excuse and you should point that out to the <em>editor</em>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The suggestion of providing references may seem like a good one but make these suggestions to the editor. I really do not think such books will be of much use other than in the long term for authors who have problem grasping the English language; and in some cases never.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8213,
"author": "che_kid",
"author_id": 6093,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6093",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is anonymous reviewing? If so, absolutely! A book may be helpful. There are also a number of companies/services (see for example <a href=\"http://webshop.elsevier.com/languageediting/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Elsevier</a> or <a href=\"http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/english_language.asp\" rel=\"nofollow\">this list</a>) out there aimed at helping non-English speakers prepare scientific publications. I routinely suggest that authors revise their writing before something gets published.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8125",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6085/"
]
|
8,128 | <p>I got my PhD one year ago; I am looking for a position (e.g., postdoc).
I am going to a fairly attended conference, and was pondering about how to make audience aware that I am on the market.</p>
<ul>
<li>An explicit, dedicated slide (maybe at the end)?</li>
<li>A verbal statement?</li>
<li>A caption on my T-shirt? :)</li>
</ul>
<p>Would you find any of this appropriate?
What would you advice me to do?</p>
<p><strong>EDIT</strong>
In case you think it's not a good idea, I'd be interested in knowing why.
Otherwise, I'd be interested in any additional implementation advice (how to formulate that, or whatever comes to mind).</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8129,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would add to the end of your conclusion a simple statement: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>By the way, I'm looking for a postdoc position.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I've seen it done before, and I don't think people minded. </p>\n\n<p>A T-shirt could be a fun way of broaching the topic when talking to people.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8130,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Don't be shy about advertising. As you and Dave suggest, place it at the end, but you don't need to be very subtle about it. I've seen a number of talks where people advertise the fact that they're on the market, and everyone understands the need to do this. Presumably you're worried about it seeming desperate, but it isn't. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8137,
"author": "Jencel",
"author_id": 6092,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6092",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Be personal (if possible). Try to research the person or people that may be interested in you and approach them directly.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8128",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6086/"
]
|
8,131 | <p>Some jobs ask you to submit 'teaching evaluations'. Assuming the school doesn't have any preference for how I submit the materials, my issue is that I literally have hundreds of teaching evaluations - If I just send them all I know no one is going to look through them all, but if I do any sort of condensing I feel as though I will be clearly cherry picking the good comments. Any suggestions for making the most out of these materials in a job application?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8132,
"author": "Chris Gregg",
"author_id": 4461,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4461",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't think a modicum of cherry-picking is a bad thing in this regard. What you need to send is a set of teaching evaluations that describes what is significant about your teaching -- the </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Great teacher!</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>comments aren't particularly worth it, but the</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Dr. X constantly provided clear examples of the material, and it made the difficult topics more concrete.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>samples can provide the insight that will be helpful to a hiring committee.</p>\n\n<p>The committee is trying to get a feel for <em>why</em> you are a good teacher (be that the case), and that's why they want the evaluations. I have provided bulleted lists of evaluation comments, but I have also provided a link to all of my comments from multiple classes. The evaluation website at the university where I taught recently actually provided a statistical breakdown of the survey questions on each evaluation topic, so I was able to highlight the statistical takeaways from the surveys.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8182,
"author": "fedja",
"author_id": 6118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6118",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First, in most cases you have summary pages that give your overall statistics and even compare you to other teachers in the department. By all means, submit those (juts scan them all into a single PDF). Those are not cherry-picking in any way, so that would remove your main concern. Second, on the top of it, sift through the hundreds you have to choose the most meaningful and nice comments and scan 10-15 of them (you shouldn't be shy and afraid to show your best in your application: after all, if you tell me that you always dress as neatly and behave as nicely as you do on your interview day, I'll just laugh). That should be more than enough for any hiring committee member unless he has a strong prejudice against you for some reason.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8131",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4269/"
]
|
8,134 | <p>I need to get citations (with complete info including authors, journal, date) to all my papers. What's the best way (hopefully without too much manual copy & paste) to do this?</p>
<p>What i so far tried:</p>
<p>Google Scholar seem to give more complete list of papers that cite my paper that it includes papers in non-English language journals etc. But i can't see how to get authors, journal title, volume number etc quickly from the Google Scholar search output.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8135,
"author": "gerrit",
"author_id": 1033,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You can use <a href=\"http://www.scopus.com\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Scopus</a> to do that, but only if you / your institute has access.</p>\n\n<p>Search for an article that you (or someone else) has authored, click on the author name, then click on \"citations\". </p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/TYmLx.png\" alt=\"Scopus screenshot\">\n<br /><sup>Scopus screenshot, author page</sup>\n<br />\nIf you click on the <em>13</em> link, you will see a full list of documents citing Gerrit Holl:</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xeg9K.png\" alt=\"Scopus screenshot\">\n<br /><sup>Scopus screenshot, author citation page</sup>\n<br />\nIn my experience, Scopus doesn't have many false positives, although it might miss publications in new or unknown journals.</p>\n\n<p>I'm not sure if Scopus deeplinking works, but <a href=\"http://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.url?origin=resultslist&authorId=31267510200&zone=\" rel=\"noreferrer\">try this</a> for a direct link.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8138,
"author": "silvado",
"author_id": 3890,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3890",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As an alternative to scopus, you can use Web of Science. It's also subscription based though, and your institution may or may not have access.</p>\n\n<p>Go to <a href=\"http://apps.webofknowledge.com\">http://apps.webofknowledge.com</a> , select the tab labelled \"Web of Science\", and enter your name in the search field for the author. When the results show up, you should see a link labelled \"Create citation report\" near the top right corner of the results list. Follow that, and in the results table you will see an element \"Citing Articles[?] : nnn\", where nnn is the number of citing articles. Click on the number, and you are taken to a list of all citing articles from the Web of Science database.</p>\n\n<p>In case the result list after searching for your name has false positives, you can exclude them from the citation report either by setting a year range, or manually excluding them one-by-one.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8139,
"author": "walkmanyi",
"author_id": 1265,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1265",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><a href=\"http://www.harzing.com/pop.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\">Harzing's Publish or Perish</a> software is the tool which will probably help you most. It is a Windows application, which allows you to specify queries and then goes to Google Scholar to retrieve and sort the references, citations, etc. Besides computing h-index and a host of other bibliometric indices, it allows you to produce reports from your searches and this is what you seem to be after. Even though running only on Windows, installing <a href=\"http://www.winehq.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Wine</a> emulator to run it is worth the hassle.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8134",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4171/"
]
|
8,140 | <p>Back when I was in graduate school and as a post-doc, life was fairly blissful. Only one big responsibility: research. Now as a faculty member I find <em>so</em> many things to do. Teach, supervise undergrads and grads, publish papers, perform research, participate in service/administrative activities, get funding, etc. Plus throw in family life, friends, etc.</p>
<p>I've looked at all sorts of productivity systems over the years (GTD, 7 Habits, etc.), and have settled on a simple todo list method, where I have a master list of tasks in a todo list that I periodically review. The problem is the list just seems to get bigger and bigger. More gets on the list than comes off, especially during busy seasons, like when teaching or when grants are due. </p>
<p>I realize that <em>busy</em> is part of the game, but how do you keep track of everything and not go crazy?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8141,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I use a Todo List manager called <a href=\"http://culturedcode.com/things/\">Things</a> on the Mac. It syncs via the cloud with my iPad, so in principle I always have my lists. Lists can be tagged and sorted and categorized and so forth, so with some discipline, it can be a really helpful too.</p>\n\n<p>That said, I still have lists of major \"deliverables\" on my whiteboard and lists of daily activities on scraps of paper. Ideally, what I need is less work, not a better tool.</p>\n\n<p>Re: not going crazy: go on vacation, go cycling, stop thinking about work.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8142,
"author": "Zai",
"author_id": 4318,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4318",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Another nice todo list system is <a href=\"http://trello.com\">Trello</a> which lets you do things like add mini-check lists to items, make separate lists for each thing, add notes to items, add pictures to items, and add other people to items. The ability to add sub-items helps a lot in that it makes it feel like I'm getting somewhere on large projects that take a lot of time and hang around in my to-do list for weeks.</p>\n\n<p>Trello is also really nice for sharing/collaborating/delegating work. In our lab, we have a Trello board for any projects where multiple people are collaborating so everyone is able to keep track of who's responsible for what.</p>\n\n<p>Last, it lets you move your items around so that you can prioritize them. Stuff that you need to get done sooner goes on the top while less critical stuff is on the bottom. I also have a bit of a garbage cleaning policy where if it's been sitting in the low priority for a while and I still haven't gotten around to it, it goes into a theoretical \"someday when I have free time\" list.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8143,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>For things that can be decomposed into tasks, I use (and recommend) <a href=\"http://www.rememberthemilk.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Remember The Milk</a>.</p>\n\n<p>The best thing is that you can set task with everything (date due, priority, tags, ...) with their markup, e.g.</p>\n\n<pre><code>check references #work #writing #qft-project ^tomorrow !2\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>It works on web, and as an application for mobile devices, with which it synchronizes (the only bad thing is that in free version you can do it once 24h). </p>\n\n<p>When there are larger goals (e.g. \"finish a paper\") they need to be split in smaller tasks.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8155,
"author": "earthling",
"author_id": 2692,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2692",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>This is a bit similar to other answers - keep a good list - but that's not going to fix your problem. Your problem is that employers, academic or industry, will always try to get more and more out of you. That is just the nature of things.</p>\n\n<p>So, yes, keep a list of what is important and what is urgent and learn to drop the other stuff. It is natural to try to do more and more things, especially when some seem really interesting, however, you have to decide what you can do and what you cannot.</p>\n\n<p>The life of an academic is not one of punching the clock and working 9-5. The good news is that we do get a bit of flexibility. However, sometimes we do need to fight for that flexibility.</p>\n\n<p>You might read a recent book <a href=\"http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0307465357\">The Four-Hour Work Week</a>. There is a lot which does not relate to academic work (at least not to teaching) at all (like trying to work from home). However, it does include some very good reminders to simply do the important stuff and drop the unimportant stuff.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8160,
"author": "Fuhrmanator",
"author_id": 3859,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3859",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am a Gmail user and prefer <a href=\"http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=106237\" rel=\"nofollow\">Gmail Tasks</a>. <strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qrka_3jui8M\" rel=\"nofollow\">Watch a short video about it</a>.</strong></p>\n\n<p>I have a personal email and work email, so I separate the task lists naturally on both accounts - it allows me to focus on work while I'm <em>at</em> work, without distractions about home stuff. </p>\n\n<p>Google Tasks integrate into Gmail, as many tasks originate from an email. A great way to remove an email from the inbox is to create a new task with the email (if you can't take care of the task straight away). Gmail has keyboard shortcuts with tasks, so <kbd>SHIFT</kbd>-<kbd>T</kbd> makes a new task with the current email. </p>\n\n<p>There is an iOS app called Go Tasks that syncs to Google Tasks, with support for multiple accounts. </p>\n\n<p>There are no priorities, but I either put deadlines (which cause tasks to show on a Google calendar) or shift them up/down on the task list. Tasks can be hierarchical, so I define themes (courses I teach, articles, committees, etc.) and tasks within them. </p>\n\n<p>Regarding the growing number of tasks, many items every year get closed without being done, but that's life. They're lower priority and you can't do it all. Often a task becomes OBE - overtaken by events. Some items, like course improvement tasks, stay on the list until the next time I teach the course.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8161,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First, it helps to have a list system that allows you to prioritize the important and temporarily ignore the less important. I use Omnifocus, though it's not everyone's cup of tea.</p>\n\n<p>Second, as more and more gets added to the list, eventually you have to realize that there are things on the list that will never get done. Those things are only burning up your mental energy. I periodically review my lists and delete things that I don't believe will get done. After doing this for a while, you start to sense which things won't get done, even <strong>before they get onto the list</strong>, and you start saying no to them in advance. You have a finite amount of time, so you have to be selective in what you choose to do with it.</p>\n\n<p>For example, a few years ago I wouldn't have dreamed of saying 'no' to any interesting research collaboration. But nowadays doing so is absolutely essential to my sanity.</p>\n\n<p>The same advice is given in <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/8010/81\">this answer</a>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 20184,
"author": "John Johnson",
"author_id": 8530,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8530",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I read somewhere that sometimes simplifying a complex problem requires a complex system - think about the automatic transmission in a car. </p>\n\n<p>I use a combination of OmniFocus for task and project management, and Evernote for saving resources. There is some overlap between the two, in that OmniFocus tasks can have attachments, but if the usefulness of a resource extends beyond one task, it definitely goes into Evernote. Premium users of Evernote can search within images of documents, which comes in handy when looking for a gas receipt, for instance. </p>\n\n<p>I love OmniFocus' location-based contexts, so when I drive up to my apartment, a list of tasks I can do there appears on my phone. Other contexts are more mental shifts, say from 'studying' to 'phone'.</p>\n\n<p>Using these tools has given me a trusted system in which to dump all the minutiae that was clogging my brain - one of the tenets of Getting Things Done. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 20194,
"author": "VH-NZZ",
"author_id": 14410,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14410",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Use a tracking/ticketing tool, like eg. <a href=\"http://www.redmine.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Redmine</a> to help you organize your tasks and track their progress. This is definitely more involved than a simple to-do list but it's worth the effort many times over.</p>\n\n<p>I find this especially useful when shared with other people (coworkers, students, etc...) and it's seamlessly integrating with subversion systems.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8140",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6093/"
]
|
8,144 | <p>I just received a paper for review that does not have a single citation (in the text) of its references.</p>
<p>I wonder if this is common in other areas non-CS related.</p>
<p>Since it is a conference, I don't think I should contact the editor, but I do think it should lose many points in its evaluation. </p>
<p>Overall the paper is well written, and they do not seem amateurish people writing their first paper.</p>
<p>What would you do in this case?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8150,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Reject.</p>\n\n<p>No work exists in isolation. The authors need to position their work in relation to existing work, and this requires more than just putting a bunch of papers in the bibliography section: it requires a detailed comparison. The authors failed to do this. </p>\n\n<p><em>In any case, there will always be another conference for them to resubmit to.</em></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8153,
"author": "corsiKa",
"author_id": 877,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/877",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My initial reaction is that they merely have encountered a set of issues for which there are no relevant papers they could cite. For example, where would you expect citations in there? Citations for the sake of citations are a Bad Thing. Citations should advance the position of the paper in a meaningful, shoulders-of-giants kind of way.</p>\n\n<p>And initial reactions are often the right one<sup>[citation needed]</sup>.</p>\n\n<p>But upon further reflection, it occurs to me that with the vast multitude of papers out there, the likelihood of not having a single paper that could help advance this paper's position in a meaningful way is probably very, very small. What is much more likely is that the authors either did not do their due diligence in looking for work that could have advanced their position and/or saved them time, or worse, specifically excluded other research because glaring similarities. Both are common, and either is bad for the authors and the scientific community as a whole.</p>\n\n<p>The main thing that concerns me is... where did they get the idea to do whatever is in the paper? Was it not at least <em>partially</em> based on some published work that they're either challenging or advancing? That is the most troubling thing to me.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8157,
"author": "Ran G.",
"author_id": 324,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/324",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's not clear from your question, whether they simply don't regard other papers in the field, or they do have related work etc. but they omit the in-body-citations.</p>\n\n<p>If it is the first case, I'd second Dave's answer (unless it's a brand new question with a brand new technique that solves it, and they clearly say that no related work can be found to the best of their knowledge).</p>\n\n<p>However, if it is the second case, it seems quite technical issue that can be easily fixed, and in this case you can just mention in your review that references are missing and this should be fixed (also note this to the PC chair; s/he can condition the acceptance on fixing this issue)</p>\n\n<p>The fact that it's a conference, in my eyes, makes it more flexible -- papers should be considered mainly by merit and not by technicalities. I can think of the opposite case, where the paper has all the citation, gets accepted, but in the camera-ready version all references are removed. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8144",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806/"
]
|
8,145 | <p>What is the advantage of becoming a full professor if you are already an associate professor with tenure? Why not just stay an associate professor for life? What is the key difference between an associate professor and a full professor?</p>
<p>Why continue to write papers if you already have tenure? Can't a tenured associate professor stop writing papers and still have a job?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8146,
"author": "Noah Snyder",
"author_id": 25,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/25",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One key difference is that full professors are paid more.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8147,
"author": "Benoît Kloeckner",
"author_id": 946,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/946",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One could say that a full professor has a more prominent position in its department, but that is somehow more trouble (e.g. you can have to be chair) than entertainment.</p>\n\n<p>I would say that the real point is that becoming a full professor is a recognition of your qualities.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8148,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the Netherlands, you need to be a full professor before you can be the main supervisor (promotor) of a PhD student. Otherwise you can only be a co-supervisor (co-promotor), and thereby miss out on all the credit.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8149,
"author": "Paul Hiemstra",
"author_id": 4091,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4091",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The difference is often also that full professors have their own group or department. Associate professors often have just a few PhDs and postdocs. So, getting full professorship is a means of really creating your own group of people, and direct them towards research that you think needs to be done. In that sense it is comparable to rising in the ranks of any ordinary company, you start as a business unit manager, and then go on to be CEO.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8152,
"author": "Ben Norris",
"author_id": 924,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/924",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Agreeing with the answer provided by Noah Snyder, and following from the OP's comments to it:</p>\n\n<p>In addition to an increase in pay, full professors often have a different expectation for <strong>service</strong> - to the department, institution, professional, whatever. Usually, these sorts of activities are undertaken to gain promotion and/or tenure. As a full professor, there are few options for advancement, and so fewer expectations that you do things to earn yourself a promotion. </p>\n\n<p>Of course, slacking off after becoming a full professor will cheat you out of that better-paying named professorship or named chair. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8156,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Why continue to write papers if you already have tenure? Can't a tenured associate professor not write papers and still have a job?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The general answer is simple: most of the people who would quit doing research after tenure in fact quit before tenure. The ones who make it to tenure generally care about research and intend to continue at it for a long time. </p>\n\n<p>In more detail:</p>\n\n<p>Reaching an associate professor position in a research university is a long journey. At this stage you could stop writing papers and lead a comfortable life, if you were willing to live with the disapproval of your department chair (which is not an easy thing: there are many ways they can make your life unpleasant even if they can't fire you). However, if that's all you wanted, you could have had it with much less effort along the way. By the time you reach tenure, you have let many opportunities to change your career go by, and you have repeatedly passed through filters intended to measure your talent and ambition. This selection process means tenured professors at research universities generally really want to do research. Now, sometimes people change their minds or burn out, and a few might never have intended to maintain their research programs. However, on the whole this is a group that has been selected for research enthusiasm and ambition, so it's no surprise that on average they maintain the desire to do research.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8164,
"author": "Dikran Marsupial",
"author_id": 2827,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2827",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>\"Why continue to write papers if you already have tenure?\"</em></p>\n\n<p>Because it is fun? </p>\n\n<p>While some academics forge a rewarding career from teaching and administration, for most academics research is what provides a substantial part of their job satisfaction. If research is not something you actively <em>want</em> to do, academia might not be a good career path, especially not being a senior academic.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8165,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yet another reason to seek promotion to full professor is <strong>political influence</strong>. Especially in larger/older departments and universities, administrative positions (department chair, dean, etc.) and membership in influential committees may be restricted to full professors. (For example, in my department, only full professors may serve on the promotions and tenure committee; similar restrictions apply to college- and campus-level committees.)</p>\n\n<p>This is the flip side of the <strong>service</strong> expectation that Ben Norris mentions.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 38433,
"author": "user29026",
"author_id": 29026,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/29026",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am a tenured associate professor in 'hard science' at a major research institution (part of that cluster famous for the Ivy on the walls). I've been an associate professor for ~5 years. </p>\n\n<p>Fairly recently, my chair asked about timetable for promotion. Said Chair fell to the floor (almost) when I replied \"I could care squat about promotion to full professor\". Seriously - who cares? There are two motivations I can think of for wanting promotion. (1) money, and/or (2) ego. I get paid more than enough in my current position, thank you very much, and anyone who thinks a different academic title means anything to anyone (other than their own inner ego) is delusional. </p>\n\n<p>I'm an associate professor. I write 3-4 good solid papers a year (have about 60-70 so far, 2 books, and a bunch of book chapters), do my share of teaching, edit for a couple of journals, get grants when I feel like it, and supervise students if they're good and I feel like it. I shift research gears with some frequency, pursuing what interests me. I go to meetings if I feel like it, not as a career move. That, of course, is the point of tenure. I do what I want, more or less. </p>\n\n<p>The university system is predicated on people striving for promotion, for 2 reasons. One, the bean counters and political types in the university administration understand that outside of academics, like government agencies, alumni groups, and other folks who might have $$$ to give to the school, title carries gravitas. A lot of universities make a big deal out of the number of 'full professors'. Second, and more to the point, they want the lure of promotion to keep you active - not at anything as trivial as 'intellectual work', but...getting grants. Pure and simple. Without overhead off major grants, universities would crash and burn - so, how do you keep everyone motivated to keep playing the grant game? Hold out the lure of the 'perks' of being a full professor.</p>\n\n<p>Problem is, the system doesn't account for people who could care less about money, or title. People who publish just fine without a lot of $$$ rolling in. People like me. I'm doing what I want to do now. I loathe administrative assignments, and if doing them is a necessary step on the road to 'full' title, I'll pass.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46814,
"author": "Joseph Schuessler",
"author_id": 35589,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35589",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I noticed one of the responses mentioned the increase in pay. Sure, that would be nice. As one in the process of going up for tenure in business, I can tell you that research is required even after tenure is granted. It is a common misconception that you cannot be fired after you receive tenure. It does become more difficult. As long as the university needs your skills AND you are doing what you are supposed to be doing (teaching, service, AND research), then it is virtually impossible to get fired. But, to satisfy the research component, you must stay what is referred to as academically qualified. This means that you continue to do research even after tenure. In fact, you must continue to do so, even after you have become a full professor. Failure to do so results in negative evaluations by department heads which leads to lower if not stagnant pay. It leads to the implementation of plans for corrective action and if those plans are not followed can lead to dismissal from the university, EVEN IF YOU HAVE TENURE.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 85396,
"author": "jim",
"author_id": 69727,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/69727",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>never mind-- I'll just give you one. The answer is that, for many faculty, it is not necessary to become a full professor. There are distinct advantages to doing so, however: 1) salary. If you remain an associate professor, salary generally will not go up any more, whereas if you become full, you will get a substantial pay increase, and will probably be eligible for future merit based pay increases. If you remain associate, this will not happen, so salary will actually go down relative to inflation; 2) service: associate professors have a harder life than is usually imagined. They actually get the worst, most onerous service tasks, because assistant professors are usually shielded from these, and full professors can opt out of them, and get more interesting service work. This is especially true at research universities. Running the graduate program is almost always an associate professor's job, and it's a ton of work. Full professors have more freedom more salary; 3) Status and prestige, leading to other opportunities: There is a stigma attached to staying associate for too long. It may seem petty, but one's colleagues are a little like siblings-- you are with them for life, and you see some rise up quick and others stay behind. There is often built up resentment and jealousy, and we are all only human. On a less petty level, there are certain prestigious, well paying fellowships and other positions that are easier to get if you are full (eg., editing a prestigious journal or being president of your discipline's scholarly organization or running a search committee and determining who your department is going to hire). Finally, at some institutions, if you do not continue to advance, you will not be fired, but you can be demoted away from the position you have to a more teaching-based job. You will teach more undergrad classes (and more classes overall), and may not be able to advise grad students or perhaps even teach grad classes. Again, this varies from institution to institution. The pressure is greater at prestigious research universities rather than liberal arts colleges</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 114680,
"author": "Jim",
"author_id": 96685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96685",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Interesting discussion. I am a full professor at a research university. My rank does allow me to participate in any committee. It also enables me to be the department chair (I have) and to chair other committees. </p>\n\n<p>I still write academic research papers and get research grants and contracts. Why? First, I have spent many years establishing a reputation in my field and do not want to forsake that reputation. Second, I want to be a positive role model for my undergraduate and graduate students as they move toward professional life. Third, I have financial motivation to do so (my university grants me a percentage of incoming research funds). Fourth: the research I do is important theoretically and for people who do important tasks in the \"real world.\" Therefore, I feel like (hope) I'm making a difference in the world. Fifth, importantly, my graduate students need money, and my department doesn't receive enough from the upper administration. Therefore, grants/contracts pay their way. Sixth, I learned to be a driven, Type A, OCD academic in grad school, and old habits die hard. :^)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 168559,
"author": "Teri Lynn Varner PhD",
"author_id": 140363,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/140363",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Most universities offer a bigger increase for promotion to Full Professor. However some universities may have amounts for promotion to Associate Professor at $3,000 and Full Professor $4,000. Do know that these amounts are below average.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8145",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6096/"
]
|
8,166 | <p>How related two conferences are if B is sponsored by A? If A is a top conference, does this make B a worth-trusting conference also? For example, SIGCOMM is a top conference in computer networks & communications, and CoNEXT is sponsored by it. Does that automatically make CoNEXT a quality conference?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8167,
"author": "Paul Hiemstra",
"author_id": 4091,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4091",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The top conference has reputation to keep up, so if they associate themselves with the other conference this indicates that they trust the organizers of the other conference to do a good job. So, I'd see the endorsement as a sign that the level of the conference is probably good, although there are no guarantees.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8168,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm not sure what it means for one conference to sponsor another. In the particular case you mention, \"SIGCOMM\" is both the name of a conference and the name of a group within the ACM that sponsors that conference. So it's likely that SIGCOMM (the group) is sponsoring CONEXT, rather than SIGCOMM (the conference).</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8166",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/773/"
]
|
8,169 | <p>Is it a good thing for an undergraduate student to publish in a low-tier conference as first author? Or should the student avoid such places and only publish in at least reputable places? If it is a good thing, how should the student present his study in the graduate admissions process to admissions members (since the conference name is mostly unknown to much of them)?</p>
<p>Note that, by low tier, I mean the conferences which are ranked at "<em>C level</em>" according to <a href="http://core.edu.au/cms/images/downloads/conference/08sorttitleERA2010_conference_list.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ERA</a> (Excellence in Research for Australia).</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8171,
"author": "Ben Norris",
"author_id": 924,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/924",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Let me answer the important parts of your question:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Is a good thing for an undergraduate student to publish in a low-tier conference as first author ? Or should the student avoid from such places and only publish in at least reputable places ?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>Yes, especially if the venue is peer-reviewed.</strong></p>\n\n<p>As the answers to <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/6010/importance-of-undergraduate-research\">this question</a> suggest, graduate schools look for evidence of <strong>research potential</strong>. The undergraduate research experience is about developing some basic skills and demonstrating that you are capable of handling a research project. Publishing at a third-tier conference, so long as there is some level of peer review, is better than no publications. Would publishing at a higher tier conference be better? Sure, but it might not be worth the effort or the risk of rejection. Publishing at a third-tier conference would look better than being rejected from a first-tier conference. Being first author on a paper at a lower tier conference should hold more weight than being a middle author on a paper at a higher-ranked conference. </p>\n\n<p>Your research adviser probably has some wisdom about the level of conference at which your work should be presented. Choosing a lower tier conference is not about making your work seem less important. The choice might be about guaranteeing you get the change to present it at all.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>If it is a good thing, how should the student present his study in graduate admissions process to admissions members, since the conference name is mostly unknown to much of them?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Present your work and conference presentation the same way you would present any other similar experiences. If you have to provide a personal statement as part of your application, write about the experience and how it benefited you. If they ask for a list of relevant accomplishments, include this presentation in that list. Put it in on your resumé. Ask your research adviser for a letter of recommendation. </p>\n\n<p>Do not use any negative language or derogatory language when describing your experience. For example, don't mention that the conference is lower tier or that you thought you could have presented at a better one. If the admissions committee knows about the conference, then they already know about its ranking. If they do not, then you should not be the one to give any hint that you think your experience might have been sub-par. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8195,
"author": "al_b",
"author_id": 5963,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5963",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Just to add to extensive Ben Norris's answer - as far as I know, ERA has been discontinued, but, Brazilian CS community did a conference ranking for their internal evaluation purposes. Here is the list (explanations are in Portuguese, but the names of the conferences are from all over the world) - <a href=\"http://www.capes.gov.br/images/stories/download/avaliacao/Comunicado_004_2012_Ciencia_da_Computacao.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.capes.gov.br/images/stories/download/avaliacao/Comunicado_004_2012_Ciencia_da_Computacao.pdf</a>, A1 is the best, B5 is worse - that is essentially based on h-index of a conference computed via this tool: <a href=\"http://shine.icomp.ufam.edu.br/index.php\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://shine.icomp.ufam.edu.br/index.php</a></p>\n\n<p>May be the conference where you published is of better position there:)? There are also several community-driven rankings but I cannot post links to them as my reputation is not enough for posting more than 2 links;)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8169",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6113/"
]
|
8,170 | <p>I've tried googling around for this but I haven't really understood how the British grading scheme works. I am specifically interested in knowing the following things:</p>
<ol>
<li>What is a 2:1?</li>
<li>What is a level A?</li>
<li>How can I convert from and to A, B, C grades to numerical grades?</li>
</ol>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8176,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The UK system uses the notation of 1st, 2.1, 2.2, 3rd as degree classifications. Most individual modules/classes are grade on either an A, B, C, ... scale or a percentage scale. I believe the conversion of A-=70=1st and B-=60=2.1 is pretty universal. At reasonable universities, approximately 10% of students get a first and 60% get a 2.1.</p>\n\n<p>Under no circumstances would I advise converting your own marks on an application. State the marks you got and if it is a particularly bizarre system provide a link where they can get more information.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8183,
"author": "Magpie",
"author_id": 1248,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1248",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<ul>\n<li>An A is 70% upwards (this is also known as a 1st)</li>\n<li>A 2:1 is 60%-69% (also known as a B or upper second)</li>\n<li>A 2:2 is a C 50%-59% (lower second)</li>\n<li>A 3rd is 40-49% (a d)</li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8170",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6109/"
]
|
8,172 | <p>I applied to a prestigious university in the States for my PhD but was unfortunately rejected. I had a great undergraduate track record... but still didn't quite make it. The faculty I really, <em>really</em> want to work with are at this University... I really don't know what to do. I spent the whole day refreshing my email, waiting on the off-chance that an acceptance would come... but it didn't. I'm honestly devastated right now. I know I shouldn't feel so strongly about this, but I'm an incredibly competitive person my nature and I've wanted to attend this institution since I was a freshman in high school.</p>
<p>What are my options? I did apply to some backup schools...but I don't know if I should consider going to one of them or just waiting a year and reapplying... Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 8173,
"author": "anna v",
"author_id": 94323,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/94323",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>OK, I will try to form an answer.</p>\n\n<p>Last week I set through a three hour memorial presentation for the 25 years since the death of Feynman. The person who was presenting the way the Feynman Lectures series ( red books) caught the imagination of physicists made the following comment: \".most of the real students in his audience left physics\" . I tried to find a link but did not succeed. But I had some personal experience:</p>\n\n<p>Back in 1964, when I was a graduate student in a nascent school in Athens, Greece, after a semester of field theory from the book by Bogoliubov went to a Cern summer school in Yugoslavia. There <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinus_J._G._Veltman\">Veltman</a> gave three weeks of lectures where the scales fell from my eyes and I realized in my gut feelings what all the fuss with operators was about: crossections. Enthused by this I managed to get a place at the Erice meeting of 1964 where Feynman would lecture. I was severely disappointed.</p>\n\n<p>I realize now that I joined at the time the students from his feynman series course :). The reason? At the time we were all excited about the eightfold way and quarks and tantalizing SU(3) . Feynman spent his time in showing us how HE derived the same things in what was for me not a particularly elegant way. </p>\n\n<p>I also followed a series of lectures he gave in 1981 in a Crete workshop when QCD was all the rage, and again , he derived for us QCD in his own unique way. This time I could appreciate it having become sophisticated enough to admire how he could think out of the box still at his age. </p>\n\n<p>My anecdotes are to show that a physics personality may be very attractive to an aspiring physicist but that does not mean that being a student of Feynman would allow one to develop as an independent thinker next to his shade. If you are competitive, you should think of this .</p>\n\n<p>In your place I would choose one of my alternate universities, looking at how the graduate students from there were placed as post docs, and not waste time : most original thoughts come before 30 for physicists.</p>\n\n<p>my two cents. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8178,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I understand that your question has been migrated, and therefore it might not be obvious whether you want to have your career in academia. But if that's the case, not being accepted to your first choice is probably not as bad as it first seems. </p>\n\n<p>First of all, you don't need to be in the same university to collaborate with the faculty you <em>really</em> want to work with. Perhaps it would be easier if you were in the same department, but you're starting a 45+ years career, you will have plenty of opportunities to work with him/her in the future. Getting your PhD is just the first step, not the final one. </p>\n\n<p>As some comments say, in the end, <em>where</em> you did your PhD is not the most important, <em>what</em> you do during it is. If you can find another nice place to work, then consider it as a challenge to work hard enough to get a permanent position in your dream university later. </p>\n\n<p>Finally, just to look at the bright side of things, not getting there might be a chance: a very important aspect to measure the quality of a PhD is to show how you can do <em>independent</em> research, i.e., without your main advisor. Hence, doing your PhD with someone you admire (I'm extrapolating here), although very rewarding on the short term, might tie you to work only with him/her, and thus reduce your visibility as an independent researcher. </p>\n\n<p>To answer shortly your question: since you're competitive (and many people are in academia), go do your PhD where you are accepted, do the best PhD ever witnessed in this university, get the best publications, and then people will look at your work more than the place you did your PhD. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8179,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Disappointment is a real part of life, <em>especially</em> in academia.</p>\n\n<p>My belief is that, in order to succeed in academia, one needs to maintain a <em>concrete yet ultimately attainable set of goals</em>. These goals should be things that have a realistic probability of being achieved, but allows you some room to maneuver around in which to attain them.</p>\n\n<p>Saying \"I want to go to graduate school to get a PhD in [insert field of choice here]\" is reasonable and gives you several routes to get there. Saying \"I want to go to graduate school X to work with professor Y on topic Z\" places way too many constraints on yourself: first you need to get into graduate school X, then hope that professor Y is still offering projects in topic Z, and prefers <em>you</em> to other applicants in the program. This is a way of setting yourself up for disappointment.</p>\n\n<p>So, what I would recommend is regrouping. Find an alternate strategy for yourself. What do you want to do in graduate school—beyond working with Prof. X or Y (who by the way, might not be a very good graduate mentor)? Figure out what the goals you have are, both for your graduate degree and beyond, and then figure out what options, among the ones you still have available, will be the ones that best get you there.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8186,
"author": "Dan C",
"author_id": 1069,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1069",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Go to grad school at the best place where you were accepted</strong>, and work hard to take advantage of whatever opportunities that school has to offer (even if they were not what you first envisioned). At the same time, keep in mind the <strong>possibility of transferring after you finish a masters degree</strong>. This is fairly common in mathematics (my field). It can be a great way to \"move up\" to a higher quality school. </p>\n\n<p>If you're considering transferring, you should immediately begin working (at your first school) to <strong>network</strong> and to <strong>develop relationships with professor who can write you letters of recommendation</strong> (obviously, you should also <strong>publish good papers</strong>). In fact, you should do all of these things regardless, but now you will have more urgency. One advantage of this approach is that your work will be valuable whether you transfer or stay at the same school.</p>\n\n<p>In short, it sounds like you had your (academic) life planned out, and now you must make a new plan. One weakness of your first plan is that it was \"fragile\" in the sense that it depended on many things outside of your control. <strong>You will be happier (and generally more successful) if you focus your plans and energies on things <em>inside</em> your control.</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8191,
"author": "Ana",
"author_id": 322,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/322",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A similar thing happened to me, although I did get the academic position at first, but not the funding a few months later. I was absolutely gutted. </p>\n\n<p>Right now I'm writing from the comfortable position of a PhD student at a place (another place!) which is great in almost any respect I can think of. In retrospect, here is what I learned:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>By enrolling in grad studies, you're entering a whole new arena. In good schools, nearly every student who comes in is used to being in the top 10% of his year. Of them, in grad school, only 10% will have this distinction. Sometimes, dealing with this disappointment starts with the admissions process. But wherever you're admitted to, it will continue: a good part of being a scientist is about becoming genuinely interested to hear more whenever you're told you're doing something wrong. This goes against every gut instinct you have, and takes time to internalize. </p></li>\n<li><p>Universities have rankings, which gives an impression that they're in competition with each other. But great science comes from having many different people poke at a problem from different angles. This means that there is normally good collaboration going on between labs (i.e. universities) working on any given subfield. It is not uncommon for a student to be shared between supervisors from different universities, so you still have the opportunity to collaborate with the lab you were initially interested in even if you go elsewhere. </p></li>\n<li><p>You can always try again at the original university, either by transferring during your graduate studies, or by applying for a postdoc.</p></li>\n<li><p>If you have great passion about a particular area of research, it will very likely be ignited once you come in close contact with some other area of research. Mastering new concepts, and pushing the boundaries of your field with exciting new research, is just intrinsically pleasing. So if you like research, you will likely enjoy any lab you get into.</p></li>\n<li><p>Ultimately, your chances for remaining in academia will mostly depend on your publication record. If you do well in that respect, nobody will take it against you if you didn't go to a particular school. On the other hand, a one-year break in your studies could look bad.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So hang in there: it's not easy being rejected, but not so many options are closed to you as it may seem at this moment. I would just go for another school and work my way from there if I were you.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 8192,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you really want to study in particular place, you can consider doing PhD another place (where you get admitted) and then apply again. But beware, as <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/8179/49\">aeismail</a> says, putting too many constrains is risky (typically people apply to at least a few different universities).</p>\n\n<p>It may depend on your priorities, but one friend of mine applied to a few PhD programs in US (from EU)</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>one year he got rejected everywhere,</li>\n<li>the next year he got admitted everywhere (and they were only top-tier universities).</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So, what was the difference? </p>\n\n<p>In the meantime he has learnt how to apply (e.g. how to write a research statement, how to get an appropriate guy for a recommendation letter) and got external funding (Fulbright fellowship). He spent the extra year doing research in another institute, so it was not wasted in any sense.</p>\n\n<p>(BTW: The story / \"how to\": <a href=\"http://kni.wikidot.com/gdzie-doktorat\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://kni.wikidot.com/gdzie-doktorat</a> (in Polish), and research statements \"before vs after\" <a href=\"http://kni.wikidot.com/moja-historia\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://kni.wikidot.com/moja-historia</a> (links on the top - at least they are in English :)).)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/02/23 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8172",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
]
|
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