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13,896 | <p>If someone's (SO) PhD supervisor is not collaborating on publications from SO's PhD. The problem arose as SO raised his mistrust (for the supervisor) on other academic issues. The supervisor treats student's work as his, and SO does not agree with that.</p>
<p>SO has one paper just rejected from a journal but could be submitted in another journal. This is from SO's PhD, so he would like to publish it and more from the PhD. SO is not sure how to go ahead with this, (with the supervisor or without). The paper is intellectually SO's but the supervisor helped in improving the writing (of the rejected paper). As the supervisor is refusing to collaborate, how can SO publish that? Can SO do that without supervisor name? What could be the consequences?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13897,
"author": "Faheem Mitha",
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"text": "<p>I'm no expert on the legalities/ethics of academic publishing. However, here are my 2 cents.</p>\n\n<p>I think if you want to publish papers based on your PhD you should do so.\nAs far as I know, there is nothing that requires you to get your supervisor's permission to publish your own PhD work. You are also not required to work with him if you don't want to. I think there may be some pressure to put his name on the paper, even if he has not done anything.</p>\n\n<p>So, if I want to go ahead, I would do so. If/when the paper (or papers) get to the point of submission, it might be a good idea to ask him if he wants his name included on the paper.</p>\n\n<p>It sounds from what you say that you already don't have good relations with your supervisor, so you don't have a lot to lose.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13900,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
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"text": "<p>The question will benefit from some more clarification. Basically, I feel that just because he has a reputation to claim others' work does not grant you the right to bend the logical decision of assigning authorship.</p>\n\n<p>\"Improving the writing\" can generally be considered as significant input and thus should lead to an authorship. Whether it may be downgraded to being acknowledged depends on the degree and magnitude of improvement. Changing a couple words here and there probably should go to acknowledgement; anything on par or beyond line editing should conservatively go to authorship, unless it's done by a paid editor/copywriter.</p>\n\n<p>Another information we need to know is what is the supervisor's status in the rejected paper. If he was listed as a co-author, then in subsequent revisions he should be retained as a co-author even he can no longer contribute. An exception is that he explicitly refuses to be listed as a co-author in the next round and on.</p>\n\n<p>Lastly, we'd need to know how did this adviser \"refuse to collaborate.\" Did he refuse to do anything because he believes the first version is good enough? Is he too busy? Or did he say you should drop this article? The stated action is up for too many different interpretations.</p>\n\n<p>Without too many details, I'd say keep him, resubmit and then move on without this person. And should you so loath the idea that he may claim your work, then cut the connection, forget about this paper, and publish independently from him on something new.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 16464,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From an objective point of view, this is a matter of publication ethics. You appear to clearly be the first author, meaning you have provided most of the input from original idea through intellectual work including drawing conclusions.</p>\n\n<p>It is not clear to me if you are past your PhD or in the middle of the PhD. Again, objectively, this would not make any difference but in practise, it involves more. If you are past your PhD, your advisor is not much more than any colleague and you as first author should be able to decide what to do with your work, still considering any co-workers who has made sufficient input to warrant co-authorship. If, on the other hand is still in your PhD you need to think about what you need to do to finish your degree. There must be people around with who you can discuss your situation and the way forward. Providing clear advise on this is quite individual and involves much more than can be deduced from your question.</p>\n\n<p>In both cases, you should make an attempt to properly assess the contributions from all involved in the work. This will provide you with something tangible to use when discussing or defending your rights. Note that you need to include all parts of the process from original idea to the finished product. Many forget the initial question which is where an advisor usually provides much insight. At the same time, providing non-scientific input on writing, is not worth as much as many would think. After all, you could probably buy such a service and no-one would dream of co-authorship. It is as you have indicated the scientific intellectual work that counts.</p>\n\n<p>A difficulty arises when someone, in this case the advisor, refuses to publish the material. Of course if the reason is that the material is not good enough that is one thing, if it is a personal conflict it is another. The rejected paper is a non-product as I see it. To resubmit, you need to make revisions and then resubmit. You need to send the manuscript to your co-authors (advisor) and state that you are planning to submit to another journal and that you would wish to retain him (and the others) as co-author(s), and invite comments and input.</p>\n\n<p>I recommend you to look at the following links <a href=\"http://www.icmje.org/ethical_1author.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">ICMJE</a>, <a href=\"https://www.google.se/search?q=authorship+conflicts+apa&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla%3aen-GB%3aofficial&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr&ei=tkTuUvqLOqeU4ATz1IGwCA#q=authorship+apa&rls=org.mozilla%3aen-GB%3aofficial\" rel=\"nofollow\">APA</a>, <a href=\"http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/fine-1993.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">Am. Psych.</a>, <a href=\"http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/fine-1993.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">PARE</a> and <a href=\"http://www.uu.edu/programs/nursing/documents/AuthorshipGuidelines.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">Union University</a>, <a href=\"http://www.authorder.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">AuthorOrder.com</a> to provide a few. the point is: build your own view and knowledge about authorship/contributorship to strengthen your position.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 16466,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If the advisor made a substantial intellectual contribution (or, in fields where it's relevant, procured the grant supporting the work), there's not much the author can do to publish the paper without the advisor's permission. The advisor would have claim to authorship rights if:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>the paper grew out of work proposed by the advisor, or was supported by funds accrued by the advisor;</li>\n<li>the student discussed the work with the advisor and gained useful feedback or guidance about the direction or results of the project;</li>\n<li>the advisor contributed to the writing of the paper.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The last point is definitely true; it's not clear if the first two points hold, but they very well could, given the situation described.</p>\n\n<p>Basically, if the advisor has authorship rights, the student is more or less screwed if they try to publish. If they publish the paper, with an author who has not given permission for submission or without an author who has authorship rights, then that is sufficient grounds for <strong>retraction</strong> of a paper. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 16476,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I will try to add my perspective, since I have been in sort-of an opposite situation. In many places and fields, <strong>improving the writing is considered as a part of the job of your supervisor, and if the result is yours, it is yours.</strong> I mean, your supervisor is there to learn you how to write papers, and only if you do the research together, it is necessary to include his name on the paper. (Disclaimer: this is only one point of view, and only on the ethics, not on the legal view).</p>\n\n<p><strong>Example:</strong> I have a paper where I'm the only author. We were writing the paper down together with my supervisor, and it was certainly her who had more ideas on how to write things down (especially the introduction and the conclusions), which articles should be cited etc. Still, all the ideas were mine, all the proofs were mine (it's theoretical CS), so she said that I should be the only author.</p>\n\n<p><strong>What should you do?</strong> No, you should not, in my opinion, submit the results without your supervisor's consent. IMHO you can:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Try to approach him again.</li>\n<li>Ask someone else at the same department for help. Just be careful who you choose, either it should be someone you know well and who knows you well, or someone who is dedicated for these cases: someone who should be approached in case of conflicts. The solution is not clear at all, and having insight from someone close in topic, scientific habits etc. could be helpful.</li>\n<li>Publish your thesis electronically on some public repository; this is at least a step how to make your result visible to the community, and you certainly doesn't need your supervisor's permission to do that. For instance <a href=\"http://arxiv.org\" rel=\"nofollow\">arXiv</a> accepts theses.</li>\n</ul>\n"
}
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| 2013/11/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13896",
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|
13,898 | <p>Suppose you submit a paper and it is rejected with no suggestion of resubmission, but there is substantial feedback. Do you fix up the paper, based on the feedback and resubmit? Or fix it up and submit to another journal? What heuristic do people use, if any? Or is every case different?</p>
<p>I had a bad experience a few years ago. Briefly: Paper rejected after 1 yr. Fixed it up, resubmitted. Major revision decision after 6 months. Fixed up, resubmitted. Rejected again after another 6 months. This literally went on for years, and was quite, quite horrible. The original draft was in pretty bad shape, in hindsight, which partly explains it, and I'm more experienced now. I guess it was one of those character-building experiences.</p>
<p>However, I'm wondering if on balance, if the journal doesn't want it, whether it is better to cut your losses and move on?</p>
<p>For the record, I'm leaning in the direction of submission to another journal if initially rejected without the suggestion of resubmission. If the journal suggests resubmission, I suppose it is a more ambiguous situation.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13899,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To some extent you answered your own question, every case is different. There is nothing wrong with resubmitting to the same journal, although the paper has been rejected without encouragement to resubmit after revisions. Earlier, such lack of encouragement could be taken as a hint that they do not want to see the paper again, and maybe that will still be the case, but more likely the workload is at such a level that the editors leaves such choices to the author. You are of course free to submit to another journal.</p>\n\n<p>The danger to submit to the same journal is that you may end up with the same editor and the same reviewers. That may not necessarily be all bad but with a new journal you will likely have a fresh look at your paper. You will of course at submission tell the editor that the paper has been reviewed in the earlier journal and was rejected, and also detail what you have done to improve the paper. It would not hurt if you also provide some (good) motivation why you chose the new journal for resubmission. As an editor it is always of interest to know why you made the choice so that one can approach the paper from that perspective.</p>\n\n<p>The trick is to try to figure out if which journal is the appropriate one and there certainly can be strategies in submitting papers. It is not uncommon to try for a prestigious journal with material that has a chance and then resubmit to a more ordinary journal if the first attempt fails. It is always good to have such thoughts in mind when submitting material.</p>\n\n<p>I do not easily give up on papers, some may of course be lost causes for a variety of reasons but any study done and written up properly that presents new non-trivial results should be possible to publish. Easier said than done, however.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13906,
"author": "gerrit",
"author_id": 1033,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>It depends on the reason for rejection.</strong></p>\n\n<p>If a paper is rejected because <em>it's off-topic</em>, <em>it's not really interesting</em>, <em>it's not really new</em>, etc.: then perhaps you were too ambitious. A paper may be perfectly written and the science may be very decent, but still rejected from Nature, because its impact is not really large enough.</p>\n\n<p>However, if a paper is rejected with a motivation like <em>this topic would fit our journal, but some major aspects are missing in the study, and they are so grave that we choose to reject</em>, then you can start over and submit a fixed study. In fact, I have the impression that some journals that have fixed deadlines for revisions, will reject if it is deemed unrealistic to submit the revision in time. Otherwise, there could be a huge difference between the submission date and the publication date, and that isn't beneficial to anybody.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 56822,
"author": "Kakoli Majumder",
"author_id": 9920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9920",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A few other details would make it easier to answer your question. Did the paper receive a desk rejection or was it sent for peer review? What was the reason for rejection mentioned in the decision letter?</p>\n\n<p>In case the paper received a desk rejection, it would not be advisable to submit to the same journal, as the editor has probably not seen much value in your paper.</p>\n\n<p>If your paper has gone through peer review, you can consider submitting an extensively revised version of the paper to the same journal, provided the rejection is not due to a mismatch with the journal's scope.</p>\n\n<p>In your place I would make the changes suggested in the feedback and send the paper to another journal. However, if you are really keen on the same journal, you could send a pre-submission inquiry to the editor mentioning the changes you have made and asking if he would be interested in having another look at the paper. </p>\n"
}
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| 2013/11/06 | [
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|
13,902 | <p>I am a PhD student and I would like to do an internship at an American university or institute. How should I proceed?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14008,
"author": "Daniel Watkins",
"author_id": 9397,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you are in a STEM field, there are lots of options available to you. There are about 20 national laboratories that take students from every level of education as summer students, including international students. Personally, I've interned at Los Alamos National Lab and at Pacific Northwest National Lab. It's generally very applied work, but it's a great atmosphere for students and is also extremely helpful for making connections with potential future employers. I would look up national lab websites and look at their respective research areas, and contact individuals you would be interested in working with. </p>\n\n<p>The internet is your friend -- many companies and government agencies have programs listed on their website, and many of them don't require US citizenship. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14024,
"author": "Chris Gregg",
"author_id": 4461,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4461",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If your advisor has contacts at any of the universities you'd like to work at, I would ask him or her to reach out for you. If you are looking to work with a specific faculty member, that is probably the trickiest route, as faculty members often use the summer to travel themselves, and it is rarely worth the hassle to hire an unknown student for the summer, anyway.</p>\n\n<p>If you don't have a networking contact through your advisor or other faculty members at your school, my next suggestion would be to start networking at a conference, or through a professional organization that you are affiliated with (e.g., IEEE, AMS, etc.). Start getting the word out that you are looking to spend a summer at a U.S. school, and see if anyone has suggestions.</p>\n\n<p>If you are looking for a paid internship, you may be at a disadvantage as an international student, and you are probably more likely to find something if you can fund yourself. If that isn't an option, you might also consider looking at internships in industry, as they tend to have more money for summer interns.</p>\n"
}
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| 2013/11/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13902",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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|
13,903 | <p>Are there papers that sum up ideas and results from other papers? What are their characteristics/form? Do they provide insights on the field or try to predict the future?</p>
<p>I have read some papers for a class homework and I would like to know whether I should try to summarize and publish it somewhere.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13905,
"author": "blabla",
"author_id": 9344,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9344",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The sum up papers you are referring to are called <em>review articles</em>. In order to write one, you should know the research area in question <strong>very well</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Note that there are also <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systematic_review\">systematic reviews</a> and reviews of reviews (tertiary reviews).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13907,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I second blabla's answer, short and too the point, with adequate amount of emphasis on <strong>very well</strong> :)</p>\n\n<p>I'll expand it a bit by saying that journals are not typically interested in review papers that merely <em>summarize</em> other papers in the field. It is not simply a report on the papers you read: this has some value for your studies, but it is not a valuable publication in academic research.</p>\n\n<p>The value of a review paper is to provide <strong>perspective</strong>, giving the author's deep insight into each of the papers and the way they articulate together, his ideas of the directions in that particular subfield, a critical overview of the recent advances and deadlocks still to overcome.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>However, while your <em>summary paper</em> (or <em>bibliography report</em>) is probably not publishable in respectable peer-reviewed journals, it doesn't mean you cannot publish it (in the sense of “making it public”). If you are careful about how you title it (not “review paper”), you could upload it to your webpage or to arXiv.org, so that it is useful for other students discovering this field…</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13915,
"author": "Trylks",
"author_id": 7571,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7571",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is one of those questions that depend on the area.</p>\n\n<p>In some cases you can do a summary or a review, e.g. a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survey_article\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>survey paper</strong></a> or a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Review_article\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>review paper</strong></a>. These papers are very useful because they provide an overview of the state of the art in some area, (if they are well written) they are good for citing and for anyone who is not yet an expert and is interested in the area (new grad students, interdisciplinary people that can benefit from an overview, etc.)</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes you may prefer to do some <strong>evaluation, benchmarking or comparison</strong>, this is usual in computer science and I guess it's normal in engineering and other sciences (robustness tests, stress tests, statistical significance and that kind of things). So this takes more than listing papers, it takes executing/testing things, maybe on new settings, obtaining new results and publishing these results. The difference with research papers is that you don't develop a new system/theory, you only test them on a new (better) setting.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, some people (but probably not you) can write a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Position_paper\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>position paper</strong></a>, where they make educated guesses about how the future will or should be, the directions of research, etc. This is usually done when you are an expert and your opinion matters. Usually nobody cares about the opinion of grad students. Personally I don't care about opinions in general, but these papers are interesting because they influence decision makers and investment in research, they are self-fulfilled prophecies to some extent.</p>\n\n<p>There may be other possibilities that I cannot think of now.</p>\n"
}
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| 2013/11/06 | [
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|
13,908 | <p>I'm not 100% sure whether this belongs here, but since I am a PhD student (teaching) in the TCS/Algorithms department, I'd like to know what fellow, maybe more experienced, teachers think. </p>
<p>The question at hand is whether we should offer sample solutions to all our exercises for, e.g., a Data Structures & Algorithms lecture.
I am convinced that this would be a highly beneficial service for our students whereas my advisor is against it. Here are the pros and cons that we came up with:</p>
<p>Pros:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Students have access to high-quality answers when they don't understand something.</p></li>
<li><p>Our expectations on verboseness, conciseness, depth of proofs, etc. can be communicated more clearly.</p></li>
<li><p>A student can individually study using the solutions and is not forced to attend the tutorials if this is not his preferred style of learning</p></li>
<li><p>We (the professor/tutor) have a clearer idea of what solutions to expect since we have to work the problems ourselves.</p></li>
<li><p>The tutor (me) is more free in the design of the tutorial. Without sample solutions, the tutorial basically boils down to writing the sample solutions on the blackboard. Otherwise I can't be sure that everyone has at least seen the correct way how to solve it. Little interaction is involved.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Cons:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>It costs time and/or money.</p></li>
<li><p>Students may stop being engaged in the exercises since they know they can always look at the sample solutions.</p></li>
<li><p>Students may stop coming to the tutorials.</p></li>
<li><p>We can't reuse exercises from past years since students might have access to (and use) past sample solutions.</p></li>
<li><p>If we do it once, the students might expect we do it for every lecture.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>To be clear, in both cases the students are expected to solve the exercise sheets on their own, and they will be graded. I'm merely interested in what to offer <em>after</em> this has happened.</p>
<p>I think that's all. Optimally, I would like to find some kind of empirical study that proves that sample solutions increase the "productivity" of students. Data always wins. However, so far I couldn't find anything like this.</p>
<p>To discuss the points mentioned above, my general opinion on these matters is that if we can offer more services using little work, we should always do it. If someone really misuses it (as stated in the cons), he or she will notice that this is the wrong approach the latest in the exams. My advisor, however, wants to minimize the time spent on lectures and have me rather do the research relevant to my PhD. Since I have to do the solutions anyway, the overhead for providing a sample solution is maybe 2-3 hours/week.</p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13910,
"author": "JeffE",
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"text": "<p>I have three types of exercises in my algorithms classes: homework problems, exam problems, and discussion problems. I'm not entirely sure which you're asking about.</p>\n\n<p>I release detailed solutions and grading rubrics for all homework and exam problems, in part for the advantages you list, in part to speed up grading, and in part to better calibrate my own expectations for the students. (If it takes too long for me to write up the solution, the problem is probably too hard for them.) I take them all down again at the end of each semester. I don't actually mind if students have access to my old solutions—as long as they write in their own words and cite their sources—because homeworks are only a small part of the course grade. (Students who are stupid enough to submit my old solutions verbatim, typos and all, are not quite publicly fed to the wolves.)</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, I deliberately do <em>not</em> release solutions for discussion problems (which we discuss in, you guessed it, discussion sections) because <strong>the solutions are not the point</strong>. The point is to practice <strong>finding</strong> the solution. I know students are adults, but it takes a <em>lot</em> more discipline to practice hunting when someone just regularly hands you the meat. Also, some discussion problems reappear later on my exams.</p>\n\n<p><strong>But this is really an individual choice.</strong> I know plenty of algorithms instructors who don't give students solutions, and others who hand out solutions on paper but don't distribute them on the web, and others who distribute them on the web but behind a firewall, and others who beg people like me to please for the love of god stop giving away homework solutions because coming up with good algorithms homework problems is really really <em>HARD</em>.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>Update:</strong> Starting in 2017, I now regularly release solutions for my discussion problems, typically a few days after each discussion meeting. (Just like homework solutions, I take these down at the end of every semester.) Perhaps as a result, these discussion problems are now effectively fixed from one semester to the next -- in a typical semester I replace 5%-10% of them -- and discussion problems almost never appear on exams. (I should also clarify that discussion problems do not contribute to the final grade.)</p>\n\n<p>I also include an extra <em>solved</em> problem in each homework, <em>with a complete grading rubric</em>. Again, these solved problems rarely change (as opposed to the problems the students need to solve, which change every semester).</p>\n\n<p>In both cases, the idea is to provide concrete examples of the structure, precision/formality, and level of detail expected from their own work. Realistically, once the discussion sections are over, <em>unsolved</em> discussion problems are not as valuable as the solutions; students are busy! And I have <em>lots</em> of other unsolved exercises in my lecture notes for students who want unsullied practice.</p>\n\n<p>Writing all those lab solutions (just over 100 pages of text) was a <em>lot</em> of work, but now it's done. The net effect of releasing all these solutions <em>seems</em> to be positive—more clearly for teaching evaluations, but also for student performance.</p>\n"
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{
"answer_id": 13911,
"author": "paul garrett",
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to other good points made, let me say that (in mathematics, at all levels) I myself make many \"model solutions\" and put them on-line.</p>\n\n<p>Obviously the availability of model solutions has positive potential... The issues are the genuine downsides.</p>\n\n<p>One reason for my decision to take this approach was that, especially in upper-division and graduate-level mathematics, enthusiastic students acting in good faith often put either flawed or misguided solutions on-line, and other students look at <em>those</em>, ... thus \"learning\" low-quality versions.</p>\n\n<p>Another reason is according to an over-simplified reasoning: important examples should not be left to students to mess up, and unimportant examples should not be used to waste students' time. I realize this is over-simplified and has implicit hypotheses, but after 40 years of watching people diligently spend time on exercises _without_thinking_critically_ about any sort of larger picture, I am ever more fond of this pseudo-principle.</p>\n\n<p>Yes, a fundamental objection is that on-line solutions allows laziness/cheating/whatever. And, yes, as JeffE noted, in some venues it's hard come up with good \"training exercises\". Thus, I can certainly envision scenarios in which a cyclic putting-them-up, taking-them-down could be justified. However, dedicated lazy/cheating people can maintain copies ... And so on. Thus, in effect, it is impossible to prevent laziness/cheating in the face of even modestly motivated lazies/cheats. Thus, I reason that elaborate strategies aimed at foiling laziness/cheating, at the expense of making people acting in good faith have to jump through hoops, etc., are bad.</p>\n\n<p>In mathematics at least, I'd claim that many traditional contexts for \"exercises\" are somewhat missing the point, <em>anyway</em>, so that moving away from the weekly problem sets wouldn't be so bad! That is, to make a large number of \"exercises\" feasibly do-able by nearly everyone in every class, and in a short period of time, the issues must be <em>contrived</em>, not natural. Students understand this, even if only subliminally, and many of the \"successful\" ones have managed to squelch their critical faculties (\"why are we doing this?\") to be more economical in their approach to these fairly-random exercises.</p>\n\n<p>Or, at the opposite end, there are the occasional much-admired slim texts where 2/3 or more of the things one needs to know relegated to exercises! Crazy! In this case, the student's disadvantage is even worse in some ways, because the issues are more real, and there're even fewer \"model solutions available\", <em>and</em> they may come away with deeply flawed or misguided pseudo-understandings.</p>\n\n<p>At least in modern mathematics, I think that the inarguable \"engage with the material\" is too often denatured, to something like \"try to prove all the theorems yourself\". Supposedly, the side information of knowing assertions of true theorems is enough of an advantage. But this is a strange presumption... proof mechanisms, concepts created to <em>enable</em> proof mechanisms that are humanly comprehensible, are as significant as the bald assertions themselves, I think.</p>\n\n<p>So, to advance collective human understanding, putting \"models\" on-line is good. Yes, there are downsides, and hazards, but this is just the new reality.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 29852,
"author": "sevensevens",
"author_id": 14754,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14754",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As a CS major who had to take 2 theory classes, I really appreciated the prof who handed took class time to explain and solve each question after the assignment (he didn't hand out the answers so he could reuse them). The prof would usually hand out 3 or 4 questions Monday and solve them Friday (after you turned in your answer). </p>\n\n<p>He would basically act like he was doing the assignment, and was very good about not skipping steps. He'd also explain why he wanted to see the answer in the format, which help several non-theory students (like me) learn how to appropriately write proofs.</p>\n\n<p>At least in America, CS Theory is generally a difficult subject because the rest of CS education is very applied and students are generally unprepared for it. Especially in this course, going the extra mile for students is noticed and appropriated, and will provide a counter-point to the theory prof. who calls students idiots and gets in yelling matches whenever a student ask a question (which also happened to me). </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13908",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9361/"
]
|
13,912 | <p>Lets say a member of a lab has an entirely theoretical idea like "wouldn't it be nice if we wrote software that does X?" The member did give a talk showing how such code would work if implemented. Due to general skepticism about the idea, nothing ever comes of it.</p>
<p>The member never actually writes any of the software while in the lab.</p>
<p>After leaving the lab, the member uses publicly available data and implements the software, as well as developing the mathematical theory.</p>
<p>Is the member required to acknowledge his former lab in authorship? Is this a breach of ethics?</p>
<p>What if the former lab member had previously agreed to letting the PI use his idea in a grant proposal, but the PI then forced him out of the lab and thus out of the grant proposal.</p>
<p><strong>1. Can the former lab member write up his work for publication? 2. Does he have to make the PI a co-author if he does?</strong></p>
<p>Extra Information:</p>
<p>The idea was documented as a presentation to the lab. A small simulation with fake data was used to argue this could work. There was some discussion of how it would work when the grant was written, completely the member just saying to others how this idea worked and so the idea was written up in the grant. The PI does not have any training in this area. However, there are plenty of emails where the PI refers to this as the former lab members idea etc. I feel certain everybody in the lab would acknowledge this was the former lab member's idea.</p>
<p>The former lab member didn't actually write any of the grant as the PI claimed to want to collaborate with someone with greater mathematical expertise. So the collaborator wrote the grant, with occasional emails to ask the former lab member questions.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13913,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As far as I can see \"member\" has developed everything from idea to finished product. There is very little sign of anyone else being involved other than possibly as a discussion partner at the lab. To allow someone to use the idea still does not take away the intellectual property held by the member unless there has been important feedback from someone. So I would not hesitate to try to move forward towards publication with the idea. I simply cannot see any ethical issues based on the details you have given.</p>\n\n<p>Having given the green light, there will always be the issue of personalities. You allude to some level of conflict in terms of the move by the member. It is not inconceivable that the PI may have a different view and this view may not even be anchored in reality. So even if you do everything by the book and have all rights, that does not preclude the PI from doing all the things you express, it really depends on the PI's personality.</p>\n\n<p>In the end member should think through if anyone has contributed to the work to the degree that merits co-authorship. Member can, for example, use the the post <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/12030/4394\">What are the minimum contributions required for co-authorship</a> to set the authorship in perspective.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13938,
"author": "Nobody",
"author_id": 546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are actually at least three(3) persons involved: the member, the collaborator and the PI.</p>\n\n<p>There are two parts in the work: the software and the mathematical theory.</p>\n\n<p>Based on the information described in the question, the member definitely owns the software because the original idea was his and he implemented it.</p>\n\n<p>The real question is, who is responsible for developing the mathematical theory? Based on the info, <em>So the collaborator wrote the grant, with occasional emails to ask the former lab member questions.</em>, I think the collaborator plays a role. But, how much is his contribution? Anyone else contributes to the development of the theory?</p>\n\n<p>There is another question, did the lab ever receive the grant? Grant proposal and the grant itself are completely two different things. Did the lab ever start to work on the grant (not the proposal)?</p>\n\n<p>In my opinion, the ideal solution is for the collaborator to write the paper if he is the one who develops the mathematical theory. The member will be the co-author. Whether or not the PI is another co-author depends on how much his contribution is.</p>\n\n<p>If the member develops the whole thing including the theory without much help from the collaborator and/or the PI, then the member should be the main author. Who should be the co-authors depends on the invidual contribution.</p>\n\n<p>The above is my opinion based on the limited information I know.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13912",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4146/"
]
|
13,916 | <p>I'm about to supervise my first bachelor student and I'm not quite sure what is acceptable and what is not.</p>
<p>The thesis will contain math formulas, illustrations, images, graphs and tables - like any other paper / thesis in physics. The question is, shall I force my student to use (and learn how to use) certain SW tools (LaTeX, Matlab,...) instead of commonly used office packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint,...)?</p>
<p>Is it acceptable to provide source files of my thesis and/or Matlab functions/scripts to the student? Note that the field of research is not connected to typography nor data analysis.</p>
<p><strong>Edit considering JeffE's answer:</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to require students to use the software tools that are standard in your field when they begin working in your field, even as undergraduates.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There aren't defined standard, or mandatory, tools to use. Just only vague rules how the thesis shoud look like.</p>
<p>Tools for specialized work, say microhardness measurements and analysis, are set and there can't be any doubts and discussions. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13926,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to require students to use the software tools that are standard in your field when they begin working in your field, even as undergraduates.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13933,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Clearly define what are your <strong>goals and constraints</strong>, and work from there. What are the things that they need to learn in order to progress further in the field (and someday find a job)? What are constraints imposed by the research project you will be working on?</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p><strong>Goals</strong> — if learning a specific piece of software is <em>required</em> to become a professional in your field, then it is a <em>de facto</em> standard and they need to learn it. In this, a specific piece of software is just like a particular experimental or mathematical technique.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Constraints</strong> — there are cases where you need to restrict the choice of software to interoperate with others. For example, the student might not be able to choose his favorite programming language for a specific project because he has to use a specific advanced library, which only exists in e.g. Python. Or the project actually is to implement a specific functionality in an existing C++ framework. Or one of the goals of the thesis might be to produce technical documentation to be published in a given format.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Other than that, leave them free to choose whatever works for them.</strong> Be clear and upfront about what you advise them to use, and what you are willing to teach them (and what you cannot teach them). For example:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The choice is yours, as long as your are able to efficiently produce and edit a professional-looking 200-page document with many figures, tables, references and subdivisions, and it adheres to the university guidelines. I myself use LaTeX for writing articles and theses, as many colleagues, and I advise you to do the same. I have little experience with word processors. I can help you if you run into problems with the first one, but will not be able to help if you choose a word processor.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I once had a student who mastered MS Word to a level that I had never seen, and did a superb job in an efficient matter. It wouldn't have been bright of me to require him to use LaTeX when he knew another tool.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13934,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think it is <em>useful</em> to expose new students, even undergraduates, to the tools of the field. It's beneficial for them to know what some of this \"looks like\", it's easier for you to help them if they don't have to bring you up to speed on what they're using, etc.</p>\n\n<p>You say there might not be \"standard\" tools, but are there some tools that are commonly used? Your two examples, LaTeX and Matlab, are both fairly ubiquitous in \"applied math-y\" fields, so why they might not <em>have</em> to use them in the future, there's a good chance they'll encounter it, or something like it.</p>\n\n<p>The one caveat is that I would have a discussion with the student about their goals and objectives, and make sure the tools you're making them use <em>are</em> tools they will use in the future. As a somewhat personal example, despite the inclinations of some of my collaborators it would have been useless to make me learn how to lay out papers in LaTeX, as the standard for my field is <em>not</em> that, and all that would have accomplished was adding an extra step in before I converted everything to Word files.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13935,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A certain amount of \"tool agnosticism\" is a healthy attitude to have, since many people will want to use tools with which they are already familiar. I would be loathe to interrupt someone's already-functional workflow without a strong reason.</p>\n\n<p>However, among those reasons are interoperability and reproducibility. If a student is doing research in your group, then their tools should be compatible with the ones you're already using. More importantly, you should still be able to use the work that they've produced even after they've left the group. So something that would require you to purchase an external license, or may not be well-supported within your group, is probably a bad idea. An \"alternate\" tool that is public domain, open-source, or otherwise \"standard\" in your field is probably not such a big deal. (What this means in <em>your</em> field is, of course, for you to decide!)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13941,
"author": "Nobody",
"author_id": 546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I would like to answer this question for the best interest of the <strong>student's</strong>, not yours.</p>\n\n<p>You are supervising bachelor students. They may go to academia or industry after graduation.</p>\n\n<p>If the student will pursue academic career after he graduates, then you should tell him to use the tools that are widely used in academia because it's for his best interest. I think <em>force</em> is a too strong word. To convince him is what you would do.</p>\n\n<p>However, if he will go to industry, why waste his time to learn something he probably will never use for the rest of his life? </p>\n\n<p>If the student doesn't know what he wants to do after he graduates, it's time for him to think about it now. Isn't it?</p>\n\n<p>Here is my personal experience while I was in industry. I had to produce some document which contained math equations. I wanted to use LaTex. MS word was the tool I was told to use because of maintainability issue (no one else in my department knew how to use Latex). I had to follow the order. Matlab is another story. It's also used in industry.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13942,
"author": "Stephen Tierney",
"author_id": 4360,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4360",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Should I force my student to use certain tools such as LaTeX and\n Matlab?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I think it would be hard to force a student to do so anyway, so do not force them simply suggest it to them. The examples you gave of LaTeX and MATLAB are not particularly difficult to learn. As a Computer Science undergrad I learnt them in my 4th year and it only took a very short time to be productive with them. In fact I was eager to learn and use them, you may find this to be true with your student, so do not assume that your student will resist the idea.</p>\n\n<p>You should also explain why you use such tools and hopefully they will realise and come to appreciate them. Explain that not using the same tools will create more work for the both the student and yourself. My final recommendation is to set them some small trivial tasks at first to build familiarity, which is what my supervisor did. It worked on me.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14044,
"author": "Mohamed Khamis",
"author_id": 703,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/703",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Without going into many details. I think of this as a chance for the student to learn not only Math, but things related to research and Academia. You as a supervisor should be able to prioritize. So start by asking him to work with fully professional tools such as Matlab and LaTeX for example, but if you find out that this holds him back from the main purpose of his thesis, then you should be lenient. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 67441,
"author": "elviejo79",
"author_id": 52864,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/52864",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Fred Brooks says in The Mythical Man-Month</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Np47.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Np47.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"A good craftsman is known by his tools\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>So if the student has the time, and skill you should force him to use the tools of the trade. You are his trainner, his teacher he doesn't know what he doesn't know, so if the tool is important then he should learn it.</p>\n\n<p>Obviously use judgment the goal is for him to write the thesis not to master tools, so if the deadline is approaching then focus on the product not the tools.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 67442,
"author": "JKJ",
"author_id": 52545,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/52545",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I just recently graduated with my Bachelor's degree and for couple of my classes, I was required to use Latex and Matlab. I am glad the professor told me to use those because it helped me a lot in other classes too and helped me to gain a valuable skill. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13916",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9200/"
]
|
13,921 | <p>I like to use bibliographic software (e.g., Endnote, BibTex, etc.) to manage my references. However, sometimes I am working on an existing article that has been written with APA citations and references written manually. For example, I might be working with a collaborator who has written the first draft or I'm adapting a student thesis for journal publication. As a result, citations get added and deleted, and there are reference errors: (1) citations present with no reference; reference needs to be added (2) references present with not citation; reference needs to be deleted.</p>
<p>So, a common task when such documents are being finalised is to go through the document and pull out all the citations and check them against the reference list and fix any errors. This is generally a frustrating task, because (1) unless you are careful errors can be made, and (2) if the document is edited further, the document may need to be rechecked.</p>
<h3>Question</h3>
<ul>
<li>What is an efficient strategy for identifying citations without references and references without citations in a document with author (year) style citations (e.g., APA, Harvard)?</li>
<li>Are there any automated tools that perform this checking?</li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13924,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the \"old days\" this was what had to be done manually. I simply printed the reference list (one-sided print) and went through the text and checked the references I passed in the text and checked the corresponding one in the reference list. This would take maybe 20-30 minutes(?). It is clear that this is easier to do on paper than on screen but it is a very safe way to do the checking. In the end you will (hopefully not) end up with references missing ticks in either the text or the list. </p>\n\n<p>So considering, the time it takes, doing the manual check on paper copies, is perhaps boring but not a terrible loss. Sometimes you pick up on other errors as well. Although one should not rely on external help to solve ones own problems, many journals use copy-editors that check for inconsistencies so there may be a back-up for the stray miss.</p>\n\n<p>As for software, I cannot point at one directly. It would have to be able to match first author name and the year between text and the reference list. I does not sound like an impossible task but I would probably just do the job the manual way in the few cases where this is necessary. You can also ask your collaborator to do a separate initial check (as \"punishment\" for not using bibliographic software). In addition, if you author in LaTeX then writing the bibliography directly with <code>\\bibitem</code> and using <code>\\cite</code> (or <code>natbib</code> cite commands) commands will at least do half the job.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 37552,
"author": "Mark",
"author_id": 28413,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/28413",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Take a look at</p>\n\n<p>www.keytectype.co.uk/keypreps.htm</p>\n\n<p>KeyPreps contains tools for matching citation to references and vice versa for any Word doument.\nIt gives you a report such\n\"The citation Smith 2009 has no corresponding entry in the refernence list\"\n\"The reference Bloggs and Layabout (2009) is not cited\"\netc</p>\n\n<p>30 day free trial available of the complete KeyPreps package</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 162848,
"author": "gaspar",
"author_id": 115262,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/115262",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The following online solution is (currently) free: <a href=\"https://reciteworks.com/check\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://reciteworks.com/check</a></p>\n<p>From the website:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Recite checks that your in text citations match the reference list at the end of your work.\nRecite is optimised for those who use APA or Harvard referencing styles.\nRecite may be of most use to those who don't use reference management software like Endnote or RefWorks.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13921",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62/"
]
|
13,923 | <p>Related to this question on <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13921/how-to-check-citations-and-references-match-in-a-manually-prepared-document-with">cross-checking APA citations and references</a>, I often have an existing list of APA formatted references. This might come from a document from a collaborator or it might just be a published article. </p>
<p>I often want to take this list of APA references (e.g., one reference per line) and import them into my bibliographic software in such a way that the reference manager is able to discern what aspects of the reference correspond to author, year, title, journal, issue, pages, etc.
I'm often working with Endnote to do this, but I imagine that once you get the data into any reference manager (e.g., Mendeley, Zotero, etc.), it would be relatively easy to export and import into a preferred reference manager.</p>
<p>I'd also be happy with a system that was pretty good but not perfect. In psychology at least, most references are journal articles, book chapters, and books. So a system that imported these and flagged the rest would still be useful.</p>
<h3>Question</h3>
<p>How can an existing list of APA references be automatically imported into a reference manager?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14026,
"author": "mjc",
"author_id": 7841,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7841",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is a list of tools that attempt to convert formatted bibliographies to bibliography software formats <a href=\"http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/importing_formatted_bibliographies\" rel=\"nofollow\">here</a>. I haven't used any of them for a while so I can not recommend any of the tools in particular.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 63940,
"author": "pahi",
"author_id": 49704,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49704",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The reference management program <a href=\"http://www.citavi.com\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Citavi</a> does this quite successfully in the case of journal articles, but not so successfully in the case of books (I know this because I work for Swiss Academic Software, the developers of Citavi).\nIt will not specifically import APA lists, but any kind of formatted bibliography.</p>\n\n<p>This is how to do it:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Add the PDF document containing the list of references as a reference to Citavi.</li>\n<li>Show the PDF in the preview column.</li>\n<li>Select the text with the references you want to import.</li>\n<li>In the menu above the PDF click <strong>More > Search bibliography</strong>.\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALtHU.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALtHU.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13923",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62/"
]
|
13,929 | <p>A couple months ago I refereed a paper for one journal. Due to a number of factors, I recommended that it not be published in that particular journal, and gave the author a bunch of comments on how they could easily improve the manuscript. The editor of that journal followed my recommendation (and perhaps the recommendation of other referees I am unaware of) and did not accept the publication.</p>
<p>This morning I received another review request, this time from a different journal but for the same manuscript. I've never had this particular situation occur before, and am wondering what the expected thing for me to do is. Should I review the manuscript again as if I hadn't before, should I let the editor know first and see what they say, or what? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13931,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>There are no problems associated with you reviewing a paper again, regardless if it resubmitted to the same or a different journal. Since you have seen the paper earlier and know its earlier problems you can better judge how it has improved and to what extent it is now publishable. You should definitely let the editor know that you have been involved in the process of this paper earlier even if he/she has not indicated the paper has been rejected somewhere before. That information provides the editor with a better perspective of the development of the paper and can make the decision to accept or reject easier since the willingness or capability of the author(s) to improve the manuscript is set in perspective.</p>\n\n<p>You can always contact the editor and state that you are willing to take on the review but felt it was necessary to convey the information. I do not see it as necessary but it is of course a nice gesture.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 44511,
"author": "Mark Joshi",
"author_id": 29181,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/29181",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I generally say \"no\" in these circumstances. I would say \"yes\" under either of two circumstances</p>\n\n<p>1) I believe it is suitable for the second journal but not for the first</p>\n\n<p>2) The paper is so wrong that the authors seem dishonest. </p>\n\n<p>Ultimately, the whole journal peer review things comes down do finding two reviewers who think it's worth publishing. The same person rerefereeing is really just wasting everyone's time.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13929",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8647/"
]
|
13,939 | <p>Since the start of the hiring season, I've seen around 20-30 job openings that looked interesting for assistant professor positions in my area of computer science.</p>
<p>However, it's somewhat awkward to ask my recommendation letter writers to send letters to 20 different places. (Is it not?) How many places do people usually target simultaneously? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13940,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Your chance of getting any particular job you apply for is small. To make your probability of success significant, you need to multiply that by many applications. Your recommenders know this is the situation. Try to make things as easy for them as possible. E.g., they would probably prefer to send out 20 letters at once rather than being contacted by you 20 times in the space of a month.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13964,
"author": "Ben Webster",
"author_id": 13,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Don't hesitate to apply to a job because of the burden on letter writers. Applying to 20 or 30 schools is quite normal (and I know people who've done as many as 100). </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Firstly, letter writers know it comes with the territory.</li>\n<li>Secondly, the thing you should focus on is making each individual letter less of a burden. It's normal for them to send their letters to an administrator in your department (or sometimes the one where you got your Ph.D.) and to have the administrator send out the letters. You can also use a service like Interfolio, where they only have to submit once.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13974,
"author": "Mars",
"author_id": 9370,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9370",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you're coming out of a graduate program, your department or an office in your university may be used to handling the process of sending out letters. Another alternative is to use a service like Interfolio that allows your letter writers to upload a single letter. You can't see the letter (that's what you want), but you can cause it to be sent to whomever you want.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13939",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7092/"
]
|
13,943 | <p>I'm supposed to give a presentation at an academic conference in the coming days but have fallen ill. What is the best way to send my regrets? Should I also send a doctor's note? It doesn't provide details of my condition but does have other personal information such as date of birth and home address. I just wonder if any of this is the conference organiser's business. At the same time, sending an email without proof that I am truly incapacitated doesn't seem like it's enough either. I'm still not sure what to do about the presentation I'd prepared - whether or not to send it anyway etc. I'm trying to focus on getting better, but I am worried that this medical issue will ruin my good name. Any advice would be appreciated.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13944,
"author": "gerrit",
"author_id": 1033,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Just tell the convener that you will be unable to present due to unforeseen circumstances. That is enough and will be understood — there can be many reasons and it won't be a first time. He/she will be glad that you inform him/her at all — it happens all to often that people simply don't turn up without giving any information at all. The convener shouldn't need a doctor's note.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, is any co-author travelling to the conference, or perhaps a colleague familiar with your work? If yes, you could ask one of them if they are willing to take over your presentation. I've done this for colleagues and although I wasn't able to answer detailed questions from the audience, it's still beneficial both for me (visibility to experts in the field) and to the first author.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13945,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Just inform the organisers as soon as possible, they might want to rearrange the programme accordingly, and therefore might to contact other authors to see if they agree to change their scheduled slot. You don't have to provide proof, as gerrit says, things like that happens quite often. </p>\n\n<p>In addition to gerrit's suggestion to see if a colleague could present your talk, you could also check with the organisers if you can present your work remotely (if your illness allows for it). I attended a conference recently where one author presented his slides through a Skype conversation, and another talk was presented as a video, while the author was available in the end for any question. Although it's not ideal, it's still better than not presenting your work at all. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13943",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8507/"
]
|
13,946 | <p>Twelve months ago I started working on a project (which began at that time) with my advisor.
Six months ago another student (refered to as A in the following) joined the project.</p>
<p>We are now publishing a paper on our results. My advisor asked me if I would find it reasonable that A’s name was put <strong>before</strong> mine in the article. Our advisor’s reason is that she believes A has contributed a lot more to the publishable results and making figures for the article.</p>
<p>I agree with this latter part: student A has definitely been the working horse behind these results and made the graphics for the article. However, my contributions were in the first 6 months of the project, laying the foundations for the setup, etc.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how to feel about my advisor’s question. Is my contribution worth less because they are further back in time? And does making article-figures count as “ammunition” to be put first in an article?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13944,
"author": "gerrit",
"author_id": 1033,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Just tell the convener that you will be unable to present due to unforeseen circumstances. That is enough and will be understood — there can be many reasons and it won't be a first time. He/she will be glad that you inform him/her at all — it happens all to often that people simply don't turn up without giving any information at all. The convener shouldn't need a doctor's note.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, is any co-author travelling to the conference, or perhaps a colleague familiar with your work? If yes, you could ask one of them if they are willing to take over your presentation. I've done this for colleagues and although I wasn't able to answer detailed questions from the audience, it's still beneficial both for me (visibility to experts in the field) and to the first author.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13945,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Just inform the organisers as soon as possible, they might want to rearrange the programme accordingly, and therefore might to contact other authors to see if they agree to change their scheduled slot. You don't have to provide proof, as gerrit says, things like that happens quite often. </p>\n\n<p>In addition to gerrit's suggestion to see if a colleague could present your talk, you could also check with the organisers if you can present your work remotely (if your illness allows for it). I attended a conference recently where one author presented his slides through a Skype conversation, and another talk was presented as a video, while the author was available in the end for any question. Although it's not ideal, it's still better than not presenting your work at all. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13946",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6049/"
]
|
13,949 | <p>During peer-review, is it part of the job of the reviewer to check the spelling, typos, grammar, and suggest improvement? It will help the paper and seems part of the job, but seeing some manuscripts it could take ages to write down every tiny correction in the review.</p>
<p>So, is it the job of the reviewer to judge quality of the writing?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13950,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The simple answer is no. Unless the review instructions ask for such comments, it is not mandatory. When I do a review, I usually do some corrections if there are not too many of them. If the paper is littered with such errors I might make corrections for one or two manuscript pages and then state to both authors and editors that the papers needs substantial checking and correction beyond my capacity. I also sometimes just leave that comment without making example corrections.</p>\n\n<p>One of the more problematic issues is the difference between native English speakers and this who have English as a second or third language. Clearly authors who are not native speakers, should receive more help than others. There are also services that do language corrections and each publisher typically can suggest such services. If there are native English speakers as co-authors, some responsibility should fall on them to correct the language, after all, they are credited, or perhaps discredited, by the paper as well. So my point is that some leniency has to be considered depending on the severity of the problem but the bottom line is no-one is forced to correct spelling and grammar.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13957,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>No, the major goal is to examine the validity, integrity and contribution of the work. Since these can be challenged, causing the work to be rejected or subjected to a major revision, editing at this stage would just be like staining the wood before the carpentry work.</p>\n\n<p>Also, at least for me, my mind runs on two different gears when engaged in editing and reviewing. If I have to edit, I can only edit; if I have to think about the concept, I can't edit... perhaps in my mind editing only happens when the concept is already there.</p>\n\n<p>Having said that, there are three areas I always do a full body pat down, once for concept, once for edit:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Table</strong>: I suggest always comb through the table title, column and row titles, numeric agreement, footnotes, superscripts, etc.</li>\n<li><strong>Illustration</strong>: Check labels, title, and footnotes.</li>\n<li><strong>Abstract</strong>: Look for typos and point out if a particular sentence appears to be terse or even misleading.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The reason for putting the abstract under all lenses is apparent. The reasons for checking the illustration and table are that these are usually the most neglected places in copy editing and revision. And yet, these are the most viewed sections in a paper. Nine out of 10 errors I've spotted in journal articles are in these two hot spots.</p>\n\n<p>In the main text, if there is any sentence that is very grammatically challenged, I cite the page and line in the review, and comment on the need of a rewritten version.</p>\n\n<p>If there are typos, I collectively write one separate comment requesting a through spell-checking, and give 2-5 occasions in the article as examples.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13962,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is not the job of a reviewer to proofread an article.</p>\n\n<p>However, it is the responsibility of a reviewer to comment on issues that would improve the state of a manuscript. Therefore, one should not completely turn a blind eye to issues of formatting, spelling, and grammar. Moreover, there are some papers where the grammar, spelling, and usage of English is so poor that it actually hinders appropriate evaluation of the manuscript. </p>\n\n<p>Thus, it is appropriate to include some comments on the general level of usage in a review, although one would not want to list tons of typographical errors as part of the review; a comment that corrections are necessary should suffice.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13949",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7902/"
]
|
13,952 | <p>I'm applying to graduate school (CS MS/PhD) this year and I wanted to put up a copy of my papers online so that admission committees would be able to see them. The problem is one of the papers is currently under submission at a conference and notification for the same is only on Jan 22nd. Another one is still in preparation and I will be submitting it soon to a journal/conference. So I was just wondering if it is okay if I put up these papers in my Academia.edu page?
Actually one of my friends' told me that since Academia.edu submissions are searchable on Google, the conference I have submitted to and the journal or conference I would be submitting the other paper will have a problem. Is he right? How else can I provide a way for others to view these papers?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13950,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The simple answer is no. Unless the review instructions ask for such comments, it is not mandatory. When I do a review, I usually do some corrections if there are not too many of them. If the paper is littered with such errors I might make corrections for one or two manuscript pages and then state to both authors and editors that the papers needs substantial checking and correction beyond my capacity. I also sometimes just leave that comment without making example corrections.</p>\n\n<p>One of the more problematic issues is the difference between native English speakers and this who have English as a second or third language. Clearly authors who are not native speakers, should receive more help than others. There are also services that do language corrections and each publisher typically can suggest such services. If there are native English speakers as co-authors, some responsibility should fall on them to correct the language, after all, they are credited, or perhaps discredited, by the paper as well. So my point is that some leniency has to be considered depending on the severity of the problem but the bottom line is no-one is forced to correct spelling and grammar.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13957,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>No, the major goal is to examine the validity, integrity and contribution of the work. Since these can be challenged, causing the work to be rejected or subjected to a major revision, editing at this stage would just be like staining the wood before the carpentry work.</p>\n\n<p>Also, at least for me, my mind runs on two different gears when engaged in editing and reviewing. If I have to edit, I can only edit; if I have to think about the concept, I can't edit... perhaps in my mind editing only happens when the concept is already there.</p>\n\n<p>Having said that, there are three areas I always do a full body pat down, once for concept, once for edit:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Table</strong>: I suggest always comb through the table title, column and row titles, numeric agreement, footnotes, superscripts, etc.</li>\n<li><strong>Illustration</strong>: Check labels, title, and footnotes.</li>\n<li><strong>Abstract</strong>: Look for typos and point out if a particular sentence appears to be terse or even misleading.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The reason for putting the abstract under all lenses is apparent. The reasons for checking the illustration and table are that these are usually the most neglected places in copy editing and revision. And yet, these are the most viewed sections in a paper. Nine out of 10 errors I've spotted in journal articles are in these two hot spots.</p>\n\n<p>In the main text, if there is any sentence that is very grammatically challenged, I cite the page and line in the review, and comment on the need of a rewritten version.</p>\n\n<p>If there are typos, I collectively write one separate comment requesting a through spell-checking, and give 2-5 occasions in the article as examples.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13962,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is not the job of a reviewer to proofread an article.</p>\n\n<p>However, it is the responsibility of a reviewer to comment on issues that would improve the state of a manuscript. Therefore, one should not completely turn a blind eye to issues of formatting, spelling, and grammar. Moreover, there are some papers where the grammar, spelling, and usage of English is so poor that it actually hinders appropriate evaluation of the manuscript. </p>\n\n<p>Thus, it is appropriate to include some comments on the general level of usage in a review, although one would not want to list tons of typographical errors as part of the review; a comment that corrections are necessary should suffice.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13952",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7775/"
]
|
13,954 | <p>What is the difference between special issues and regular ones from the scientific journal publication point of view?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13956,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Different journals may put different meaning into "special issue". It could mean that papers have been invited around a certain theme, it could mean papers come from a workshop or from symposia, or that the journal has decided to gather papers around a specific topic for some reason. The point is that a special issues differ from regular issues in that the papers constitute a collection around a theme or coming from a specific group of authors or event. Such issues can either be a decision by the journal or a request from a group of scientists to publish around "their" proposed theme. There may be additional cases, but these are the ones I am familiar with within my field.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13959,
"author": "Mangara",
"author_id": 8185,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8185",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my field (theoretical computer science), the best papers at a particular conference often get invited to a special issue of a journal. The editor of the special issue is typically one of the conference chairs, but the papers still go through the regular peer-review process of the journal, and are held to the same standards.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 80676,
"author": "Ébe Isaac",
"author_id": 40592,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/40592",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to publishing selected papers in conferences (as mentioned by @Mangara), a publisher can announce a special issue journal to concentrate on a particular set of fields which may be a subset of its overall scope.</p>\n\n<p>One main point to note is that special issues have an additional advantage that <strong>they are time-bound</strong>. That is the dates for first review result, acceptance/rejection, and publication, are all scheduled. Although sometimes, the dates may be subjected to change, this is in contrast to regular journals where the time-frame may not always be estimated.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 122048,
"author": "guest",
"author_id": 102276,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/102276",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It can vary. I have seen special issues for (1) conference, (2) theme, (3) some famous professors birthday/retirement.</p>\n\n<p>In general it really doesn't matter in terms of citations, just do a full cite including issue number and the like. Nobody will notice/care about if it was special or normal. It will still get cited, abstracted, held by libraries the same way.</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes the reviewing can be a little easier on special issues (they tend to have a hard time filling the issue). It's also possible that a slightly less notable paper might make it through (more \"datapoint science\"). Again, it's not a huge impact and shouldn't worry you, but just sharing my impression. </p>\n\n<p>(Partial overlap with previous answers)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 141271,
"author": "Shashikant Nishant Sharma",
"author_id": 117175,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/117175",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Regular issue is what is published monthly or a quarter as per the schedule of the journal publication. Special Issue is for special events like conferences, seminars or some theme. <a href=\"https://www.eduindex.org/2019/12/difference-between-special-issues-and.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">enter link description here</a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13954",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9363/"
]
|
13,960 | <p>I feel a little bit ashamed, but I have never understood the difference between transactions and journals. <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/9518/the-differences-between-ams-research-journals/">This question</a> is quite related. However, I could not find any clear differentiation.</p>
<p>For example, in my little field (software engineering) <em>IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering</em> is considered the top venue. However, there is not an IEEE journal on Software Engineering (or whatever name). To be honest, I have never seen any publisher on software engineering having both transactions and a journal on software engineering. This is also why I fail do differentiate them.</p>
<p>This is what IEEE writes at its <a href="http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/subscriptions/clientservices/info/faq_clientservices.html" rel="noreferrer">FAQ page</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>What is the difference between IEEE Journals, Transactions, Letters, and Magazines?</strong></p>
<p>Journals, Transactions, and Letters are the primary means for
publishing technical papers concerning original work in IEEE fields of
interest. [..] The primary purpose of
Journals, Transactions, and Letters is to disclose and provide a
permanent archival record of original technical work that advances the
state of the art or provides novel insights. Papers in Journals,
Transactions, and Letters should be of lasting value to the
professional as judged by the authors’ peers through a formal review
process. [..]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The omitted part is about letters and magazines, so it is not related. Am I really missing it, or they do not really differentiate?</p>
<p>What is the difference?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13961,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><strong>Transactions</strong> used to have a very specific meaning. From the <em>New Oxford American Dictionary</em>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>transactions</strong><br>\n published reports of proceedings at the meetings of a learned society</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In this historical usage, it is synonymous to <strong>proceedings</strong>, i.e. it is a published report of a conference or a set of meetings. Many learned societies have <em>transactions</em>: <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_Transactions_of_the_Royal_Society\"><em>Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society</em></a>, <a href=\"http://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journalissues/tf\"><em>Transactions of the Faraday Society</em></a>, <a href=\"http://www.ams.org/publications/journals/journalsframework/tran\"><em>Transactions of the AMS</em></a>, etc.. Some other institutions use the term “proceedings”, e.g. <a href=\"http://www.pnas.org\"><em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Science</em></a>.</p>\n\n<p>These transactions or proceedings were separate from journals, which do not have to coincide with a conference or meeting. However, with time the customs changed, and <strong>many of these reputable publishing venues became independent from actual meetings or conferences</strong>. <strong>But, because they were reputable (and famous is some cases), the name remained.</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 31339,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<h2>There is no difference.</h2>\n\n<p>In particular, <em>IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering</em> is a journal, as are all the other <em>IEEE Transactions</em>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 37786,
"author": "anonymous",
"author_id": 28622,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/28622",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><a href=\"http://www.ieee.org/documents/auinfo07.pdf\">From IEEE</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>IEEE Transactions generally contain major manuscripts\n approximately 8 to 10 printed pages or 24 to 30 double-spaced\n pages.</p>\n \n <p>IEEE Journals follow the same length criteria as Transactions,\n but often are focused on selected topics and more\n specialized areas of interest.</p>\n \n <p>IEEE Letters are generally short papers of approximately\n three to four printed pages or nine double-spaced pages.\n \"</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 55244,
"author": "Kakoli Majumder",
"author_id": 9920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9920",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>For all practical purposes, there is not much of a difference between IEEE journals, transactions, and letters. On the IEEE website, they are all included under the broad category 'Journals and Magazines.' However, they publish different article types. While journals publish articles on more specific topics or specialized areas, transactions publish articles of a broader interest, while letters usually refer to short communications rather than full-fledged research articles.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 131084,
"author": "Samujjwal Ghosh",
"author_id": 109202,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/109202",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As per my general understanding (not by any technical definitions), Transactions are more focused venue whereas Journals are broader in topic coverage.</p>\n\n<p>I decide where to submit my manuscript based on this understanding.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13960",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
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|
13,963 | <p>In my dissertation, I am solving a problem by using techniques used to solve another problem. As a result, I have to do two literature surveys for both problems. I ended up with a huge chapter! - most of it is basically a literature survey.</p>
<p>I do not want my examiners to hate me when they find a long thesis, but I don't want to get comments such as: "Why have you not considered the work of X in your survey?" </p>
<p>Is it a good practice to move part of this huge chapter's survey to an Appendix chapter, while keeping a section that speaks about the general approaches followed in the literature? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13966,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
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"text": "<p>For a thesis, you may as well include the full review. You've done the work, and a thesis typically has no particular length limit. Realistically, your examiners will probably just skim it anyway. I see no reason to move it to an appendix, though I also don't think it matters very much. If your advisor or university policies feel strongly, of course, do what they say.</p>\n\n<p>When you publish papers based on your thesis, then you'll want to condense the review to focus on the most important and relevant prior work.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 13967,
"author": "Shion",
"author_id": 1429,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1429",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> I am a current graduate student starting to write my own doctoral dissertation.</p>\n\n<p>The advice which I have got from several faculty members with whom I have been working for the last 3-4 years is that there is no <em>true</em> length to a literature review. </p>\n\n<p>A literature survey should encapsulate your research problem, identify the current gap in the literature and then, factor in methods using which you attempt to answer your research question.</p>\n\n<p>If that makes it long, its long. My literature review is probably around ~30-40 pages. Given that I work in a rather interdisciplinary area, its inevitable.</p>\n\n<p>I advise you to include all the literature that is relevant.</p>\n\n<p>The appendix is usually reserved for additional figures, tables, links, code, supplementary analysis etc.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13963",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4472/"
]
|
13,984 | <p>I'm about to defend my PhD in Computer Science in a couple of months, and I'm struggling with deciding on a future career path. Over the course of the 8 years I spent in an academic environment, I familiarized myself with advances and challenges of formal software development. I also learned a lot about myself. It might sound a bit depressing but right now I don't think that it's my vocation to be a scientist. I feel that there are lots of talented people who will do the research with a lot more passion and way better than me and that a mediocre researcher is of no use for society. </p>
<p>However I think I would love to work with scientists as a software engineer. I came to this point because I like developing software, I have high respect for science and would happily support the research with tools, and implement the research results in software. Being in a research environment I might become more inspired with science someday and will switch to research. </p>
<p>This being said my question is: are software engineers with a research background & PhD in demand in the academic world? Do they allocate funding for such people in universities/research labs? What should I expect from a career of a research software engineer? Would it be considered strange if I applied to a PostDoc position saying that I want to concentrate primarily on software? </p>
<p>I would appreciate any comment or advice. Thank you.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13990,
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"text": "<p><strong>tl;dr: Yes, some universities do value software engineers with a research background.</strong></p>\n<p>University College London (UCL), for example, has a <a href=\"http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/staff/research_services/rsdt\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Research Software Development Team</a> (RSDT), which specialises in providing <a href=\"http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/research-software-development/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">software engineering by programmers with a science-research background</a>.</p>\n<p>From the first of those links:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This is a team of professional software developers with particular expertise in designing, constructing and maintaining software for academic research.</p>\n<p>Our goal is to enhance UCL’s capacity to produce high quality scientific software, from the simplest scripts to complex simulations running on state of the art high performance computers. We do this by collaborating with researchers who are creating their own software</p>\n</blockquote>\n<h3>How is it funded?</h3>\n<p>The work can be funded in one of several ways. It can be funded through university core funding. The work can be bid for as part of a research funding proposal or consultancy contract. It can be funded as part of a research grant for generic research software development.</p>\n<h3>What do they do?</h3>\n<p>The UCL RSDT team work alongside researchers on scientific projects. They co-author papers with them, transfer best practice & skills into the team, and hand over well-crafted, well-documented software (and its version-control history) for research.</p>\n<p>The team do have research backgrounds themselves. They help select / develop the algorithms. When starting a new project, they read some of the background literature to the project - particularly that relating to the algorithms - to get enough grounding to enable them to ask meaningful questions of the researchers who they're working with.</p>\n<p>And (touching on a comment by dgraziotin), the team host <a href=\"http://software-carpentry.org/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Software Carpentry Boot Camps</a> for research staff and doctoral students. This gives the attendees an introduction to key concepts that they might otherwise not be exposed to, such as unit testing, version control, and working from the command-line.</p>\n<h3>Do many universities do this?</h3>\n<p>At the moment, this isn't an initiative at many universities that I'm aware of. However, given the success of UCL RSDT to date (the team is now expanding again), and the growing awareness of the concept of the Research Software Developer <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=@jamespjh%20%22a%20new%20type%20of%20hero%22&src=typd&f=realtime\" rel=\"noreferrer\">("a new type of hero"</a>, as described by Neil P Chue Hong, Director of the <a href=\"http://www.software.ac.uk/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Software Sustainability Institute</a>), this is probably an idea whose time has come.</p>\n<h3>Disclosure</h3>\n<p>I am a little involved with the research software development effort linked to above.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17195,
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"text": "<p>Short answer: it looks ilke it, yes. I don't know where you are in the world but, when I've looked at academic jobs sites in the UK and USA, there have always been lots of ads looking for people to develop software for research teams – especially in bioinformatics but also in any area of science where computer modelling can be applied profitably. I've not looked closely at these ads but my impression is that, unlike the group discussed by EnergyNumbers, these are mostly fixed-term positions within a specific research group, tied to a specific grant. But the demand does seem to be there.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 158331,
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"author_id": 26785,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/26785",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A PhD carries weight in academic environments in a way it doesn't in any other context. Your colleagues will respect someone with a doctorate more, and it will provide opportunities for job opportunities within academia that are closed to people without a PhD. Depending on quirks of college funding, you may even find yourself joining the faculty in capacity (visting assistant professor, research professor, etc.) rather than simply being staff or an adjunct professor. Staff employment is typically grant-dependent, and semester-to-semester contingency the lot of adjuncts.</p>\n<p>Software PhD's are probably more in demand <em>outside</em> of universities. Check the salary differences an decide accordingly.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13984",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9382/"
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|
13,985 | <p>As an undergraduate (not studying computer science) I was fortunate enough to work in the lab of the CS department chair at my university for an extended period of time. This work resulted in me being added as a coauthor to one of her most recent papers. She also knows me well - I took an intro CS course with her, and during my time in the lab we would be in contact practically every day. I definitely plan on asking her for a recommendation letter when I apply for graduate school in computer science next year.</p>
<p>Although I know that going to the same university for undergraduate and graduate school is sometimes discouraged, I would quite honestly be very happy to return there, as I very much enjoyed working under her, she is well-known in her field, and some of her research interests are very close to mine. In any event, it would be nice to have a "safety net" of sorts while exploring other options.</p>
<p>I know that every university has different policies about admissions decisions, so no one can speak to my particular case. But in general, how much would you say that having the backing of the department chair helps in graduate school admissions?</p>
| [
{
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"selected": true,
"text": "<p><strong>tl;dr: Yes, some universities do value software engineers with a research background.</strong></p>\n<p>University College London (UCL), for example, has a <a href=\"http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/staff/research_services/rsdt\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Research Software Development Team</a> (RSDT), which specialises in providing <a href=\"http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/research-software-development/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">software engineering by programmers with a science-research background</a>.</p>\n<p>From the first of those links:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This is a team of professional software developers with particular expertise in designing, constructing and maintaining software for academic research.</p>\n<p>Our goal is to enhance UCL’s capacity to produce high quality scientific software, from the simplest scripts to complex simulations running on state of the art high performance computers. We do this by collaborating with researchers who are creating their own software</p>\n</blockquote>\n<h3>How is it funded?</h3>\n<p>The work can be funded in one of several ways. It can be funded through university core funding. The work can be bid for as part of a research funding proposal or consultancy contract. It can be funded as part of a research grant for generic research software development.</p>\n<h3>What do they do?</h3>\n<p>The UCL RSDT team work alongside researchers on scientific projects. They co-author papers with them, transfer best practice & skills into the team, and hand over well-crafted, well-documented software (and its version-control history) for research.</p>\n<p>The team do have research backgrounds themselves. They help select / develop the algorithms. When starting a new project, they read some of the background literature to the project - particularly that relating to the algorithms - to get enough grounding to enable them to ask meaningful questions of the researchers who they're working with.</p>\n<p>And (touching on a comment by dgraziotin), the team host <a href=\"http://software-carpentry.org/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Software Carpentry Boot Camps</a> for research staff and doctoral students. This gives the attendees an introduction to key concepts that they might otherwise not be exposed to, such as unit testing, version control, and working from the command-line.</p>\n<h3>Do many universities do this?</h3>\n<p>At the moment, this isn't an initiative at many universities that I'm aware of. However, given the success of UCL RSDT to date (the team is now expanding again), and the growing awareness of the concept of the Research Software Developer <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=@jamespjh%20%22a%20new%20type%20of%20hero%22&src=typd&f=realtime\" rel=\"noreferrer\">("a new type of hero"</a>, as described by Neil P Chue Hong, Director of the <a href=\"http://www.software.ac.uk/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Software Sustainability Institute</a>), this is probably an idea whose time has come.</p>\n<h3>Disclosure</h3>\n<p>I am a little involved with the research software development effort linked to above.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17195,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Short answer: it looks ilke it, yes. I don't know where you are in the world but, when I've looked at academic jobs sites in the UK and USA, there have always been lots of ads looking for people to develop software for research teams – especially in bioinformatics but also in any area of science where computer modelling can be applied profitably. I've not looked closely at these ads but my impression is that, unlike the group discussed by EnergyNumbers, these are mostly fixed-term positions within a specific research group, tied to a specific grant. But the demand does seem to be there.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 158331,
"author": "Mox",
"author_id": 26785,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/26785",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A PhD carries weight in academic environments in a way it doesn't in any other context. Your colleagues will respect someone with a doctorate more, and it will provide opportunities for job opportunities within academia that are closed to people without a PhD. Depending on quirks of college funding, you may even find yourself joining the faculty in capacity (visting assistant professor, research professor, etc.) rather than simply being staff or an adjunct professor. Staff employment is typically grant-dependent, and semester-to-semester contingency the lot of adjuncts.</p>\n<p>Software PhD's are probably more in demand <em>outside</em> of universities. Check the salary differences an decide accordingly.</p>\n"
}
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| 2013/11/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13985",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9383/"
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|
13,991 | <p>Some time ago, I attended a conference. The organizers later compiled an edited book with the revised presentations of the conference. I was also offered to contribute a chapter. But after the sending the organizers a first draft, I had to turn down the offer as I did not have the time to make the revisions and additions they asked for. </p>
<p>Currently, I am writing an omnibus review about the same topic for a journal and I also would like to discuss the meanwhile published proceedings of the conference. Although I think the edited book has some very good points, I also would have to express severe criticism about some other points especially in the introduction by the organizers. </p>
<p>Therefore, I would like to know:<br>
<em>How do I disclose the best in the review that I have participated at the conference and was offered a chapter? Should I add a footnote or a paragraph? Wouldn't that even raise distrust?</em> </p>
<p>To make things more complicated: There is already a well-meaning review of the book by the 2nd supervisor of one of the contributors who has not disclosed his link in any way.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14083,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
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"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I would suggest that <strong>you do not need a disclaimer</strong> in this particular case: the bottom line is that <strong>you did not contribute to the book</strong>. If you had participated, it would be a clear-cut case… yours is more complicated, but the fact remains that none of the text of the book was written by you!</p>\n\n<p>Another way to see it: a disclaimer would not raise distrust, but it would certainly add confusion (or at least, not add any clarity). You'd have to explain concisely your situation, stating the facts. You could come up with something like <em>“The author of this review was asked to participate in the book, but had to decline due to time constraints”</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, <strong>if you want to be sure to do the right thing: ask the journal editor!</strong> You then make it his call, since it's his journal. He's the best person to ask, really…</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 167980,
"author": "Harry Hab",
"author_id": 139326,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/139326",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The above answer says it all.</p>\n<p>But between the lines there is a more subtle concern. You are worried you will annoy the organisers and that they will get mad and say that f***r was right there and drank our free coffee and now he is badmouthing us!</p>\n<p>Make very sure that your criticisms cannot construed as a personal attack. Stick to generalities and technical points.</p>\n"
}
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| 2013/11/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13991",
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|
13,996 | <p>I'm currently looking at the requirements of a (Comp. Sci.) job that seems to only take into account "ISI-indexed publications". I'm vaguely aware of what ISI is and so forth, but I'm struggling to find a definitive list of ISI-indexed venues, or what "ISI-indexed publications" means. </p>
<p>Or at least I hope it doesn't mean what I think it does ...</p>
<p>I found the <a href="http://ip-science.thomsonreuters.com/mjl/publist_sciex.pdf">following list</a> on the Thomson Reuters' page as a journal list for science. However, the list doesn't contain any conferences (even the "big ones" like WWW, (P)VLDB, SIGMOD, etc.) and a few journals I would expect to be on there aren't.</p>
<p>Would I be correct to say that any Comp. Sci. venue not on that list is not "ISI-indexed"?</p>
<p>Is this "ISI-indexed-only" restriction common?</p>
<p>(If so, seems quite antiquated really. Not being able to mention good, highly-cited, highly-selective conference papers sucks.)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 13998,
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"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Would I be correct to say that any Comp. Sci. venue not on that list is not \"ISI-indexed\"?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I suspect the answer is Yes. Click <a href=\"http://science.thomsonreuters.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jloptions.cgi?PC=master\" rel=\"nofollow\">here</a> to search for your journal. Many CS top journals are not indexed by ISI. This says nothing whatsoever about the quality of the work. Limiting publications to only ISI-indexed is really really a bad decision. This may vary between fields, but in CS, I am certain most of the high quality venues of publishing are not ISI-indexed. Note that some scam journals would claim they have impact factor <em>x.xxx</em> where actually they are not even listed by ISI. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Is this \"ISI-indexed-only\" restriction common?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I know some universities (like <a href=\"http://ksu.edu.sa/en\" rel=\"nofollow\">King Saud University</a>; a list from one guy from KSU is also <a href=\"http://www.emilio.ferrara.name/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Computer-Science-Journals-ISI.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">here</a> ) where researchers are required to publish in ISI-indexed venues to get promoted (i.e. to associate or full). But these are exception cases and not common. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14019,
"author": "ajm475du",
"author_id": 8343,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8343",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Right, the IP & Science business of Thomson Reuters (the business formerly known as ISI) curates the indexes Web of Science and Current Contents Connect. The journal coverage in those two is almost identical. Thomson Reuters then creates some data products from the Web of Science and Current Contents Connect data, such as the Journal Impact Factors.</p>\n\n<p>Other indexes that are important in computer science include IEEE Xplore and ACM Digital Library. There are also more open indexes such as DBLP and CiteSeerX.</p>\n\n<p>Thomson Reuters <a href=\"http://wokinfo.com/essays/journal-selection-process/\" rel=\"nofollow\">mentions \"Bradford's Law\"</a> as a principle it uses to include or exclude journals. The general idea is to include some 12,000 journals that are well woven into the network of scholarly citations, viewed broadly.</p>\n\n<p>I have read more than once that computer science is unusual in the value it places on conference papers. That fact may help to explain limitations in the collection of conferences in the Web of Science collection. I am not certain whether or not the collection strategy for Web of Science specifically takes into account that computer science is unusual in that way.</p>\n\n<p>The Web of Knowledge product that provides access to the Web of Science collection happens to have a more subject-specific collection called Inspec available for subscription. That is a bibliographic collection curated by the Institution of Electronics and Technology that historically was the UK's counterpart to IEEE. Not every institution that subscribes to Web of Knowledge elects to include Inspec in its subscription. Conversely, Web of Knowledge is not the only way to access the Inspec collection - although I believe it is the only way that is cross-referenced with Web of Science.</p>\n"
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| 2013/11/11 | [
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|
14,003 | <p>Most of the schools that I've looked at for PhD programs in Computer Science have between a 9-15% acceptance rate. I've noticed similar acceptance rates for other programs outside of computer science; yet almost everyone that I've ever spoken to has only applied to a handful of schools. This just doesn't make sense to me. </p>
<p>Let's just say that each school that I apply to has ~15% acceptance rate, then if I only apply to only 6 schools, I have roughly a 63% chance of getting accepted to at least one (1-probability of getting declined everywhere). That doesn't seem horrible, but if I know I want to do a PhD, I would like to have much higher odds, plus most of the programs are closer to a 10% admissions rate. I understand that applications are costly both monetarily and temporally speaking, but having a 37% chance of not getting into any programs is pretty bad. Whereas if I apply to 14 schools, I have about a 10% chance of not getting accepted anywhere. Can someone please explain the thought process behind this? </p>
| [
{
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"text": "<p>Although, I like your way of analytical thinking, some ouf your assumptions do not hold:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Selection procedures of PhD programs are <strong>not random</strong>. </li>\n<li>The selection procedure of one PhD program is <strong>not independent</strong> from other programs, as it is likely based on similar characteristics and markers in your CVs. (Maybe, there is conditional independence given 3, but that is problematic because the value of 3 is relative to the local distribution of 4.) </li>\n<li>Your application profile does <strong>not change</strong>. </li>\n<li>You do <strong>not know</strong> who your competitors are which may also vary between programs (and time). </li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Therefore, I would assume that people use their applications as measures to test the unknown distribution of the accessibility of PhD programs. Unfortunately, this accessibility changes every term/year because of different populations of applicants. Furthermore, information about the specific demands and requirements of PhD programs is limited because it is time-consuming to look them up and sometimes they are simply hidden. That makes it reasonable to concentrate only on few programs and draw <em>convenient samples</em>. If applicants fail, it is easier to adapt, as your application costs were moderate, and to finally accept that there were better competitors and go on with life.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14006,
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"text": "<p>There are so many factors you are ignoring in your analysis... No offense but I have to say that your understanding of recruitment is lacking a lot of depth. Recruitment strategies and practices vary quite a bit but below I tried to give some ideas to the shortcomings (IMHO) of your analysis. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>TL;DR:</strong> Recruitment is a complex procedure that typically has many factors that are asymmetrically known to different parties. Writing applications, personal letters etc is almost an art in itself. Thus it's important to get a better understanding of the system before jumping into conclusions with misleading statistics.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<h3>Outcomes</h3>\n\n<p>You seem to take the outcome as a binary variable, while for a single application it might be a valid way to see it, for a single <em>applicant</em> it might be misleading. Based on the project at hand and the candidates in question, the fact that you didn't make it for that particular application isn't necessarily independent of any future incidents, or rather the other way around; your future applications will most likely not be independent of the previous one(s).</p>\n\n<p>It's quite the contrary, actually. You might have significantly increased, or decreased, your chances for a future position with the same group, or at another group associated with the one you applied to. That's practically based on the competition (to which you are will be in the dark) for the project you applied to, and to the impression you have left on the admission committee or the individual PI/group leader. It's important to keep in mind that <em>people talk</em>. In other words, your reputation will most likely proceed you, whether that is positive or negative that's a different story.</p>\n\n<h3>Fairness</h3>\n\n<p>One might like to think otherwise, but life isn't always fair and recruitment is typically one of those scenarios. In most respectable universities, all open positions need to be publicly announced, which means that anyone in the world can practically apply to them. Furthermore, there are usually laws and regulations that are put in place to work against discrimination of any kind. </p>\n\n<p>What might get forgotten, however, is that the projects aren't really randomly devised. It is not that uncommon for a position to be announced so specifically that it's essentially tailor-made for a candidate; practical examples of this case could be the continuation of a master thesis work, or any similar project work. Such a position could be <em>de facto</em> filled months in advance. </p>\n\n<p>If you are applying to a position at a group with no prior knowledge of the place, you might actually be applying to a position that is already filled. However, many PIs use the public application procedure to \"scout talent\". In other words, you might not be an interesting target for the project/position you have applied to, but you might still be very interesting for an upcoming project (see previous section \"Outcomes\").</p>\n\n<h3>Spamming</h3>\n\n<p>If you are looking at numbers only, you might be mislead on accessing the <em>real</em> number of <em>feasible</em> candidates. I might be insensitive, or even offensive to a certain degree, but there are people who do not even read the job description and mass-apply (especially if it's free to apply). I work with bioinformatics, and among the other candidates there were some who apparently: \"<em>... always dreamed of the chance to be a radio engineer, and thus would gladly take the opportunity to ...</em>\" (I have not seen the application myself, as it'd be a conflict of interests. I heard about this much later at a pub gathering with my colleagues and boss)</p>\n\n<p>You would be muddying the statistics if you count with people that would be sorted out almost immediately. </p>\n\n<h3>Hype</h3>\n\n<p>Word gets around, quickly... So more and more people want the same thing; \"Did you hear {insert_famous_professor} group has announced a new position?!\" While that is a normal human behavior, it also points out a fundamental defect in the way we reason; <em>just because something is famous it's not necessarily better than something else that isn't as reknown</em>. At this point it's also worth noting that a successful senior scientist isn't necessarily <em>a good teacher of doing science</em>. The distinction might not be very apparent prior to doing a PhD but a couple of years into academia, you start noticing the difference.</p>\n\n<p>In other words, while most people swarm over a few number of positions, very few apply to many positions elsewhere. Ask any head-hunter (recruitment professionals) and they'll even give you statistics. </p>\n\n<h3>Suitability</h3>\n\n<p>Call me a snob if you will, but doing a PhD isn't a god-given right to all humans. It's a job, a career path and thus not suitable for everyone. Please note that I <strong>do not</strong>, in any way, mean that <em>you</em> are not suitable to do a PhD (it would not be my place to make a judgement, even if I knew you in person). I am merely stating that if a person is consistently getting a rejection, the chances are highly likely that the person is being unrealistic, or stronly under/over-valuing his/her skills. The negative effect of over-valuing is obvious, I suppose, but modesty or humility to the extreme could also impair one's chances of getting an acceptance. </p>\n\n<p>Hope it helps!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14049,
"author": "Ben Webster",
"author_id": 13,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are several levels on which one could answer your question:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>One could say that people (even those applying for graduate school in quantitative fields) typically don't approach things logically. Someone will suggest a number of schools to them, and they will apply without doing such a probabilistic analysis.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>The statistics you want to do such an analysis properly are just not accessible. I haven't been able to find any graduate programs in math (my subject) that publish admission stats. (<strong>EDIT</strong>: I was totally wrong about this. It seems that the secret is to look at central rather than department websites. For example, the stats for my department are <a href=\"http://gsas.virginia.edu/sites/gsas.virginia.edu/files/Profile-Mathematics.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\">here</a>) You even if you wanted to carefully analyze things, the data isn't there. I think anecdotally, people have found that 6 or 7 schools with a good range of rankings is good enough. If people were doing this intelligently and still getting in nowhere, I think the CW would change.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>I think the number of people who only apply to places where they have a 15% chance is small; smart students will apply to a couple of the best places (thus giving a few places very low acceptance rates) but also a range of places with lower ranking and easier admission. If you look at <a href=\"http://www.mathematicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=685&start=50\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this thread</a>, for example, you'll see very few people rejected from all the places they applied, even though you'll see many rejected from most of them. In general, grad schools outside the very top tier are pretty hungry for good students; admission to a top 5 program is of course very hard. Getting into a top 50 one might be easier than you think.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>People who only apply to a couple of top places have revealed a preference: they are interested in getting a Ph.D., but only at a top place. This is a reasonable position; I'm not sure what objection you have with it. Just because you can get into some program doesn't make it a good idea.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>This isn't precisely what Ben Crowell says below, but his comment and post reminded me: people tend to operate on short time horizons. The trouble and expense of more applications is very visible and concrete, and the trade-off of maybe going to a school which is worse on some dimension of prestige/fellowship/fit etc. is very indefinite and far off. Thus, people will tend to focus more on the former and somehow push off the latter to some corner of their mind.</p>\n<p>I've gotten the general sense that undergrads don't have a very visceral feel for how going to a higher vs. lower ranked graduate program affects their chances of success in academia. Of the faculty in <a href=\"http://www.math.virginia.edu/faculty\" rel=\"noreferrer\">my current department</a>, almost all the PhDs from the US are accounted for by the Ivies, the University of California system, Chicago and MIT. At Oregon, where I was previously, I once calculated that half of the US PhDs in the department went to Harvard, MIT, Berkeley or Stanford. One can argue how much of that is selection bias, how much is getting a genuinely different education, and how much is just the power of the name, but I think they all play some part.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14052,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Others have pointed out that the probabilities are not all independent. Let's say that x is some objective measure of the quality of the program, and let x0 be the quality of a program for which <em>you personally</em> (not everyone in general) have a 50% probability of getting in. Then it may be reasonable to imagine that there is some function P, where P(x-x0) is your probability of getting into that school. P has a plateau at 1 on the left, another plateau at 0 on the right, and a fairly steep \"knee\" in the middle. If we don't know your x0, then the probabilities of admission are not all independent. But once we know your x0, it may not be unreasonable to assume that the probabilities P(x-x0) for all the different schools are independent. If the assumptions of this analysis are correct, then it explains why rational people would apply to a large number of schools. They're basically picking a whole bunch of schools for which they think P(x-x0) is small but non-negligible, i.e., programs that they judge themselves as just maybe having a chance of getting into. For example, I applied to 14 PhD programs in physics, almost all of them top-20 programs in the US. I also applied to a couple of backup schools that I was pretty sure I would get into. I ended up getting into the backup schools plus exactly one of the top-20 schools.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 175117,
"author": "Bill Barth",
"author_id": 11600,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11600",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Sometimes the applicant is the former Master's, postdoc, or Undgraduate resarch student of the Professor who has an open position and they can make an offer to do PhD research after going through the bureaucratic motions of posting an opening and (faux?) interviewing some applicants. Unless a more-qualified applicant sues, the former student is likely to get the position. The posting will be pulled down at that point. This is probably illegal in most places, but done right, who's going to know that it was wired for a former student or postdoc? It's possible someone in the lab will know the "new" person from prior work with them and rat them out to HR. Usually, wired positions work by having the targeted person apply as usual, go through the competitive process, and turn out to be the selectee, for research positions, at least. I have no insight to seeing profs hired this way.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/11 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14003",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8022/"
]
|
14,005 | <p>I would like to keep up to date with public literature in my research field. All relevant publications are of too big a volume to follow and so the problem invites some automatic mechanism of filtering and notification.</p>
<p>Do you know of any good mechanism (desktop\online application etc.) that could be configured to alert on new publications according to specific criteria?</p>
<p>Three criteria that I would think would be very useful in such a mechanism are :</p>
<ul>
<li>Follow by <strong><em>researcher name</em></strong> - I would like to know of any new publication Prof. X was involved with.</li>
<li>Configurable <strong><em>citation</em></strong> filter - I would like to know of any new publication which cites any of Prof. X papers or a specific one.</li>
<li>And\Or\Not <strong><em>keywords</em></strong> - I would like to know of any new publication that has both keywords A and (B or C).</li>
</ul>
<p>Do you know of such existing app? Any recommendation to such (or similar) applied functionality would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14007,
"author": "Bitwise",
"author_id": 6862,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6862",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you are in life sciences, I suggest two methods.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>PubMed updates: PubMed is the database that contains the abstracts of all life sciences publications. If you register (free), you can have query updates sent to your mail regularly. The way this works is that you run a database query once (these queries can be quite advanced), and then all new results to this query are compiled and sent to you. <em>This is a good method if you want to keep up with every publication in a relatively field</em>.</li>\n<li>F1000: The Faculty of 1000 is a group of ~5000 scientists that regularly read papers and rank papers of special interest along with a short explanation. If you register (not free unless your institute has this service), you can also receive weekly updates according to specified sub-fields of interest. <em>This is a good method for keeping up with interesting publications in a wide field</em> (where the PubMed search would just give too many results).</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14013,
"author": "Flyto",
"author_id": 8394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><a href=\"http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_alerts?view_op=list_alerts&hl=en\" rel=\"nofollow\">Google Scholar alerts</a> are certainly one (slightly crude) solution. But there are other databases out there that allow much better controlled searching and which do email alerts. My university gives me access to a university-branded version of <a href=\"http://www.ebscohost.com/discovery\" rel=\"nofollow\">EBSCO Discovery</a>, but others do exist - some generalist and some especially suited to particular fields.</p>\n\n<p>Assuming that you are affiliated with a university or similar, I recommend asking your university library what they recommend.</p>\n\n<p>Alternatively, sites such as <a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">ScienceDirect</a> allow you to set up similar alerts, but they only apply to journals that are published on those sites (so with the example of ScienceDirect, you would only be told about articles in Elsevier journals). Depending on the publications that are relevant to you it might be possible to set up similar alerts on a few different publishers' sites to get good coverage.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14018,
"author": "ajm475du",
"author_id": 8343,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8343",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Your institution (for example its Harman Science Library) and many others have the database product <a href=\"http://newisiknowledge.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Web of Knowledge</a>. Precisely the alert criteria that you described, and more, are available through that product.</p>\n\n<p>The selection of journals covered in its flagship collection, Web of Science, is curated with the goal to cover all of, and more than, the core literature of all scholarly fields, naturally without attempting to cover all journals in existence. Alerts in Web of Knowledge can also simultaneously search up to a dozen other collections including Medline, depending on your institution's subscription. You can see the collections in the subscription that is available to you by choosing the \"Select a Database\" tab. You can browse and search <a href=\"http://ip-science.thomsonreuters.com/mjl/\" rel=\"nofollow\">the journal lists for the various collections</a>.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/11 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14005",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6645/"
]
|
14,010 | <p>I am working on a honours thesis and have developed a Fortran library that I would like to cite in it.</p>
<p>In some places they suggest to quote the documentation of the project but this is something I plan to do in the future and isn't done yet. The only documentation I have right now is the README file and the code itself. </p>
<p><strong>What would be an acceptable way of directing a reader to my work on Github?</strong></p>
<p>(bonus) <strong>Is there a BibTeX way to do it?</strong></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14012,
"author": "410 gone",
"author_id": 96,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The underlying question seems to be how to get citable software.</p>\n\n<p>There is a traditional method for doing this.</p>\n\n<p>You write a methodology paper describing the software, how it was built, what it does. You can provide the source code as supplementary information.</p>\n\n<p>And then you cite <strong>that</strong> paper, in future papers where you apply the software.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14014,
"author": "Trylks",
"author_id": 7571,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7571",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>What I've seen most often is a footnote with the URL you want to provide, in this case the URL of your GitHub repository. This will point people even better because it will be in the same page, and sure it will not count for bibliographic statistics and your h-index, but it wasn't going to count anyway, at least not yet.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14015,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would go with:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>P.W.D. Charles, Project Title, (2013), GitHub repository, <a href=\"https://github.com/charlespwd/project-title\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://github.com/charlespwd/project-title</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Or a bit different, depending on your citation style. Just is is crucial to include: author, title (if style includes it), year and link.</p>\n\n<p>Of course if you do have a publication related to this piece of code (even if only by fact it is your first publication basing on this code), don't forget to cite is as well! (In the current academic system it is all that counts.)</p>\n\n<p>And respective BibTeX entry:</p>\n\n<pre><code>@misc{Charles2013,\n author = {Charles, P.W.D.},\n title = {Project Title},\n year = {2013},\n publisher = {GitHub},\n journal = {GitHub repository},\n howpublished = {\\url{https://github.com/charlespwd/project-title}},\n commit = {4f57d6a0e4c030202a07a60bc1bb1ed1544bf679}\n}\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Beware, this above are improvisations (especially the BibTeX entry), not standards.</p>\n\n<p>Even for more established and citable things there are not set standards, see e.g.:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://mathoverflow.net/questions/131245/how-to-cite-a-sequence-from-the-on-line-encyclopedia-of-integer-sequences-oeis\">How to cite a sequence from The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS)? - MathOverflow</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>See also:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/90019/how-to-cite-sourcecode-from-an-svn-repository\">How to cite sourcecode from an svn repository - TeX.SE</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://superuser.com/questions/8743/how-to-cite-software-in-latex\">How to cite software in LaTeX - SuperUser.SE</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>EDIT:</p>\n\n<p>See also <a href=\"https://github.com/blog/1840-improving-github-for-science\" rel=\"noreferrer\">how to assign DOI to a particular commit in your repository</a>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14041,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>I was asked to provide my comment as an answer, so here it is. It is yet another way to cite software. However, it requires some effort from the software authors.</em></p>\n\n<p>I developed an Open Source Web tool for modeling and gathering data when following a certain theory/methodology in software engineering. Here is how you would cite it:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Graziotin, D and Abrahamsson, P 2013. A Web-based modeling tool for the SEMAT Essence theory of software engineering. Journal of Open Research Software 1(1):e4, DOI: <a href=\"http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/jors.ad\" rel=\"noreferrer\">http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/jors.ad</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is possible because I opted to publish a <em>software paper</em> in the <a href=\"http://openresearchsoftware.metajnl.com\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Journal of Open Research Software</a>. It is a fully Open Access journal. This journal only accepts software papers on <strong>open source software for research</strong>. </p>\n\n<p>A software paper is a special kind of paper, which describes the software-e.g., what is it about, implementation and architecture, its availability, and its reuse potential. The editorial process works as in any other research venue, and articles are peer-reviewed. </p>\n\n<p>The article processing charges are 25GBP. However, they can be fully waived if you cannot afford them.</p>\n\n<p>What it is nice with this approach is that researchers have an extra motivation to open their software for research: they get a publication for that, plus citations. Additionally, writing a software paper is far easier than writing a <em>methodology</em> paper.</p>\n\n<p>I wrote a <a href=\"https://ineed.coffee/1929/review-journal-of-open-research-software/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">review of the journal on my blog</a>. TL;DR; Great experience, go for it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 20999,
"author": "Shahryar",
"author_id": 10773,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10773",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Now they become somehow citable by providing DOI references. That was on their 14th of May news:\n<a href=\"https://github.com/blog/1840-improving-github-for-science\">https://github.com/blog/1840-improving-github-for-science</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 21003,
"author": "Eekhoorn",
"author_id": 3885,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3885",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Figshare provides a way to import a GitHub release and assigns a doi to it. I haven't tried this yet but it seems to be a good middle path between a software paper and citing just the repository.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 67593,
"author": "albert",
"author_id": 12412,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12412",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>GitHub now offers citation as a service, at least with Zenodo. This guide instructs how to connect your accounts and get a DOI with your work:<br>\n<a href=\"https://guides.github.com/activities/citable-code/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://guides.github.com/activities/citable-code/</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 172780,
"author": "Smajjk",
"author_id": 136166,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/136166",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>GitHub has now added built-in citation support (<a href=\"https://twitter.com/natfriedman/status/1420122675813441540\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://twitter.com/natfriedman/status/1420122675813441540</a>). Simply add a <code>CITATION.cff</code> file (\n<a href=\"https://citation-file-format.github.io/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://citation-file-format.github.io/</a>) to your repo and a citation widget will be added to the sidebar:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/1mdxg.png\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/1mdxg.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/11 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14010",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9398/"
]
|
14,011 | <p>I have to write a paper as an assignment for one of the courses that I take in University.</p>
<p>The main outcome of this lecture is having a good final paper in the end. As we are Masters students, the paper that I am going to write resembles more a survey paper in a given topic, rather than a research paper presented by the authors of a specific research.</p>
<p>I have my topic assigned already. I have done my literature search and organized all the papers that I want to use. Unfortunately, at this point I am not that deep into the topic. But, everything I read seems to me like relevant for the topic, and somehow useful.</p>
<p>I have had difficulties with a similar situation before. As I was trying to include as much as possible relevant material to the survey paper, to make is complete. But in the end I was blamed that the paper loses its coherence.</p>
<p>Now I am stuck. In fact I am reluctant, because reading multiple papers, multiple times, writing them and then getting bad remarks does not feel nice. </p>
<p>What criteria should I use to filter my papers all over again, and what approach should I use when writing a survey paper.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14017,
"author": "Frederik",
"author_id": 5621,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5621",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The answer may differ from field to field.</p>\n\n<p>First of all ask yourself \"What is the central question\" or the goal of you paper?</p>\n\n<p>Do you want to give an overview on all aspects of the theory / concept? Or is it more about the central aspect of the theory / concept and extensions / applications are not that interesting? Or something else?</p>\n\n<p>Then think about the story you want to tell. If its about the theory itself you might want to talk about the development of the theory, <strong>central</strong> aspects, proofs, and maybe some applications or extensions at the end. </p>\n\n<p>If you want to give a general overview, try to create groups, are there some main movements, aspects, fields of application? Where are the links between these things?</p>\n\n<p>Then select your paper according to this \"central story\".</p>\n\n<p>While writing think about the audience of you paper, which concepts are common knowledge? Which are important to explain? Which depth of information is appropriate? </p>\n\n<p>And, of course, try to get more feedback: Read the feedback of your old paper, then read your paper and try to find the flaws. Ask the person who graded you to give you some advice. Read some paper of your fellow students which got good marks, find out what you like about them.</p>\n\n<p>in short:</p>\n\n<pre><code>1. Identify the central question of your paper\n2. Create a structure / central story \n3. Think about the audience\n4. Fill the structure, create links between your sections.\n</code></pre>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14025,
"author": "J. Zimmerman",
"author_id": 7921,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7921",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To add to Frederick's excellent answer, after you have settled on your central question/goal/thesis AND have created at least a rough draft of your paper, use the 'So what?' method. For every section, idea, and paragraph, ask yourself \"So what?\". Why does this need to be here? What purpose does this serve? would the narrative still flow without this piece? Don't automatically throw it out if you cannot answer the questions immediately, but use this as a way to assess what you have written, find the weak spots, and begin to understand how to improve them. This also helps weed out irrelevant material, so that you can avoid a bloated, incoherent paper.</p>\n"
}
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| 2013/11/11 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14011",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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|
14,022 | <p>As a graduate student, i've had to substitute teach a number of times for a variety of classes. I'm wondering if it is really worth while to add this information into my CV. Obviously, it won't hold as much weight as teaching a full class. But if it is worth mentioning on the CV, what category should I add it to? Teaching? Volunteer Service? Something else?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14023,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Definitely. Teaching experience is always worth adding to the cv because it reflects that you have gained experience in presentation techniques beyond the usual scientific presentations. The difference to research presentations lies in that the latter involves explaining matters and making material understandable at a more basic level. On its own, such experiences may not be enough so document your teaching experience such as levels of the courses, number of students and amount of teaching. you should also gather evaluations of your efforts. I could add links on teaching portfolios here but a simple search on \"teaching portfolio\" will give you quite a lot of examples and your own university might also have links worth loking at.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14029,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I am going to disagree with Peter Jansson here.</p>\n\n<p>If you mean you stepped in to cover a couple of classes here and there when the regular instructor was sick or out of town, I would say this by itself doesn't constitute a meaningful amount of teaching experience for professional purposes, and shouldn't be listed on a CV. It may have been valuable to you, but I think it would look kind of silly on a CV.</p>\n\n<p>If you were assigned as a teaching assistant for the course, you probably have a line where you describe your responsibilities in that role (grading exams, holding office hours, etc), and you could add \"occasional lectures\" to that line. </p>\n\n<p>If you filled in for an instructor for a longer period of time, then you could consider listing it (\"taught 3 weeks of Calculus 4\").</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14034,
"author": "Nobody",
"author_id": 546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with Peter Jasson. It's worth mentioning in your CV unless you already have quite a bit teaching experience. You should put it under \"Teaching\".</p>\n\n<p>You're a graduate student. Anything meaningful should be listed in the CV. Many years later, you'll find the substitute teaching looks funny when you're a professor. For now, list it unless you already have more than 2 pages long CV.</p>\n\n<p>Here is my personal experience. I put my number of years teaching experience in my resume while in industry. A lot people were interested in that. It's was one of the most frequently asked questions in my industry job interviews I had. One time, I did ask the hiring manager why he was interested to know. He said it shows that I do know how to communicate.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/11 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14022",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/931/"
]
|
14,036 | <p>I peer-reviewed a manuscript and am about to send my conclusions to the editor. It occurs to me, though, that because there are many details to be checked/changed in various places of the paper (mathematical notations, in particular), it will take quite some time for me to type it into a proper review (probably using TeX, because it is math-heavy).</p>
<p>So, I am wondering: since my hand-writing is decent and people don't usually find it too hard to decipher, could I simply scan my annotated copy of the paper, along with one page of notes, to the editor? Or will that be unacceptable to them?</p>
<p>I think it raises a few questions, going from practicalities:</p>
<ul>
<li>will it be as useful as a thoroughly written-down review?</li>
<li>does it give more work to the editor?</li>
<li>should I also include a summary of my comments, in computerized form?</li>
</ul>
<p>to ethical questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>does handwritten notes breach rules of anonymity?</li>
</ul>
<p>I suppose people used to do that in older times, but it have never received a hand-written review so far, so it is (at least in my field) unusual.</p>
<hr>
<p>So: should I do it? if I do it, what precautions should I take?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14037,
"author": "Dirk",
"author_id": 529,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/529",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I do not think that there is anything wrong with a scanned handwritten report. As for anonymity: you may even sign your referee report as it is your decision to stay anonymous or not. As for usefulness: I once received an annotated scanned manuscript as a referee report at is was tremendously helpful (as there were several suggestions for formulations which greatly increased the readability). A computerized summary would also be helpful for the editor to form the decision and also for the authors to find out what you main points are (so that they can distinguish between just typo corrections and serious remarks).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27387,
"author": "Andreas Blass",
"author_id": 14506,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14506",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If your copy of the paper is in pdf format, then you can attach typed notes to it fairly easily. A program called Skim does that, and I think modern pdf viewers also have that capability. (It would be good for me if more people used that option, so that authors who get a referee report of that sort can't easily infer that I'm the referee. My own handwriting has become so lousy that handwritten notes are no longer an option.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27391,
"author": "Greg",
"author_id": 14755,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14755",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have received hand-marked manuscript review previously, and it did not raise an issue to neither the editor nor myself and my co-authors. However there is a point you should consider:</p>\n\n<p>Is it really a substantial and reliable paper if it needs such an extensive correction even in mathematical parts? I have been rejected on the basis of too many typos or too poor grammar, which I don't think should necessarily be a deciding factor. I will only reject people based on bad grammar only if it significantly hurts the understanding of the paper's material. </p>\n\n<p><em>Extensively erroneous mathematics sounds something like a substantial problem with the quality of the research and not only the quality of presentation.</em></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27456,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A hand written scanned review is acceptable, if readable. But, the time spent on typing it into LaTeX (or any other suitable format) to produce a pdf is strongly advised. The reason is that even the most neat hand-writing, can include letters, symbols, writing details, that can be ambiguous to others (particular of other nationalities). So although, such reviews are acceptable, providing it in digital format reduces the risk of misreading and misinterpretation. In addition, a scanned hand-written review may be conceived as the result of someone not caring too much (however wrong that conclusion may be). So in the interest of clarity, I would suggest spending the time typing the review in.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 51843,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If your handwriting is clear and you make a lot of small corrections, I would personally prefer to get your notes in the paper itself, scanned. The reason is that it's much easier to understand what's going on, and much easier to see where the mistakes have appeared. I would say that adding a separate report that contains long remarks (on structural things, mistakes in math proofs etc.) is a good idea and should be done, since long text is hard to squeeze into the page margins<sup>1</sup>.</p>\n\n<p>Just a remark to finish: please, use a red pen and make a color scan.</p>\n\n<p>I don't agree with people saying that doing a lot of corrections is necessarily wrong (well, it's another question). Many reviewers do a poor job, and many reviewers are too sensitive. But it's very likely that a good paper needs a lot of corrections.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><sup><sup>1</sup> Ask Fermat, he knows something about this.</sup></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 51844,
"author": "semi-extrinsic",
"author_id": 27555,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27555",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One point that no-one has mentioned yet: after receiving your review, the authors will (probably) take your comments into account, make changes, and then <strong>write a letter explaining the changes</strong> which they submit along with the revised version.</p>\n\n<p>In their letter explaining changes, it is common (at least in my field) to answer reviewer's comments point-by-point and to include verbatim the reviewer's questions, e.g.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ul>\n <li>Reviewer 1, Comment 2: \"Jones et al. (2001) needed more froobiz to reach the wiznish point. Why do you find a different value?\" \n \n <ul>\n <li>In this study we used an improved floopnosh technique which inherently requires less froobiz; see also the review by Smith (2004).</li>\n </ul></li>\n </ul>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>So, if the authors decide to go this route and you submit a hand-written review, they will have to TeX-ify your review document, possibly making errors in the process.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14036",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
14,038 | <p>Today this question came to my mind. </p>
<p>Currently I am a Master student enrolled in University. All my previous studies I have passed thinking that I am a fan of Telecommunication/Computer Networks and related topics. </p>
<p>However, recently due to the overload on these topics I feel like I have lost my interest in them. Honestly, I have not lost my interest, but I have come to a point where I feel disgusted. These topics are too technically oriented. There is not much to do with the human factor (in terms of interaction). I am aware that all the studies related to computer science, electrical engineering etc. are closer to the machines rather than the humans.
In daily bases the communication with machines is more often than with humans. </p>
<p>I was contemplating the possibility of switching from such an area, and work my thesis on Human Machine Interaction, where the human factor is considered a little bit more.</p>
<p>What is your opinion on this issue. Does the topic that you work on as a master thesis affect your future job if you apply to a position that is not that much related?</p>
<p>What about the academia?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14039,
"author": "AJed",
"author_id": 4472,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4472",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Does the topic that you work on as a master thesis affect your future job if you apply to a position that is not that much related? </p>\n\n<p>In my opinion, No. Companies usually want their employee to have specific knowledge before hiring them. (so if your thesis is close to what they work, you may be very interesting to them). </p>\n\n<p>(still if your thesis is not related to what the company does), then you may be interesting to them company. Why? A master thesis gives the company an indication about your skills, including marketing skills, creativity, and theoretical skills. These skills may be useful for the company. (this is just my opinion)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14043,
"author": "PatW",
"author_id": 7357,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7357",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Does the topic that you work on as a master thesis affect your future job if you apply to a position that is not that much related?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>By applying to a position you are not that familiar with, you will compete against people who know more about the job than you do, starting with a disadvantage. However, as AJed said, companies are sometimes looking for potential rather than technical skills and showing <em>other skills</em> during a job interview can prove really useful.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>What about the academia?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>To answer this question, I will assume that you mean \"looking for a PhD position\". I think it will be even more difficult to find a PhD position if you change field (please correct me if I am wrong). Indeed the ultimate goal of a PhD program is to make the student an expert in his domain and the commitee might prefer choosing someone with little experience than no experience at all in the topic.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, there are plenty of applied research fields related to Human-Computer Interactions so before you switch topic I advise you to check some of them in-depth.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14038",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9401/"
]
|
14,040 | <p>What's a quick and useful reference, either in print or online, for writing numbers and reporting measurements in scientific texts? Something I could distribute to all new students, which would cover things they should be taught but do not always know, like:</p>
<ul>
<li>how to write big/small numbers in scientific form (1.78 10<sup>–12</sup>), including proper spacing?</li>
<li>how to write units of measurement, in text and in abbreviated form? includes: when do you capitalize units, when do you pluralize them, etc.</li>
<li>how to properly report significant figures, etc.</li>
<li>when do you write variables in italics/roman/bold/underline?</li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14042,
"author": "I.M.",
"author_id": 9189,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9189",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I guess <a href=\"http://publish.aps.org/author-information\">these recommendations</a> by the American Physical Society might be just what you are looking for. In particular, Style and Notation Guide for Physical Review/Physical Review Letters deals with scientific numbers, units, figures/tables, and use of roman/italic fonts. (For some strange reasons, it requires a secured connection to see the file; in case you couldn't see it, there is an excerpt <a href=\"http://www.student.nada.kth.se/~f99-mle/Public/Blandat/howToWriteMath.pdf\">here</a>).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14048,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The <a href=\"http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/bk-2006-STYG.ch011\" rel=\"nofollow\">American Chemical Society</a> offers an online version of its <em>ACS Style Guide</em>. While this used to be available only in print, it is now apparently being distributed free of charge—or at least is available at any university with a subscription to ACS Journals. However, since it's intended to be a resource for anyone planning to submit to an ACS journal, I suspect it's generally available. The link above will take you to the specific chapter on math and units of measure.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14121,
"author": "Chris H",
"author_id": 8494,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8494",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The SI unit brochure (<a href=\"http://www.bipm.org/en/si/si_brochure/\" rel=\"nofollow\">BIPM</a>) is actually quite clear and well-written, and backs up many of its points with logical/physical justification. I would say the style guides (should) build on this.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14040",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
14,045 | <p>Can't believe I've got to the end of my PhD before asking this one! I want to cite a work whose copyright date is 1996 but whose first paperback edition (the one I'm referencing) is 1999. Which date is correct?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14046,
"author": "Shion",
"author_id": 1429,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1429",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I have actually asked a librarian about this issue as it came up for me in the past.</p>\n\n<p>She told me to cite the exact copy that I am reading. If what you are reading is the first paperback edition (usually the inside left initial pages will have information about this), then do cite that.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 30517,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The purpose of giving details in the citation (rather than just saying \"according to Joe Bloggs\") is to allow other people to find the cited work. Year of publication is something that could plausibly help somebody find the work; copyright date is not, so cite the year of publication.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 30534,
"author": "Sverre",
"author_id": 11053,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11053",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You should give the bibliographic information that the book gives you. Nothing more, nothing less. You should definitely cite the year that the publication itself puts as the year of publication (usually after a copyright symbol). Here I clearly disagree with the other answers given here. Here are a few reasons for this advice.</p>\n\n<p>One, this will be the year that most, if not all, library databases will put down as the year of publication. You will confuse a lot of people if you put <code>1999</code> in your reference list when there is no <code>1999</code> entry for that book in the library catalogs.</p>\n\n<p>Two, it is commonplace that the \"year of publication\" is different from the year it actually appeared. Sometimes journal articles from 2004 will often not appear until 2005, other times journals and publishers will deliberately back-date the publication by one year. I have books where the publication year is <code>n</code>, but everybody knows it actually appeared in <code>n+1</code>. It's not your job to be a bibliography detective and tell people when it really appeared. Your references should just say what the publication says.</p>\n\n<p>Three, the reasons most paperback issues don't change the original year of publication is that the paperback copy is identical to the original hardbound copy. They are usually just photographic reprints. In many cases they won't even inform you when the reprint occurred - it'll just say something like \"3rd reprint\" or \"3rd print\". Again, you shouldn't be a detective and try to figure out when that reprint appeared, since it is of no relevance to the readers if the reprint is identical to the original.</p>\n\n<p>So this is what you should do:</p>\n\n<p>If the reprint/paperback issue gives the original year of publication, but also tells you something about it being a reprint, then add the information about the reprint as a note, e.g. <code>Johnson, John. 1996. A book about nothing. Oxford University Press. 3rd reprint, 1999.</code></p>\n\n<p>If you really care (like I do), get the original. I know most people don't bother, but I always do :)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 162852,
"author": "Lam",
"author_id": 135375,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/135375",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>APA 7th ed. says use both dates. 1996/1999. Do this for works (same edition) that have been reprinted, republished, reissued, or translated. Check your style manual.</p>\n<p>As you know, the purpose of the reference is to (1) credit the originator of the idea, and (2) provide enough information that readers can locate the source information. One of the reasons for including the date of the reprint you have is that if you reference page numbers in your work, they could be different in the paperback edition you have than in the original hardback printing.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14045",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5688/"
]
|
14,051 | <p>When teaching a course on a topic that might be controversial, what are the responsibilities of instructors to facilitate an open learning environment? If the instructor has a strongly held opinion, is it appropriate for the instructor to structure the course and the readings around this opinion? Does the instructor have a responsibility to structure the course in a way that is agnostic about the topic? When selecting the readings and the lecture schedule, does the instructor have a responsibility to give equal time to opposing viewpoints, if those opposing viewpoints plausibly have equal intellectual merit?</p>
<p>I'm familiar with the notion of <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/9549/705">academic freedom</a> for instructors, where instructors should be protected from external influence (from outside the academy: e.g., from politicians) in their ability to shape their courses and express their findings and opinions. Is there a corresponding responsibility to protect the academic freedom of <em>students</em>, by structuring courses so that they do not make students feel uncomfortable expressing views that disagree with the instructor's?</p>
<p>Are there any guiding principles or resources for how these issues should be navigated? What are the social norms within academia? Are there any lines that, if crossed, might lead to disapproval from a significant fraction of fellow academics? I'm mostly familiar with engineering/science/mathematics courses where this sort of issue rarely comes up, so this is new to me.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14057,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Although I cannot say how the principles of, or basis for, university education are formulated everywhere, one guiding principle in the system I work is that courses/teaching should be founded on science. In the term science lies objectivity, that is to show both pros and cons for a specific idea. this does not preclude one from having personal opinions we all have. One example:</p>\n\n<p>In my university a scientist, known for controversy, decided to run a course on divining rods under the pretext they were serious and work. Now, one can have an opinion about this but when trying to look for a scientific background, the best one can say is <em>absence of evidence is not evidence of absence</em>. The university clamped down very hard on this because it broke the founding principles of university education due to a lack of critical discussion.</p>\n\n<p>So, a person's opinion should not taint the material so as to skew the picture based on unscientific principles. If one runs a course that uses sound scientific principles to criticize a view point, the exercise to evaluate the criticism may be sound in itself. The issue therefore lies in openness about any \"one-sidedness\" of the course. The role of a university teacher/teacher, is after all to provide objective critical view of materials. </p>\n\n<p>One way to look at this is to compare with research. If we try to push a view uncritically, our peers are likely to suggest rejection of that article. To not approach teaching with the same serious rigour is, I would argue, unprofessional. The problem maybe lies in that there is no peer review of course materials.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14071,
"author": "earthling",
"author_id": 2692,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2692",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If the students are being assessed by you, some (most?) will start to tell you what you want to hear in order to get the highest grade. This is rarely what we as educators want in our students. We want to build within them critical thinking skills.</p>\n\n<p>Controversial issues are common in some fields. For example, one of the subjects I teach is Business Ethics and I have clear beliefs and values in this area. Is it OK for me to focus on the arguments in favor of my view and discount competing arguments? No, it is not.</p>\n\n<p>Can I tell my students my opinion? Opinions differ on this but I believe it is OK, as long as it is done very carefully with LOTS of evidence that my opinion is wrong. Again, students must be taught to think for themselves, including how to critically evaluate what they consider right and wrong. If I just make my points then it is not education, it is indoctrination and that is not what higher ed is about.</p>\n\n<p>As far as social norms, I would say that if you are trying to get your students to 'believe' anything, then you are doing it wrong. If you are trying to get them to think critically, then you are doing it right. If the students feel they must agree with what you say, you are doing something wrong. If they feel like they are getting balanced information and a class ends up with many different opinions, then you are doing something right. If everyone is thinking the same, then nobody is thinking...and that's not good for anyone.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/13 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14051",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/705/"
]
|
14,053 | <p>Assuming I got a PhD in Computer Science from Oxford or Cambridge University, how would that affect my chances at becoming a professor at a top US university versus getting a PhD from a top US institution? Assuming also that I had US citizenship?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14070,
"author": "TypeA",
"author_id": 9426,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9426",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am an American who earned a Ph.D. at Cambridge University. A degree from Cambridge or Oxford is well-respected in the US - I was warned to avoid other UK universities as they are not as well known in the States. The one caveat is that all of your network for post-docs and jobs will be in the UK, not in the US. It was an amazing experience though so I would not want to discourage you!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14105,
"author": "JDD",
"author_id": 9458,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9458",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My guess is that it the effect on academic employment would be relatively small compared to other factors, as pedigree is typically neither necessary nor sufficient for obtaining employment. Arguably, department reputation will matter more, but what you do while you are there will matter far more than that.</p>\n\n<p>It might be helpful to your decision to note that <em>several</em> UK universities are very well respected in the US and elsewhere: Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Manchester, Sheffield, to name a few. Are Oxford and Cambridge the only UK institutions with respected CS departments?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14533,
"author": "Stephen Montgomery-Smith",
"author_id": 9806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9806",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In mathematics, I would say that British Ph.D.s are very well respected in the U.S.A. Probably more so than many US universities. The US citizenship is a plus, because it means that the university can avoid the hassle of H1 visas and Green Cards. But a major research university will probably not reject you if you don't have US Citizenship.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/13 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14053",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9418/"
]
|
14,058 | <p>I am currently taking a year off to reapply for PhDs. My ultimate aim is to work in academia. I am currently teaching secondary school biology as a way of filling this year. My government presents the opportunity of obtaining a teaching certificate by taking weekend classes in addition to the teaching. I was wondering whether a secondary school teaching certificate would be in any way valuable in obtaining a lecturing position after completing my PhD. I know that there are specific university teaching certificates which might mean that a secondary school teaching certificate is useless?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14060,
"author": "Chris Gregg",
"author_id": 4461,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4461",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the big picture, having a secondary school teaching certificate probably won't make a difference in the hiring process for lecturer positions at the university level. Your teaching experience is what will count (to some extent--really, teaching at the collegiate level will be more important), and you will have that to put on your CV. I highlighted my high school teaching experience (and degree, certificate, etc.) on my CV when I applied to teaching positions, and in the interviews I had it was clear that it helped me land the interviews.</p>\n\n<p>That said, if the certificate is something that will give you a fall-back plan if the PhD doesn't work out (i.e., you can transition directly back into the secondary teaching more easily), it might not be a bad idea to get it.</p>\n\n<p>Either way, having the certificate won't hurt you when applying for future collegiate teaching jobs, and if you have the time now it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and knock it out.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14061,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Being someone who has a teaching certificate and have just completed my PhD, I can provide some insight to this. A caveat though, my experience is localised (Australia) and subject based, so not all may be relevant.</p>\n\n<p>My PhD is in Atmospheric Physics, and I am a high school teacher of Maths and Physics, I have been applying to get into lecturing for a little while with no luck, even for STEM and Education lecturing positions. Having said that, I have only bee searching for a few months.</p>\n\n<p>A colleague was in a similar situation for about 2 years (PhD, high school teaching and applying for academia) and he succeeded, but starting off with short term lecturing contracts (a term here, a term there, then a semester), now he is pretty much part of the furniture in the university faculty.</p>\n\n<p>Talking with my academic supervisor (=advisor) where I asked whether the teaching degree and experience were useless, he suggests that the qualifications and experience are indeed valued, but an academic should build a published research profile and most of all, be patient.</p>\n\n<p>Another thing to note - every degree is not useless, they all contribute to your skills and knowledge in some way at the very least.</p>\n\n<p>As Chris Gregg said, having the teaching qualification can not hurt you, as not only is it a back up - teaching provides bountiful transferrable skills that can be applied in academia, as mentioned in the answer <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/10319/progressing-from-high-school-teaching-into-academia\">here</a>.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/13 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14058",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8072/"
]
|
14,066 | <p>How do I find abbreviation of the journal name <a href="http://www.scirp.org/journal/eng/" rel="nofollow"><em>Engineering</em></a>?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14069,
"author": "F'x",
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"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<h3>How to find journal title abbreviations? (in general)</h3>\n<p>There are various sources of abbreviated journal titles, and though most of the time they agree, there are definitely cases where they do not. So:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Check the citation style of the journal you're writing for</strong> (if any). They may specify an authority on abbreviations, or specify that journal names are not to be abbreviated.</p>\n<p>For example, the <a href=\"http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/bk-2006-STYG.ch014\" rel=\"noreferrer\">American Chemical Society style guide</a> says to <em>“abbreviate the name according to the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI)”</em>. Chicago style <a href=\"http://www.bibme.org/citation-guide/Chicago/journal\" rel=\"noreferrer\">forbids abbreviations</a>.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Then, see if the journal you're looking for is included in the authoritative list.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>If it's not covered, then then <strong>the best source for information is the cited journal itself!</strong> How do they abbreviate their own name, e.g. on article page headers/footers, or in citation to articles from their own journal?</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>An alternative is to look into one of the very <strong>large citation indexes, such as <a href=\"http://images.webofknowledge.com/WOK46/help/WOS/E_abrvjt.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Web of Science</a></strong>; they maintain a list of journal abbreviations for the journals they index.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<hr />\n<h3>What about <em>Engineering</em>?</h3>\n<p>Well, that's not an easy case. First, it's a very low-profile journal: despite its claims that it is <a href=\"http://www.scirp.org/Journal/Indexing.aspx?JournalID=64\" rel=\"noreferrer\">“indexed by several world class databases”</a>, I don't think it is. Let's take ISI Web of Knowledge, which they cite as their first example. It indeed has a journal named <a href=\"http://images.webofknowledge.com/WOK46/help/WOS/E_abrvjt.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><em>Engineering – London</em></a> in its index, but a quick search reveals it is another journal entirely, published between 1969 and 1994. Moreover, the citations given as justification in a <a href=\"http://www.scirp.org/imagesForEmail/abstract/ISI/eng.png\" rel=\"noreferrer\">screenshot</a> by the publisher of the modern-time <em>Engineering</em> cannot be found on the journal.</p>\n<p>So, the journal is not present in the ISI index, and does not given information about how to abbreviate its name (it does not use journal abbreviations in its <a href=\"http://www.scirp.org/Journal/ForAuthors.aspx?JournalID=64\" rel=\"noreferrer\">succinct style guide</a>). In other engineering journals, the word <em>Engineering</em> is usually abbreviated as <em>Eng.</em> So, either go with that, or use the full name and let the copyeditor worry about it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 63247,
"author": "bers",
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"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35764",
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"text": "<p>In addition to the answer by @F'x, there is one more resource: the List of Title Word Abbreviations (LTWA), which, according to <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTWA\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Wikipedia</a>, is \"the complete list of ISO 4 standard abbreviations\"; ISO 4, in turn, \"is an international standard which defines a uniform system for the abbreviation of serial titles\" (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_4\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Wikipedia</a> again).</p>\n\n<p>The LTWA (not to be confounded with the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, by the way) is accessible <a href=\"http://www.issn.org/services/online-services/access-to-the-ltwa/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>. It's a little tricky to use since entering \"Engineering\" in the search box only yields a match for \"neuroEngineering\": LTWA stores entries in their most general form. (You'll see what that means.) </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/qkBlC.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/qkBlC.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Successively remove letters from the end of the search word to find what you are looking for:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/YWeWs.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/YWeWs.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>How to read this? Any English word beginning with \"Engineer\" (including Engineering) is abbreviated as \"Eng.\" So, the \"Journal of Engineering\" becomes \"J Eng\" or \"J. Eng.\" (because \"Articles, conjunctions and prepositions shall be omitted from title abbreviations\" [with some exceptions]; ISO-4, section 4.3).</p>\n\n<p>There is one more caveat, however: \"Titles consisting of a single word, exclusive of an article or preposition, shall not be abbreviated.\" (ISO-4, section 4.2). So, \"Engineering\" remains \"Engineering\" - there is no abbreviation.</p>\n\n<p>The third edition of ISO-4 is currently available <a href=\"http://www.uai.cl/images/sitio/biblioteca/citas/ISO_4_1997en.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>, but I doubt it will stay there forever.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/13 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14066",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6763/"
]
|
14,080 | <p><strong>Some people, in their CV or publication list, add bibliometric information to each entry.</strong> I've typically seen:</p>
<ul>
<li>mention the impact factor of each journal</li>
<li>number of citations of each paper</li>
<li>mention the acceptance rate of each conference</li>
</ul>
<p>I'm not sure it is very helpful: people from your field will surely know the journals/conferences, while people from outside your field might be more interested in a “macro” view and not go into the minute details of your publications.</p>
<p>Moreover, I'm not sure I like the tone it conveys: it feels like bragging (this is typically done by people who are proud of these indicators), and a bit over-the-top to me. Finally, it's well accepted by now that things like the journal impact factor are a poor measure of individual papers' merits.</p>
<p>So: <strong>is it accepted practice to do it? does it improve the CV? or does it risk alienating the reader?</strong></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14096,
"author": "Shion",
"author_id": 1429,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1429",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would say that this is field specific. I work in a very interdisciplinary area and I have seen, for instance, in the field of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction), it is <em>quite common</em> to list acceptance rates for the major conferences (CHI, CSCW, UIST, MobileHCI etc.). HCI is very conference dominated in terms of major publications.</p>\n\n<p>However, in the field of privacy (which I also consider myself affiliated to), journals matter. Everyone knows the best journals in the area (CACM, IEEE Privacy and Security etc.) so <em>almost</em> nobody lists impact factors or numbers of citations. Therefore, in response to your specific questions.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>In some fields it can be an accepted practice, in others, not so much.</p></li>\n<li><p>It might improve the CV in terms of informing folks looking at your CV who are not in your discipline (perhaps other members in a search committee). But, I don't think it really <em>improves</em> your CV per se.</p></li>\n<li><p>I think that there is a very <strong><em>low</em></strong> risk of actually alienating the reader. The reader is <em>usually</em> bound to be a scientist or academic and I don't think that the vast majority of them would get annoyed to see such numbers (especially if they are in disciplines where this is an accepted practice)</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14165,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A professor (chemistry) I had once told us in the lunch break about a CV where the applicant (for a position in the medical faculty) had listed impact factors and summed them up. He was not only alienated but outright upset.</p>\n\n<p>However, that was years ago and things may have changed. But I still think it weird and in my field have not seen it (chemistry/spectroscopy/chemometrics). </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 15917,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is no law for this so apart from any instructions for the application, it is up to you. </p>\n\n<p>The <em>impact factor</em> (IF) will tell the evaluation committee if you publish in good journals (they probably know this anyway since they would be familiar with the field. If you have published in good journals then you should definitely do so. But, a lower IF does not mean the paper is not good but shows that your science can pass the competition to get accepted in higher ranked journals.</p>\n\n<p>The <em>citation index</em> is of course nice to show if you think it is to your advantage. It is impossible to say what numbers are and which are not. Partly because the turn-over time between disciplines vary and partly because it will depend on for long you have written papers. There is a period of varying before your work becomes cited, usually at least a year. I had a paper that now has a very high index but had just a few until five years after publication. So what is a good number for you depends on factors that only you and peers in your discipline can evaluate.</p>\n\n<p>So, if you think these numbers are to your advantage you should definitely add them. Considering you are at the beginning of your career no-one would necessarily expect high citation index and so the IF may be of more interest.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 15922,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My approach for this is simple - I add <strong>all information that I think will help my case</strong>. </p>\n\n<p>You have a high citation index for a researcher of your academic age? <em>Mention it explicitly in your CV.</em></p>\n\n<p>You have published in high-impact journals? <em>Add the IFs to your publication entries.</em></p>\n\n<p>You have a particular paper that won a best paper award or is very highly-cited? <em>Highlight the paper in your publication list and name the award / citation count.</em></p>\n\n<p>Note that this is not \"boasting\". You are simply making the job of the reviewer (correctly assess your merits) easier by highlighting the information that is likely important to them (awards, important publications, etc.) instead of letting them search for themselves for the high-value needles through the haystack that is your publication list.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Edit:</strong></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>One of the papers raised a pretty large number of citations (several hundreds) despite being published in a low IF, so I wonder how to carry this information...</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Add both informations. If your paper was high-impact, it should not matter too much that the journal <em>in general</em> is low-impact.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 15924,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You should not put journal impact factors in your CV. Here's why:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>By doing so, you imply that the IF is a useful indicator of the value of individual article(s) you have published in a journal. However, <a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2126010/pdf/9056804.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><strong>the IF is not a useful indicator</strong> in this regard, and was never intended to be</a>.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>You also give the impression that <strong>your research does not stand on its own merits</strong> -- that it is worthwhile only because it was stamped by a high IF journal. If your research really is important, use the grant application to explain why.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>As other comments have stated, <strong>anyone in the field already knows the good journals</strong> -- and they're often not the ones with the highest impact factors. <a href=\"http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.0278\" rel=\"noreferrer\">IF is poorly correlated with expert opinion</a>.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>You may still disagree, so I will appeal to your self-interest. Including the IF will leave a poor impression with evaluators who understand the limitations of the IF. They may even be signers of the <a href=\"http://am.ascb.org/dora/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Declaration on Research Assessment</a> (DORA), which states among other things:</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<blockquote>\n<p>...the Journal Impact Factor has a number of well-documented deficiencies as a tool for research assessment. These limitations include: A) citation distributions within journals are highly skewed [1–3]; B) the properties of the Journal Impact Factor are field-specific: it is a composite of multiple, highly diverse article types, including primary research papers and reviews [1, 4]; C) Journal Impact Factors can be manipulated (or "gamed") by editorial policy [5]; and D) data used to calculate the Journal Impact Factors are neither transparent nor openly available to the public [4, 6, 7].</p>\n<p>General Recommendation: Do not use journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist's contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>In short, by trying to use the IF to establish value of your research, you're only broadcasting your ignorance, as even <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_factor#Validity_as_a_measure_of_importance\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Wikipedia can tell you</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>It is important to note that impact factor is a journal metric and should not be used to assess individual researchers or institutions.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 103720,
"author": "bers",
"author_id": 35764,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35764",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Despite my comment giving a reason not to include impact factors in your CV, my answer here is:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Include <strong>select</strong> impact factors <strong>when it matters</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>When does it matter (in my opinion)?</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>When you can expect that one of the readers may not be aware of the importance of your journals because they are from a different field than you. Highlight the particularly good ones.</p></li>\n<li><p>When you have published papers in different fields. You are a engineer working on microwaves, but you helped a medical doctor that you know with statistics in his research work which made you a (legit) coauthor on one of his papers, in a journal that you have never heard about before, but which carries about 15 times the impact of your regular engineering journals? I would include <em>that</em> impact factor alongside a description of that collaboration.</p></li>\n<li><p>You have very recently published an important paper, and you expect to be cited a lot because this is a hot topic. However, the paper is so new that you only have 1-2 citations. I would mention <em>that</em> impact factor.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I could think of more examples, but I guess you get the idea. Don't overdo it, don't base your whole application on it - certainly don't sum impact factors. But do it where it helps you make a point.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/14 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14080",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
14,081 | <p>I have a figure in my paper. If there is much to say about the figure, I will have a brief title and a descriptive caption for it.</p>
<p>What about the figure about which I have not much too say? Do I replicate what I have written in the title in the caption?</p>
<p>Since caption is also used for reference, it must exist. Can I then remove the figure title and use the caption only?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14082,
"author": "Jim",
"author_id": 7902,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7902",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>What is your paper for? I think figures (for example in journal articles or thesis) usuaully have a caption below them, in addition to their number:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><b>Figure 1.</b> Cumulative food intake in rats during intragastric treatment</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>But typically there is no \"title\", unless you have a \"list of figures\" somewhere in the beginning of the document: then it is ok to use the same phrase as caption and title, because they are not written at the same place.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14103,
"author": "venergiac",
"author_id": 9456,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9456",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My preferred format is</p>\n\n<p>No title in the figure</p>\n\n<p>in the caption\nsmall title. very extended caption describing the figure and a small summary of the results addressed by the figure</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/14 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14081",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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|
14,085 | <p>I (an undergrad) and 2 other profs from my department have been working on something and we were thinking of submitting our work to a conference (a pretty well known one) this week. The fact is there is no related work that has been done on the problem we are solving and therefore there is no paper which we can cite as a starting point for our work. The only existing things that we make use of are trivial definitions from mathematics (like Riemann Integral) and also definitions that are pretty well known in my area (CS). So again, we do not think there is a need to cite any particular papers for that. </p>
<p>Now my question as stated was - is it acceptable to have a paper with no references? Or do you think we should just mention some papers (we never had to use them) where those definitions were actually proposed?</p>
<p>PS: I'm sure some of you might suggest me to ask those profs. But quite frankly none of them have much experience as far as publishing papers is concerned. So it would be great if some one could give me a good advice and help me out. </p>
<p><strong>Edit:</strong> Thanks everyone for the answers. Of course somewhere a little sarcastic and ridiculing, but I can understand since this is a little weird. Actually yes, I had the notion that a paper wasn't worth citing unless I use some results from it (say an algo or some theorem). But I guess that isn't the only reason why I should be referencing as many seem to suggest here. The fact is we had seen quite a few survey papers before we started this out and I was under the impression that there wasn't a need to cite them since anyone could find them. But now, things are bit more clear and I guess I should cite them and I will :) </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14088,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In principle there is nothing wrong with that. But, I have a hard time seeing that there is nothing published whatsoever on anything that forms the basis of what your research concerns. The problem must have some origin and there is probably literature that forms the basis for your work by for example indicating that your problem is a gap in knowledge. So even if it would theoretically be possible to publish a paper with no references, it seems so unlikely that the problem should be sought elsewhere, such as indicated by the comments. </p>\n\n<p>The result of submitting such a paper would probably lead to rejection, even if your work in itself is sound.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14089,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 8,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Though I don't think there's any hard rule against having a paper with no reference, it seems pretty weird. Note that references are not only for citing other people's results (theorems, algorithms, etc.) which you have used, but more broadly to recognize other's scientific contribution. For example:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Has the problem never been discussed before? Who first realized it was a problem, stated it, formalized it?</li>\n<li>You probably put the problem into the broader context of your field. And if you don't, you probably should. This sure requires citations on recent work on related problems, even if nothing was ever done on the one problem you're addressing.</li>\n<li>For example, is your problem a specific case of another problem, or does it have generalization?</li>\n<li>What are the consequences of your results/findings? They probably have some impact on other related problems, or practical consequences on real-life issues.</li>\n<li>Didn't you or your co-authors ever do any prior work on this issue?</li>\n</ul>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Finally, let's see it another way: you have solved a problem, that no one else has solved, worked on, or more generally discussed. And you did so using only elementary techniques, which have been known for so long that they do not require citation. Stated like that, <strong>it may sound like either you're a genius opening an entire field of mathematics, or you're working on a useless problem that nobody cares about. You probably don't want the reviewer to be thinking that way!</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14091,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>No, it's not acceptable to have a paper with no references. One of the first things a referee looks for is whether the paper shows proper awareness of the current state of the art in the field and references previous, recent work properly. </p>\n\n<p>What is actually somewhat more commonly encountered (although not in any decent journal) than a paper with no references is a paper in which none of the references are appropriate. For example, anti-relativity kooks will self-publish papers in which all the references are to papers from the 1920's, textbooks, their own work, and the work of fellow kooks. </p>\n\n<p>In fact, one of the quickest ways of detecting that a paper is a kook paper and not worth spending much time reading is if it has these characteristics. The fact that the professors you're working with are unable to place your work in the context of current work in the field suggests very strongly that they are not competent, and this is reinforced by your description of them as being unfamiliar with publishing. You probably want to stop working with them in order to avoid embarrassment. </p>\n\n<p>Becoming associated with someone who's a kook or publishes incompetent work could be the kiss of death to any future academic career you might have been hoping for.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14095,
"author": "Faheem Mitha",
"author_id": 285,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/285",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I've actually been working on a project which is similar in that nobody seems to have done any work that is directly comparable in the area of application. The work uses standard Bayesian techniques (this is an applied statistics paper), but these techniques are not at all used in the area in question in the way I've done it.</p>\n\n<p>However, I still had a bunch of references. If you are using people's data they like you to cite it. I had a couple of cites for the Bayesian techniques which I'm using - they aren't trivial. The broader area has been much worked on, but much more by biologists than statisticians, and their approaches are very different, though their aims are similar. So, I cited a couple of these papers, out of very very many possibilities. They weren't particularly relevant to the paper at hand, but I couldn't think of anything better. (I actually thought of posting here, but wasn't sure what specific suggestions a non-specialist could give, and I'd already tried asking specialists with no useful result.)\nAdditionally, I used some quasi-mathematical derivations which I also had a cite for. So, generally these things do pile up.</p>\n\n<p>So, I suggest backing up a step, considering the more general problem which you are trying to solve, and perhaps give some references to papers that have worked on that more general problem. Then you could say these papers are examples of the more general/related problem.</p>\n\n<p>Other people have, I think, adequately addressed the issue that not being able to find relevant papers to cite means there might be a problem with the project. I.e. it is something nobody has worked on because nobody cares about the problem. This isn't necessarily the case, but I agree that you should look into that as a possible issue.</p>\n\n<p>Doing novel work isn't necessarily a bad thing. I was offered a chapter in a book for a paper just published, not because the work was particularly good, but because, as the editor put it, \"not much work has been done in that area\". And apparently he thought the area was worth representing in the book.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14099,
"author": "Zackkenyon",
"author_id": 9449,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9449",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have always imagined that the reason for citing references in a paper is not to give credit, but to keep all research grounded in other research. Something like, if someone cannot understand the result in your paper, or what motivated it, then either the result is wrong, or that person did not understand the result of one of the references, or what motivated it. </p>\n\n<p>If you are working on a specific problem, for example, you should reference other papers which also work on the problem. If you are using a specific tool, you want to reference some other papers that have used that tool, and certainly the result for which the tool was developed.</p>\n\n<p>It's about giving your research context, and by extension, giving other peoples research context, which is why results are published in the first place, instead of kept secret.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14100,
"author": "Meirion Hughes",
"author_id": 9450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9450",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Your work needs to be self-contained. That means your idea needs to be built, first and foremost, on a solid foundation. You reference other people's work to establish that foundation. With one sentence (and reference) you can establish all the knowledge that your work AND paper is based on; including the language you use.</p>\n\n<p>For example; pick any recent paper in your field. Now examine its references, and pick the oldest paper there; continue doing that and you'll eventually get to papers written in Latin that establish the very basic ideas of things you might take for granted as being fact. </p>\n\n<p>When you reference a recent paper (which in turn references other papers), you are including that full body of knowledge of hundreds of years of work. </p>\n\n<p>So I would say the answer is No, unless you're willing to dedicate thousands of pages to reinvent and reestablish everything your work is based upon. </p>\n\n<p>Any notion that your work and ideas are unconnected or non-derived from any previous research endeavor is delusion. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14101,
"author": "venergiac",
"author_id": 9456,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9456",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm referee for various IEEE and other Journals, generally speaking citations give me the idea of the behavior of the article, it is really not acceptable for me few citations (7-10 at least for conference); despite, my view could be rought, other referees may finalize the same conclusion.</p>\n\n<p>I suggest to add at least 7 citations (at least on the introduction and conclusion) in order to deceive superficial people like me.</p>\n\n<p>You can refer to book, manual and technical worksheet. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14104,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I know of <strong>exactly one</strong> published paper in my field with no references whatsoever.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Mark H. Overmars and Emo Welzl. <a href=\"http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=323233.323274\">The complexity of cutting paper.</a> <em>Proc. [1st] Symposium on Computational Geometry</em>, 316–321, 1985.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The \"References\" section reads, in its entirety:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>No references on this topic seem to exist and no useful results could be found.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14109,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Although my context is mathematics rather than computer science, this seems like an absolute no-brainer: \"No\". A paper without citations is a crank paper. Basically immediately and irretrievably rejected.</p>\n\n<p>First, ultra-practically, referees will not easily believe either that your work occurs in a vacuum, or that there was no \"prior art\".</p>\n\n<p>Second, if you think there was no prior art, I'd bet against long odds that you are mistaken. The referee may know the specifics ... and then you look awfully bad.</p>\n\n<p>Third, unless you can explain why anyone should care about what you've done, that is, give references to give context, why should anyone care?</p>\n\n<p>Citations are by far not just about what one thinks one's work \"depends on\", ... and even that should not be appraised naively.</p>\n\n<p>I am shocked that \"professors\" would contemplate letting a paper out the door with no citations at all, ... </p>\n\n<p>(And it would benefit <em>you</em> to refine your perceptions of their \"publication rate\" and/or \"research activity\". I realize it is hard for a beginner to appraise these things, but your description seemed very strange, as evidenced by some of the comments...)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14110,
"author": "Marste",
"author_id": 9460,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9460",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are no general formal rules for this but some conferences may have such constraints and most reviewers will probably sort out papers with few citations anyway. As it is regarded as good academic writing style to cite from primary sources, it might be a good idea to cite from the original papers of the definitions you use [i.e. (Riemann, 1868)].</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14111,
"author": "Manishearth",
"author_id": 1035,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1035",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>No, it isn't acceptable, and is probably a sign that you should back up a bit and make sure your result really is completely unrelated to other results. If you think that you have something totally unrelated, which you obtained from elementary-ish mathematics, it probably:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Is considered trivial or irrelevant by others in the field. For example, I could very well write a paper on the derivation of the drag of a <a href=\"http://mathworld.wolfram.com/BatmanCurve.html\">Batman Curve</a>-shaped object. This uses basic principles and doesn't need to call upon advanced prior results. But it's not too useful, and is probably not considered a worthy topic for research. This, of course, was an exaggerated example, but you may be in a less pronounced situation. Make sure that your paper is something that constitutes publishable work.</li>\n<li>Has already been published before, just with different terminology. Usually, the simpler things get snapped up first; if you feel this is the case then you should dig deeper; and possibly show your results to other researchers in the field asking if they know of similar results.</li>\n<li>The third possibility is that you have truly made a breakthrough or opened up a new avenue of research or done something radically new. Such results are very rare, especially when they build from basic concepts only. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Either way, one way to beef up the references is via the introduction. I've noticed that a some physics papers have a lot of references in the introduction, and they skimp on references in the rest of the paper because the mathematics may be straightforward or otherwise not worth referencing. </p>\n\n<p>If your paper is publishable research, there probably is some motivation behind it. And some ideas you may have built upon (If not, you can always find similar ideas to \"pretend\" to build upon). Write an introduction detailing the motivation, and cite papers there. Look at the introductions of other papers in your field to get a better idea of how to write one and what sort of references are at home there.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14114,
"author": "Pitarou",
"author_id": 7289,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7289",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>No.</p>\n\n<p>You say that your work is entirely new. How do you know this? Have you read any survey papers? If you have, cite them. If you haven't, go read some.</p>\n\n<p>Has there been any other work on related problems? Cite it. Explain why their problem is different from yours.</p>\n\n<p>Why should I care about your work? Has anyone expressed a need for someone to do what you're doing? Cite them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14120,
"author": "penelope",
"author_id": 4249,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4249",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Let me add my two cents in there: the main point of the references is to <strong>give context</strong> to your work (as suggested by multiple answers already). It's also about <strong>justifying the validity of techniques you used</strong> and <strong>justifying the evaluation process</strong> you used for your results.</p>\n\n<p>There's several \"different\" references you usually want to include in your paper (and while I do admit that sometimes you don't have many in some of the \"reference groups\", I think it's impossible to have none at all):</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>general references about your (sub)field</strong></p>\n\n<p>This would be used in the introduction, to set a broader context for the paper, especially if you're submitting to a general conference in your field instead of a small subfield-focused conference.</p>\n\n<p>As an example, I work in <em>Mathematical Morphology</em>, which is often used to perform <em>image segmentation, object detection</em> and <em>image filtering</em>, and belongs to the field of <em>computer vision</em> and/or <em>image processing</em>. So, when I submit to an CV or IP conference, I have to put it in the context because <strong>not all the referees/attendees</strong> will be experts in Mathematical Morphology and some general references will be useful here.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>general references about your problem</strong></p>\n\n<p>This is actually very similar to the previous, and would be put in the introduction as well. It stems from the same reasoning: not everybody will know that <em>what you are attempting to solve is even a problem</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Again a personal example: in my field of Mathematical Morphology, there are hierarchical structures used to hold information about an image <em>in a tree structure</em>. I recently published a paper about <em>reducing the size of those trees</em>. Why should anybody care? Unless I <strong>give good motivation</strong>, nobody will. I had to give references to various <em>applications</em> of the tree structures I was working on (including a tiny bit of motivation for using them at all in the first place), and then give references and elaborate <em>why the size is an important factor</em> and <em>what applications will benefit from my proposed technique</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Oh, and the \"core\" of the paper was using something I used in advanced high-school programming papers: DFS. I still had to give context as to why my specific application was interesting.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>references about the structures/techniques you used</strong> (even if they're simple or not common for your field)</p>\n\n<p>I guess this would go somewhere between Introduction and Related work. But, it's important to justify the validity of what you're using, and you're not going to prove it from scratch in your paper. Maybe it's also interesting to _ elaborate on the connections and similarities_ between the <em>standard usage of the technique</em> and <em>common usage</em>.</p>\n\n<p>I'll give two examples here: There was a recent paper in my field presenting powerful but simple techniques based on Kruskal's minimum spanning tree algorithm. Of course Kruskal was cited (even if most computer scientists learn about that in their high-school mathematics / undergrad algorithms courses). Also, there was an older paper in Computer Vision about image-by-image search applying techniques from text processing. It was explained in quite some detail how parallels can be drawn while processing an image as a text document, e.g. what is the equivalent of \"words\" in an image.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>specific references about your problem and possible previous solutions</strong></p>\n\n<p>Who attempted to solve it before? Maybe somebody attempted to solve a partial problem? A similar problem? The same problem in a different context? Who was the first one to pose it as a problem? This would go to Related work.</p>\n\n<p>Even if your contribution is not directly based on any of those, you have to <strong>put your solution in to context</strong>. If there's a previous partial solution that's justification that your contribution is important. If there's a similar problem solved, comparing similarities and differences might help somebody to one day make a generalized solution. Maybe somebody got results that are as good (as fast, as complex, as precise...) as yours using different techniques? Good, compare pros and cons!</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>references about the testing framework/techniques you used</strong></p>\n\n<p>How did you evaluate your approach? How will you justify your evaluation to the reviewers? Why are the statistics you presented actually relevant to evaluate the validity/impact of your contribution? Discussion/Results section.</p>\n\n<p>For a lot of things you can produce a lot of useless statistics. You have to justify your choice of how to present your results. Is the testing framework widely used? Cite it! Is it new or an upgrade on an existing framework? Cite pros and cons related to the \"standard testing approach\" and argue why your approach is better suited to represent the pros of your contribution.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>references about the data you used</strong></p>\n\n<p>Similarly for the testing framework. Why this particular dataset? When did it first appear? What makes it suited for your problem? Where was it used before, and how does that justify your choice?</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>references supporting your claims about the importance of your contribution</strong></p>\n\n<p>In addition to giving motivation, you should once more emphasize <strong>the impact</strong> your paper will make, and <strong>the potential applications</strong> of your contribution.</p>\n\n<p>This is definitely different from \"what you based your paper on\". It's almost the opposite: you're listing papers/authors that might benefit from your work and base their future, extended work on your paper.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>See, it's not just about citing the mathematical/algorithmic bases of your work. It's about proving that you did your proper background research, giving motivation for your problem, explaining the benefits, and convincing everybody that your work is <em>unique</em>, <em>awesome</em> and <em>useful</em>. And, sorry to say, if your supervisors couldn't tell you most of this, you should think about changing them (especially if you have an interest in academia).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14132,
"author": "juan Isaza",
"author_id": 9496,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9496",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I published a paper regarding a new technique for printing iron microparticles. In my research I found a long list of printing methods, but ultimately the technique I invented was unique in the field (that's according to the reviewers). Yet the references I used, although they were not directly related to what I was exactly doing, helped me devise the final idea. I think that probably you can put some references, just to give some context on something that might be related somehow, rather than risk yourself to appear as an amateur. In today's world, where there are papers and inventions in the millions, there should be something related to your idea. Or maybe you are like Einstein who published with no references, but even he was exploring and ultimately refining Newtonian physics. So strictly speaking he should have cited Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14134,
"author": "user2996911",
"author_id": 9499,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9499",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's not a problem, you can submit your work with no references if nothing related to your work is done before. You and your team may get a <strong>Nobel Prize</strong> for the work you guys are trying to do, so keep it up and do great things.</p>\n\n<p>References are used when we are going to extend the work which has already been done or we want to do something related to that. In your case if you have no references, then you can go for that Conference.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14142,
"author": "user26143",
"author_id": 9504,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9504",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Feynman's <em>Forces in Molecules</em> has no reference and was published on Phys. Rev.\n<a href=\"http://www.cce.ufes.br/jair/mq2grad/PhysRev.56.340_Feynman_Forces_in_Molecules.pdf\">http://www.cce.ufes.br/jair/mq2grad/PhysRev.56.340_Feynman_Forces_in_Molecules.pdf</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14151,
"author": "Jan",
"author_id": 666,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/666",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with the general consensus here: find relevant work and cite it. You can cite textbooks or reviews for well-known things. You can also cite vaguely related problems or just the most exciting problem in the field. (This takes some experience, which you lack, but try your best.)</p>\n\n<p>However note, that 'conference paper' means different things to different people in different fields. A regular paper (article or letter in scientific journal) never goes without References, never. However, depending on the field, some conferences call for abstracts or summaries. Those are much shorter (between 1 paragraph and 2 pages) and <em>can</em> include some references, but not as many as in the full paper due to space constraints. You can probably submit a 1-page abstract without References if the topic is interesting and clear.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14423,
"author": "Mustafa Khan",
"author_id": 9710,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9710",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would say even if Newton was going to write a research article related to \"law of universal gravitation\" would have found related work. Related work gives a broader view of research topic e.g, if newton was going to write article related to \"law of universal gravitation\" might have given a reference to Aristotle who believed that there is no effect or motion without a cause. \nNow science and technology is so advanced you must find related work. Or might be you are genius invented new field in science and technology.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 37992,
"author": "E.P.",
"author_id": 820,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/820",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<h3>References help make your work discoverable</h3>\n<p>Apart from the many intrinsic reasons that have already been mentioned, there is one selfish reason why it's good to cite all the relevant previous works in the field, and it's that citing those works will make it easier for people who read them and want to find the latest research on the topic. In the same way that you should chase up all the papers that cite the reviews you mention, to make sure that the problem is in fact still open, citing those reviews ensures that your paper will appear in the Citing Articles section of those reviews.</p>\n<p>Even better, in many fields it is common for researchers to have citation alerts on such papers, in which case they will receive a specific notification of your paper. Depending on the system, this will often include the authors of those works, so this becomes a non-intrusive way to 'push' your paper to people who might find it interesting.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 108356,
"author": "toby544",
"author_id": 80256,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/80256",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Here is a paper with no references:</p>\n\n<p>Fisher, R. A. (1950). \"The Significance of Deviations From Expectation in a Poisson Series\". Biometrics. 6: 17–24. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.2307/3001420\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://doi.org/10.2307/3001420</a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/14 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14085",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7775/"
]
|
14,087 | <p>My advisor's wife is having her first baby and he told us about it at our last lab meeting. We understand that this will mean he might need extra time/patience as the big day approaches, but are we supposed to be doing anything else? What is the etiquette for this as one of his students? Should we be buying him some kind of baby gift?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14090,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>A personal gift from you, as an individual student, is not expected, at least by European or North-American etiquette. It may be nice to pool with other students and group members to offer a <em>small</em> gift (either something for the baby, or something for the father). It'd be more customary to offer it after the baby is born, rather than now.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, there is no strong expectation that you offer a gift. I.e., if you decide not to for any reason, he won't think it weird.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14098,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is the same answer I gave about <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/5699/929\">weddings</a> but it holds for births also.</p>\n\n<p>You must do something. Building social relationships with your work collegagues is really important. If other students are organizing the collection and suggesting an amount, I would give that much. If they are organizing the collection, but not suggesting an amount, I would chip in two beers worth of cash. In some cultures two beers will be on the generous side, while in other cultures it will be on the cheap side. It won't be out of place in any culture. If no one is organizing the collection and you want to take charge, then I would suggest asking people to chip in one beer worth of money (all students should be able to afford this). If no one is organizing a collection and you don't want to take charge, go out and buy a card and get the other students to sign it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14102,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I completely agree with @F'x's assessment: no gift is necessary really. Having said that, if there's something you can do that's simple and doesn't strain your budget, then as a courtesy (from a colleague to another) that might be welcome. </p>\n\n<p>Having been in this situation myself (from the advisor's side) I can say that one thing parents of a new child lack that grad students might have more of is <strong>time</strong>. If it's possible, lab folk could offer to help running meetings without the advisor, do guest lectures in classes if it's appropriate, and so on. Again I emphasize that it's not necessary at all, but it's a gift that would not cost you money, and would be greatly appreciated by someone who probably isn't sleeping very much :)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 78775,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Buy a <em>book</em> for the baby. That is an appropriate <em>academic</em> gift, and it doesn't threaten professional boundaries.</p>\n\n<p>Of all the gifts we received after giving birth or adopting, the one that meant the most to me was from a children's librarian. She gave us a card congratulating us on our adoption, along with a book, <em>Pat the Bunny</em>, that came with its own small stuffed animal that went along with the bunny in the book.</p>\n\n<p>Any activity book for the really early stages of reading a book to a baby would be good. For example a book that has holes in the pages, for the parent to stick fingers through the holes to simulate one or another animal, is good. Or one of those books that has texture materials glued in. If you go to a bookstore you can ask the clerk for the section with books for babies.</p>\n\n<p>I personally found that the books with the finger holes, or the texture materials glued in, made more of a hit than the vinyl books that were safe for slobbering or bathing. A book with sensory and theatrical capacities is the best first book, I think.</p>\n\n<p>It's true that a book can't be used right away, but that means that your gift will be remembered longer than the pacifier or the rattle.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/14 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14087",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4318/"
]
|
14,093 | <p>In the main text of scientific papers, one should use and and avoid using &.</p>
<p>I wonder if it still holds true in section titles.</p>
<p>Is</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Apple and Pear</p>
</blockquote>
<p>or</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Apple & Pear</p>
</blockquote>
<p>more appropriate as a title?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14094,
"author": "v010dya",
"author_id": 9441,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9441",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Many journals specifically state what they expect, or often it can be ascertained by looking at their previous issues.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14106,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In general, the modern usage of the ampersand (\"&\") is restricted to collective proper nouns. While it was much more common to see people use the ampersand during the 18th and early 19th centuries, this has fallen out of fashion. </p>\n\n<p>In formal writing, the use of the ampersand has largely disappeared except for collective nouns in a title, and in situations like table and graph legends, where normal rules of written English do not necessarily apply. For instance, \"Crate & Barrel\" or \"McKinsey & Co.\" In standard running text, you would not use an ampersand in place of a traditional \"and\": for instance, you would write</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Mozart visited Vienna and Prague.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>not </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Mozart visited Vienna & Prague.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>However, in the legend of a graph, you could write either \"(1 M NaCl & 1 M KOH)\" or \"(1 M NaCl and 1 M KOH)\"; in many instances, the former might actually be preferable, because it's more compact. </p>\n\n<p>This is also supported by many writing style manuals. For instance, the only mention the <a href=\"http://pubs.acs.org/isbn/9780841239999\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>ACS Style Guide</em></a> makes of ampersands is with respect to web addresses (where one would in any case not replace \"&\" with \"and\"). </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14108,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to other good points made... On one hand, obviously it doesn't matter toooooo much, being understandable either way. A relatively superficial criterion is some mandatory style, which is presumably dictated externally: just do it. If there were any \"real\" criterion, it would be about scan-ability: is it more scan-able with Amper's \"and\", or with \"and\"? I tend to think that, given that everyone these days has more practice reading \"prose\" without symbolic abbreviations (somewhat in contrast to earlier times...!?!), a plain text \"and\" is \"easier\", if only due to habit \"in these times\". But/and the latter is what I consider, actually.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14158,
"author": "user4936",
"author_id": 9530,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9530",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Following on Volodya's answer, you probably don't need to worry about this too much if you're planning to submit to a peer-reviewed journal - they'll just change it to their preference during the proof stage.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/14 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14093",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8079/"
]
|
14,112 | <p>I am an undergraduate and I do not know much about the rules of writing an email.
The email system used by our university is not convenient at all: it responds slowly, often crashes, and its common to miss important emails.</p>
<p>I need to email profs in our school and other universities. Is it necessary for me to use the email account of the school? Can I use my personal gmail account? Is it informal or impolite?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14113,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>In the cases I'm familiar with (U.S. universities), using your own e-mail account should be completely fine, subject to some obvious caveats. One is that it's best to have an e-mail address that doesn't look foolish or offensive. People sometimes choose very strange usernames, and you don't want that to reflect poorly on you; furthermore, you should make sure your e-mails include the name your professor knows you under. Another issue is that if you are asking for sensitive information such as grades, your professor will likely be unwilling to send this information to an outside account without some verification that it belongs to you. Finally, you should make things simple for anyone you correspond with. For example, if you use several accounts, you should check them frequently or forward one to the other, so that there are no delays if someone sends something to an account you didn't expect.</p>\n\n<p>One common solution is to set up your university account to forward to your private account, and to set up that account so you can send e-mail listing your university account as the sender/return address when necessary.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27274,
"author": "Mohsin Bhatti",
"author_id": 20784,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20784",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Use of University's Email Address or Personal Email varies on content being communicated in the email.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>If you are communicating about your assignments or discussing something in the capacity of being a student, e.g., discussing topic or classes schedule, <strong>you should prefer your University's Email address to communicate.</strong></p></li>\n<li><p>If you are inquiring something general, e.g., Admissions information, fee structure, etc., you can use your Email. However <strong>it would be better to use your University's Email.</strong></p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 30516,
"author": "O. R. Mapper",
"author_id": 14017,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14017",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This depends entirely on the rules of your university, the preferences of the respective professor, and your own long-term convenience:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The possible conflicts with rules of the university have been explained by the other answers already.</li>\n<li>The respective professor (or whoever you are mailing to) may have specific preferences, as well. As an example, I have met professors who generally announced to delete any e-mail that does not come from a university account, and who explained they'd consider students who e-mailed him from a third-party-account, especially by a free provider, personally responsible if their [the professors'] addresses became known to address dealers to be sold to spammers or phishers. If you intend to have some oral exam with such a professor, it would seem like a good idea to respect that preference for university addresses.</li>\n<li>As for your own long-term convenience, that depends on how far you want to separate \"work\" (studying) and your private life. If you are ok with professors keeping your (private) e-mail address indefinitely, then there's no problem; if you want to keep the option open to \"discontact\" some professors when you leave the university, on the other hand, you can conveniently do that by only using your university address toward them. (Similarly as to work settings, where you might only hand out your permanent, private address to a few select colleagues when you quit a job.)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Lastly, I wonder what you mean by stating that the university e-mail system is not convenient to use. Is it just the web-interface? Do they not offer a POP3/SMTP or an IMAP interface that you could connect to with any e-mail client of your choice?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 120442,
"author": "Chris Jefferson",
"author_id": 20453,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20453",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the UK, universities are very strict about information they will release -- for example we would not tell someone which courses a student was on.</p>\n\n<p>This means that any email that comes from a non-university account must be treated carefully -- if by replying I appear to acknowledge the sender's name, and that they are taking my course, I have just illegally leaked confidential information.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14112",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6962/"
]
|
14,117 | <p>I have just received feedback about my PhD (in my University, we do not do an oral defense, our dissertations are peer reviewed) - and I have received great and useful feedback and criticisms which will be a breeze to respond to.</p>
<p>Also included in the feedback are some very kind and positive comments about me as a scientific researcher. This leads me to my question, would it be appropriate to use the positive comments from the examiners when applying to academic positions? This of course, while preserving the anonymity of the examiners themselves.</p>
<p>Something along the lines of "Examiners to my PhD dissertation recognized my ability to <em>perform task</em>, stating <em>positive comment</em>".</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14119,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Hum, I do understand the impulse, but I don't think a CV is the right place for that. You don't want it to look like the back cover of a crime novel :)</p>\n\n<p>In my country (France), PhD thesis undergo both a peer-review and a formal defense. Thus, you usually come out of it with two written reviews of your thesis, and one written review of your defense. <strong>It would be quite uncommon to quote these in a CV</strong>, but in many applications it is fine (and sometimes <em>mandatory</em>) to actually <strong>attach them to the application, as supporting material</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>So, unless it is common to do so in your system, I wouldn't recommend quoting praise for yourself in a CV (a CV is a list of facts, mainly, not opinions), but you can try to include it in the application if it is allowed. Either raw, or you could <strong>quote it in the application letter, statement of intent, summary of your work, whatever</strong>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The research topic of my PhD was to study the influence of UV irradiation on bacterial growth rate in the lab's fridge. I quantified the extent to which it was detrimental to the life of these poor innocent bacteria. I also made the case for a new classification splitting part of the UV range currently known as “UV-C” radiation into a new “UV-D” category, based on its distinct harmful effects on fungal growth.</p>\n \n <p>This work was well received by the community, with a total of 4 published papers and 3 conference talks during my PhD. The thesis peer-review committee called it <em>“a brave and well-inspired revolution of the old dusty classification of UV radiation”</em> and characterized the end product of the thesis as <em>“a clean lab fridge: the greatest service you can render mankind or, at least, labkind</em>”.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14177,
"author": "user4936",
"author_id": 9530,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9530",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't know if I would include these in your own application materials, but I would certainly try to have this examiner write a letter of recommendation for you (many jobs will allow extra, optional letters if this one is an \"extra\"). It's going to sound stronger coming directly from a respected third party than if you provide the quote yourself, even if the actual material is the same.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14117",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
]
|
14,124 | <p>I am applying for graduate studies in the US and in my statement of purpose I mention the name of a book and it's author, as the book is very relevant to my previous research work and the author is working in the university I am applying too. </p>
<p>Is this okay, or should I not mention the book's name?</p>
<p>If it is okay should I quote the book's title or should I do any special formatting regarding this reference?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14119,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Hum, I do understand the impulse, but I don't think a CV is the right place for that. You don't want it to look like the back cover of a crime novel :)</p>\n\n<p>In my country (France), PhD thesis undergo both a peer-review and a formal defense. Thus, you usually come out of it with two written reviews of your thesis, and one written review of your defense. <strong>It would be quite uncommon to quote these in a CV</strong>, but in many applications it is fine (and sometimes <em>mandatory</em>) to actually <strong>attach them to the application, as supporting material</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>So, unless it is common to do so in your system, I wouldn't recommend quoting praise for yourself in a CV (a CV is a list of facts, mainly, not opinions), but you can try to include it in the application if it is allowed. Either raw, or you could <strong>quote it in the application letter, statement of intent, summary of your work, whatever</strong>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The research topic of my PhD was to study the influence of UV irradiation on bacterial growth rate in the lab's fridge. I quantified the extent to which it was detrimental to the life of these poor innocent bacteria. I also made the case for a new classification splitting part of the UV range currently known as “UV-C” radiation into a new “UV-D” category, based on its distinct harmful effects on fungal growth.</p>\n \n <p>This work was well received by the community, with a total of 4 published papers and 3 conference talks during my PhD. The thesis peer-review committee called it <em>“a brave and well-inspired revolution of the old dusty classification of UV radiation”</em> and characterized the end product of the thesis as <em>“a clean lab fridge: the greatest service you can render mankind or, at least, labkind</em>”.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14177,
"author": "user4936",
"author_id": 9530,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9530",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't know if I would include these in your own application materials, but I would certainly try to have this examiner write a letter of recommendation for you (many jobs will allow extra, optional letters if this one is an \"extra\"). It's going to sound stronger coming directly from a respected third party than if you provide the quote yourself, even if the actual material is the same.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14124",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9488/"
]
|
14,126 | <p>Can I mention an adjunct professor as my proposed supervisor for graduate studies, or adjunct professors are not allowed to be supervisor?</p>
<p>Are there anythings that I should be aware of before mentioning his/her name in my application?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14128,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The easiest way to resolve this question is to e-mail the person and ask whether they anticipate taking new graduate students in the near future. This is worth asking even for non-adjunct faculty (since they may have all the students they can handle already, they may be retiring soon or moving to another university or an administrative position, etc.), so nobody will be surprised or take offense at the question.</p>\n\n<p>As for what sort of answer to expect, it depends on what sort of adjunct professor it is. Sometimes researchers from other institutions (government or industrial research labs, museums, etc.) hold adjunct positions at universities. They may or may not be allowed to supervise graduate students, depending on the terms of their appointment, but it's common to allow this; often it's part of the point of the position. On the other hand, there's another sort of position sometimes called adjunct faculty, namely low-paid temporary workers hired to teach introductory courses, and these jobs are not likely to involve graduate supervision. You should be able to tell pretty easily which case applies to any particular person by looking on the web, and in any case e-mailing them (as described above) will give a definitive answer.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14131,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you just want to know “in principle”, look at your university's policies… This is something they decide. For example, the <a href=\"http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/graduate_studies/admin/adjunct_information.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">University of Manitoba</a> says:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>a) The Adjunct Professor may be thesis/practicum supervisor or co-supervisor of, or serve on the thesis/practicum committee for, graduate students registered in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. In the event that the appointment of an Adjunct Professor expires before the graduate students have completed their programs, the Head of the department/unit shall be responsible for recommending reappointment or naming a replacement.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Whether it's a good idea is an entirely different question…</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14126",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9488/"
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|
14,133 | <p>I am currently applying for two universities for graduate studies at the US, assuming both universities accept me (Hopefully) should I choose the university that fits me better or the university which is more selective (like ivy league universities).</p>
<p>My concern is that smarter students will overrun me in the top university, is this a valid concern or there is no academic competition between students since the admissions office and the designated department would not have accepted me in the first place if I had a non competitive enough profile?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14136,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Short answer: why don't you come back and ask again when you got the acceptance letters from both schools? These worries seem premature.</p>\n\n<p>Anyway, assuming this is more about applying to schools... I cannot tell you which to apply, but here are the components you should consider:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>It depends on the department you are going to. Not all departments in the selective schools are reputable. Meanwhile, some department in smaller schools can be the field's leader.</li>\n<li>It depends on your career aspiration. Graduates from reputable schools <em>may</em> face fewer barriers in advancing to become a researcher or apply for a faculty position. But this is only one piece of the puzzle; other factors such as research topics, track records, etc. matter greatly as well. If it's a skill-based degree, then check the field and ask around which institutes seem to be better recognized.</li>\n<li>It depends on what do you mean by \"fits me better.\" At the very least, the chosen school should not give you more stress/misery beyond necessary (e.g. beyond stresses that is due to class work, high standard, etc.) If you have to endure extra burdens such as tension brought about by different value and culture of the organization's, then you better not go there.</li>\n<li>Competition happens <em>everywhere</em>. Organizational and personal cultures have a lot to do with it. There are departments/schools that particularly favor competitive students, either due to the professional nature of their degree, pride, or scarcity of resources. Personality of the classmates can also matter. Some people just love to compete, even in the most minor things of their life. Anyhow, to expect less competition because the people are more homogeneous is unrealistic; in fact, competition is the likeliest outcome to see in a homogeneous population.</li>\n<li>Some schools <em>may</em> consider accepting students from developing countries even the students deem slightly less competitive than the rest of the crowd. They do this for many reasons: to expand their influence, to leverage the intellectual bargaining power of the applicants' countries, to establish their department that is specialized in global work, etc. Regardless if this system is in place or not, there is always a spectrum of competency among the student body, whatever the makeup of the body is. </li>\n<li>Generally, I think you can benefit from some attitude readjustment. Unless you need excellent grades for scholarship or assistantship, graduate school is more of a competition within oneself than between people. As a foreign student, try your best to integrate into the local culture, make friends, build support networks, consult some cultural and study specialists at school, pay attention to your grades, ask questions, participate in discussion, bring what's unique about your experience to the table, and enjoy the stay and study. The whole process is a lot more than worrying about how not to make mistakes or fall behind.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14181,
"author": "Dnuorg Spu",
"author_id": 9538,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9538",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>My concern is that smarter students will overrun me in the top university</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Well, the good news is that the smarter students will be concerned about <em>you</em> overrunning <em>them</em>. It's called <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome\">impostor syndrome</a>, and virtually everyone at a top institution has it. (And I don't just mean the students...)</p>\n\n<p>Also: being around people who are (much) smarter than you is a <strong>good thing</strong>, because it means you will <strong>learn more</strong>. (That's why you're hanging around a university, right?) The other good news is that in grad school, you will no longer be competing against your peers. The bad news is that you will now be competing against the <em>entire academic community</em> in your chosen area of study. So, it's probably good to have some other smart students around to talk to. Right?</p>\n\n<p>My experience as a student at a Extremely Well-Ranked School is that other students are very supportive, and empathetic to the experience of getting through a tough program. In short: don't worry. It will be ok.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>should I choose the university that fits me better or the university which is more selective</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Isn't this a tautology? The university that fits you better will fit you better.</p>\n\n<p>A less sarcastic reply is: there is <em>nothing</em> that matters more in grad school (or in life in general...) than your relationships with the people immediately around you, namely, your advisor and the other members of your research group / lab. Even brilliant students who do not have a good working environment or a supportive advisor will flounder—I have seen it time and time and time again. In contrast, students who are not exceptionally brilliant but have a good relationship with their advisor / group tend to do well, at least well enough to move on to a satisfying career after grad school. Prestige, fame, money, and beauty are all higher-order terms. Pick the place where you will be happy.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14184,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>should I choose the university that fits me better or the university which is more selective</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Assuming you're lucky enough to have that choice....</p>\n\n<h2>Neither.</h2>\n\n<p><strong>You should choose the environment that gives you the greater likelihood of future success, as defined by your own academic and career goals.</strong></p>\n\n<p>This may be correlated with the overall reputation of the university, but any such correlation will be <em>very</em> loose. The overall reputation of the <em>department</em> is a better proxy, but still loose. The reputations of your (probable) advisor or advisors, or even better, of their former students, is even closer, but still not the whole story, because not every student wanted to do what you want to do.</p>\n\n<p>Strong universities have weak departments and vice versa. Strong departments have weak research areas, or toxic work environments, and vice versa. Strong advisors in strong departments may have no interests that overlap yours, or may have working styles that badly clash with yours, or may have insufficient funding to support you, or may be located in places that you find unlivable for financial or cultural reasons.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>does the university evaluation (acceptance) mean that I am capable of performing perfectly in their program !? </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>Of course not!</strong> There's no such thing as \"performing perfectly\".</p>\n\n<p>But acceptance <em>with funding</em> usually means that the faculty—or at least the admissions committee—believes you have a strong potential for success in that graduate program.</p>\n\n<p>(I write \"usually\" because a few lazy/unethical departments do intentionally accept more students than they reasonably believe can succeed. Especially if this is a serious concern, <strong>talk to current students in the department before you accept.</strong> And acceptance <em>without</em> funding only means that they're willing to take your money; run away fast.)</p>\n\n<p>Finally: <strong>Do not listen to the Impostor Syndrome.</strong></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14133",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9488/"
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|
14,138 | <p>Of course, it is absolutely important to quote all thoughts that did not originate from the author. This makes one think that it would be OK to include works of others when referencing them correctly.</p>
<p>For example, consider that one had that really great list of problems that also apply to your own paper. Is it legal and/or legitimate to write about that list, include the key points in your work and reference the original author?</p>
<p>I am facing that situation where I want to include some key aspects but quoting all of them and describing them individually feels like copying too much, even though I explicitly state that the aspects originate from another paper with referencing to it.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14139,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>You can include any material that is published as long as you appropriately cite the material (source). If you think any phrasing made by the author(s) is key, then you can do it as a quote where the text is reproduced in verbatim. If you do not use quotes you need to rephrase the text in your own words since it would otherwise be considered as a form of plagiarism. So, just be careful with referencing and quotes if necessary. It is better to have cited one time too many than the opposite.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14140,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Idea-wise it's hard to tell. It'd depend on how different your interpretations of the problems are compared to the original author's. It'd be prudent to consult a couple other researchers/peers for some objective inputs.</p>\n\n<p>Format-wise, of course you can cite anything up to any amount. One way to do that is through <a href=\"https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/03/\" rel=\"nofollow\">block quotation</a>. I have seen pages and pages of run-on quotes. Just double check, again, with some people in the same field to make sure your quoting style is not too outlandish, just because it's legal to do does not mean it's culturally appropriate to do.</p>\n\n<p>Since it's just a list of questions, another way I can see working around this is to tabulate them in your work, attributing the list to the original author in the caption or footnote of the table. Then, in your text, refer to the questions through the table.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14157,
"author": "Moriarty",
"author_id": 8562,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8562",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It would be prudent to look up the journal's policy on such matters, as the exact answer depends on the publisher. Example: <a href=\"http://www.oxfordjournals.org/access_purchase/rights_permissions_ras.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Oxford Journals</a> let you copy a maximum of two figures (post-1998) from a journal article, and five per issue. Above these limits, specific permission is needed.</p>\n\n<p><em>If in doubt, ask the publisher of the material you're citing if it's OK.</em></p>\n"
}
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| 2013/11/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14138",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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|
14,146 | <p>Two years ago I did a piece of research for a journal's especial edition. I got the reviewer's comments, did all the corrections and sent it to my co-authors. One of them took so long to return his comments that the paper wasn't included in the EE. I then tried to submit it to another journal but again the same co-author took long time to provide his comments. Finally my boss suggested me to submit it to another journal (good one) without waiting for my co-author's opinion. I got the reviewer's comments back, I did all the corrections (I have 45 days), sent it to my co-authors and gave them a week to send me their comments. The same co-author is now telling me he's not happy I didn't tell him I submitted to that journal and that he won't be able to make comments in a week. I'm again in a catch-22. What do you do?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14148,
"author": "Jukka Suomela",
"author_id": 351,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/351",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Apologise to your coauthor.</strong> Hope that he is not too upset. Ask him what to do next.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>In the future, do not ever submit a paper for publication without discussing it with all coauthors.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14149,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's inappropriate to submit a paper for publication before all authors agree that it is ready. Your boss shouldn't have advised you to do this.</p>\n\n<p>First, you should apologize profusely to your coauthor. Make sure he knows about the deadline, then wait patiently until he is able to give his comments. If the deadline gets close, you could ask the editor whether you can have more time. If not, it may be necessary to withdraw your submission and resubmit later.</p>\n\n<p>When you collaborate with coauthors, you have to accept that the final product needs to be something that everyone can agree on. Yes, this may be inconvenient if one of them is slower, or has different standards than the others, and it can cause you to miss opportunities. This is the price of collaboration. If it becomes a problem, you should talk to your coauthors and try to work out a solution that's agreeable to all, but you cannot act unilaterally.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14150,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It seems you are following your boss' (good) advice. Dealing with co-authors is not always easy as you have experienced. I think I have experienced a similar co-author, not responding but complaining whenever something happens. In my case, the co-author was definitely over-committed and the actions were basically a symptom of frustration about not being able to perform. Now, I think you have done the right thing to a point. The only thing that would have improved things would have been to provide the co-author with the information but with a strict deadline but not more than a week or two. Doing so at all stages, is the only way to deal with such cases. It is not very nice, or comfortable, but it is necessary to make a stand and convey the seriousness. In your case you have clearly had a lot of extra work due to the (lack of) actions from your co-author. I assume he has not apologized?</p>\n\n<p>So what to do? Well, I would write and state that you are sorry the co-author feels left out (or however the co-author has phrased it). You can then state that the lack of response earlier made you assume the co-author was not prioritizing the work and that based on suggestions from your boss you have now taken the actions you have to get the material published. Be brief and courteous but do not add many excuses.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14163,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<h2>Summary</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Apologize to your co-author for not telling him about the\nsubmission.</li>\n<li>Try having a meeting/phone conference with the co-author (if possible including your supervisor) to solve the immediate problems.</li>\n<li>Change your requests to the co-authors to an opt-in style.</li>\n<li>In the future, send out "submitted paper to :-)" with the final version to all co-authors as last point on your submission routine.</li>\n</ul>\n<hr />\n<blockquote>\n<p>he won't be able to make comments in a week</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>That just tells you that you <em>won't have</em> his comments within the week. But you need to know when you <em>will have</em> them.</p>\n<p>Usually, I'd ask back <em>when</em> I can have the comments. Here, however, things look more difficult. So:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>For one thing, I'd switch from email to phone (or a visit to his office). That eliminates the dead time between emailing several times and may allow you to extract a definitive answer for the time line.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>The second thing I'd probably do would be trying to have a meeting (or a phone/video conference if the co-author is too far away). If he told you that he cannot do the comments this week, send a list of possible meeting times for next week. I'd (try to) include a number of "weird" times (early morning before the usual office routine sets in, evenings, possibly even at the weekend). This serves two purposes: it makes absolutely clear how important the meeting is to you and it closes loopholes for him. Talk to your supervisor about this first, you'll probably want to have him at the meeting as well - so you need to find times that are OK with your supervisor as well (that's the "try to" above).<br />\nI'd probably email the list, ending with: if none of these is possible for you, please send me your preferred time for a meeting next week. I'd then do an immediate follow up-call "We need to talk about the paper. ... I just emailed you a number of possible times for a meeting". Ask him to tell you when the meeting would suit him.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<hr />\n<p>For the future:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>gave them a week to send me their comments</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>From the context I assume you wrote something like "please send me your comments within a week".</p>\n<p>What about changing the question to an opt-in style: "please send me your comments asap. If I don't receive any within any within a week, I'll assume you're fine with the text as it is and move on with the submission." O course, you need to be extremely timely yourself if you do this and you need to give sensible deadlines.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>Submission without the OK of all co-authors is misconduct. However, if I understood the described situation correctly, a manuscript that was approved by all co-authors was sent to a different journal. Again, an opt-in for changes would have been the proper way, but IMHO it is not as serious as general "submit without co-authors approval": after all the text was approved by the co-author, and the choice of the journal should not make any <em>scientific</em> difference.</p>\n<p>Also, if I understood correclty, the co-author in question does not complain about the submission, but about the fact that he didn't know about it. That again is a valid complaint, so apologize.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14146",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9512/"
]
|
14,156 | <p>I have recently searched my publications in Scopus and I have found that they are all scattered around. The reason behind that maybe is because I have a compound last name. The situation has gone pretty weird also in one of my papers, where they have put one of my last names to another author that I do not even know.</p>
<p>The question that I have is how I can make to put all my papers under a same profile, and also delete that "ghost" author from one of my papers.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14168,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As Federico indicates, the <a href=\"http://help.elsevier.com/app/ask_scopus/p/8150\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">contact form</a> (“Ask a question”) has a field for suggesting correction to the index:</p>\n\n<p> <img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/TfvZ5.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></p>\n\n<p>You can directly send them the papers in question:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Please attach a copy of the missing or incorrect document, this is essential for us to verify the changes and make the corrections.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>While I don't have any direct experience with Scopus in that area, they are generally serious and I think they will act on your request. I have once contact another index provider (Web of Science) with a correction, and they updated the data within a week.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 29170,
"author": "Gimelist",
"author_id": 22213,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22213",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>An easier way would be to \"request to merge\".\nLet's say that both 2 and 3 in the attached screenshots are you. Just mark the checkmark and click the \"Request to merge\" link.\nYou might want to click \"Show Profile Matches with One Document\" before you look up all of your entries.\n<img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/1K2gu.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/16 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14156",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6144/"
]
|
14,166 | <p>I have done some independent research that I wish to mention in my SOP. The full account of what I have done till has been published as an e-print on arxiv.org. Can I give a hyperlink to this e-print in my SOP?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14167,
"author": "Chris Gregg",
"author_id": 4461,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4461",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>No, you shouldn't list it on your Statement of Purpose. You should cite it properly in your CV / Resume, or in a separate list of publications.</p>\n\n<p>You can certainly discuss the research that led to the paper in your statement, but if the statement-readers would like to read the paper itself, they can find the reference in your other material.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14169,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, you should absolutely list it in your statement, in the bibliography, with a hyperlink, along with all the other papers you cite in your statement.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14176,
"author": "user4936",
"author_id": 9530,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9530",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would differ a bit from both of the previous two responses.</p>\n\n<p>The SOP and the CV serve different purposes. The SOP is the high-level summary (some would say sales pitch) for why your work is interesting and why you should be hired. This needs to be tightly written and compelling, and part of being compelling is highlighting particularly unique, interesting, or high-profile publications. Importantly, I've been told by several hiring committee members that more people will read your SOP than your CV - so if something's important, don't bury it only in the CV. The CV is more of a \"data dump\" in which you list everything that you've done that may be of interest. You don't necessarily want all of this detail clouding up your SOP, although you want the hiring committee to have access to it if necessary. Think of your SOP like a glossy brochure and the CV like a dictionary - the former is intended to be read while the latter is intended to be referenced.</p>\n\n<p>So, that said, I think it's both a mistake to leave your publication out of your SOP entirely and also to list all of your publications there (if you have many). Reference only the key ones that support the rest of your story and include a hyperlink in a footnote if you think that a reader might actually follow it. I would suspect that this will be a rare event, though, and I would encourage you to put enough detail from this publication in the SOP itself that a reader won't have to follow the link to get the gist of what you did.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/16 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14166",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8324/"
]
|
14,173 | <p>In my master thesis I developed a software tool that improves a common workflow used in a certain industry. Currently, no such tool exists, and this workflow is conducted manually all around the globe. I am currently in the finalization phase of my thesis and my supervisor told me to write a paper on the tool and the worflow improvement. </p>
<p>Now here is my Problem:</p>
<ul>
<li>I have the tool and I can show that the workflow is performed better with it (our industry partner puts almost no limits on use cases, interviews, etc)</li>
<li>I have no idea how properly package this into a paper (also, what to objectively measure to "proof" the improvement)</li>
</ul>
<p>Could someone please point out a few "good" papers, where a software tool was created for a problem domain (where no such tool existed before) and evaluated so that I can learn from it's structure, the approach and the proper "packaging" of the entire paper?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14175,
"author": "user4936",
"author_id": 9530,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9530",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Although I don't have any specific tips on structuring this type of paper, you might be interested in <a href=\"http://www.software.ac.uk/resources/guides/which-journals-should-i-publish-my-software\">this list</a> of journals that focus on publishing scientific software. You should be able to find lots of examples of \"software\" papers there. Those papers that I have read in <em>Methods in Ecology and Evolution</em> have been particularly high quality, and you might try starting there.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14187,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you just want to write a paper on the software itself, the list provided in <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/14175/7112\">user4936 answer</a> is perfectly fine. </p>\n\n<p>If you want to conduct a research on how the tool actually enhanced certain processes in a firm, you might go for a paper in an <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_systems\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Information Systems</a> venue.</p>\n\n<p>Start looking for articles in what you can access of the <a href=\"http://start.aisnet.org/?SeniorScholarBasket\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Top 8 journals for IS</a>. Look for \"decision support system\" and add some of your paper's keywords. You will find plenty of papers with methodologies. </p>\n\n<p>Be aware that IS venues demand very strong theoretical background and motivation for a study. They like theory a lot. So, be prepared to read a lot and to write a lot :-)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14173",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9535/"
]
|
14,180 | <p>When applying to faculty jobs, how much weight is given to your research/teaching statements? Talking with a few folks on admissions committees at Very Good Departments in Big Research Universities, I was told in no uncertain terms that</p>
<ul>
<li>your letters get you the interview,</li>
<li>your talk and individual meetings get you the job,</li>
<li>nothing else <em>really</em> matters,</li>
</ul>
<p>where "nothing" includes your research statement, your teaching statement, the <em>content</em> of your publications, or your hairdo. Of course, I am working with a very small sample here. How true is this sentiment? (And if it is true, why keep asking us young folks to write these hackneyed teaching statements that nobody ever reads?) More importantly,</p>
<p><strong>Question:</strong> For those who have been on faculty hiring committees, what are the <strong><em>actual</em></strong> criteria you use to invite applicants?</p>
<p>By <strong><em>actual</em></strong> (in bold and italics) I don't mean <em>"what the job posting specifies"</em> or <em>"what the department charter says you're supposed do,"</em> but rather <em>"how you actually make these decisions in a meeting right before lunch while preoccupied with a grant proposal due at midnight and the fact that the cafeteria is going to fill up with noisy smelly undergrads if you don't get there soon."</em></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14185,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I am the chair of the faculty recruiting committee in a Very Good Department at a Big Research University. <strong>I read research and teaching statements.</strong></p>\n\n<p>I need to know that you have a compelling agenda for your <em>future</em> research; your letters won't talk about that at all. I need to know that you can describe and motivate your research agenda well enough to attract external research funding. I need to know that you know why (not just \"that\") your work is interesting, visible, important, and likely to have high impact. I need to know that you communicate clearly enough to be a good teacher, and that you care enough about teaching to formulate a coherent teaching philosophy. I need to know that your research, teaching, and career goals—as <strong>you</strong> describe them—match those of my department. I need to know that you are taking the recruiting process seriously.</p>\n\n<p>In the long run, your publications (<strong>which I also read</strong>) and your recommendation letters are probably more important. But saying that your statements have <em>no</em> importance is a dangerous exaggeration.</p>\n\n<p>Also, I don't eat in the cafeteria.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14186,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree that letters are by far the most important part of an application, but there's a big difference between not reading something and not having it be the deciding factor. Your research statement is needed to describe your research agenda; if you don't do a good job of this, you are unlikely to be hired. However, there's only so much one can learn from a research statement. For example, some people describe ambitious plans they cannot actually carry out successfully, some are very good at making incremental work sound exciting, and some may work in an area nobody on the hiring committee can evaluate confidently (perhaps that's why the department needs to hire in this area). The top candidates all have impressive research statements, and the differences between them are generally not compelling enough to matter compared with what the letters reveal. On the other hand, it's certainly possible to write a bad research statement, for example by giving the impression that your greatest ambition is to refine your thesis work forever. If you do that, you'll discover that someone was reading after all.</p>\n\n<p>Teaching statements are a messier subject, and nobody can quite agree on what should even be in them. Search committee members at research universities differ in how they evaluate them: some read them very seriously, while others use them for nothing but filtering out applicants who might provoke a student uprising through incompetent teaching. I think you'd be surprised at how many people care about teaching, even in departments that are not known for teaching excellence overall, and even people who don't care about teaching know they need to maintain some minimal standards and put on a good show for the administration.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, all this depends on what sort of job you are applying for. There's enormous variation, not just via the obvious categories (research universities, comprehensive universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, etc.) but also at the departmental level or just based on who's on the search committee. There are overall patterns, such as the importance of letters, but there is no agreement on things like whether cover letters matter.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14188,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, people like to rant about the current state of the system, and most often over-exaggerate the importance given to this or that item. Some people find it sounds better to say <em>“the system is rigged/stupid/corrupt, all that counts is whom you know”</em> than <em>“it's a pretty tough job, and we need that much information to make the best decision”</em>.</p>\n\n<p>I think the simplest way to make the point is this one: <strong>with the huge amount of competition and pressure on that particular job market, hiring committees use all the information they can get their hands on to make the best decision</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Going to the extreme, even things like your hairdo, your clothes and your language style do convey information to your interlocutors: does the guy know how to adhere certain basic social conventions, for one thing? It sure is a minor element compared to your publications, but it may come to play a role, because, well, plenty of other applicants will have stellar publications!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14193,
"author": "Ben Norris",
"author_id": 924,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/924",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As a member of a hiring committee in a small department at a primarily undergraduate institution, I read both statements.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>For the research statement</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I need to know that the research planned by the candidate is feasible at my institution. If he/she needs access to one of only five specialty instruments in the world, then I am suspicious that the candidate may not be happy at my institution and will likely want to move on in a few years. I also want to see projects that look like they are friendly to undergraduates. Finally, since I am in a small department, I want to see research that somehow balances our desire to find someone who complements the types of research we are already doing while filling in voids in our expertise.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>For the teaching statement</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Since teaching will be the majority of what the candidate will do, I read this statement for a few key items. </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Is the statement cogent and organized? I do not care what the teaching philosophy of the candidate is so much as I care that the candidate has clearly thought about how they would approach teaching and learning.</li>\n<li>Does the statement contain more specific examples than fluffy buzzwords? Even if the candidate has limited teaching experience, specific examples from classes the candidate has taken again demonstrate that the candidate has thought about what good teaching might look like.</li>\n<li>How long is the statement? Half a page means the candidate put no effort into the statement. More than three pages means the candidate does not have focused thoughts on the matter.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Ultimnately, I make certain to read both statements carefully for the same reason I read the letters carefully. I want to make sure the candidate is the best possible match for the job. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14196,
"author": "Xiaolei Zhu",
"author_id": 9542,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9542",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Every time I do an interview I see the interviewers pull out a folder and read my research statements right in front of me. So yes, I am pretty positive people read them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14198,
"author": "BrenBarn",
"author_id": 9041,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9041",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I sat on a hiring committee last year. We read all the research statements. Candidates didn't submit a separate \"teaching philosophy\" but did discuss teaching experience/perspective in their cover letters.</p>\n\n<p>I would bet that it depends on the job. If the job is narrowly targeted toward a specific research area, your research statement is more likely to be similar to those of many other applicants, so it may carry somewhat less weight. For the committee I was on, the job ad was very open-ended, so the research statements carried considerable weight in weeding out people whose research didn't jibe with the department's goals.</p>\n\n<p>At least in my experience, it is quite untrue that the letters are the only thing that gets you the interview. In our discussions, letters were among the least discussed aspects of the applications. Committee members would not if a particular letter seemed especially glowing or damning, but that was about it.</p>\n\n<p>One thing you don't mention is your CV, which I found to be one of the most important factors. We spent a lot of time discussing the research output of the candidates.</p>\n\n<p>In general, my impression is that it is (unfortunately) much easier to shipwreck your prospects than to boost them. We definitely had people who gave poor interviews, or poor job talks, and thereby took themselves out of the running. So, even if people don't give the research statement immense weight, it's worth your while to make it decent, because if it is noticeably sucky it could torpedo your chances.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14208,
"author": "Ben Webster",
"author_id": 13,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's certainly true that publications, letters and your performance in an interview are far more important than research or teaching statements; I'd much rather be on the job market with latter weak than the former. That said, I think you're conflating two things here: most applicants' research and teaching statements never get read. But if you get the job, it's pretty likely they were. Between TT and postdoc searches, my department currently has 623 applicants in our MathJobs queue; that's way too many to read all the research statements of. But eventually things will get narrowed to a shortlist, and then documents will get read.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14532,
"author": "Stephen Montgomery-Smith",
"author_id": 9806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9806",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have been on search committees. I have made decisions (usually decisions about who goes on my short list) on the basis of the research statement. So make an effort to have it readable and accurate.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14180",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9538/"
]
|
14,189 | <p>I have written a research book on the topic of abstract pure mathematics. Now the book is in review with a scientific publisher.</p>
<p>In the book there are some conjectures formulated by myself. There are also some conjectures and problems at my site, which are not in the book.</p>
<p>I want to create a community of mathematicians around my book to solve questions I formulated and related issues.</p>
<p>Any advice to help build the community? Maybe should I ask the publisher to place a prominent URL of my site on the topic of the book on the book cover. (The URL is already present in the text of my book, but it may probably be more prominent if placed on the cover.)</p>
<p>I also think that it may be worth to redesign my Web page on the topic of the book to make it "problem oriented" (to place unsolved problems at the top of my page instead of the bottom as it is now). Well, on the other side serious researchers should anyway read my entire page and all links on it. What do you think?</p>
<p>Any other advice?</p>
<p>And a note: I am not a math professional, I am an amateur. (This means that I earn money in some other way than from my knowledge of mathematics.)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14194,
"author": "long",
"author_id": 8969,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8969",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This really depends on what your ultimate goals are. If, as the tag of 'self-promotion' would suggest, you are after increased publicity of your book and self promotion of your website, I think you are likely to have a tough job creating your own community of interested parties from scratch. Certainly, making your website links highly prominent in your book would be a key start. Making links throughout the book relating to problems you have posed in the book would also be useful (but perhaps not so practical now if the book is in review). If you intend your community to be focused around your website, then yes, you should redesign it and separate it from your other web interests (minor links are ok). </p>\n\n<p>If you would like to be involved with a mathematical community in order to help solve worthwhile, interesting and stimulating mathematical problems posed by you, you might want to consider presenting your questions at <a href=\"https://math.stackexchange.com/\">Mathematics Stack Exchange</a>, just as you have already done. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 18387,
"author": "JRN",
"author_id": 64,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/64",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Instead of getting the community to approach you, I suggest that you be the one to approach the community. As an amateur (one who is outside the academic mathematical community), you are at a big disadvantage.</p>\n\n<p>I recommend that you attend conferences and interact with others who are doing work similar to yours. In my opinion, the best way to get attention is to present papers in good conferences and to publish papers in respectable journals. By doing this, your reputation will improve and your work will be better known.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 26131,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I very much doubt that this idea will work. Research mathematics already has its communities: conferences and workshops. New conferences and workshops pop up all the time but they do it because a group of mathematicians say, \"Hey, we keep meeting and talking about Topic X and there are lots of other people who'd be interested. Why don't we run a workshop on that?\" The communities form because a group of mathematicians has a common interest, not because somebody stands up and says, \"Hey! I have this really interesting problem! Everybody come work on it with me!\"</p>\n\n<p>The venue for announcing \"Hey! I have this really interesting problem!\" is a pre-existing conference, as Joel explains in <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/18387/10685\">his answer</a>. If people find it interesting, they'll start to work on it. If enough people start to work on it, they might start to organize workshops.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14189",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1637/"
]
|
14,190 | <p>I've received a perplexing peer-review to a submitted paper of mine. The editor asks for major revisions, and sent us two reviews. The first one is serious and raises good points: we'll work, amend the manuscript and send a detailed reply to the editor.</p>
<p>The second reviewer, however, has a 3 (minor) weird questions, and his fourth is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The authors claimed that “[some sentence taken from the abstract]”. Please give more detailed explanations</p>
</blockquote>
<p>where the sentence is actually a summary of our two-page “Results and discussion” section, i.e. the core of the paper.</p>
<p><strong>I'm concerned that the second reviewer has actually not really read the full paper</strong> [1], and wonder what the best option to deal with it. I've come with the following ideas:</p>
<ol>
<li>In the response to the editor, respond to this request by simply saying <em>“This claim is backed up and discussed at length in section IV”</em>.</li>
<li>Do not respond, but write to the editor saying I am concerned about whether the reviewer actually read the paper at all.</li>
<li>Try to do some editing and write an evasive response, like <em>“We have edited the manuscript to improve the clarity of the discussion on this point”</em>.</li>
</ol>
<p>I want to take option #1, because I think the editor will read between the lines. I'd hate to badmouth the reviewer (option #2), or risk deteriorating the manuscript by silly editing (#3).</p>
<p><strong>What's your take on this? Do you have advice or suggestions on how to act in this situation?</strong></p>
<hr>
<p>[1] I must say here that I started by doubting the clarity of our paper, first. Trying not to be overly defensive of my work! But after asking a friend a second opinion on it, he agrees with me that the review seems shoddy.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14191,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The first thing to do, which I understand you have done, is to check all comments to see whether or not something is unclear or can be misunderstood. Your experience with the second reviewers matches what I see as an editor, that (very) short reviews often are sub-par, and essentially of very little use (applies to both positive and negative reviews). So this is unfortunately not unique.</p>\n\n<p>What I think you should do is the following. Follow up the first reviewer's comments as carefully as you see fit. When you turn to the comments of the second author, try to treat them seriously as well. If you are lucky, maybe something you fixed in response to reviewer 1 will cover Reviewer 2's comments. If not, you need to try to respond to the comments even if you think they are pointless. Failing to respond, or trying to brush them off (regardless of how much you would like to do so), should be avoided. The example you gave should be possible to counter by simply saying that the abstract is not the place to expand on any discussion, since a detailed discussion is provided in the paper proper. Although this may seem unnecessary, you do not know how the editor will interpret the comments and your reply, so try to be clear and stay neutral.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14195,
"author": "Bitwise",
"author_id": 6862,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6862",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my view:</p>\n\n<p>Option 1 is fine. You are not required to do what a reviewer asks - if you choose not to do so you just need to explain why.</p>\n\n<p>Option 2 is not a good idea. You <strong>are required</strong> to respond to every comment made by a reviewer, regardless if you agree or disagree.</p>\n\n<p>Option 3 is also fine. This may be the safest bet - I am guessing you could probably even add a single sentence and the reviewer will almost certainly say its fine.</p>\n\n<p>Probably both 1 and 3 are ok and will get you past this reviewer. You can also go for a combined strategy like: \"We feel this claim is backed up and discussed at length in section IV. Nevertheless, we have edited the manuscript to improve the clarity of the discussion on this point.\"</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14190",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
14,197 | <p>I am a mathematics PhD student in the US graduating this year. I recently received a very good 3 year postdoc offer in Europe, which I have to accept or decline in early December. Not being a big risk taker, I am leaning toward accepting the offer.
I have also applied for an NSF postdoc, which I would prefer to the European offer but am obviously not a shoe in to get--and the results of which won't be known until February. If I accept the European offer, I will have to decline the NSF postdoc if awarded.</p>
<p>If I do that, would I be allowed to reapply for the NSF next year?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14200,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you accept another position before the NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are awarded, you should officially withdraw your NSF application. The way the NSF postdocs work is that there is no second round of offers: if you are awarded one and turn it down, then it won't be offered to their next choice of candidate, who might have received it if you had withdrawn your application. Furthermore, I believe withdrawing will preserve your eligibility for next year, while you will not be eligible if you decline an offer (according to the <a href=\"http://www.nsf.gov/mps/dms/MSPRF/MSPRF_fastlane_instructions.pdf\">official instructions</a>).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14207,
"author": "Ben Webster",
"author_id": 13,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think Anonymous Mathematician has left out something pretty important here, which is that often these situations can be finessed. Have you spoken to the people at the school in Europe about the possibility of you getting the NSF postdoc? Often you can spend one year at wherever you applied to for your NSF and then move to a different place. It's also probably worth speaking to the project officer for the NSF; a lot of things about the fellowship are really up to him/her, so it's possible you could get approval to transfer your NSF to this new place. There's no guarantee, but it's possible with the timing they'll be understanding. You'll never know until you ask.</p>\n\n<p>I completely agree that you need to withdraw your application from the NSF and any other jobs if you know you won't accept them this year. That's just common decency, and it will save people trouble.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14197",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
]
|
14,202 | <p>I am a member of a curriculum committee where we want to improve our undergraduate physics program. One way of doing that is to include weekly discussion sessions with our courses.</p>
<p>After looking at the undergraduate physics programs in some universities, including top ones, I have noticed the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Such sessions come under different names: recitation session, discussion session, tutorial session, problem session. Are they all the same thing? if not then what is the difference?</p></li>
<li><p>The total number of credit hours for a course that has 3 hrs lecture and 1 weekly discussion session sometimes is listed as 3 Cr. in some universities or 4 Cr. in other university. What are the criteria to include or not to include that session in the course credits?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>(Replies are welcomed from math, chemistry, biology, computer science, engineering, geology, etc.)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14205,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As JeffE states, there aren't really any hard and fast rules about when recitation sections count for credit and when they don't, because of the multiple overlapping credit systems used. </p>\n\n<p>For instance, in the \"Carnegie\" units system, such as that used by MIT, the amount of credit associated with a class is strictly dependent on the number of hours expected to be spent on a class per week. For instance, a 12-unit course requires 12 hours of work per week on average, while a 9-unit course would be less than that. The number of hours spent in class is included in the total, but does not strictly govern it.</p>\n\n<p>Other faculties may have their own rules for deciding how much a class is worth. My undergraduate institution, for instance, had a fairly strict reckoning system: 1 \"unit\" for most classes, 1.5 for language classes, 0.5 for labs \"bundled\" with a lecture course, and 1 unit for labs \"separated\" from a lecture course. Recitation and discussion sections did not carry any extra credit.</p>\n\n<p>So it basically is what the tradition for your school in assigning credit should be, and what regulations your university has with respect to this matter.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14206,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Just add a couple more points that may be more applicable to you as a committee member.</p>\n\n<p>Usually, most academic degrees granted by universities are accredited by some overseeing organizations. These organizations evaluate the school's syllabus, infrastructure, and other personal and academic factors, and determine if they would continue their acknowledgement of the degree's representativeness. You can scout around and see if your department has some of these accreditation processes, and learn more about the missions and criteria of those overseeing organization.</p>\n\n<p>Second, check your school's and department's mission/value statements. When proposing a new course, these statements would come handy as a supporting point. Similarly, if your department has a good academic competency checklist, you can also refer to that list, and evaluate if, overall, your institute's degree is enabling these competencies, and if a discussion-type course can further strengthen so.</p>\n\n<p>Third, understand the process of approving a course. This process varies school by school. However, most often there should be a committee (probably called curriculum and academic committee, etc.) that meets regularly to approve new courses or remove old courses. Ask if you can sit in one of those meetings and learn how the process happens. Meeting with the chairperson or secretary would also be helpful.</p>\n\n<p>Fourth, if you happen to be a student representative, don't forget to use your connection to solicit students' ideas. Be very present and actively seek inputs (even it means standing out at a large lecture and ask them to fill in your online survey, etc.)</p>\n\n<p>All these should give a good preparation.</p>\n\n<p>Now, your question is difficult to answer because it does not just depend of school, but also is an evolutionary process of its own within each of the schools. A credit-counting discussion course might be a result of an informal journal club started a couple decades ago... likewise, a current informal discussion could be a remnant of a credit-counting course many years ago which was crowded out by expanded syllabus or was cancelled due to constant under-enrollment. You'd have to check with some more senior faculty members to understand the ins and outs. And here, knowing the school culture and history would help.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14202",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9547/"
]
|
14,203 | <p>English is not my first language, and I am concerned that my statement of purpose might contain some grammatical and punctuation mistakes that neither Microsoft word nor I can see. What is the best way to overcome this problem, and to what degree does this affect the admissions committee decision putting into consideration that English isn't my first language?</p>
<p>P.S. I don't have any native English-speaking friends and I don't trust companies or online sites to see my statement of purpose to check its correctness. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14212,
"author": "long",
"author_id": 8969,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8969",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>If the written question above is a genuine reflection of your English spelling and grammar abilities, then I strongly suggest you seek professional services to assist if you are in any way concerned about your abilities having an adverse impact on your application.</p>\n\n<p>This application is clearly a very important step in determining your future, and if it is so important and you have concerns, it is not worth leaving it to chance. If you have no suitable friends, use a professional service. Plenty of other <em>native-English</em> speaking applicants who are competing for spaces with you will have done so. </p>\n\n<p>I can't say for certain how a selection committee will factor your English as a second language. It is likely to depend on the institution and the course you are applying for.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14234,
"author": "Dylan Meeus",
"author_id": 9570,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9570",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>English not being your first language should not be an excuse. No one is perfect and making a mistake is acceptable, surely if you're not a native speaker. But it makes you look less interested if there are a lot of mistakes in your text. </p>\n\n<p>A native English speaker would be advised - since they might be able to phrase something better than someone who's just \"good\".</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14203",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9488/"
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|
14,219 | <p>I'm trying to figure out whether I need to cite these poems or not.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Out, Out—” has its morbid description of a young boy bleeding out and
its underlying theme of death. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” has its
pessimistic theme that nothing beautiful can stay beautiful.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I speak so generally that I</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Have no idea if it's ethical or not to exclude citation</p></li>
<li><p>What I would cite were I to. Generally you cite poems by line numbers. If one were to cite a poem based on a description of its theme, doesn't that encompass the <em>entire</em> poem? This has more to do with the in-text citation part.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for any help</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14220,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>In general, it's always a good idea to cite your sources. This can especially be the case with older poetry, where there are often differences in spelling, punctuation, and layout between different editions of the same poem. </p>\n\n<p>So, at the first mention of a literary work, whether it's a direct quotation or an indirect reference, it's probably a good idea to cite the specific version of the poem you're writing about. This will make life easier for everybody involved. You would cite the overall poem, usually as a publication in a larger source, and follow the specific guidelines of whatever style manual the publication you are writing for (or the school you are attending) is using.</p>\n\n<p>For example: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Poetovsky, R. \"Sonnet 100\" in <em>Every Sonnet Ever Written by Anybody</em>, ed. John Smith. Random Publisher, Some City (2000).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Then, if you go on to cite the poem again, you can refer to the specific lines as needed; general statements probably wouldn't need to be cited. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14229,
"author": "J. Zimmerman",
"author_id": 7921,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7921",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think you answered your own question. Although my <a href=\"http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0205651712\" rel=\"nofollow\">trusty handbook</a> doesn't specifically address this issue, when citing a poem based on a description of its theme, you <em>are</em> referring to the entire poem. In text citation would thus be (Poetmann lines 1-100), where 100 is the last line of the poem. Obviously, if you later mention a specific line of the poem to back up your claim about the theme, you would cite this particular line as (Poetmann 6).</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14219",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9563/"
]
|
14,224 | <p>I am a mathematics Ph.D student in the United States, and recently received a 3 year postdoctoral offer in Germany, which I have only a few weeks to accept or decline. The offer is very good (high salary, travel funding, no teaching unless I want to) the PI is basically the top person in my field, and the position also solves my 2 body problem (my SO has a similar offer from the same place), so I am tempted to accept it.</p>
<p>However, I have sometimes heard that an American doing a postdoc in Europe is at a disadvantage applying for permanent jobs since European positions are often restricted to EU citizens and American schools are less likely to hire someone who did a postdoc in Europe.
Can someone (on either side of the pond) offer perspective on whether my concerns are valid?
I need to accept or decline the position before offers for US postdocs are sent out.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14225,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'll contribute to answering on the European side… <strong>nationality requirements for European positions are rare</strong>, although not totally unheard of (especially in some strategic sectors). To give only a few examples, French <a href=\"http://www.dgdr.cnrs.fr/drhchercheurs/concoursch/informer/default-en.htm\">CNRS positions</a> and UK <a href=\"http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/fellows/Pages/whocanapply.aspx\">EPSRC fellowships</a> have no nationality requirements.</p>\n\n<p>More common, however, are language requirements: <strong>positions that include some teaching</strong> (lecturer, assistant professor, …) very often <strong>require that you speak the language of the country</strong>. So, unless you're targeting the UK in particular, if you get a post-doc in the EU, you'd better pick up the language!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14227,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm aware of a few potential issues applying for academic jobs in the US after a European (or non-North American) postdoc. These won't necessarily come up in any given job, but they're the problems I've heard of people having. (Specifically, I know of different people who've had each of these problems individually.)</p>\n\n<p>Many American schools are reluctant to hire someone who doesn't have adequate teaching experience, and especially at least some experience teaching service courses (courses to non-majors), since that's such a large part of the job in the US. European postdocs often have less or different teaching requirements.</p>\n\n<p>Many schools can't afford to fly people in from Europe to interview for position, and will therefore officially or unofficially discount applications from someone in Europe.</p>\n\n<p>There's still some variation in how people write recommendation letters, so a European writer is more likely to write a letter which comes across as negative to Americans. (More specifically, in the US, almost any negative comment in a recommendation letter, even a very mild one, is taken as a hint that the problem is much worse than is being said. In Europe, I'm told it's more common to include mild critique of an applicant in an overall positive letter.)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14224",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9565/"
]
|
14,226 | <p>I submitted a paper to an Elsevier journal which is now in 'Submitted to Journal status'. Now I want to remove it to improve the write up, though the content is good. I don't want it to be rejected after waiting for 7 months which would be a lot of time wasted. I would rather remove it now and improve it myself or with the help of editing services. Should I email editor to remove it? I am worried because the reasons for withdrawals mentioned on their website are serious and I don't want to give that impression when my reasons is just to improve the manuscript. </p>
<p>When you feel your paper does not have high chances to get accepted, do you keep on working on it during the review and re-submit to a different journal when it gets rejected eventually? Or remove it immediately, work on it and submit again.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14228,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><em>“When you feel your paper do not have high chances to get accepted”</em>… then I suggest you <strong>don't submit it for publication in the first place!</strong></p>\n\n<p>It has happened that I have submitted a work which I continued to work on improving, but it was definitely in some very specific cases, where</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>the improvement in question was nice but absolutely not crucial to the paper,</li>\n<li>had no impact an any of the conclusions of the paper,</li>\n<li>I was not sure the improvement would actually work.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Basically, something like submitting the paper while continuing to tinker on Figure 2, thinking without adding or removing any data there might be a better way to present it, but it required getting a new software license and learning how to use it. Or submitting a paper while thinking that “hey, this is totally publishable, but if I continue running the simulation while the paper is submitted, maybe I can get the curve on Figure 3 with a little bit less noise”. But <strong>nothing as extensive as changing the text.</strong></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><em>What should you do now?</em> — Well, if you think reworking on the paper can in a significant way improve its chances of being accepted, I suggest you withdraw it from consideration. If you submitted not too long ago, the editor and referees might not even have wasted much time on it yet. So <strong>write to the editor, <em>apologetically</em> explaining that you've realized you made a mistake in submitting your paper too early, and would like to withdraw it</strong>. It's not a very nice thing to do, but I still believe it's in your interest.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14232,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Just to check: the changes you want to make don't affect the results of the paper, you just want to write it more clearly?</p>\n\n<p>If the paper has already been under review for 7 months, they at least think it's good enough not to reject immediately, and the referee(s) have probably spent a fair amount of time looking at it. If you withdraw it now, you will have to start the whole process over when you resubmit.</p>\n\n<p>I would probably do one of two things:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Wait until you get a decision from the journal. There's a good chance the decision will be \"accept with revisions\". Then you can include your changes along with those suggested by the referee. Include a list of all the changes you made, so that the referee knows what to look at. Of course, if it's rejected, then you can make your changes before submitting to a new journal.</p></li>\n<li><p>Make your changes now, and quickly. Then contact the editor, saying something like: \"Upon rereading the manuscript, I think its clarity would be improved by changing such and such. Would you be willing to consider this updated submission, and pass it along to the referees?\" Again, include a list of the changes you have made.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In either case, it would help to minimize the amount you change: revise what you have to, but don't gratuitously make changes that aren't really necessary.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14226",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9242/"
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|
14,231 | <p>I've started a PhD position at a university in the US, but I'd like to travel during my time there. What's the easiest way to do something like that? Are there fellowships or grants available for students who want to study abroad for a semester or year, and if so, how can I find them? Or, is studying abroad typically a process that is dependent on who my advisor knows in foreign countries?</p>
<p>If it helps to answer this question, my field is statistics and I'm planning on focusing on spatial statistics.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14233,
"author": "Dylan Meeus",
"author_id": 9570,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9570",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is very dependant on the country you live in. There are plenty of countries whos universities have special programs for students studying abroad. In such programs, you are often in contact with other people from your university / country who study or live near you when you're in another country. They then organise several events to explore the culture there.</p>\n\n<p>(I've attended keynotes about this as I'm thinking of studying abroad myself)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14248,
"author": "BrenBarn",
"author_id": 9041,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9041",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>It may depend on who your advisor knows in foreign countries --- or who <em>you</em> can get to know in foreign countries.</p>\n\n<p>I've known people who've done this, but my impression is that in grad school it becomes less about \"doing a study abroad\" and more about doing a \"visiting scholar\" program at a particular school. That is, you wouldn't seek or find something like \"I want to study abroad\" or \"I want to study in Country X\". What you could do is find a particular school, department, or researcher in Country X and arrange to visit their department for a certain length of time. I'm in a department in the US, and we regularly have visiting scholars from a range of countries (e.g., Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, Brazil). We currently have one of our own students on a visiting scholar stay in Germany and another is planning a possible study in Singapore.</p>\n\n<p>The thing is that, like anything else in a PhD program, \"studying abroad\" can't just be \"studying\", it has to be connected to your particular research. So you would need to build connections with particular departments.</p>\n\n<p>Also, there can often be opportunities for shorter-term study abroad in the form of \"workshops\" or the like. These would be more in the range of 2-6 weeks. That's a lot less time abroad, but my impression is it's much more straightforward, because you just apply (instead of having to form specific personal relationships with other researchers). These workshops sometimes have fellowships available to cover some or all of the cost, and even if they don't, it's likely to be easier to get funding from other sources if you can point to a specific \"thing\" you're using it for (i.e., \"I am going to this workshop on these dates to learn about these topics\" rather than \"I'm going to Country X for a while to hang out\").</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14231",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7736/"
]
|
14,235 | <p>Teaching, research and (academic) publishing are three different pursuits. Our society and its institutions, particularly most universities, enforce links between these in various ways.</p>
<p>People who have great teaching skills can not get teaching positions (at universities) because they aren't good in doing research, and some potentially great researchers experience setbacks in their academic career because they are horrible at teaching, and both can be penalized by failing to or poorly publishing their results.</p>
<p>How did this happen? Who does is benefit? How does intertwining these three requirements benefit the general knowledge and the academic community?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14241,
"author": "Samuel Russell",
"author_id": 4429,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4429",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>We miss out on people who would make great teachers because they aren't good at doing research, and some potentially great researchers are left out of academic research because they are horrible at teaching</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Dubious. The labour market is so flooded that institutions above the barrier can for \"on-going\" positions select who they like within the wage's established differentials. For bulk teaching, most Universities are reliant on casual staff who they sweat with the hope of an on-going position. So this statement is, outside of markets with limited labour supply, junk.</p>\n\n<p>As far as the oversupply of labour, the Employers have a very good reason to offer more candidatures for PhD than the required number of future jobs plus a friction load for losses to industry practice. They're \"deskilling.\"</p>\n\n<p>They're also changing the nature of the commodity on offer (check word limits, class sizes, expectations of self-activity over a 30 year scale for undergraduates); and, of course, attempting mechanisation. From what I've seen mechanisation isn't increasing worker productivity, but, rather is more important in breaking down work cultures.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>How did this happen?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Proletarianisation, commodification, and capitalism. Ford & Taylor, my friends, Ford & Taylor.</p>\n\n<p>You could suggest that it happened in countries without strong Academic industrial organisation (The United States, for example) due to particularism. But actually we can see the broad effects of this universally across \"varieties of captialism\" to greater or lesser extents. That it happens in undergraduate teaching and in research, with their different world markets, is indicative that it isn't just particular systems. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Who does it benefit?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It directly benefits the bourgeoisie, as capital flight into newly commodified areas results in a period of primary accumulation, and as secondary accumulation takes off it often has a higher rate of profit. Basically, there's superprofits in Tertiary Education.</p>\n\n<p>It also benefits consumers. Tertiary education is largely a required commodity to consume, see for example Australia's rate of tertiary education uptake. The more important question is why consumption is over biased (given the knowable workforce demands from employers) towards Higher rather than Further or Vocational tertiary education? Here I'd suggest that many, if not most, jobs don't require tertiary education to perform, and instead employers are getting labour discipline benefits. Consumers still gain some measure of benefit from the enjoyment of education, and the possibility of subversively exercising education in their employment anyway. Also, with the massification of higher education many more consumers get to enjoy this commodity in its dissipated \"University\" form rather than through Workers Educational Associations, Trade Union newspapers, or Party Education. (Personally, comparing the level of discourse in 1940s TU newspapers to contemporary bits of the internet where equivalent age bands try to discuss serious matters, I'll go with the \"non-traditional\" education system here for superiority.)</p>\n\n<p>Research culture is a side effect of the commodification of undergraduate teaching. In 1987 when Australia commodified undergraduate education (HECS), it also began the audit of research (The \"Publications\" return portion of the current HERDC report). It has taken 25 years, and changes in the control over production in departments, but effectively HERDC points act as a method of realising research activity, in a similar way that the \"Effective Full Time Student Unit\" realises as a commodity teaching.</p>\n\n<p>As far as the teaching / research nexus: using publicly available data I'm pretty sure that even in research intensive universities, all research outside of grant funded substantive positions is done as \"overtime.\" Going back to the labour supply and generation of PhDs: the employer inculcates in apprentices the idea that 60 hour weeks are normal, and that the employer should have exclusive use of the employee for teaching and service for the \"normal\" working week. The natural form of resistance and sabotage to this would be to not publish. The results of not publishing is the guaranteed absence of an on-going position.</p>\n\n<p>Sources: Vestes/AUR; Trade Unionism; long term wage/price series; managerialism & audit culture; Braverman on deskilling & proletarianisation</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14243,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Ca. the 17th century, typically research, teaching, and religion were the functions of a European university. For example, when Isaac Newton wanted to become a professor at Cambridge, he asked the king for a special dispensation to be excused from taking holy orders. He was expected to teach as well as doing research, but was apparently such a bad teacher that he often lectured to an empty room.</p>\n\n<p>During this period publication was not as emphasized as it is today. There were no academic journals in the modern sense. People communicated their results directly to their students, by letters to their peers, and sometimes by writing books. In some fields, such as alchemy, secrecy was the norm.</p>\n\n<p>Presumably the reason that research, teaching, and religion were all linked was that the system evolved from medieval institutions, in which the literate class consisted mostly of monks. Part of their job was to preserve knowledge.</p>\n\n<p>I think the more modern, liberal, and secular model is what's known as the German university model. It dates to the 19th century and was influenced by personalities like Friedrich Schleiermacher and Wilhelm von Humboldt. I think this was also the era when modern academic journals began to appear, and this was an important, positive development.</p>\n\n<p>Some more modern phenomena in the US are research supported by grants from the central government; land-grant colleges; the delegation of a large amount of undergraduate teaching to part-time faculty; and the creation of community colleges, which have only teaching as their mission, not research.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14272,
"author": "hunse",
"author_id": 9558,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9558",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are advantages to having the same people do teaching and research. One is that students are being taught by an active researcher in the field, someone who is presumably up to date on the state of the art. They can provide students with meaningful examples that relate to current real-world research problems. Interested students may even get opportunities to do some research, either through a course project or as an extra-curricular activity.</p>\n\n<p>There are also advantages to researchers. In my experience, one of the best ways to really get to understand something is to teach it; it quickly becomes apparent what you know really well and what you don't know so well. Students can also push teachers to look at things a different way, and can help fuel the creativity of researchers. Of course, the researcher has to be careful not to steal a student's brilliant idea for themselves, but rather to include the student in the research process.</p>\n\n<p>That said, I think your comments are valid, and there are some drawbacks to having teaching and research coupled so tightly. As you observed, some people are better at doing research, and some are better at teaching. Universities have found ways to deal with this, such as letting more research-focused professors not have to teach much, and letting good teaching professors teach more. Even so, I had some professors in my undergrad who weren't very good teachers, and I think the reason the university keeps them around is because they are good researchers.</p>\n\n<p>Some universities are moving more toward the model you describe, hiring full-time lecturers to teach some (especially first- and second-year) courses. This is a contentious issue in academics, and you're certainly not the only person who thinks research and teaching should be decoupled.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14235",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2802/"
]
|
14,239 | <p>I'm looking for advice on presenting the research publications of my group on our webpage. Most groups seem to go with a simple publication list, sorted by year and maybe publication type. But there are also more elaborate implementations up to browseable publication directories (e.g., <a href="http://www.math.rutgers.edu/~sontag/papers.html">http://www.math.rutgers.edu/~sontag/papers.html</a> ). What would be your recommendation for creating an online presence for research publications that is</p>
<ul>
<li>informative and useful for readers,</li>
<li>visually pleasant, and</li>
<li>easy to maintain for us?</li>
</ul>
<p>I'd also be interested in links to websites that you see as role models for this issue.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14259,
"author": "Trylks",
"author_id": 7571,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7571",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My dreamed interface puts on the left a list of topics, a list of authors and possibly some other list (venue, maybe). Clicking on them filters the papers that appear on the right.</p>\n\n<p>The papers on the right are in a table that can be sorted by year or title (or possibly something else, number of cites to that paper maybe). On each row there are two icons, one is a PDF icon that leads to the PDF file, the other one is a TeX icon that leads to a GIT repository with the TeX source.</p>\n\n<p>All this can be done (for instance) in Javascript with the data coming from a JSON file that would be the only thing you would need to update to maintain this, so it's quite maintainable. This is my dream. Reality is very far from it, but it may serve as inspiration to you. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14473,
"author": "Christian Fritz",
"author_id": 9763,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9763",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>You could use <a href=\"http://bibbase.org\">BibBase.org</a>. It's a free web service that I created with the aim to solve the problem you describe. I was originally motivated by the third point (easy to maintain). As input you can use a bibtex file, Zotero, or Mendeley, and unlike bib2html you don't need to rerun any program after making changes to your input. Visitors can resort by different criteria (author, year, keyword, number of downloads, type), get the bibtex source entry (even when not using bibtex as input), and subscribe to an RSS. Here is an example: <a href=\"http://www.isi.edu/integration/karma/#publication\">http://www.isi.edu/integration/karma/#publication</a></p>\n\n<p><em>(Disclaimer: I'm the creator of BibBase.)</em></p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14239",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3890/"
]
|
14,250 | <p>I'm undergraduate who are applying US research program. I have one interest field in which I have read 1 survey and 3 other papers (I know it is not enough). I only have some vague and primitive idea so that I am not sure I will do research in the field in graduate program. </p>
<p>I'm afraid if I write my research interest too specific and there are no professor who has knowledge about or is interested in such field, the admission committee would think my goals do not coincide with their department research interests.</p>
<p>Is it a disadvantage to write research interests too specific?</p>
<p><em>It is also possible that what I believe is too specific may be not specific enough for some professor.</em></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14251,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I am not sure if a statement would be harmful, it will be a question of how well you appear to know the field. You are right in that you have not nearly read enough. It would be better to simply state that you are interested in such and such a field without going into depth, after all being interested is hardly a problem. If you try to get into arguing for why a field is interesting without having a good grasp of the field, you run into the likely situation that instead of primarily showing your interest, you simply expose your lack of knowledge. No-one would expect an undergraduate to have deeper knowledge about a specific research topic but if you try to argue for some field based on very sketchy knowledge, you may come across as naive. I therefore think it is better to simply state fields that you are interested in without going into specifics. If you manage to read up on a field (which would take, likely significant, time) so that you have a perspective, then such a statement would be a definite positive. Coming across as having good general skill (knowledge and abilities) is still the most important aspect.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14252,
"author": "Trylks",
"author_id": 7571,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7571",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You should choose either where do you want to go (e.g. research group) or what topic you want to research.</p>\n\n<p>If you choose the group because those guys are really clever and doing very interesting things (whatever they do!), or maybe because they are where you want to live for personal reasons and you don't care about the topic, then find out what kind of interests they have (specially what do they need to cover with new people) and be specific on that. You can ask them, everybody likes getting new people to work with/for them specially when they need more people and have money to pay them. If they don't have money and don't need people, and possibly are saturated of work and cannot supervise/advise more students, then probably you should search for a different place (and repeat the process in this paragraph).</p>\n\n<p>If you choose the topic then you should see which are the best groups to work on that topic, who is doing interesting things, where they are, choose the research group of your interest and then repeat the process in the previous paragraph. Do this until it works for a research group.</p>\n\n<p>Be aware that working for many hours a day, days a year and years in total is more exhausting if you don't really like the topic of your work. I know it's feasible, and it's even possible to get good results and survive (at least physically and academically, your soul may be crushed), but certainly it's more advisable to do this after finding a topic you love.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14275,
"author": "Jyler",
"author_id": 9392,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9392",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's not uncommon for people to do a project entirely different from what they wrote about during the application process, so it's not necessarily a bad thing to write in detail about a project that would interest you. It's good to let the faculty know that you can sketch out one or more coherent, interesting, and potentially fundable/publishable ideas for a project that would be appropriate and manageable during your time in the department. </p>\n\n<p>If you want to talk specifically about what you're interested in (and I encourage this), great - but get to know the specialties of faculty members before applying. You should be choosing the schools based on faculty, after all.</p>\n\n<p>I think you're spot on about being too specific about a project causing a problem when there are no faculty on staff who specialize in that area. To be honest, it's in your best interest to not apply somewhere if there are few or no professors that specialize in what you're interested in. It becomes difficult not only for the student who may receive little help, but also for the advisor, and the result could be a poor working relationship. </p>\n\n<p>Your letter of intent is one of the most important parts of your application package. If you don't talk specifically about a project you'd be interested in, then make sure what you do talk about is worthwhile and not simply filler.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14250",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6962/"
]
|
14,254 | <p>I'm a year and a half into a PhD at a top university in the Uk. Doing some good work but not enjoying academia and I think this is more than second year blues. I have quite a bad advisor which doesn't help, for example I've already had my work stolen by a collaborator and my supervisor is reluctant to rock the boat or say anything. </p>
<p>My PhD is in applied Math and computational physics and I have access to London. My current plan is to leave with an Mphil and find a job in the city - trouble is I don't know what I want to do. </p>
<p>I would like a career that uses my mathematical and programming abilities and is more commercial, i.e. not all technical. A career that I can go places with - but has a good work life balance. I've always wanted to be a professor, but the reality of academia has really put a pin in that, I can't stand it, I hate the politics, I hate the way I'm treated by my supervisors, the university staff and colleges, I hate the academic culture here where I'm expected to let my research take over life and that just by considering other opportunities, I'm not worthy of academia - I came TOP of my class, I worked incredibly hard, I feel I deserve more respect than what I get as a grad student. </p>
<p>So I've been looking around and a few careers have caught my eye - though I want something with a better work-life balance.</p>
<p>Has anyone themselves quit a PhD? Were you happier? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14260,
"author": "Wesley Bland",
"author_id": 8503,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8503",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have my PhD in Computer Science so it's not a 1:1 comparison, but it's probably close enough.</p>\n\n<p>First, know that being a grad student has it's perks, but overall, you haven't really promoted yourself much in the eyes of your supervisor by getting an undergraduate degree. You're still going to be viewed with the title of \"student\" until you graduate. This is unfortunate, but it's how I've found most of the world works. You should know that once you graduate, the situation does improve quickly. There will always be people who will look down on you (in any industry or education level), but for the most part, it's not so bad.</p>\n\n<p>Second, remember that getting a PhD doesn't really close that many doors. There will be some companies that don't want to hire a PhD because of your title, but you can usually find a job outside of academia with a PhD. I have friends with PhDs that have gone to Google, Amazon, etc. and do jobs that they could have been able to do with a Masters degree. However, by having the PhD, they can now go back to academia if they choose to do so.</p>\n\n<p>Third, at least make sure you come out of the experience with something. Those I know that abandoned ship midway through at least made sure they received their Masters degree before leaving. Otherwise, you're definitely limiting your options later. You can get lots of jobs with a Bachelor's degree, but it gets harder and harder to be promoted without more advanced degrees.</p>\n\n<p>Lastly, if politics is not your thing, you're probably right that working in a university setting won't be what you want. It's going to be a very political job for most of your career compared to some of the other options.</p>\n\n<p>The big question you have to answer is, what are your goals? Do you want to make more money? Don't work in academia. Do you want to have more control over your work? Then research is probably going to be more in line with what you want. Also remember, universities aren't the only places that do research. There are also companies and government labs in most countries where you can do research.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14261,
"author": "jorderon",
"author_id": 9590,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9590",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Part of finding out what you want to do is trial and error. If you want to do investment banking, do some investing yourself; it's never been easier to participate in a market. It might not be investment banking itself, but an individual portfolio you've created, using your mathematical knowledge would go somewhere in an interview with a financial institution, and you have London, so there's no shortage of investment banks. That career path has zero work life balance, however, if done professionally. If you want to maintain some liberty you'd need to be investing your own money your own way. This is much easier because you have much less paperwork and regulatory overhead as an individual investor than a member of an investment bank. If you don't like it, you can take a few years and make a fortune making others' fortunes and move on to something else. Having a few million affords great liberty.</p>\n\n<p>I too wanted to be a professor in the States, but seeing the grim realities of the academy made me realize that I wouldn't be able to deal with the extra nonsense that goes along with it. If all I had to do was teach and research, I would dedicate my life to it. But we all know that's maybe 20% on a good day of what academics actually do. But almost all careers have this kind of extra stuff to deal with in one way or another, so don't look to avoid it just by escaping the academy. I'm in the humanities, so ymmv, but I know there's a lot of similarity.</p>\n\n<p>You won't avoid these petty politics you hate outside the academy, at least not completely. It's not as if academics alone have petty fights and engage in office politics. But I do know that there is less of it outside the ivory tower. One of my mentors told me \"tempers run so hot because the stakes are so low,\" which I found out later is called Sayre's law, and it indicates a truism about human nature; we are acutely aware of our insignificance, if only subconsciously, and fight it.</p>\n\n<p>The academy fosters a tunnel-vision. It becomes impossible to imagine life outside, or that other career paths are just (and more) legitimate, or that there are other ways to make a living other than competing for an ever-diminishing piece of the grant funding. Academics tend to think in zero-sum thoughts so outside-the-box ideas, such as other careers are difficult for them to process. The institutional thinking engenders feelings of shame and fear for leaving, or even considering other options, because why would anyone want to do anything else, this is the life of the mind, the highest life!? But you can look past all that since the early-relationship glow has worn off the ivory tower.</p>\n\n<p>I think you've already discerned that the academy isn't for you. You can be happy doing just about anything you find fulfillment in. If it's making million dollar trades, or laying brick it doesn't really matter. You just know its certainly not research proposals and bitter backstabbing academics who don't appreciate your contribution to the institution, yet depend on you for their status. You can work hard without an advanced degree and climb the ladder just as well. With at least a 4 year degree you'll never hit any glass ceilings anyway. I speak as an American. I know you folks across the pond have more stake in social status, so it might be slightly different over there.</p>\n\n<p>But to specifically answer your other question: No one who quit a PhD ever felt bad for quitting a PhD. They usually just feel bad for not quitting sooner, or for going in the first place. They regret the lost years filled with stress and low income, and not the missed opportunity for a very, very, low chance of a tenured position.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14269,
"author": "Vidro3",
"author_id": 9598,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9598",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As someone who left a PhD program, I would suggest:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Trying to stick it out for a bit longer and see if your outlook changes if this is a field you truly have an intellectual passion for and your own intellectual development is reward enough for you. \nIt will be extremely hard if not impossible to go back to the PhD route once you leave. Even if you never use the PhD it will still be a significant accomplishment that you can feel proud of.</p></li>\n<li><p>Seeking out a new advisor/mentor. Try to cultivate some supportive relationships.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I think the idea that academia is much worse an atmosphere than another occupation is misguided, as others have said. \nWhen all else fails, try spite as motivation. \nYou were TOP of your class? \nYou don't feel respected?\nWell, to quote Troy McClure, \"Get confident, stupid!\" \nGo be the mathsiest mathematician you can be. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14274,
"author": "Nobody",
"author_id": 546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have strong urge to respond to user9590's comment: <em>No one who quit a PhD ever felt bad for quitting a PhD.</em> Well, <strong>I do.</strong> I always feel bad after I quit PhD. Although I had good personal reasons to do so, I always regret my decision. I missed everything in academia: the professors, the classroom, the research, the teaching, even the campus. After I retired from industry, I had to choose a place to live. Do you know the street name of my current address? <em>Academia Road !</em></p>\n\n<p>The reasons you're thinking about leaving academia:</p>\n\n<p><em>I hate the politics</em> - Do you believe there is no politics in industry?</p>\n\n<p><em>I hate the way I'm treated by my supervisors, the university staff and colleges</em> - Do you believe your managers, the human resources and the company in industry will treat you very well?</p>\n\n<p><em>I hate the academic culture here where I'm expected to let my research take over life</em>, - Would you love the industry culture to let making money take over life?</p>\n\n<p><em>I feel I deserve more respect than what I get as a grad student.</em>. - Do you feel you deserve more respect than what you'll get as an employee of an industry company?</p>\n\n<p>If your answers to the above questions are all positive, industry is your place. In particular, please run to industry if you love to make money. Otherwise, please reconsider quitting PhD. Good Luck!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14299,
"author": "Federico",
"author_id": 9621,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9621",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I also have left my PhD. Well, it was more of a situation like <a href=\"http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1652\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this</a> to be honest.</p>\n\n<p>The problem with it? I really liked research, the issue was that my objectives/field were not matching the ones of the supervisor: I was (and still am) for a more practical/engineer approach while the supervisor wanted a more theoretical/pure mathematical one.</p>\n\n<p>The end result was me leaving the PhD after 1 year and a half from its beginning.</p>\n\n<p>Am I happier now? Well, you can be sure of that, I found another PhD with an approach I like and I am having a ton of fun doing it.</p>\n\n<p>My suggestion? Try to understand the real reason for which you feel that leaving the PhD would be a good idea. You say:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol>\n <li>I would like a career that uses my mathematical and programming\n abilities and is more commercial, i.e. not all technical. </li>\n <li>A career\n that I can go places with - but has a good work life balance. [...]</li>\n <li>I hate the politics, I\n hate the way I'm treated by my supervisors, the university staff and\n colleges, I hate the academic culture here where I'm expected to let\n my research take over life and that just by considering other\n opportunities, </li>\n <li>I'm not worthy of academia - </li>\n <li>I came TOP of my class, I\n worked incredibly hard, I feel I deserve more respect than what I get\n as a grad student.</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>I am not sure I understand your contraposition of commercial and technical. IF you program a commercial product, isn't that a technical task?</p></li>\n<li><p>Well, I would not expect too much, the perfect job does not exist, you'll always have to accept some kind of trade-off.</p></li>\n<li><p>Expect all of that in any and all workplaces you'll ever go</p></li>\n<li><p>pardon? you feel you're too good or not good enough? Personally, I think you're making a mistake either way</p></li>\n<li><p>Life isn't fair, live with it. [\"I deserve\"? you're from the US, right?]</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14309,
"author": "The Badger",
"author_id": 9630,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9630",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<ol>\n<li>The world is a big place and full of millions of opportunities for whatever work life balance \"floats your boat\".</li>\n<li>You (like 99.99% of us) want to be happy (and right now NEED to be happIER).</li>\n<li>Life is short.</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14328,
"author": "Messerschmitt",
"author_id": 9636,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9636",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would suggest you to wait for a couple of months to see how will it go AND look for another PhD. You've mentioned you are in top university, I don't see major problems for another top university to accept you for PhD. </p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, you are lucky. A lot of people are dreaming to do PhD and study in top university. I don't even have a chance to do PhD but I would love to do it. Doind Taught Masters now, it's harder than bachelors and MRes, so enjoy your time. Talk to someone you are in good relations with at university, they might figure out something for you. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 18728,
"author": "user13666",
"author_id": 13666,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13666",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Don't do it. </p>\n\n<p>Having quit a PhD myself, I can attest to the weight of conscience quitting can be. You will make more money, but you will see it all seep away toward bills you now don't have. And, ironically, those bills are not remotely associated with anything \"fun\" or \"cool\" or \"enjoyable\". Nope. They are rent, they are student debt, they are car payments—and you know, having done computational physics, that a new car does not bring fulfillment. And living in the city? You will seep money from your pores for housing that is so substandard, you would be better off as a poor man in a rural area.</p>\n\n<p>And for this what do you get? Well. I don't know. Maybe you will do well. I didn't. Two and a half years into this stupid experiment, I have not a penny in the bank, I have a broken-down car, and I guess I should be happy to be able to pay rent and meet my obligatory student loan payments. Yay!</p>\n\n<p>But no sense of doing something meaningful or big. No sense of moving toward something bigger, even if far down the line. I am stagnated, in a job that brings me little joy, and which allows be only to pay my bills and live day to day.</p>\n\n<p>Do what you want. Others will cry to you how bad a PhD is. I am telling you otherwise. If you're going to get screwed, I'd rather get screwed in academia, where at least you get to feel like a) you do something meaningful, and b) you are moving toward something greater.</p>\n\n<p>You will quit your PhD. I have no doubt. I've been there, and when you start questioning yourself this way, you already know what you will do, even if you're not sure of it. You will quit. Just know that you will wish you could go back. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 26838,
"author": "user20392",
"author_id": 20392,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20392",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Drop out now!</p>\n\n<p>I am just about to submit after 5 years of PhD - and I have hated every minute of it. I also thought about quitting after the first year, but talked myself out of it. I am a mature age student and had worked for many years before I started the PhD. My reasons for starting the PhD in the first place were that I was a bit bored with my job and wanted to extend myself - not good reasons! Also my expectations of what a PhD was and the reality of a PhD did not match up very well. I thought I should have been discussing big ideas with my supervisors, but our meetings were generally about my style of writing - should I use bullet points or not, how should the tables be formatted, I hadn't led the reader enough (read repeated myself often enough).</p>\n\n<p>At the start of this year I was lucky enough to get a tenure track job at a good university. I know I'm really lucky to be here, but I absolutely hate it. I thought I should at least apply for an academic job to see if I could get a job, and then I thought, well... I should at least try it out for a year. Even now in my head I'm telling myself - it will be better next year.</p>\n\n<p>I feel like I've just drifting along waiting to see if things improve for the past 5 years. I really regret leaving my last job. If I had my time again, I would have quit after the first year and I would probably be doing something I really enjoy now! I feel stuck.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 66856,
"author": "Nikey Mike",
"author_id": 51566,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/51566",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First of all, the level of happiness has nothing to do with the fact that you are a PhD student and not, it only has to do with the value between expectations versus reality and the way we see and the perception of reality. There are many things in life more important that a PhD, for example family, friends, having a moral conduct, being health, enjoy life as it is, but also having and obtaining the theoretical skills to ask questions and answer a few about the universe I think it would worth it. If you don't like what you are doing, it is expected to change something. If you plan not to quit PhD, you can also approach new fields and change the field without any problem. I have a friend who has changed his supervisor once at one year, with no major problems. Although I wouldn't recommend to change to often, try to find what would make you feel good with yourself. Also, in fact you don't need a supervisor to ask big questions in any field of study. I have a friend who has worked on PhD topic and in his spare time has approached a new exotic field and has published in leading journals without any guidance or supervision. At the end, the only advice I can give would be not to give any advice. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 68992,
"author": "Michael Lai",
"author_id": 20073,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20073",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The only thing that will make you happier is to figure out what makes you happy in the first place. I doubt that it is the PhD itself, because if you are not happy then you are hardly going to be happy doing anything.</p>\n\n<p>I think the decision you make is not going to be anywhere near as important as what you do after you make the decision. So if you are going to quit, then try to make the most of the situation by starting on your next career or challenge early, and if you decide to stick with it, then get through to the end and you'll make the most of having completed it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 76238,
"author": "Yolanda",
"author_id": 61293,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/61293",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I quit a top program in psychology halfway through my second year due to theoretical disagreements with the professors. Some of the difficulties I faced afterwards included awkwardly saying goodbye to classmates, resolving the identity crisis that comes with losing the status of a doctoral student, dealing with family reactions, feelings of failure and regret, confusion about my future, and most of all, getting a job. </p>\n\n<p>My advice to finding a good job afterwards: \n1) go to a community (not your college) career center for help with your resume. No matter how many resume examples you read online, it’s very hard to turn a long academic CV into a concise industry-friendly resume that’s 1-2 pages MAX, and shows clear work experience/skills.</p>\n\n<p>2) make sure you withdraw completely from the program and are removed from the school’s website before applying to your new dream job. I was still on my school’s website as a doctoral student and I was formally on a leave of absence, which was discordant with the “withdrew in good standing” statement on my resume. This created suspicion that I was just on a break from my program and probably contributed to being turned down. </p>\n\n<p>3) if you’re switching research areas (which is common if you did research on a social issue that is only studied in academia), make sure you research this new area extensively and come up with clear (even if not entirely factual) reasons why you want to switch research interests and you’re passionate about this new field. </p>\n\n<p>4) I found that most research coordinator openings for outside candidates are entry level, and although they were interested in me, I was overqualified. You can’t really avoid this problem, but it can still be useful to interview for entry-level positions since you can get a better sense of what jobs are out there, and they might pass your resume onto to someone else or decide to make a new position to fit you in. </p>\n\n<p>5) the hardest problem was what to tell the interviewers about why I left. The first 5 jobs I interviewed with asked me why I left my PhD program as one of the first interview questions. I wasn’t emotionally ready to reasons, so I made up a variety of excuses, from financial strain, to change of interests. These reasons were not convincing, and led to jobs turning me down. </p>\n\n<p>I think this problem was especially bad in my situation because I was in a very prestigious program, I left halfway through the year without finishing a masters, and I was applying to full-time research jobs in psychology that were often stepping stones for others to get into psychology PhD programs (so it was strange that I was going backwards). Indeed, one interviewer asked “people would kill to get into your school, why did you leave?” and then stared at me skeptically as I tried to explain. I would recommend, if you can, get a master’s degree before you leave. A master’s in psychology is not as useful as other degrees, but it looks way better on a resume, shows some accomplishment, and is much easier to explain. Otherwise, have a brief (2-3 sentence) explanation that’s convincing and doesn’t lead to tears.</p>\n\n<p>Where I’m at now:\nAfter 3 difficult months of interviews, I was offered a really great position. It was also the only position in which the interviewer (my new boss) didn’t ask me why I left my PhD. I have no idea why he didn’t ask, but I just assume it’s because he’s the BEST PERSON EVER. Anyway, I love my job. I make in the upper 30’s, which isn’t my dream salary, but it’s much more than I would make in grad school. I enjoy the work and find it very interesting, and I use a lot of the skills I learned in grad school. I also love the work/life balance that actually leaves room for healthy relationships and free time to have fun. I have no idea what my future career will look like, but I’m much happier with my life now than I was when I attempted a PhD. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14254",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9589/"
]
|
14,258 | <p>Does anyone know if there is a tool that takes a paper (pdf) and is able to produce a directed graph of the citations, and if possible take the papers that are cited and use the citations of those papers and include it in the graph. So it is easy to see what is an important paper, and what I've missed and so on.</p>
<p>An example I hardcoded: </p>
<p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/mStcP.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14265,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I'm also on a saga to look for this tool, hopefully the answers in this thread can end all the search. Here is what I know.</p>\n<p>There used to be a software called <a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1082952/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">RefViz</a> that does what you exactly want. It was released by Thomson at a price of about US$295. Unfortunately, the response wasn't too good and it seems the product has been discontinued for more than five years. I used to use this software quite often to generate some themes from the literature pool. Since it was discontinued I have moved away from this type of relational analysis.</p>\n<p>Instem has another product <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20150222114228/http://www.instem.com/solutions/omniviz.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">OmniViz</a>, which remains in the market. OmniViz is like RefViz on steroids, and is much more capable. The price is also higher, reaching about US$1000 for an educational copy. Apart from literature relation, it can also be applied to genomics and that perhaps explains the high price. Instem has also produced a text-specific version of Omniviz, <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20160207201724/http://www.txtviz.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Txtviz</a> that is designed specifically to support people wading through large volumes of textual documents to find specific themes and areas of interest.</p>\n<p>If you're tight on budget, try Google "citation map software" and you should be able to find other cheaper alternatives, like <a href=\"https://sci2s.ugr.es/scimat/download.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">SciMAT</a>, which is free.</p>\n<p>Thomson has also hosted an online <a href=\"http://wokinfo.com/products_tools/multidisciplinary/webofscience/citmap/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">citation map</a>, which does not hook up to your literature library, but if you click on any indexed article on Web of Science, you can get a network consisted of the cited and citing articles. If you'd like to see how much impact a certain article has, it's a good tool as well.</p>\n<p>A more rudimentary way is to make the network yourself using mind mapping software. I have been using the brainstorming function in <a href=\"http://www.qiqqa.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Qiqqa</a> and it's not too shabby as a thought generator.</p>\n<p>Last but not least, I'd also like to advocate for a large piece of A3 size paper, a good black or sepia felt tip pen, a box of color pencil, and some fun attitude to draw your own. I got the most out of this method, to be honest. When using the online tool or software I feel I am just producing a thing, but when I use my hands to make a network of articles that I feel important, I am also thinking. I guess person-to-person it's different.</p>\n<p>Just remember whatever software we use, the relevance is based on algorithm. It's just like data mining, there will be false positives and negatives. Be mindful when analyzing the so-called literature gaps that the software found, sometimes it could be a gap, sometimes it could just be a void and does not deserve attention. Strong discretion along the process is necessary.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 170150,
"author": "Nichola",
"author_id": 141972,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/141972",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You can visualize second order citation trees using this tool : <a href=\"https://www.citationtree.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.citationtree.org/</a>\nIt uses data from CrossRef.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14258",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9236/"
]
|
14,266 | <p>I'm a Master's student currently applying for PhD programs. I've seen conflicting advice about including coursework on my CV.</p>
<p>I'm wondering whether it's ever helpful to have relevant coursework listed. In my case, for example, I'm applying to programs that are more computation-based than my current program, and I'd like to show the CS course that I took while here.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14265,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I'm also on a saga to look for this tool, hopefully the answers in this thread can end all the search. Here is what I know.</p>\n<p>There used to be a software called <a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1082952/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">RefViz</a> that does what you exactly want. It was released by Thomson at a price of about US$295. Unfortunately, the response wasn't too good and it seems the product has been discontinued for more than five years. I used to use this software quite often to generate some themes from the literature pool. Since it was discontinued I have moved away from this type of relational analysis.</p>\n<p>Instem has another product <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20150222114228/http://www.instem.com/solutions/omniviz.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">OmniViz</a>, which remains in the market. OmniViz is like RefViz on steroids, and is much more capable. The price is also higher, reaching about US$1000 for an educational copy. Apart from literature relation, it can also be applied to genomics and that perhaps explains the high price. Instem has also produced a text-specific version of Omniviz, <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20160207201724/http://www.txtviz.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Txtviz</a> that is designed specifically to support people wading through large volumes of textual documents to find specific themes and areas of interest.</p>\n<p>If you're tight on budget, try Google "citation map software" and you should be able to find other cheaper alternatives, like <a href=\"https://sci2s.ugr.es/scimat/download.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">SciMAT</a>, which is free.</p>\n<p>Thomson has also hosted an online <a href=\"http://wokinfo.com/products_tools/multidisciplinary/webofscience/citmap/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">citation map</a>, which does not hook up to your literature library, but if you click on any indexed article on Web of Science, you can get a network consisted of the cited and citing articles. If you'd like to see how much impact a certain article has, it's a good tool as well.</p>\n<p>A more rudimentary way is to make the network yourself using mind mapping software. I have been using the brainstorming function in <a href=\"http://www.qiqqa.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Qiqqa</a> and it's not too shabby as a thought generator.</p>\n<p>Last but not least, I'd also like to advocate for a large piece of A3 size paper, a good black or sepia felt tip pen, a box of color pencil, and some fun attitude to draw your own. I got the most out of this method, to be honest. When using the online tool or software I feel I am just producing a thing, but when I use my hands to make a network of articles that I feel important, I am also thinking. I guess person-to-person it's different.</p>\n<p>Just remember whatever software we use, the relevance is based on algorithm. It's just like data mining, there will be false positives and negatives. Be mindful when analyzing the so-called literature gaps that the software found, sometimes it could be a gap, sometimes it could just be a void and does not deserve attention. Strong discretion along the process is necessary.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 170150,
"author": "Nichola",
"author_id": 141972,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/141972",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You can visualize second order citation trees using this tool : <a href=\"https://www.citationtree.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.citationtree.org/</a>\nIt uses data from CrossRef.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14266",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/69/"
]
|
14,276 | <p>I currently work as an Aerospace Engineer for the Department of Defense for nearly 6 years now, and I have a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from a top-10 university in the United States. I am seriously thinking of doing a 2nd PhD in Computer Science, because I want to eventually own an Algorithmic Energy Trading Firm and need to become an expert in Machine Learning algorithms.</p>
<p>As of now, I am working on a few journal papers to publish and I am not going to have any problems getting strong letters of recommendation from my employer and professors on campus. I ought to be able to get a letter from the Dean of my college as well. So, I am thinking of a second PhD in Computer Science because I really want to immerse myself in Machine Learning and figured a PhD was the way to go.</p>
<p>Question for everyone: Would it be a challenge for me to acquire entrance into a top 5 school in Computer Science for a PhD?</p>
<p>I ought to mention that my PhD research was in Computational Fluid Dynamics, Turbulent Flow and I had to develop my numerical solver and turbulence models in Object-Oriented C++.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14279,
"author": "Pat",
"author_id": 7061,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7061",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A major part of doing a PhD is learning how to do research and handle working on problems which sit on the edge of what is known. You've done that already. Doing it a second time is unnecessary, expensive and time consuming.</p>\n\n<p>If you've been doing aerospace engineering then you almost certainly have the necessary calculus under your belt already. And if you have a PhD you can teach yourself stuff. Buy a few good textbooks - I recommend \"Pattern recognition and Machine Learning\" by C.M. Bishop; \"Information Theory, Inference and learning Algorithms\" by D.J.C. Mackay (this one is free to download on the author's website because he's nice like that). Look up material universities and other insitutions put online - e.g. <a href=\"https://www.coursera.org/course/ml\">https://www.coursera.org/course/ml</a> is a free course, whose description sounds like it covers a lot of the necessary basics. A lot of machine learning conferences make their proceedings available for free - ICML and NIPS I think both do this, and the work is good quality.</p>\n\n<p>Start getting up to speed on all this stuff. If it still interests you and you want to go the academic route, go looking for postdoc positions and then try to find a couple of talented people you can form a startup company with. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14289,
"author": "dannyg",
"author_id": 9242,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9242",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think you should study Machine learning by yourself instead of going for a second PhD, which is a huge task! You can learn a lot about any subject by yourself specially when you already have a PhD that proves you can do research by yourself. There are free online lectures from MIT almost about anything related to AI, including Bayesian inference and machine learning. I don't know what your needs are specifically but I suggest you try to research by yourself first and then decide if you need more.</p>\n\n<p>I will give you a personal experience that may or may not be relevant to you, so don't laugh. It seems your interests are similar to mine if not exactly the same (according to your last paragraph c++,turbulence,CFD..). I presume you frequent CFD-online too? Anyway I recently got a PhD in CFD related engineering field, but before that I was very interested in artificial intelligence. So I have acquired a lot of knowledge about it by myself as to even write a top-10 computer chess program that can beat almost any human. Computer chess is not really AI but there are other games like GO where many machine learning / data mining techniques are used to write the best programs. I have been doing this as a hobby, but anyone can learn anything programming/AI related, and you don't necessarily need a degree in Computer Science even for AI.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14776,
"author": "steve",
"author_id": 670,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/670",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You gain nothing from doing a second PhD in a professional capacity. If you want to do some type of algo trading work the best thing to do is get a job in the algo trading world. Given your background they are likely to hire you. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 16397,
"author": "Jase",
"author_id": 4315,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4315",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You do <em>not</em> need to be an expert in machine learning to own an Algorithmic Energy Trading Firm. If you had a choice between (i) going as a junior researcher to an existing firm right now, or (ii) spending 3-5 years in a machine learning PhD; well, (i) will take you much faster to your end goal.</p>\n\n<p>It is also not just about machine learning. You also need to be good at signal processing, econometrics, object oriented programming, have great domain knowledge, big data experience, linux programming skills, scientific programming ability (R,Matlab), scripting experience, etc. The best way to get good at all areas at the same time is just to go into a firm right now.</p>\n\n<p>What is most important is research experience. It matters far less what type of research you did (as long as it was heavily quantitative) than the fact that you actually have good research experience.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 28006,
"author": "user21429",
"author_id": 21429,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21429",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I received my PhD in Mathematics 40+ years ago and considered getting a second PhD in Computer Science. Spoke to a professor at a University about my plans and the advice he gave me \"You have a PhD from an excellent University. Take a sabbatical come here for a year, publish a few papers and join the club\". Ultimately I went into the medical instrumentation industry where I have been for the last 31 years and I am now planning to semi retire and start my own business. </p>\n\n<p>My advice to you, <em>why bother with the second PhD</em>. <strong>Get more focused on your goal</strong>.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14276",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9607/"
]
|
14,277 | <p>I have interned in two companies while I was conducting my undergraduate studies, one of the internships was unpaid and the other covered transportation expenses.</p>
<p>My question should I mention in my CV that these internships were unpaid or voluntary?
And does this issue make a difference in the eyes of the graduate admissions committee? </p>
<p>The nature of the internships is related to my undergraduate studies (general computer skills), but not very related to my research topic I want to peruse.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14281,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Whether you were paid or unpaid is a matter of compensation, which is not something a reviewing committee would care about. All that's important is that your credentials were strong enough to earn you the internship. Whether you were paid or not is irrelevant to the strength of your credentials.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14283,
"author": "Trylks",
"author_id": 7571,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7571",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To me it's <em>very</em> relevant. \"<em>It's not about the money. It's about sending a message.</em>\" What message? you may ask. It's not the same that some guys are willing to pay you as some guys accepting your free work, the difference is huge. Also, it's not the same committing to your work to the extent of working voluntarily for free when compared of working for a salary, which most of the people do much more gladly.</p>\n\n<p>However, <strong>I would not mention that</strong>, again because \"<em>It's not about the money. It's about sending a message.</em>\" And in this case whatever the message is, you don't want to send it. This is not going to be used in your favor, and it can be perceived negatively (in either of both cases). Therefore it is some information not to tell (unless you are explicitly asked) so that people reading the CV can focus on whatever you want them to focus, which will be your skills as the best possible candidate (on any plausible universe!).</p>\n\n<p>Then you can play the card of: \"I'm committed\" (thus expensive) or \"I'm expensive\" (thus expensive) or whatever card you may want, either to get the job, a better salary, more responsibilities, a plant in the window or whatever.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14277",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9488/"
]
|
14,284 | <p>I am a researcher in computer science. I am used to publish papers on computer science problem resolution (machine learning, optimization, disabilities, pattern recognition...). </p>
<p>In recent work, we needed to create a specialized software incorporating many complex technologies. This software is used to conduct other researches on which we already publish. </p>
<p>We are wondering if we can publish on how the software helps to solve our problem and on how we designed it with multiples technologies. A careful debate on the possibilities, choices and architecture would be incorporated.
The problem is this is the first time we would publish such article and we don't know where to publish. We are seeking good scientific journals (if possible with an impact factor) accepting such papers. If you know one, can you tell me?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14285,
"author": "bellpeace",
"author_id": 9617,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9617",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If the software system is targeted for a research problem that is deep, recognized by the community, requires complex architecture and design, and from which a wide community can benefit from, then system conferences could be a good match. </p>\n\n<p>I'll give you an example. Symbolic execution is a widely used and researched technique in software verification. People from Stanford developed Klee, a symbolic execution engine that aims to be highly practical and scalable. Making\nsuch a system required taking care of quite some details. They published paper\non OSDI, and I believe they received best paper award. <a href=\"http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~cristic/papers/klee-osdi-08.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">Klee paper</a>. </p>\n\n<p>Other than that, there might be conferences in your particular area that care\nabout building systems for the problems you mentioned, but I guess you already took a look into that. Hope this helps.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14286,
"author": "D.W.",
"author_id": 705,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/705",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't think there's enough information in this question to give a yes or no answer of whether this is publishable. It might depend upon factors like: what problem it solves, whether the problem is novel, whether the problem is important, how novel the solution is, how useful this will be to others, how effectively you can evaluate your solution.</p>\n\n<p>So, instead of giving a yes or no answer, let me instead suggest a process you could use to form an answer on your own. I would suggest that you talk to your colleagues in your area and ask them the same question. They will have the domain knowledge and will be in the best position to judge the contribution of your particular work. Take a few minutes to sit down for coffee with them and get their advice. Personally, I've always found this to be an incredibly valuable exercise.</p>\n\n<p>I can't tell you <em>where</em> to publish it, as that is highly domain-specific: it'll depend very heavily on your field, the area of research, and the nature of your contribution (which you haven't told us). In general, if you are thinking of publishing somewhere that you are not familiar with and where you are an outsider, it will be especially important for you to make sure that you learn the related work and the values and culture of that community.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14287,
"author": "Dirk",
"author_id": 529,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/529",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The <a href=\"http://www.acm.org/index.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Association for Computing Machinery</a> has at least two journals with the word \"software\" in the title:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://toms.acm.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Transactions on Mathematical Software</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://tosem.acm.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I don't know much about the latter, but the former publishes mathematical software packages.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27466,
"author": "Jeff",
"author_id": 20937,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20937",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The Open Channel Foundation publishes software created by academics. They have published one of my software programs that I created for research.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.openchannelfoundation.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.openchannelfoundation.org/</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 157817,
"author": "KindaTechy",
"author_id": 130747,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/130747",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The <a href=\"https://joss.theoj.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Journal of Open Source Software</a> is a good place to start. I believe it was created in 2018.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.software.ac.uk/which-journals-should-i-publish-my-software\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This article</a> links a lot of journals that may be applicable.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14284",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9631/"
]
|
14,291 | <p>I am an undergraduate in the UC system. I sometimes encounter situations where professors or TA's make errors, or there are inaccuracies in the material. These situations tend to be quite awkward for both the student and the TA or professor. </p>
<p>It is painful for me not to speak up, but there is a fear, possibly exaggerated, that this could lead to resentment by the TA, or professor, or even future unfair treatment. </p>
<p>The most frequent response by senior students is that the professor is always right, and you should never attempt to argue with the professor. Confronting a professor about a misconception could end up being detrimental to the student in the long run. </p>
<p><strong>What should a student do (and how?) when a teacher makes an error or gives inaccurate information or material?</strong> Is there any reasonable way to anonymously point out mistakes? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14292,
"author": "J. Zimmerman",
"author_id": 7921,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7921",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Falsities is a strong word--be very sure that the teaching is actually inaccurate before confronting your professor. And if you feel that you MUST say something, it is best handled in an area less public than a lecture hall. Also, a professor is far more likely to admit to having been mistaken if you approach them with the attitude of trying to understand their viewpoint and/or teaching, rather than trying to point out where they are mistaken. You may discover that you have misunderstood, and the professor is actually correct. On the other hand, your humble, 'trying-to-learn' question may impel the professor to take a second look, and discover where s/he has been inaccurate or mistaken.</p>\n\n<p>I don't believe that there are many (if any) professors who will deliberately teach falsehoods to their students, especially in a course where, as you say, the material is of a technical nature and mistakes easily provable. So when you approach your professor, do so with an intent to discover where YOU are mistaken. You may both learn something.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14293,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I think your fears may be exaggerated. I can't think of a professor I've ever met who I think would be offended by having a mistake (politely) pointed out, much less retaliate.</p>\n\n<p>Accusing anyone flat-out of being wrong, or worse yet, lying, will certainly make them defensive; and if it turns out they were right, it will be more embarrassing for you. So I don't suggest thinking of it as \"confronting\" the professor. What I would suggest instead is to approach the question as something that you don't understand. \"Hi Professor Smith, in class today you said X. But I'm confused, because I thought that Y.\" Listen to her response. Be open to the possibility that you are mistaken, or have misunderstood what she said, but if your doubts aren't cleared up, figure out what part still seems wrong to you, and ask about that. \"I still don't understand; what about...?\" Stay calm and polite. If you find you are getting worked up (or she is), take a break. \"Let me think about that, and if I still have questions I'll come back later.\" Hopefully in the end, everyone agrees on where the truth lies, and nobody feels too embarrassed.</p>\n\n<p>If you think she's simply misspoken about something in class, or written something incorrectly on the board, point it out right away: \"Is that X supposed to be a Y?\" If there's something deeper, it may be better to discuss it in office hours or by email; I know that when I'm teaching, if I think I may have a serious mistake, I get flustered and it throws off my rhythm. I'd rather have time to think about it offline, and then correct the error in the next class.</p>\n\n<p>I think the other comments saying \"Be sure you are right!!!\" are excessive. It's not a bad idea to try to think carefully about your question; if you can clear it up yourself, you'll learn better. But don't hesitate to talk to the professor. Even if it's you that's confused, part of my job as a professor is to clear that up. And if it turns out I'm wrong, of course I want to know.</p>\n\n<p>Your suggestion of having some sort of middleman to anonymously forward queries strikes me as a bit extreme. Again, I think you may be more intimidated by your professor than is really warranted. It may help to try to get to know your professors better: early in the course, make it a habit to drop by their office hours. Ask some trivial questions if you like. \"Are we going to study Z next week?\" Then later, if you have more substantive questions or concerns, you'll feel more comfortable approaching them.</p>\n\n<p>Anonymity seems unnecessary and perhaps counterproductive. If you come to me with something you don't understand, and I'm able to clear it up, I won't think less of you; instead, I'll be pleased that you now understand it better. And if it turns out I was wrong, I won't resent you; I'll be impressed that you understand the issue deeply enough to spot the error, and grateful that you brought it up. But if you're really timid, you could consider sending an email from an anonymous account. (\"I'm sending this anonymously because I'm embarrassed that it may be a silly question.\" Either way she'll probably assure you that it isn't.)</p>\n\n<p>One final comment: If you have mentors suggesting that professors are never wrong, find better mentors! I agree that it is not pleasant to <em>argue</em> with anyone, but that doesn't mean you can't discuss your question and try to sort it out.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14294,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I suppose there are some insecure professors who resent having mistakes pointed out, but in my experience they are relatively rare. I'm impressed when a student catches a mistake, and I'm happy to learn they were paying close attention. I'm certainly not alone in having this reaction, and I'd say it's a pretty standard response.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, it depends on how you raise the issue: if you act like you are pained by the falsehood, or you question the professor's competence, then it's easy to cause offense. Instead, it's safer to take a neutral tone, with an understanding attitude (based on the fact that it's difficult to teach a semester-long course without ever misspeaking).</p>\n\n<p>For some errors, you should mention them as soon as you detect them. For example, if your professor drops a sign in a calculation, then the earlier it gets corrected, the better. No reasonable person could take offense at having this pointed out, so the only danger is being too eager to point out mistakes and inadvertently complaining about correct calculations. That would be annoying if done frequently.</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes it's hard to tell whether a statement is an error or an intentional simplification or approximation. For example, if someone does a calculation using Newtonian gravity, then it's almost certainly unhelpful to interrupt to complain that general relativity would be more accurate. If you can imagine that the statement might be deliberate, then it's probably better to raise the issue outside of class. It's helpful to phrase it in the form of a question: \"I was wondering why we neglected relativistic effects. Do they matter at the scale we're working with? Do you know of any good books where I could read about these corrections?\"</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes you just have to understand that the discipline in question is based on an approach you don't like. For example, you might complain that your biology professor is always talking about evolution, or that your philosophy professor doesn't use an Ayn Rand-approved definition of freedom, or that your economics professor studies models that assume people are rational utility maximizers. You should definitely not start a conversation by saying \"Why are you teaching this nonsense? Surely you know it's all wrong.\" It's reasonable to ask foundational questions about the field and why the standard approaches have become standard, and you might learn something interesting (for example, that behavioral economics exists). But you should approach the issue respectfully, with the goal of improving your own understanding rather than condemning the field itself.</p>\n\n<p>In your particular case, I'd try to handle things delicately. The fact that you frequently run into these situations makes me wonder whether you are taking a very literal approach to truth, and perhaps counting many models or simplifying assumptions as outright falsehoods. There's nothing wrong with that philosophically, but approximations are a fact of life. If you start complaining whenever anything falls short of the literal and exact truth, then you won't be happy anywhere outside of pure mathematics. Furthermore, when you talk about how painful you find falsehoods taught in class, I wonder whether you make that pain apparent when asking questions. I certainly don't want to discourage you from challenging falsehoods or from asking questions, since both activities are crucial parts of academia. However, it's worth making sure your strong feelings aren't playing an unproductive role in your interactions with professors.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14307,
"author": "The Badger",
"author_id": 9630,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9630",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is a difference between having a discussion and having an argument. Once you know the difference you then need to be able to recognize when the two parties appear to have a different view of which applies.Once you know that you need to know how to change the situation to one of agreement. Once you know that your question will not bother you. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14291",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6348/"
]
|
14,295 | <p>I am currently reviewing a paper, which is definitely not suitable for the journal where it was submitted (high impact, topics should be interesting for a broad audience). The content is not new and in this current state not sufficient for publication at all.</p>
<p>I would now recommend rejection with reference to some literature which covers the same results.
I would suggest some more detailed experiments for the authors, to quantify their results and then submit it to a journal with a more narrow focus.</p>
<p>Here my questions: Is it ok, if I write a precise journal, like</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I recommend to submit a revised manuscript to Journal XYZ, which is
more focused on the authors' topic.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>or should I write;</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I recommend to submit a revised manuscript to another journal, which
is more focused on the authors' topic.</p>
</blockquote>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14296,
"author": "Nobody",
"author_id": 546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think it's okay for you to make recommendation to the author as a reviewer although you don't absolutely have to do it.</p>\n\n<p>If I were you, I would say,</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I recommend to submit a revised manuscript to another journal with more focus on your topic, e.g. Journal XYZ or Journal ABC.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>so that the author(s) would have more options.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14297,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>It's definitely OK to name one or a few journals you would consider more appropriate for this paper. Some web interfaces for reviewers even have that as a built-in option.</p>\n\n<p>One thing I encourage you to do is to use the journal's publication criteria to back up your opinion. These may have been given to you along with the paper, or they can be found on the journal's website. If, for example, the journal <em>X</em>'s guidelines say:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Articles should be of high scientific quality, originality, significance, and conceptual novelty that are of interest to the wide and diverse contemporary readership of <em>X</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>then it's good practice, in your recommendation to the editor, to evaluate the manuscript following these criteria. For example, you could say:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The manuscript is technically and methodologically sound, and clearly written. The conclusions are, in large part (minor exceptions noted below), supported by the results. However, it seems to me that this detailed study of knee injuries sustained in wingsuit accidents may not be of interest to many of the reader of <em>The International Journal of Transportation Research</em>.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14298,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with scaaahu and F'x but will add the following.</p>\n\n<p>It is not normally the reviewer that makes suggestions like these. If the journal editors have sent the manuscript out for review, it should mean they consider it suitable for publication in \"their\" journal. It is the editors (in Chief) that makes this decision to maintain a good publication standard. So the fact that you feel this ways about the manuscript might mean the editors have slipped up or they see something in the paper that you do not.</p>\n\n<p>With the above in mind, I still think it is ok to make a comment like this since the journal is also there to serve the community and as part of that you can voice your opinion about issues regarding the journal. So if you want to make such a comment, keep in mind that you do not necessarily know why the manuscript was accepted for review (mistake or not).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45203,
"author": "Andreas Blass",
"author_id": 14506,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14506",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Once, when I (as an editor) rejected a paper for a journal that wanted papers to be of broad interest, I recommended a specific, more specialized journal. The author took my advice and sent the paper to that journal, which promptly sent it to me to referee.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14295",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6085/"
]
|
14,300 | <p>Currently my literature surveys do not involve trips to the library and I am wondering if I am missing out on something important. What sort of material/knowledge can the library provide that I would miss on google scholar.
Thanks</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14311,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<h2>Almost none.</h2>\n\n<p>I recently wrote a <a href=\"http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/~jeffe/pubs/optcycles.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">research survey</a>, while on sabbatical at an institution without a physical library, but with extensive electronic subscriptions.</p>\n\n<p>I <strong>never</strong> missed having physical library access, even for papers dating back to the 1840s. (In fact, the historical literature was <em>more</em> likely to be freely available than papers from the 1980s.) Occasionally I had to use my home university's VPN to get access to a different subset of the electronic literature, and there were one or two books that I had to download via bittor—sorry, that I had to borrow from colleagues down the hall. Yeah, that's it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14315,
"author": "Joe Hass",
"author_id": 2738,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2738",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Don't assume that a library is a building. Libraries provide the funding and infrastructure that lets you access online journals and databases, just as they used to provide you with hardcopies and card catalogs. If you think that Google scholar provides the same degree of access you are sorely mistaken. And no, I am not a librarian, but I am very grateful that I have access to a good library.</p>\n\n<p>Now, the question of whether libraries should be forced to pay for access to journals is another question.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14316,
"author": "Nobody",
"author_id": 546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My situation is different from JeffE's. I had been looking for a couple of old CS books (in automata and switching circuit theory) published in 1960's. I finally found them in an institue library. According to the librarian there, the two books I wanted to borrow had not been checked out for at least two decades.</p>\n\n<p>This is just me. My research area is not very active. I wanted to find info about what was done in those books which were not cited in modern literatures. I knew the existence of the books because I saw them when I was a graduate student in 1970's.</p>\n\n<p>If your research area is modern and active, I guess you don't need to go to the library. Internet would be good enough. By the way, my personal experience is that Google is sometimes better than Google Scholar.</p>\n\n<p>A side note. My feeling of reading books in the library is different from staring at the computer screen.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14331,
"author": "Sylvain Peyronnet",
"author_id": 43,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Most things can be found online, that's for sure. But the main problem is that we tend to stay in \"our neighbourhood\" because of that: we can only find what we are looking for while searching online resources. </p>\n\n<p>If in another field researchers use a different wording for the same objects, we will never know because it is very hard to browse a large amount of papers very quickly online. </p>\n\n<p>The interest of going in a library is that it is possible to crawl very quickly amongst dozens of papers from other fields, just looking for \"oh, this curve looks just like mine\" or \"wow, but I know this equation\". This way, with luck and persistence, it is possible to find new connections and/or new way of thinking about a problem. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 16226,
"author": "h22",
"author_id": 10920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10920",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Library may allow you to access generally online resources behind the paywall.</p>\n\n<p>In other words, while using printed material instead of online resources does not bring much benefit, some online resources (like scientific journals) are often paid, and you may need a library computer to get access to them. This is one of the reasons why you still may need to go to the library.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, this is university dependent.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 64331,
"author": "salem amar",
"author_id": 50109,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/50109",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Physical sources are more trustful; you can check the authenticity of the information they hold since the author is always named, and so is the house of publication. All what is needed for the entire reference is shown at the beginning of the physical work; whereas, the electronic source is usually not authentic; the author can be unnamed, the house and the year of publication can be dropped, etc. additionally, reading a printed material is safer for the reader's eyes and nerves than reading on screen; the latter is evidently harmful.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 64335,
"author": "Laurent Duval",
"author_id": 38057,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/38057",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The advantages really depend on: </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>your skills with search engines,</li>\n<li>the talent of your librarian.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The fact that you are only mentioning Google Scholar may suggest that you may extend your skills to other media. One single person is often affected by biases in his search. A librarian, who has experience, knows a lot of sources (some not public), has experience with many tools and more importantly, can reformulate a question with less domain-related biaises.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 64341,
"author": "GEdgar",
"author_id": 4484,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4484",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A good library has subscriptions. Even though I am retired and 500 miles away from my universities's library buildings, these subscriptions are invaluable. (I can access them by Internet, of course.)</p>\n\n<p>So: unless you intend to pirate everything you need, your library will be invaluable to you, too.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14300",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9628/"
]
|
14,303 | <p>I have 9 and 10 months old recommendation letters. Can I use these when applying to graduate programs (United States)? Is that okay with the admissions committee?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14305,
"author": "Ben Webster",
"author_id": 13,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To elaborate on Nate Eldredge's point, this would be a bad idea on several levels:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>It will look bad with the committee. Presumably the letters are dated and people will notice. It will probably not be interpreted charitably.</li>\n<li>Presumably an updated letter will may more good things about you, since it will mention whatever you've been doing for past 10 months. Hopefully you've done <em>something</em> worth noting in that time.</li>\n<li>It's also bad form to use letters so long after they are written without contacting the authors. I don't think there are any precise cutoffs for when one transitions from OK to not OK, but I feel like 10 months is pretty firmly in not OK territory. You need to give the letter writers the chance to update their assessment, hopefully for the better.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I don't understand why people being out of town is a problem for contacting them. As Nate says, just send them an email. The ball will be in their court, and they can figure out whether it's practical or not.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14306,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>In addition to other points already made, in most situations <em>you</em> do not send the letters yourself, but have the recommenders send the letters <em>directly</em>. Sometimes this involves simply uploading the letters to a web site, but this would be done _by_the_recommenders_, not by you.</p>\n\n<p>Thus, some action will be required by your recommenders.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14303",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9619/"
]
|
14,312 | <p>I have the impression that many female scientists, especially after they gave birth to a child, start to develop a research interest in the learning, growing, and developmental behaviors of babies. I got this impression because over time I heard about a couple of female university professors and industry scientists doing research about babies. I personally know <strong>0</strong> male scientist whose research interest is in this area. </p>
<p>I'm wondering whether this trend I see around me is real, and thus wondering: <strong>are women more represented in the subfield of child development (or developmental psychology) than in the broader field of psychology?</strong></p>
<p>I'm concerned, and intuitively don't like this (possibly imagined) "trend". I think it may encourage some people to think that female scientists just pick up certain research topics and don't want to touch others. I also see this "trend" as a destruction of many years of effort encouraging women in the "hard-core" science and technology.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14321,
"author": "J. Zimmerman",
"author_id": 7921,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7921",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Males have historically outnumbered their female counterparts in the field of psychology, but this has changed in recent years. According to <a href=\"http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun07/changing.aspx\">the American Psychological Association</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Psychology, once a man's profession, now attracts mostly women. Data from the 1986 APA report, \"The Changing Face of American Psychology,\" and the National Science Foundation show that the percentage of psychology PhDs awarded to men has fallen from nearly 70 percent in 1975 to less than 30 percent in 2008. (The data do not include PsyD degrees.)</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Not only are females over-represented in psychology as a whole, they appear to be even more over-represented in the sub-fields of developmental and child psychology. <a href=\"http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2011/01/cover-men.aspx\">This article</a> from the APA states </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>In developmental and child psychology...female PhD recipients outnumber men by more than five to one.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 21249,
"author": "Jackson",
"author_id": 15445,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15445",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Are women overrepresented in the field of child development studies?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No. They have more than 50% representation, yes, but that doesn't equate to overrepresentation in the sense that it should be 50%. Men and women are different. Women are drawn naturally towards certain things that interest them, just as men are.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I think it may encourage some people to think that female scientists\n just pick up certain research topics and don't want to touch others.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>They do, just as men do. Why are you so concerned about what other adults willfully choose to do with their lives?</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/23 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14312",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/773/"
]
|
14,318 | <p>Most of the textbooks I used during my undergraduate studies (outside north America) are International editions, so what is the difference between a national and an international edition of a book?</p>
<p>For example, I have a book that says</p>
<blockquote>
<p>XYZ published this special edition for the benefit of students outside the United States and Canada.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and they don't mention why this international edition is special or what is the benefit!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14319,
"author": "Jim",
"author_id": 7902,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7902",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><strong>International editions are cheaper</strong></p>\n\n<p>They are sold cheaper, in English speaking countries (or countries with education in English) outside North America: India, China, etc. The content is equal to that of US/North American versions.</p>\n\n<p>There are two reasons why they are cheaper:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>because they are printed in cheaper version: paperback instead of hardcover, sometimes black and white</p></li>\n<li><p>because the publisher knows he cannot sell them at their US price anyway, so they are willing to sell them at the price people will buy them (better to sell them cheaply than not at all)</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Sources:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.thetextbookguru.com/2011/04/20/international-textbook-editions-a-cheaper-alternative-2/\">http://www.thetextbookguru.com/2011/04/20/international-textbook-editions-a-cheaper-alternative-2/</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.abebooks.com/books/Textbooks/international-editions.shtml\">http://www.abebooks.com/books/Textbooks/international-editions.shtml</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080825164810AAGRN80\">http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080825164810AAGRN80</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>There was also a case about import of international edition textbooks in the US supreme court last year (<a href=\"http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/thai-student-protected-by-first-sale-supreme-court-rules/\">http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/thai-student-protected-by-first-sale-supreme-court-rules/</a>).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14341,
"author": "Dylan Meeus",
"author_id": 9570,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9570",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Also, some international versions are only to be used outside of the US. Due to them giving a software license for a certain region. (During my Physics / Maths courses, I had to use the international edition so the license was valid in EU universities.)</p>\n\n<p>It can be for a variety of reasons, I think Jim stated the most important ones. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 81790,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Sometimes they have been intentionally made incompatible.</p>\n\n<p>I recently came across a textbook whose \"international version\", though having the same edition number, had different numerical values in all the homework problems! There is no possible pedagogical reason for doing this. It was clearly just intended to make it impossible for a North American student to use the (cheaper) international version, if they are assigned homework problems from the text. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/23 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14318",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9488/"
]
|
14,323 | <p>I have a group of undergraduate students who are best described as 'unprepared' meaning that they were not well prepared for life in university. They are, as a group, under-performers, although there are certainly stars contained within the group. One more point of complexity is that the students are studying in English, which is not their native language.</p>
<p>Reflection is something that has been identified as useful not just for performance while at university but also for encouraging life-long learning for the students. While strong students might take to reflection quite readily, critically analyzing the countless decisions that they have made on any given academic project, unprepared students seem to have a much more difficult time with this.</p>
<p>My question is, are there particularly effective techniques for teaching reflection to unprepared students (or academically weaker students)?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14368,
"author": "Matthew G.",
"author_id": 1165,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1165",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Almost certainly this is going to be a multi-stage, complicated process, with no simple answer. However, here's something relatively simple to start with, maybe. </p>\n\n<p>I'd suggest starting with collaborative peer-evaluation. Create an assignment which has a peer-evaluation stage (with no reflection on the final grade). The peer-evaluation stage consists of sitting them down and working through each person's output as a group. Ideally, you'll act mostly as guard-rails for the discussion, keeping it on-topic and professional, while providing some initial thoughts. </p>\n\n<p>The goal of the peer-discussion phase is to start getting them to think critically about the output, from both the perspective of a creator and a consumer.</p>\n\n<p>After the discussion stage, then allow them to take the feedback and re-edit their work to improve it, grading only the final result. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 48113,
"author": "Nenagh",
"author_id": 36621,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/36621",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm working on a similar question in a different population. I developed a question rubric that they are using to learn analysis. I am hoping this self-questioning becomes ingrained as a metacognitive skill.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 48440,
"author": "Raydot",
"author_id": 13535,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13535",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think you might be dealing with not only an ESL but also a cultural problem. I know from experience that some students have been raised their whole academic lives to remember and regurgitate and under no circumstances think. Two suggestions. 1) Learn about their cultures. It will only help. Ask one of your \"stars\" what challenges they face in the class and what they've done to overcome. 2) Communicate your expectations clearly. \"I expect you to think.\" I find when I say things explicitly like \"Don't look at me like a policeman, look at me like a resource\" or \"The most valuable thing you can do in this class is raise your hand\" I get better results. Sounds a bit corny but I'm telling you, it works. And you won't reach all of them, but you'll reach more of them. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 48523,
"author": "Anonymous Physicist",
"author_id": 13240,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13240",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When I was an undergraduate, written reflections (also called process notes) were required on many assignments. Learning to write them was part of the orientation. The overall strategy for teaching writing was </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Free write</li>\n<li>Focused free write</li>\n<li>Write essay</li>\n<li>Write reflection</li>\n<li>Faculty feedback</li>\n<li>Revise essay</li>\n<li>Write additional reflection</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I think the focused free write is a particularly good tool for helping students reflect on their process. It may be easier to start with reflecting on the revision process because students have a set of faculty comments which they need to answer.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 48559,
"author": "MrMeritology",
"author_id": 17564,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17564",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have two suggestions.</p>\n\n<p>First, I think it would be helpful for students to see live demonstrations of reflective/critical analysis, compared side-by-side with non-critical (rote, superficial) analysis. As much as possible, the students themselves should be involved in these demonstrations, taking both roles. </p>\n\n<p>(NOTE: I realize that many students are nervous and uncomfortable about going in front of the class and that they fear public embarrassment. But if <em>everyone</em> takes a turn, then it's possible to get past the concern that only certain people will be taking the risk, and it will support an ethos of \"we are all in this together\". A side benefit is that it will boost their skills and confidence in public speaking.)</p>\n\n<p>These demonstrations should be very short. For example, you could give a prompt with only one or two sentences that make an assertion or an inference. Then ask the students to first write an <em>uncritical</em> analysis, and then to write a <em>critical</em> analysis. Their analysis would only need to be a couple of sentences. Then two students would come to the front, each taking one role but not announcing which role they are taking. They read their analysis to the class. Then you can have a short class discussion where students guess which role they were taking and why these were examples of critical analysis, or not.</p>\n\n<p>The second suggestion is to engage students in Socratic dialogs, either in the class as a whole or with small groups or with students individually. You, as teacher, only ask questions aimed at revealing the basis and justifications in the student's analysis. Students could also do this with each other, either in small groups or in pairs. This could be done as part of homework assignments. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/23 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14323",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2692/"
]
|
14,332 | <p>Some academic job posts and grant applications require submitting both a CV and a publication list. I would have thought that it is a standard to put the publication list in the CV, hence it is not necessary to have the publication list again. What is the purpose of requiring both of them?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14333,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A CV is generally a short account of your employment history and skills, often squeezed (or stretched) into 4 pages.</p>\n\n<p>Publication lists can span many many pages. 100 complete publication entries (including technical reports and invited contributions etc etc) could easily span 10 pages.</p>\n\n<p>In short, CV contains the summary from a global perspective, whereas the publication list contains all details of one particular aspect of a person.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14334,
"author": "Noah Snyder",
"author_id": 25,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/25",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>On mathjobs, my workflow when glancing through files from candidates is to look at the publication list instead of the CV. This is for two main reasons:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>CVs typically frontload a bunch of information which I already have from the mathjobs cover sheet (education, postdoc, advisors, etc).</li>\n<li>CVs are longer than one page, so finding the publications takes some time. Publication lists have the info I'm looking for right at the beginning.</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14414,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>CV should be short (never more than 2 pages), while the list of publications can be pretty long. You usually mention some publications in the CV (well, if you have an article in Science, you surely do!), but surely not all of them.</p>\n\n<p>The list of publications is valuable for different reasons: How many collaborators does he have? How many solo publications? What is the variety of topics? etc. CVs and motivation letters are easy-to-manipulate things. You can manipulate your publications, but that is something completely different (and soft-of more dangerous IMHO).</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/23 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14332",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/386/"
]
|
14,337 | <p>While writing one's Statement of Purpose for applying to a grad program, should one mention that her spouse is also a grad student in the same university? What are the pro's and con's of that approach - while on one hand, it shows that the candidate is very likely to accept an offer made by the dept, it might also imply that the presence of her spouse is the main reason the applicant wants to get admitted, which might not sit well with the Admissions Committee? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14339,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>This really can be a two-edged sword.</p>\n\n<p><em>Pros</em>: You are likely to really come and stay since your spouse is there. You can argue that you know much (positive) about the place through your spouse which has made you select the place.</p>\n\n<p><em>Cons</em>: You may be seen as applying because your spouse is there and not because you think the place is exactly where you want to go and be. In other words, you make a choice out of practical and not academic reasons. (largely what you already stated)</p>\n\n<p>So, first of all, it is no-ones business why you apply to go to a certain place. Of course the people who read your application will evaluate your interest and so anything that strengthens the application is good anything that doesn't can be left out. Although the location of one's spouse should not be grounds for admitting (or not) a person, it is possible people read things into the fact that you did not originally anticipate. If you want to state that you already know the place is good, you may do so by demoting your spouse to a friend. I have to confess I am not at all happy about writing this which seems so negative towards mentioning your relationship but it stems from knowing that you cannot predict how people interpret things and it is therefore better to be neutral and focus on the academic rather than putting up personal reasons for a choice.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14340,
"author": "Dylan Meeus",
"author_id": 9570,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9570",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Are you attending the same courses? If so, it might seem like you are applying to be with him. If not, then you could state he was really positive about it which made you interested. </p>\n\n<p>Like Peter said, it can go either way. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 59923,
"author": "RoboKaren",
"author_id": 14885,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14885",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Peter Jansson's answer is the most comprehensive. I would mention the spouse to your <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/59924/what-does-the-term-poi-mean-in-the-context-of-graduate-admissions\">POI</a> during a one-on-one interview / conversation -- but otherwise keep the information private. </p>\n\n<p>The rationale: The only stage at which this information could possible is important is the final rankings. At that point, we do want to know whether the student we are going to make offers to are going to come. If there are two otherwise equally ranked students on the cusp, we'd make the offer to the one we're more sure will come. The POI can make the case then that you would come based on his/her inside knowledge.</p>\n\n<p>Otherwise, that information is (mostly negatively) prejudicial for the reasons that Peter Jansson mentions.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 73696,
"author": "Sara",
"author_id": 58970,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/58970",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From an HR perspective, you also might want to leave out your marital status to preclude any possibility of discrimination. I am applying to grad schools now and will leave out the fact that I have a husband so that they cannot worry about my hypothetical pregnancy or marital situation affecting the timeliness of completion for the PhD program. Of course those things shouldn't be considered against you...but it's safer to leave them out, I think.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14337",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/79/"
]
|
14,342 | <p>During graduate studies online application submission period, is there any preference given for an applicant if he/she submits his application at the beginning of that period compared with someone who submits his/her application couple of hours before the deadline?</p>
<p>Or as long as the applications are complete there is absolutely no difference!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14346,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Look at all the application rules and guidelines. <strong>Unless the registration/application is specifically described as first-come first-served</strong> (which would be unusual), <strong>the date of submission doesn't matter</strong> as long as the submission is complete before the deadline.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14481,
"author": "hello_there_andy",
"author_id": 9764,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9764",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Here's some empirical evidence from my experience - having done three very late applications in the past which all ended with success.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Short answer</strong></p>\n\n<p>According to my past experience. No problem applying late - even the last hour.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Long answer</strong></p>\n\n<p><em>Jobs 2013:</em> I have made <em>last hour</em> applications for two job posts recently, one for Computational Biologist at ICL and one for Bioinformatician at ICL. Both led to interviews followed by acceptance. Remarkably, the Computational Biologist post stated that \"it is essential that the post holder has a PhD\", which I did not have! I have now started this job.</p>\n\n<p><em>MSc Course 2012:</em> I was the last applicant of the Bioinformatics and Theoretical Systems MSc with CISBIO - most people applied during their BSc e.g. many on the course applied February but I applied in October after finishing my BSc! Not only was I accepted, but I got a scholarship that I did not even apply for! In the interview panel was a chair of BBSRC research grant, who set me up with the scholarship after the interview.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14342",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9488/"
]
|
14,345 | <p>I am planing to apply to study in graduate school, major in <em>computer science/engineering</em>. I just took a GRE test, this is my 1st time, and the result is pretty...not so good :(</p>
<p>Most schools, the science or engineering related program, reveals the average or preferred GRE scores for <em>quantitative</em> and <em>verbal</em> sections for admitted students. But it seems they don't care about the score of <em>Analytic Writing</em> section. Really?</p>
<p>To be honest, my writing score really bumped this time. I want to know if there's a preferred score range for this section.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14367,
"author": "Steve P.",
"author_id": 8022,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8022",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>There's a reason it's not listed--there is no preferred score, it doesn't really matter. I am not an expert, but I feel like the writing score is something that can only hurt you, not something that can help you, at least with respect to science or engineering graduate programs. </p>\n\n<p>More concretely, I can see a very low score preventing you from getting into a program, but I highly doubt the admissions committee saying: \"Well, he got a great score on the writing section, that really differentiates him from other applicants; let's admit him.\" </p>\n\n<p>For a foreign student or non-native speaker, doing well in the writing section probably carries a little more weight than it does for native speakers; nonetheless, I believe that the above still holds.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14389,
"author": "Armin Mustafa",
"author_id": 9136,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9136",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>According to my experience:</p>\n\n<p>The GRE scores are just initial cut-offs. </p>\n\n<p>Analytical writing usually requires a minimum score of 3 that's it. But this is true for most of the universities there may be some exceptions to the rule obviously.</p>\n\n<pre><code>Scores 3 and 2.5\nDisplays some competence in analytical writing, although the writing is flawed in at least one of the following ways: limited analysis or development; weak organization; weak control of sentence structure or language usage, with errors that often result in vagueness or lack of clarity.\n</code></pre>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14345",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8625/"
]
|
14,349 | <p>I'm writing a thesis on a financial topic and some important arguments for my research can only be found in reports from investment banks, not scholarly sources. I think it's because the topic is very new but right now I'm not sure how 'respected' a bank report reference is. I'm talking UBS, Citibank,... The topic concerns QE causing distortions in the stock market. <strong>Is it considered acceptable to use a bank report as a source in a thesis?</strong></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14350,
"author": "410 gone",
"author_id": 96,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Citing grey literature, such as investment bank reports, isn't unheard of.</p>\n\n<p>There are a few caveats.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Discuss it with your supervisors early on: they will know the whens and hows of acceptable grey-literature citations.</li>\n<li>It may not be easy to find useful citation metadata such as named authors.</li>\n<li>Your reviewers / examiners may not be able to accesss the report, and that would be problematic for them, and thus for you.</li>\n<li>You should not build arguments that are grounded only in grey literature. Corroborate with peer-reviewed literature wherever possible, even if it's just corroborating one aspect of the points you're taking from the grey literature.</li>\n<li>Business reports often have some wacky form of encryption that hinders text searching, which can make including them in your literature review somewhat hazardous.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14380,
"author": "earthling",
"author_id": 2692,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2692",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Using a bank report is acceptable unless it appears as though there is some bias present. QE and its impacts are a hot topic so you are likely to find it written quite heavily about in bank reports and the like. However, you must be on guard that what is being written is not really sales literature.</p>\n\n<p>If the statements is \"You would be reckless with your finances to ignore the impact of QE so come and let us make your money work for you!\" then you might want to avoid it.</p>\n\n<p>Just follow common sense about critical reading and how to evaluate your source reading material. If the source seems credible and the content seems unbiased then there should be no problem citing it.</p>\n\n<p>As EnergyNumbers wrote, it is always better if others have access to the report but even if others do not, that should not stop you from including relevant information. Use the best source material you have, wherever you can find it.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14349",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9651/"
]
|
14,351 | <p>If a formula appears in the main body of the text, there seems no doubt that punctuation should be given to that formula when necessary. But when a formula appears <em>displayed</em> (i.e. solely taking up a line), there seems no consensus on whether punctuation is needed for it. I wonder if there will be any potential ambiguities if punctuation is (or not) included in this case. </p>
<p>This is essentially a question about <em>functions</em> of punctuation for displayed formulas. I don't want an answer about <em>rules</em> from certain style guide...</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14354,
"author": "Dan Petersen",
"author_id": 9305,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9305",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In mathematics there is a near universal consensus that displayed mathematics should not be treated differently from inline mathematics with regards to punctuation. By this I mean that the vast majority of papers on the arXiv follow this convention, most journals will add punctuation according to this principle if it's not already there, and so on.</p>\n\n<p>Thus whenever you're unsure whether or not to include punctuation at the end of a displayed equation, try to replace <code>\\[ ... \\]</code> with <code>$ ... $</code> - whatever punctuation mark looks natural when it's inlined should be included also at the end of the displayed equation.</p>\n\n<p>I don't think that texts without punctuation after displayed equations are necessarily <em>ambiguous</em>, but then again, a text without punctuation after inlined equations would probably not be ambiguous either. The main purpose of punctuation is after all not to reduce ambiguity but to increase readability and \"flow\" of the text.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14360,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As a probably-minority opinion, I try to avoid having English-language punctuation juxtaposed to mathematical notation, especially anything complicated, whenever possible. Also, I try to avoid beginning a sentence with mathematical notation, trying, instead, to begin with an obvious English word that is capitalized.</p>\n\n<p>In that vein, I do not put periods or commas at the right edge of displayed purely-formulaic expressions, but have the next line start with a capitalized English word, signifying new-sentence.</p>\n\n<p>My objection to juxtaposition of English-punctuation with formulas is the visual noise, small though it may be. At least my own perception of my own scanning of English+mathematics is that I think of English in a somewhat different manner than I think of the mathematics (apart from small naming-phrases), and everything's easier if the two functions of \"comma\" and \"period\" are clearly distinguished. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14363,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The reason for including the punctuation is that text with math in it is still text. The reason for leaving it out is that it looks ugly because we're juxtaposing elements of two writing systems in which symbols have completely different meanings. Either possibility can be jarring to the reader.</p>\n\n<p>A good way to deal with these problems is to leave some white space between the equation and the punctuation.</p>\n\n<pre><code>The Pythagorean theorem,\n A^2+B^2=C^2 ,\nhas been known since ancient times.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>In LaTeX, I use a \\qquad for this.</p>\n\n<p>In my personal style, I also sometimes end a sentence with a displayed equation set off by a colon, without a period after the equation.</p>\n\n<pre><code>Thus from Euclid's five postulates we arrive at our final result,\nknown as the Pythagorean theorem:\n A^2+B^2=C^2\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Here I feel that the colon acts like a signal on the tracks that tells the train conductor we're nearing the end of the sentence. The construction of the sentence also reinforces the reader's subconscious expectation that the sentence will not continue after the equation. Grammatically, the equation does not function as any part of speech; the style is similar to what one would use in introducing a diagram that was in-line in the body of the text and had no caption or figure number.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14418,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Short answer: Yes.</p>\n\n<p>Longer answer: Yes, of course. No matter what is the formatting on the page, the text is <em>linear</em>, with the only exceptions being floating objects (figures and tables), which obviously <em>float</em>. The fact whether the formula is on display or not should have no implication on the punctuation used.</p>\n\n<p>This issue exactly is not much addressed by Knuth in his <a href=\"http://jmlr.org/reviewing-papers/knuth_mathematical_writing.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">Mathematical writing</a>. Still, him being a profesionnal typographer, a mathematician and an author of many books, his opinion on this (which is clear if you open any of his works) is IMHO quite valuable, being a strong reference for proper punctuation. The linked article is definitely worth reading.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14351",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9366/"
]
|
14,355 | <p>I am a post doc in mathematics, and was just sent a request to review a paper. This is the first time it happened to me. I never heard of this journal before, but it is a Springer journal, and upon checking the editorial board it looks like a respectable journal. Also, the paper looks quite interesting, so it appears that I shouldn't worry about it being dubious.</p>
<p>I wonder however, if this is a good time in my career to do such a job. Given that I am a postdoc, constantly in the run for the next job, and probably this will take some of my valuable research time. Is it normal for postdocs to review research papers? Should I accept it? If so, should I mention the fact I review for this journal in my C.V?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14356,
"author": "Yuichiro Fujiwara",
"author_id": 7075,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7075",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have served as a referee for various math and related journals since I was a graduate student. I'm a postdoc now, and during this career phase, I have refereed way more papers than I wrote. I put on my CV the names of journals I have served for as a referee. I don't think I have done anything wrong about this. Let's see if I will land on a tenure track job this year!</p>\n\n<p>On a bit more serious note, I think it's normal for a postdoc to referee papers. One of the editors of Nature once said the best referees are postdocs because they're on the cutting edge of research but naive enough to be honest. I don't know if this equally applies to mathematics. But I think the fact that the editorial board you find respectable chose you suggests that you are qualified and needed. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14357,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><strong>Yes, reviewing papers is an integral part of your job now, and a very beneficial one at that!</strong></p>\n\n<p>It's true that the first papers you will review will take you quite a bit of time, but it's a sound investment (unless you consider dropping out of academia next month). You'll improve your reading and ability to read between the lines. It will help you gain a wider view of what others are doing in your field, because it will force you to really go through the paper in depth, not just skim over it as we are so often forced to do when a paper is not at the core of our own research.</p>\n\n<p>Moreover, it will give you invaluable experience when you write your next papers, because you will be able to put yourself in the reviewer's shoes! You will see better what could be problematic for a referee in the presentation of your work.</p>\n\n<p>As for whether you should list it on your CV: <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/3540/2700\">yes!</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14372,
"author": "Konrad Rudolph",
"author_id": 348,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/348",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The other answers have focused on why reviewing papers makes sense to you.</p>\n\n<p>But there’s a second, equally as important facet to it: It’s your <strong>duty</strong> as a researcher to review papers.</p>\n\n<p>Sure, nobody’s contract mentions anything about reviewing papers, and no grant proposal ever allocates resources for it. But, to put it bluntly, that’s a bug in the system (and one, I might add, that badly needs fixing).</p>\n\n<p>Peer review is a fundamental part of how science is done today. And, by design, the people to do it are researchers. It’s simply <em>required</em> that researchers perform peer review. Of course we could all just say “eh, let other people worry about this” but I hardly need to explain how conceptually broken and ethically objectionable this concept is.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14373,
"author": "Marc Claesen",
"author_id": 7173,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7173",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Do unto others as you would have them do to you.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This sums it up quite nicely. Do you want your papers to be reviewed? Do you want the reviewers to do it properly?</p>\n\n<p>I'm going to assume the answer to both questions is a profound <strong>YES</strong>. From the perspective of science, writing and reviewing are both crucial. As a scientist, it is part of your responsibility to review even if you consider it to be less rewarding. </p>\n\n<p>This does not mean you should accept every review request. Sometimes you may get a request to review a manuscript which you may not be entirely suitable for as a reviewer. If the manuscript is in your field of expertise and there is no conflict of interest you should probably do it, though.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14375,
"author": "venergiac",
"author_id": 9456,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9456",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I was referee for various IEEE journals / conferences / proceedings during my PhD studies.</p>\n\n<p>Opportunities:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>a good opportunity for your CV</li>\n<li>some benefits from the editor</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Duties:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>if you are member of a community (research is community) you must participate to the community's activities</li>\n<li>reject the review if the paper doesn't fall in your research field</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Suggestions:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>if you do not feel up to it, you can only evaluate the scientific soundness and point this out to the editor</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14378,
"author": "adam.r",
"author_id": 9669,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9669",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, but you should be protective of your time. Here is my algorithm.</p>\n\n<h1>We have a duty to review papers, but how many?</h1>\n\n<h2>How many reviews have you consumed?</h2>\n\n<p>My rule of thumb is that I will serve as a reviewer for each time when someone else was asked to serve as a reviewer for my paper. Therefore, if I have 4 first author papers, and each was reviewed by 3 people, then I have a duty to review 12 papers. When doing these calculations, I will discount my obligation if I had co-first-authors on the paper, but not for minor authors or senior authors. Senior authors are typically occupied with other obligations, such as serving as editors for journals.</p>\n\n<h2>Will you benefit from this review?</h2>\n\n<p>Are you interested in the topic? If so, you are getting the first peak at this research, along with an opportunity to get the authors to respond to your questions. Do you respect the editor, and are you happy that she considers you an expert?</p>\n\n<h2>Pay attention to how much time you spend on a review</h2>\n\n<p>I have a tendency to spend 5-10 hours on a review (biology), but have been told that 2-6 hours is appropriate. I am trying hard to compress that. The appropriate amount of time may depend on your field. A mathematician colleague of mine said that he spends several days reviewing each paper. This is feasible for him because publications in his field are very rare. Sometimes I spend a lot of time because I am interested in the topic but have not previously bothered to read the background literature, so I read several papers while reviewing the one. This may be a helpful or harmful habit for my career. Refuse to review a paper if it will require background reading that you are not interested in.</p>\n\n<h2>Don't review unless you can get it done immediately</h2>\n\n<p>If you can't make time for it in the next few days, then you probably don't have time for it. It's best for everyone if the review is returned to the authors ASAP.</p>\n\n<h1>Reject bad papers ASAP</h1>\n\n<h2>Refuse to review papers with bad abstracts</h2>\n\n<p>I have reviewed a couple of papers even though they seemed pointless based on the abstract. It turned out that they were indeed pointless. My new policy is to refuse to review any paper with a bad abstract and write to the editor that I do not consider the paper publishable. I have not had the opportunity to do this yet, so I don't know how editors actually respond. However, I think this is a legitimate basis for rejecting a paper. If the abstract accurately reflects the content of the paper, then the paper is indeed pointless. If the abstract fails to describe what is notable about the study, then the paper is poorly written and is not ready for publication. Some journals say that their papers are not to be evaluated based on \"impact\", but if a paper is as pointless/trivial as the stuff I've seen, it is not worth the effort of reviewing it, and therefore it is not publishable.</p>\n\n<h2>Try to identify a fatal error quickly; if you find it, stop reviewing</h2>\n\n<p>Nobody benefits from detailed nit-picking on a paper that is not going to be published anyway.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14385,
"author": "Benoît Kloeckner",
"author_id": 946,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/946",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are already several good answers, but I will add one from a pure mathematician point of view, because this question is very dependent on the field (or at least, fundamental maths are outliers given the time needed to deeply review a paper: from a few hours for a clearly flawed paper to <em>years</em> in some cases).</p>\n\n<p>Reviewing is part of your duty as a researcher, it adds a little bit to your CV, it pleases important people when done right, and most importantly it makes you learn stuff. But as said it takes a lot time to be done right, and you are in a position where your own research will earn you the right to have a career as professional mathematician or not. </p>\n\n<p>I therefore consider that you should only accept to review papers that are either easy enough (or easily rejected enough) not to take too much time, or that are of primary interest for your own research, in which case a few weeks of part-time work on a review can be very beneficial. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14355",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9656/"
]
|
14,358 | <p>In my field (chemistry), review is always done in a single blind process, i.e. the author does not know who the referees were, but the referees do know who the authors are. In ten years, I have never seen a referee breaching this anonymity, e.g. by signing their review, unless they got prior approval by the editor (in order to continue discuss things further with the authors, once the manuscript was accepted for publication).</p>
<p>So, it seemed logical to assume that in single blind peer-review, the reviewer should not disclose his identity without the editor's consent. Yet, some people have told me (<a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/14037/2700">here</a> and <a href="https://mathoverflow.net/questions/98308/when-if-ever-disclose-your-identity-as-a-reviewer">there</a>; also IRL a friend from human sciences) that they have seen people sign their reviews, or write emails to them after the review but before the paper is published.</p>
<p>So, <strong>in single-blind peer-review, can you reveal your identity without the editor's consent?</strong> Does it depends on the customs of each field, or is there a hard rule? (in which case, the few anecdotes I heard were outliers)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14359,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I would think that it's a bad idea to open the possibility of referees communicating with authors, since this opens the possibility of authors' influencing referees, compromising the process. Of course, this is not to say that there aren't some positive possibilities, but the conflict-of-interest criterion seems to me in this case to be clearly manifest.</p>\n\n<p>That is, it should be understood, implicitly or explicitly, that referees will remain anonymous \"in perpetuity\", so that there is no hint or possibility that authors could communicate with them or influence them. E.g., either overt or subtle invitations from authors to a referee to communicate (and get some credit for the paper, maybe co-authorship, etc., as discussed around here some time back...) would be understood in advance to fail absolutely.</p>\n\n<p>Thus, editors who discover referees willing to engage in such would probably regretfully stop asking them to referee, since if such activity became known it would seriously damage the reputation of the journal... if only in principle, but \"principle\" would seem to be the point...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14417,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my opinion, <strong>informing anyone that you was their referee is a serious betrayal of the system.</strong> The fact that the reviews are (at least) single-blind by default has a good reason, which is that you don't feel unsafe writing a very negative review to a paper if it deserves it. As such, it works only if it's standard that this information stays secret.</p>\n\n<p>Imagine a situation when 15 people vote for something in secret vote, but vast majority of them plan to reveal publically their vote. It stresses the minority to state their opinion as they feel it. And the uttermost reason for reviews is that reviewers state their opinion as they feel it.</p>\n\n<p>There are some exceptions when it is acceptable, like:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>When you reject to review the paper for whatever reason, you can of course tell them that you saw the paper.</p></li>\n<li><p>Another exception is when the paper is really excellent and contains some breaking results (so that it is really really far from giving a negative review), but even then I would be quite careful.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>AFAIK, in some countries, even a randomly-chosen portion of PhD theses get single-blind reviewed after they are published, to ensure that the thesis oponents take it more seriously in general.</p>\n\n<p><strong>The fact that others do it doesn't mean that it's correct.</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 84306,
"author": "Patrick B.",
"author_id": 68649,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/68649",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's possible to sign peer reviews. It's not common, but also not unheard of. You should check if you're unsure, though I don't think it's usually possible to do so without the editor's consent, as all the reviews typically go through them, not directly to the authors. If the editor truly found it unacceptable, I believe they would have the option of redacting the review or refusing to accept the review until it was amended.</p>\n<p>A rising sentiment in my field (biological sciences) is that anonymity in peer-review is increasingly abused to make disingenuous, unreasonable, or inflammatory comments without having to stand by them, or to get away with sloppy or ignorant reviews. Signing reviews is seen as a step towards greater transparency. This pair of blog posts by Jeremy Yoder (<a href=\"http://www.molecularecologist.com/2014/04/why-we-sign/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">1</a>, <a href=\"http://www.molecularecologist.com/2014/04/why-we-dont-sign/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">2</a>) has some further pros and cons from people who sign or don't sign their reviews, respectively.</p>\n<p>Personally I think open reviews, where they're actually published along with the manuscript, are a more effective remedy. But that's a separate discussion, probably.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 84307,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is overwhelmingly clear from the answers at <a href=\"https://mathoverflow.net/questions/98308/when-if-ever-disclose-your-identity-as-a-reviewer\">https://mathoverflow.net/questions/98308/when-if-ever-disclose-your-identity-as-a-reviewer</a> that <strong>in the mathematical research community it is perfectly acceptable to sign one's reviews</strong>. I know people who do so, and their purpose in doing so is to ensure that they keep the tone and content of their reviews such that they are not embarrassed to be acknowledged as the author of the review. I think that other mathematicians largely consider this a courageous and responsible action. Some may think it is unwise, but I don't know of any who think it is unethical.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 157916,
"author": "JosephDoggie",
"author_id": 43739,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43739",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>For me (EE PhD in USA in 1990's) one would not reveal one's identity as a reviewer. This would seem to violate ethics, even though I suppose 'double-blind' would be a stronger system than 'single-blind'.</p>\n<p>However, if certain reviewers made certain comments, it is likely my advisor could finger them by their concerns, and determine that it was a certain researcher (or one of their associates). Of course, this is just using likelihood.</p>\n<p>We were able to revise a paper to get it published after it was initially rejected. This is certainly possible. However, the reviewers should remain anonymous at all times.</p>\n<p>I suppose someone could reveal this years later, when it no longer 'matters' except as a curiosity.</p>\n<p>As pointed out elsewhere, this would vary by field, publication-outlet, geographic-region and other concerns.</p>\n<p>However, the default assumption would be for the reviewer(s) to remain anonymous.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14358",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700/"
]
|
14,370 | <p>I have just graduated from a masters degree in information systems, and I'm due to begin a role at a large IT consultancy firm in 6 months time.</p>
<p>For the interim I have arranged a period of desk research with one of my old professors. I cannot go into specifics but to give you a taster my research will be around small/medium IT firm strategies.</p>
<p>I will of course receive direction from my professor on the detail, but some general advice for someone wanting to shift into an appropriate mindset for being effective at desk research would be very helpful.</p>
<p>What strategies would you use to tackle a desk research role?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14359,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I would think that it's a bad idea to open the possibility of referees communicating with authors, since this opens the possibility of authors' influencing referees, compromising the process. Of course, this is not to say that there aren't some positive possibilities, but the conflict-of-interest criterion seems to me in this case to be clearly manifest.</p>\n\n<p>That is, it should be understood, implicitly or explicitly, that referees will remain anonymous \"in perpetuity\", so that there is no hint or possibility that authors could communicate with them or influence them. E.g., either overt or subtle invitations from authors to a referee to communicate (and get some credit for the paper, maybe co-authorship, etc., as discussed around here some time back...) would be understood in advance to fail absolutely.</p>\n\n<p>Thus, editors who discover referees willing to engage in such would probably regretfully stop asking them to referee, since if such activity became known it would seriously damage the reputation of the journal... if only in principle, but \"principle\" would seem to be the point...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14417,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my opinion, <strong>informing anyone that you was their referee is a serious betrayal of the system.</strong> The fact that the reviews are (at least) single-blind by default has a good reason, which is that you don't feel unsafe writing a very negative review to a paper if it deserves it. As such, it works only if it's standard that this information stays secret.</p>\n\n<p>Imagine a situation when 15 people vote for something in secret vote, but vast majority of them plan to reveal publically their vote. It stresses the minority to state their opinion as they feel it. And the uttermost reason for reviews is that reviewers state their opinion as they feel it.</p>\n\n<p>There are some exceptions when it is acceptable, like:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>When you reject to review the paper for whatever reason, you can of course tell them that you saw the paper.</p></li>\n<li><p>Another exception is when the paper is really excellent and contains some breaking results (so that it is really really far from giving a negative review), but even then I would be quite careful.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>AFAIK, in some countries, even a randomly-chosen portion of PhD theses get single-blind reviewed after they are published, to ensure that the thesis oponents take it more seriously in general.</p>\n\n<p><strong>The fact that others do it doesn't mean that it's correct.</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 84306,
"author": "Patrick B.",
"author_id": 68649,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/68649",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's possible to sign peer reviews. It's not common, but also not unheard of. You should check if you're unsure, though I don't think it's usually possible to do so without the editor's consent, as all the reviews typically go through them, not directly to the authors. If the editor truly found it unacceptable, I believe they would have the option of redacting the review or refusing to accept the review until it was amended.</p>\n<p>A rising sentiment in my field (biological sciences) is that anonymity in peer-review is increasingly abused to make disingenuous, unreasonable, or inflammatory comments without having to stand by them, or to get away with sloppy or ignorant reviews. Signing reviews is seen as a step towards greater transparency. This pair of blog posts by Jeremy Yoder (<a href=\"http://www.molecularecologist.com/2014/04/why-we-sign/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">1</a>, <a href=\"http://www.molecularecologist.com/2014/04/why-we-dont-sign/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">2</a>) has some further pros and cons from people who sign or don't sign their reviews, respectively.</p>\n<p>Personally I think open reviews, where they're actually published along with the manuscript, are a more effective remedy. But that's a separate discussion, probably.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 84307,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is overwhelmingly clear from the answers at <a href=\"https://mathoverflow.net/questions/98308/when-if-ever-disclose-your-identity-as-a-reviewer\">https://mathoverflow.net/questions/98308/when-if-ever-disclose-your-identity-as-a-reviewer</a> that <strong>in the mathematical research community it is perfectly acceptable to sign one's reviews</strong>. I know people who do so, and their purpose in doing so is to ensure that they keep the tone and content of their reviews such that they are not embarrassed to be acknowledged as the author of the review. I think that other mathematicians largely consider this a courageous and responsible action. Some may think it is unwise, but I don't know of any who think it is unethical.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 157916,
"author": "JosephDoggie",
"author_id": 43739,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43739",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>For me (EE PhD in USA in 1990's) one would not reveal one's identity as a reviewer. This would seem to violate ethics, even though I suppose 'double-blind' would be a stronger system than 'single-blind'.</p>\n<p>However, if certain reviewers made certain comments, it is likely my advisor could finger them by their concerns, and determine that it was a certain researcher (or one of their associates). Of course, this is just using likelihood.</p>\n<p>We were able to revise a paper to get it published after it was initially rejected. This is certainly possible. However, the reviewers should remain anonymous at all times.</p>\n<p>I suppose someone could reveal this years later, when it no longer 'matters' except as a curiosity.</p>\n<p>As pointed out elsewhere, this would vary by field, publication-outlet, geographic-region and other concerns.</p>\n<p>However, the default assumption would be for the reviewer(s) to remain anonymous.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14370",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9666/"
]
|
14,387 | <p>I am working on a multidisciplinary subject which involves mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and chemistry. I have a decent amount of research completed and now I need to select a journal to publish my work. How do I select a good journal to publish my papers?
Also for the same topic I need to select conference to present. How do I select that too?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14388,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>In general if you are looking for a journal where to publish a specific type of manuscript do a survey of the material you have referenced. Where are those articles published? You should pay special attention to articles that are multidisciplinary such as yours. The next step if you are uncertain about the appropriateness is to e-mail the journal editors of journals and ask if they consider multidisciplinary articles. I do not think you should send the manuscript to them because they usually do not have time to read anything substantial just to answer a question but do paste in your title, author list and abstract.</p>\n\n<p>As of conferences, I cannot see a patented answer. If a conference is a recurring event you can always go back to collections of abstracts to see if other multidisciplinary papers have been presented. Another option is to see if you cannot organize your own session at a larger conference that permits sessions.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14401,
"author": "venergiac",
"author_id": 9456,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9456",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If the journal accepts pre-submission inquires try this way.</p>\n\n<p>Alternatively consult <a href=\"http://www.elsevier.com/journal-authors/home\" rel=\"nofollow\">Elsevier Matching</a> tool, it should help.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14387",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9691/"
]
|
14,390 | <h3>Background</h3>
<p>I'm doing some work for a new online-only university that is being founded, based in the US and offering degrees up to doctorate in courses like history, philosophy and literature. It's heavily research-based and doesn't allow credit transfer.</p>
<p>One of the great things about this university is that it will offer scholarships to people in developing countries allowing them to complete a degree at a US university for as little as $100. The university is not designed to make money, but only to keep itself going. (This does not mean it is non-profit; in fact most non-profits are designed to make as much money as possible, they just don't have shareholders.)</p>
<p>We need academics/professors to volunteer to advise and help us get started, especially during the current period where the application for a new university is being considered. We expect them to help by:</p>
<ul>
<li>associating with the university for the sake of the application, even if only in name;</li>
<li>marking theses, when students reach that stage (though no teaching will be required).</li>
</ul>
<h3>The questions</h3>
<p>I've tried emailing professors asking for their help, but it seems no one is interested. I get the impression that online universities don't have much respect from these people and that no one wants to risk their reputation by being involved with something new and different.</p>
<p><strong>What is the best approach to convince established professors to contribute to this project?</strong> Would they expect to be paid in return? (A stipend is possible, as well as a title, but no salary.)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14391,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This my vary by school, but at least at my institution, this is close to the line where approval from higher-ups is required for a professor to participate. While professors have a great deal of latitude with how they use their time, the university does actually claim possession of our teaching (it is, after all, what they're paying us for).</p>\n\n<p>There are written-in exceptions (for example, giving tutorials on research subjects is a standard thing, and allowed), and it's possible to request permission for other cases. It's not clear to me from your question whether what you're asking for would require permission, but it's close enough that I probably wouldn't be comfortable without permission. That's a big enough deal that it might discourage participants who were otherwise inclined.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14393,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Different requests warrant different communication styles. By simply sending an email and leaving it at that, your request is in the same boat as any other piece of spam they receive; unsolicited mail asking for their resources (time, money, whatever).</p>\n\n<p>If you truly wish to have them partner with you in a new business venture, you should engage in standard courtship behavior expected for this sort of relationship; phone conversations, in-person conversations, take them out for coffee, lots of follow-up. Additionally, they'll need to be convinced that you're not a fly-by-night nobody and that it's worth their while to work with you. This takes time and effort, and is guaranteed not to happen if your main communication channel is email. You are acting in a Sales position here; treat it as such.</p>\n\n<p>Do note that you will likely be received with significant skepticism, and you should have ready answers for all the questions you're sure to receive.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14394,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>There are a number of issues here:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>The new university probably isn't accredited (yet?) and is for-profit (at least that's how I interpret \"this does not mean it is non-profit\"). In principle a for-profit, unaccredited university could be innovative and wonderful, but it will face a lot of prejudice because most such universities are not.</p></li>\n<li><p>Joining a new venture like this involves putting a lot of trust in the people who are running it. If they turn out to be crazy or dishonest, then everyone involved will look bad. It's difficult to reach this level of trust, and almost impossible starting with e-mail from a stranger.</p></li>\n<li><p>Advising research students takes time and effort. It's not just a matter of proposing a topic and waiting for the thesis to come in; instead, there's a lot of advising and mentoring. This is a major commitment, and I wouldn't want to have my name associated with something like this unless I was doing everything necessary to help the students succeed. Some of your comments (such as \"virtually no need of professors until it comes to marking theses\" or \"we need academics associated with the university for the sake of the application, even if its only in name\") sound like I would be setting students up for failure or misleading them as to my level of involvement.</p></li>\n<li><p>Time is a major limiting factor. If I had all the time in the world, then I would cheerfully volunteer to help with all sorts of things. As it is, though, there are a lot of students at my own institution who seek supervision, and working with them in person is more satisfying and productive than supervising someone over the internet. If I maintain my current level of engagement with students in person, and add internet activities, then what am I going to cut? It's not enough to make a case that participating in this new university is valuable. Instead, you have to make the case that it is more valuable than whatever I might be doing instead, such as research or family time.</p></li>\n<li><p>What you describe comes across as saying professors aren't really necessary except for validating research output and ought to be willing to do that for relatively little money. This philosophy won't be popular with many professors, who would like to believe they engage in plenty of crucial activities. If this isn't the impression you would like to convey, then you need to modify your sales pitch.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 21002,
"author": "Alexandros",
"author_id": 10042,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10042",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Unfortunately I seem to agree with JeffE. It does sound like a scam. The open universities I know: a) They have permanent administrative personnel organizing the university tasks b) Despite the fact they are online they have buildings (not necessarily a campus) but at least offices where the administrative people work. c) They have deans, professors and lecturers. Some of them are part-time but certainly not all of them. All faculty is paid accordingly d) Before hiring professors they have courses, syllabus etc. Based on that they hire their faculty. g) For hiring faculty they make public announcements. Public announcements are put in scientific societies (i.e., ACM), on the university site, on press etc. As a result they cost money. Emailing professors sound a poor-guy's scam working from his basement.</p>\n\n<p>If you have all those prerequisites, you will be taken seriously. If not, you should probably look to well-established open universities for inspiration.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14390",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7245/"
]
|
14,395 | <p>A journal which accepted a paper of mine has made some alterations to the text of the paper as part of their editing process. They sent me the edited version for approval, and I discovered that at least some of these changes are erroneous (for instance, one of the changes included a typo, and another was changing the spelling of a technical term incorrectly). I asked for a list of all the changes made, and was told that this was "too messy" (I assume because the alterations to the text are mixed in with the changes to the formatting of the paper, which is a more standard part of the editing process).</p>
<p>At this time the journal is waiting for me to approve/make changes to the final proof before publication.</p>
<p>My question is how I should deal with this situation. I feel like I have an obligation to be responsible for the contents of a paper published in my name. (Though, if I'm mistaken about this, that would be a helpful answer.)</p>
<p>I can think of a few solutions, ranging from the tedious (compare the PDF files line by line to identify the changes myself), to the demanding (insist on a list of changes anyway), to the passive-aggressive (either withdraw the paper or add a sulky footnote disavowing responsibility for the unknown changes to the paper). These all have problems, so I'd appreciate more constructive ways to approach the situation.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14397,
"author": "Faheem Mitha",
"author_id": 285,
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"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I've run into bad editing situations like this. In these cases, I've gone through the paper line by line, with a fine tooth comb. Yes, it is painful, but it is a good idea even if the journal editors aren't obviously screwing up. (This can get doubly horrible if you have complicated formatting in your paper.)\nYou should bear in mind whoever is doing this is unlikely to actually understand what you are writing, and my experience of people doing this sort of thing is that they can be well-meaning and not too bright, so they can take it upon themselves to \"correct\" your manuscript, while not understanding what they are doing. Additionally, if you give them last minute changes to the paper, make sure to check they have applied them correctly. Are you the sole author? Can you get anyone else to help with this? It would make it less awful. </p>\n\n<p>Your other ideas sound less viable. Asking for a list of changes assumes that there is someone there who actually knows what those changes <em>are</em>. My experience is that journal staff are often amazingly technically incompetent, and probably have never thought of using version control for example. though I'd love to hear about the exceptions. But you can certainly try to insist.</p>\n\n<p>Your passive-aggressive ideas just sound bad. You don't want to withdraw your paper over an issue like that. And if there are errors in the paper, they will reflect badly on you, and nobody else will care.</p>\n\n<p>At times I've thought someone should start a site like ratethisjournal.org where people could discuss their experiences dealing with different journals.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14398,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Some background. Many copy-editors (I would say most) are not experts in any field but are experts on the house style of the publisher. I have experienced how copy-editors new to the journal make lots of mistakes, they sometimes edit several journals with different styles. They should not make such mistakes but sometimes the communication between the publisher and the copy-editor does not work well for one reason or another. Note that the journal and its editors may not be involved in this part of the process; I cannot say what applies in your case.</p>\n\n<p>I would suggest you contact the editors of the journal, or the contact to which you are supposed to return the comments. State that your manuscript has been corrupted by the copy-editing and ask how they suggest you should proceed (considering that the state of the paper is completely unsatisfactory). What you can also do is to try to summarize the systematic errors you have observed so that the journal/publisher can provide these comments to the copy-editor. Unfortunately, the copy-editor will not likely be able to make any better judgements on the corrections without input from others, so I think it is safe to say at least some will most likely fall back to you to correct in the end. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14402,
"author": "F'x",
"author_id": 2700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2700",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Copy-editing is a normal part of the publication process, and a few errors can be introduced that way. <strong>A good proof-reading is in order, of course, but if you miss a typo or two it's not the end of the world.</strong> Moreover, if you later come to realize that a critical error has been introduced, which was not present in your initial copy and which you did not find in the your proof-reading, you can always ask for a correction at that point.</p>\n\n<p>However, many publishers give you more information to help review the copy-edited proofs. For example, many publishers will gladly give you (automatically, or upon asking) the list of changes made (“edit track” or something like that). Something a bit like a <code>latexdiff</code> output, in most cases. It's a crowded document, and hard to read through because there are many formatting and copy-editing changes, but it can be helpful with some details.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14413,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A Copy Editor speaking. I have couple comments:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>It is true that <strong>it is impossible to seperate the changes in the text and changes in the formatting</strong>, even in good systems like LaTeX.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Good Copy Editor never changes any scientific terms as is.</strong> Sometimes we have to change a formula (split in two lines, etc.), or we are dubious about a comma, preposition, hyphen or whatever. Even though the Language Editor corrects these, I sometimes don't make the changes if I feel it is against the intention of the author. Honestly, this is a complicated process, even inside the Editors' Office, not speaking about communication with the authors. As well, we put some notices in the Proofreading version if we're unsure about something, so that the author can be aware of it. Unfortunately, it seems to me that not many journals do quite a great job in Copy Editing.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>What can you do:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p><strong>Read your manuscript really carefully during the proofreading.</strong> No matter what\nhappens, you can get as angry as possible at the Editor's, but if there was a mistake in the proofreading version and you did not point it out, it's your mistake, not the journal's.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Prepare the manuscript as perfectly as possible.</strong> Use the correct template (esp. in LaTeX), follow the (typo)graphic manual of the journal etc. This way, you minimise the changes the Copy Editor/Typesetter has to make, thus minimising the chance of something going wrong. My experience is that the amount of mistakes that appear is highly dependent of the quality of the manuscript when you send it. (Example: We work in LaTeX, and when I receive an article in Word, I have to re-write/revise all the math formulas. Imagine how many mistakes I make during this very stupid process.)</p></li>\n<li><p>There are tools that allow a document to be \"linearised\". Then you can linearise the accepted version and the proofreading version and compare them. However, I don't have any how-to for this.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>If you find a serious mistake after the publication,</strong> see what errata policy the journal has. In our case, the online version (we're open access) can be corrected, and additionally, Errata are printed in the next suitable issue.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14395",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8/"
]
|
14,396 | <p>I enjoy creating presentations a lot and I think I have an eye for nice design, however, I tend to always have the same layout/colour scheme/etc. and I'd like to try something new for my defence.</p>
<p>So I've been googling great presentations for hours, and there are heaps of innovative designs but usually these are from outside academia. I still want to convey information in a serious manner. But when looking at websites that intend to give advice for scientific presentations I find the examples horrible and very much 1990s (bullet points...) </p>
<p>So, in short, can you think of any scientific presentations with unpretentious but great design, which can be found somewhere online?</p>
<p><strong>Edit</strong> Thank you for your comments, which definitely include heaps of helpful advice, however, I was less looking for "basic" presentation guidelines but more for design elements, which do not distract the audience but which make the presentation a bit more interesting. For instance, a colleague of mine recently gave a presentation and before each section she'd have a slide with just the title of the section and a photo (e.g. "Methods" and a picture of her lab equipment). I liked that because it structures the presentation and is a nice break from charts, diagrams and (in the worst case) bullet points. So, yes, I am really more looking for inspiration on fonts, colours, using white space, ...</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14399,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are two aspects to your question, in my opinion: design and function.</p>\n\n<p><em>Function</em>. Many have criticized PowerPoint and bullet points and perhaps none so much as Edward Tufte in his essay booklet <a href=\"http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_pp\">The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within</a>. The defaults of PowerPoint and reliance on bullet points is interesting and \"forces\" users into a particular form of presentation where bullets are more reminders for the speaker than the audience. From this background an alternative is to use the so-called <a href=\"http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/slides.html\">Assertion-Evidence Structure</a> which takes a very different approach to building slides. </p>\n\n<p>In the Assertion-Evidence Structure the heading of the slide is the main point of the slide, a take-home message. The slides use graphics extensively to support and high-light the main point. The structure has been shown to yield significant improvements in both audience understanding than normal bullet-point presentations. Se the <a href=\"http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/presentations/speaking.pdf\">linked example of the structure</a>.</p>\n\n<p>The Assertion-Evidence slides are not necessarily pretty but they do the job very well so that brings me to the second issue.</p>\n\n<p><em>Design</em>. When you look at designing slides it is probably easier to list the don'ts than the do's. In general, anything \"fancy\" easily becomes boring when overdone. Therefore simple is better. I would also add that subtle is better. Do not use strong colours and avoid backgrounds that can clash with the text, either structurally or in terms of colour, after all you want your message to shine. </p>\n\n<p>So design anything with a principle to do as much as possible with as little as possible and you should be on a good road. I think referring back to Edward Tufte is useful also here.</p>\n\n<p>So taken together, it is not clear what is a well designed presentation depending on whether you are looking at aesthetic impact or factual impact.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14403,
"author": "Frederik",
"author_id": 5621,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5621",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I personally like the books from Nancy Duarte, \"slide:ology\" is about design and how to express certain concepts (Flow, Structure etc.) while \"resonate\" is about structuring the story. </p>\n\n<p>Clearly these books can't be applied to Science directly, there is nothing about setting formulas etc, but they provide good directions and give inspirations on what to think about. </p>\n\n<p>Beside this I would not focus that much on the whole presentation, but on special components, like \"How to visualize Information/Data\", typography or design in general. There are a lot of websites and books on these things.</p>\n\n<p>Finally on real examples: There are tons of presentations on ted.com. In my opinion Hans Rosling is an interesting speaker, his talk \"Global population growth, box by box\" is a example of a presentation which combines powerpoint and real things. Brian Cox is also worth mentioning.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14405,
"author": "Irwin",
"author_id": 5944,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5944",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I've tried following a number of design presentation guidelines (Presentation Zen being one of them).</p>\n\n<p>In the end, I've found that the real focus of presentation design needs to focus first on your story (and therefore your content) and less on the visual aspects of your presentation. One colleague of mine read a lot of presentation books and then tried to do a presentation filled predominantly with large photographs (as recommended by one of them) and minimal text. A faculty member complained that he couldn't follow the talk because there were too few words. I've seen slides that are dull and boring that are accompanied by fascinating speakers. I've seen talks with boring slides and really amateurish graphics that are good talks (the amateurish graphics were actually interesting in that they made the presentation stand out).</p>\n\n<p>I think my main message here is that we could throw examples of good scientific presentations with good visual design at you all you like but they won't necessarily improve your presentation. If you already knew that, then that's excellent - you're probably just looking for something minor then, like a new type of bullet or an interesting color scheme. But if you're hoping that \"using more animated builds\" to explain complex topics and adding \"more punchy pictures\" will help, that's not a sufficient condition!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14410,
"author": "PatW",
"author_id": 7357,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7357",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you are tired of the slide-by-slide format of PowerPoint, you can have a look at dynamic presentations with <a href=\"http://prezi.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Prezi</a> or <a href=\"http://bartaz.github.io/impress.js/#/bored\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Impress.js</a>. These two tools can introduce you to a whole new way of creating presentations but using them must always be motivated by good reasons. Because PowerPoint follows a linear path in the presentation, it is easy to do the same with Prezi and Impress.js while they can afford for a higher level of interaction between each <em>slide</em>.</p>\n<p>Last but not least, some people have motion sickness and using too many effects might annoy them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14415,
"author": "Mangara",
"author_id": 8185,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8185",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><a href=\"http://practicaltypography.com/presentations.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Butterick’s Practical Typography </a> has some great tips for making more readable presentations that don't look like typical PowerPoint ones.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Don't use a white background</strong>. High contrast slides can be very exhausting, especially if your presentation is given in a darkened room. In that case, consider a black background with light grey text. Even in bright rooms, using a light grey background with dark grey text reduces eye strain.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Use a consistent font size</strong>. Most presentation programs will automatically adjust the font size based on the text, which just looks messy. It's better to adjust your text so that it displays nicely at your font size.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Limit the use of color</strong>. Use color sparingly to emphasize or set apart certain elements. A lot of color quickly distracts from the content, and when everything is emphasized, nothing is emphasized.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Other than that, I have seen some really good hand-drawn presentations. They have a feeling of authenticity that you can't get from PowerPoint. I've seen two versions of this: using note-taking software, or simply a sequence of photographs of a stack of hand-written sheets of paper. The note-taking software can make it much easier to do certain animations, as you can draw on the slides during your talk.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14396",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9699/"
]
|
14,408 | <p>I rewrote my thesis work with improved analytical explanation of major problem statement and included few subsections which were not the part of thesis. Also I rewrote the algorithms with more clarity for better understanding.</p>
<p>One of my colleagues at current working place has helped me in organization of paper and correction of English. I submitted the paper by mentioning my supervisor as second and my colleague as a 3rd author of paper. I also mentioned in acknowledgment that work is extended version of my thesis work under supervision of Mr. X.</p>
<p>After acceptance of paper my supervisor is causing trouble and saying I cannot mention anyone else except him in acknowledgement, and he must be the corresponding author. But as per editor's response, it’s too late to make changes. Now he wants me to withdraw my accepted SCI paper and resubmit according to his wishes (1-He must be corresponding author 2-Acknowledgment must be written according to his wishes 3-Exclude 3rd Author)</p>
<p>My question is whether his reaction is proper? If I don't listen and proceed for publication whether it can cause some problem?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14411,
"author": "Willie Wong",
"author_id": 94,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/94",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The problem you ran into is one of the prime examples of why one should <strong>always</strong> get <em>all</em> the coauthors' approvals before submitting an article. </p>\n\n<p>If you have in fact documented approval from your previous advisor for the paper in the form in which you submitted, the facts are on <em>your</em> side. And there's little your advisor can do about it: it is his own fault for not having caught something he disliked and to have given you the OK to submit. (Though pissing off one's advisor is generally not a good career move.)</p>\n\n<p>If you <em>have not</em> obtained the approval, then you almost certainly <em>must</em> retract the paper. All journals I have submitted to and refereed for either requires the assent to publication be individually given by all the authors (in which case the journal will often ask for contact information of all authors to be keyed in when submitting), or that the corresponding author certify that he is in a position to speak on behalf of the other authors about the paper. The fact that your advisor is making noises means that either</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>He will disagree, as a coauthor, for the paper to be published, or</li>\n<li>You have in fact lied when you certified that you can speak for him, in which case the journal will retract your paper for violating their rules</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>(assuming some form of this question was asked during the submission process). In other words, most likely you are already in a situation where you either voluntarily retract the submission (in which case the only people who will know about it are likely yourself, the two coauthors involved, and the handling editor at the journal), or, if you chose to publish anyway, be forced to retract the paper by the journal, since many journals take authorship problems rather seriously. In this latter case anyone with a subscription to the journal would know that your paper was retracted because of some sort of misconduct (yes, misrepresenting author information is scientific misconduct). Your call. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>The above basically answers what you should do in your situation. But what about the case where the paper has <em>not</em> already been submitted, but there are disagreements over authorship and wording of the paper? </p>\n\n<p>My only suggestion is that in that scenario, you should get together with your two \"co-authors\" and hammer out a compromise yourselves. While I find the objections by your advisor a bit strange, there may be ulterior reasons you are not telling us. A possible compromise in this case would be for you to publish one paper, containing only the contributions of your thesis work, with your advisor, and a second one containing the reanalysis and extension, with the other author. </p>\n\n<p>And do <strong>not</strong>, in any case, go over the objections of your co-author(s) and submit a paper in a form they do not agree with. That's a recipe for academic misconduct right there. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14428,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I will add some supported information to the answer and comments, perhaps more for future reference. There are guidelines for author ship. The <a href=\"http://www.icmje.org\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors</a> has written up guidelines for <a href=\"http://www.icmje.org/ethical_1author.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">authorship and contributorship</a> based on the Vancouver Protocol. You can also see the post <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/13946/4394\">Paper contributions and first authorship</a> The requirements for becoming an author are quite strict. Based of these guidelines you can see whether co-authorship should be reasonable.</p>\n\n<p>You can also check out COPE's <a href=\"http://publicationethics.org/files/u2/2003pdf12.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How to handle authorship disputes:a guide for new researchers</a> and the <a href=\"http://www.apa.org/science/leadership/students/authorship-paper.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">American Psychology Association APA Student’s guide</a> for thoughts on authorships and disputes particularly from the perspective of a young scientist.</p>\n\n<p>To cap off, your situation is far from ideal. To evaluate possible co-authorships must be made early on. You will inevitably experience people who will bully their way into a paper (pressured authorship) and in some cases such behaviour is more a tradition than abuse (but nevertheless wrong and unethical). But remember that missing to add an author (ghost authorship) is also unethical. What you can do in this case is to contact the editors of the journal to seek their advice. Suggestions to retraction of articles is not something they take lightly. You do, however, need to assess the authorship issue carefully along the guidelines given in the examples above. Whether someone is missing from the acknowledgement or not is cause for any drastic measures. The acknowledgement is the only part where the authors can add thanks etc. as they see fit. It is not even necessary to have an acknowledgement, although that might appear odd to readers.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14408",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9710/"
]
|
14,419 | <p>How long does it take for a cited paper to show up online? I can see a couple of papers that were cited very recently and the papers containing those citations are currently online since a week or two. How long should I expect it to take before those citations show up as citations through Google Scholar or other indexing services?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14420,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><a href=\"http://scholar.google.com\">Google Scholar</a>, <a href=\"http://wokinfo.com\">Web of Knowledge</a>, <a href=\"http://www.scopus.com\">Scopus</a> and other indexing services have their own ways how the papers get into their database. For Scopus, the journal has to be registered there, and then actively send the data. It's similar for Web of Knowledge I think. Google gets the data from who-knows-where and I doubt you can control it efficiently. <em>In general, it takes couple weeks to several months.</em></p>\n\n<p>As <strong>dgraziotin</strong> pointed out in comments, Google Scholar indexes citations from <a href=\"http://arxiv.org\">arXiv</a> quite quickly, in couple days. However, by many people and many institutions, arXiv papers are not considered at all regarding citations, unless they are published properly elsewhere and properly Journal-ref'ed; even then, many people don't trust that the arXiv version is correct, because nobody makes any check of this (I mean, you can put whatever Journal-ref to whatever your arXiv paper, so it's not trusted).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 88190,
"author": "Joanna Bryson",
"author_id": 384,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/384",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>With Google Scholar, it depends at least in part on the deal the publisher has made with Google about how soon they are allowed to scrape. For this reason, Google Scholar citations for a year keep going up for months after that year has ended.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 88199,
"author": "Joanna Bryson",
"author_id": 384,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/384",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It took four days for a Science paper (four days from online publication, three from official publication / print.)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14419",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
]
|
14,426 | <p>I am an undergraduate intending to apply to an American graduate program. In my SOP, I decided to write one paragraph about my final year thesis. However, the truth is that I failed to propose something new in my final year thesis. The only positive things, I believe, is that I have found related papers quickly without any guidance.</p>
<p>I hope to talk positively about this experience. Is it positive to mention that "I have found papers quickly?" And how to mention such a "failed" final year thesis in SOP?</p>
<hr>
<p>More background information:</p>
<p>Field: graph theory</p>
<p>My supervisor was busy and he did not spend much time discussing the topic with me or teaching me about it. I have a problem understanding papers that are somewhat concise. At last, I had no choice but to change my topic. He only described the topic, did not give any references to read. I found the references by myself, which were exactly what he wished me to read. The time is limited and hence I do not propose many new things in my final year thesis. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14430,
"author": "Mustafa Khan",
"author_id": 9710,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9710",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>At undergraduate level usually it is expected that student has basic understandings of intended field. Your SoP must state that what kind of motivation you got from your thesis/studies and how it is influencing your decision to select future field of research. Sometime you may select a topic (due to to lack of guidance and experience) which is not suitable to you. If this the case and you want to change your major research area be honest and explain why you want to change and why you are selecting new area of research. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14436,
"author": "J. Zimmerman",
"author_id": 7921,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7921",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I am not so sure that your final year thesis has actually 'failed'. It is not actually expected that many students will propose something truly new in their bachelor's thesis. The purpose is to teach you how to research a topic and write about your research. In this case, the fact that your supervisor did not give you much guidance or direction may actually be seen as positive, since you have succeeded in finding the relevant papers on your own, and have (I presume) written a decent paper about your research. </p>\n\n<p>You are now heading into a phase where you <em>will</em> be expected to go beyond a literature search and propose \"something new\". Finding the relevant references is a basic skill required of any researcher. So is being able to work independently (that is, without someone always telling you what to do and where to focus your research). Your current supervisor's supervisory style has forced you to do this--point out this fact in your SOP! Take credit for having initiative and independence, and do not see your final year thesis as failed. It may not be outstanding, but it has served the purpose well.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14426",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6962/"
]
|
14,427 | <p>There are some very well-known results and equations, e.g., Shanon Capacity formula, Erlang Distribution and Poisson Distribution, etc. Do we have to provide a reference for these results as well?</p>
<p>Also at times we seek help from a user manual while writing a simulation program or conducting a practical experiment. Do we have to provide reference for user manuals as well?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14430,
"author": "Mustafa Khan",
"author_id": 9710,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9710",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>At undergraduate level usually it is expected that student has basic understandings of intended field. Your SoP must state that what kind of motivation you got from your thesis/studies and how it is influencing your decision to select future field of research. Sometime you may select a topic (due to to lack of guidance and experience) which is not suitable to you. If this the case and you want to change your major research area be honest and explain why you want to change and why you are selecting new area of research. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14436,
"author": "J. Zimmerman",
"author_id": 7921,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7921",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I am not so sure that your final year thesis has actually 'failed'. It is not actually expected that many students will propose something truly new in their bachelor's thesis. The purpose is to teach you how to research a topic and write about your research. In this case, the fact that your supervisor did not give you much guidance or direction may actually be seen as positive, since you have succeeded in finding the relevant papers on your own, and have (I presume) written a decent paper about your research. </p>\n\n<p>You are now heading into a phase where you <em>will</em> be expected to go beyond a literature search and propose \"something new\". Finding the relevant references is a basic skill required of any researcher. So is being able to work independently (that is, without someone always telling you what to do and where to focus your research). Your current supervisor's supervisory style has forced you to do this--point out this fact in your SOP! Take credit for having initiative and independence, and do not see your final year thesis as failed. It may not be outstanding, but it has served the purpose well.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14427",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9710/"
]
|
14,439 | <p>I have found that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow">wikipedia</a> is not a coherent, exhaustive, or detailed reference. I would like to find a similar resource that explains academic/scientific terms and methodologies clearly, briefly, and in a detailed manner. Ideally, this resource would be freely available on the Internet and provide descriptions that clarify these sorts of terms e.g: theory, theorem, hypothesis, assumption, conjecture, lemma, corollary, law, rule, principle, etc.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14441,
"author": "Xiaolei Zhu",
"author_id": 9542,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9542",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you find wikipedia not clear and brief enough, try <a href=\"http://www.wiktionary.org\" rel=\"nofollow\">wiktionary</a> instead. Instead of a full scale encyclopedia type site, wiktionary only provides definition and examples.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14443,
"author": "Nicholas",
"author_id": 1424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1424",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Here is the result for entering "theorem" into <a href=\"http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=theorem\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Wolfram alpha</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A theorem is a statement that can be demonstrated to be true by accepted mathematical operations and arguments. In general, a theorem is an embodiment of some general principle that makes it part of a larger theory. The process of showing a theorem to be correct is called a proof.</p>\n<p>Although not absolutely standard, the Greeks distinguished between "problems" (roughly, the construction of various figures) and "theorems" (establishing the properties of said figures; Heath 1956, pp. 252, 262, and 264).</p>\n<p>According to the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, any theorem, no matter how difficult to prove in the first place, is viewed as "trivial" by mathematicians once it has been proven. Therefore, there are exactly two types of mathematical objects: trivial ones, and those which have not yet been proven.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 31212,
"author": "Massimo Ortolano",
"author_id": 20058,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20058",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Here is a short list of resources, for different fields, which I frequently use for reference:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Springer, <a href=\"http://www.encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php/Main_Page\" rel=\"nofollow\">Encyclopedia of mathematics</a></li>\n<li>IEC, <a href=\"http://www.electropedia.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Electropedia: The World's Online Electrotechnical Vocabulary</a></li>\n<li>IUPAC, <a href=\"http://goldbook.iupac.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Compendium of Chemical Terminology - The Gold book</a></li>\n<li>IUPAC, <a href=\"http://media.iupac.org/publications/books/gbook/IUPAC-GB3-2ndPrinting-Online-22apr2011.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry</a> (pdf)</li>\n<li>JCGM, <a href=\"http://www.bipm.org/en/publications/guides/vim.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">International Vocabulary of Metrology</a></li>\n<li>IEEE, <a href=\"http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=4116787\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Authoritative Dictionary of IEEE Standards Terms</a> (requires subscription)</li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14439",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7571/"
]
|
14,444 | <p>I am looking for two kinds of data about the great scientists of today, </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Their average daily routine of work. Like how many hours and when? </p></li>
<li><p>Their average length of time of being able to think continuously. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>I vaguely remember seeing a post by Terence Tao about this - like he mentioned that it takes him some x-minutes to focus on a question when he begins working. Though I don't remember if he mentioned any specific length of time for which he can concentrate at a stretch. [..sadly I can't find that post...] </p>
<p>I am more looking for examples among mathematicians and theoretical physicists though other theory fields might also look more or less the same. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 15424,
"author": "Nick Stauner",
"author_id": 10518,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10518",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't have access to this article, but if you do, you might want to look into it:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://wox.sagepub.com/content/5/1/97.abstract\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Hargens, L. L. (1978). Relations between work habits, research technologies, and eminence in science. <em>Work and Occupations, 5</em>(1), 97-112. DOI: 10.1177/003803857800500106.</a></p>\n\n<p>There is a fair amount of psychological research on eminence/genius/creativity out there, so work routine information might be available, but I'm a little more pessimistic about representative data on \"average length of time of being able to think continuously\" (partly because I'm unclear on what it would mean to think discontinuously). More general populations are more accessible, and some research may consider relationships between the factors you mentioned interested in and the factors that define your criterion group (e.g., intelligence, creativity, achievement, productivity). You might want to ask this again on the <a href=\"https://cogsci.stackexchange.com/\">Cognitive Sciences site</a> if you don't get the answer you're looking for here.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 15427,
"author": "Leonid Petrov",
"author_id": 7285,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7285",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This popular book <a href=\"http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0307273601\">http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Rituals-How-Artists-Work/dp/0307273601</a> contains precisely descriptions of working routines of various creative people, including several scientists and mathematicians. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14444",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6683/"
]
|
14,446 | <p>A paper of mine has been under review for more than a year now. About 6 months ago I heard from the journal that one referee report is in while they are waiting for the 2nd. The editor promised he would get in touch with the Associate Editor to speed up the process.</p>
<p>In any case, nothing has happened until now.</p>
<p>I am thinking of withdrawing the paper citing excessively long review times. Could I ask for the one review that the journal received on my paper?</p>
<p>What is a good way to frame the withdrawal email with the request for the journal office to be kind enough to share at least the single referee's report they received?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14457,
"author": "Faheem Mitha",
"author_id": 285,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/285",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I actually had a similar situation some years ago. I don't think my experience is very useful, but I will briefly recap it in any case.</p>\n\n<p>I submitted a paper to a journal in October 2009. In April 2010, after several requests, I was told that one referee had given a report, and the journal was still waiting on the second report. The journal then sent me the report at that time (in April), though I gather that was not standard procedure, and as far as I can see, I did not explicitly ask for it, though I had been repeatedly asking for feedback of any kind. The journal wrote:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>In fact, we got a report from the first referee. The referee's opinion\n is rather negative. As a rule, we do not send a negative report before\n we get a report from the second referee. Taking into account your\n will, we send the first referee report to you - please find it below.</p>\n \n <p>SInce we have not yet got the second referee report, \n there is no editorial decision concerning your paper.\n We hope to receive the second referee report in April.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I don't know exactly what was meant by \"taking into account your will\".</p>\n\n<p>The second report never arrived, and I withdrew my paper in September 2010, slightly less than a year after submitting it.</p>\n\n<p>I suggest that you ask your journal for the one report. You might want to wait on withdrawing it till you hear what the report says. You could say that you would like to use the first report to improve the paper while waiting for the second.</p>\n\n<p>If they refuse, I guess you could then say that you are withdrawing the paper, and then ask for the report again. If you are going to withdraw the paper, this marks the end of the process from the journal's point of view, and I don't see why they would refuse feedback that might help you. Of course, they might refuse regardless. I imagine that individual journals would have different policies about such things.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14458,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>To answer the question I must acknowledge the comment that times vary between disciplines (and to some extent journals). You should therefore check what applies to the journal where you submitted your manuscript. Based on what you find you can start thinking about withdrawing the paper.</p>\n\n<p>From my perspective what you describe sounds like good grounds for withdrawing and trying a different journal. In my field (Environmental sciences) and in the journal where I am editor-in-chief, the time from submission to acceptance can be anything from a month and a half to slightly less than a year, but then the long times involve revision and a second round of reviews. If what you describe happened in \"my\" journal i would be very sympathetic to a request to withdraw. One could argue that because you have received a review you should feel obliged to stay because of the work the journal editors have put in, but then one must also consider the work they have not done, which is following up on the lack of response. It would not be too much work to assign a third reviewer when lack of response from the second becomes obvious. So in the end I think the journal seems to suffer from internal problems. A lack of response from a reviewer (which is not uncommon) should not halt the process for a paper. So with the assumption that turnover times in your field are within what I see as normal in mine, I think you have a good case for asking to withdraw your paper.</p>\n\n<p>So, in my view, this is what I would do. I would write a polite letter to the editor explaining that you have decided to withdraw the paper because of the (severe) delays you have experienced. You do not need to point out the obvious short-comings of the journal but explain how the delays affect your personal situation. We all need publications to strengthen funding applications, job applications, promotions, evaluations etc. so significant delays have negative effects. Now it is of course not a responsibility of a journal to help your career but in a case like this, there is little point in blaming a (failed) process within which you have no insight, so focus on the effects it possibly has for you. And keep it brief.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14446",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
]
|
14,447 | <p>I do not have any prior experience of publishing any kind of research material, it would be a huge favour if you can give your comments in the following matter:</p>
<p>In a thesis related to Seismic Image Processing, the author has proposed a method for Automatic Fault Detection, I have implemented that method and I have improved the results of the method by introducing some more equations. </p>
<p>My question is, given the above situation can I publish my findings ? and how should I quote that thesis in the publication ? </p>
<p>Any suggestion/comment/idea is welcome.
Thanks!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14451,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>This is standard practice. Someone does work and publishes it. Someone, possibly same people, but not necessarily, improves on the work and publish that. The fact that it is a thesis should make no difference, so long as the work being improved upon reflects the state of the art.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14452,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The best practice would be, IMHO, to contact that person, discuss your ideas with them, and make a common paper with them. In general, they will be interested in it (if they stayed in science), and you're sure you don't offend them or anyone. At least for me (in Math/CS), this is the way to go if you really \"improve\" some other's work. It might be a bit different if you \"build on\" their results.</p>\n\n<p>You quote the thesis as any other source:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>John Doe. <em>My most stupid work on Josh phenomenon.</em> PhD Thesis, University of Neverland, Nevercity, 2013.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>(These are the mandatory fields. You can add ISBN, number of pages etc. if you wish.)</p>\n\n<p>In BibTeX, it should be:</p>\n\n<pre><code>@phdthesis { doe_2013,\n author = {Doe, John},\n title = {My Most Stupid Work on {J}osh Phenomenon},\n publisher = {University of Neverland, Nevercity},\n year = {2013},\n pages = {666}\n}\n</code></pre>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14447",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9735/"
]
|
14,449 | <p>First, I am not asking for name suggestions. I am just not sure how to express very well the content of my paper. The paper theoretically compares four algorithms, and nominates and implements one of them. I found many papers in the literature which started with the name <code>Comparative analysis</code>. Does this term apply to my paper? (In all the literature I've found they implement all algorithms, not just one.) If this term does not apply, is there a proper term that can pinpoint the content? More specifically, my paper compares four pattern recognition algorithms and implements one of them that theoretically seems to be the best. Does <strong>(Selection and Implementation of an Algorithm for optimizing ... system)</strong> properly express the content of my paper ?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14450,
"author": "arieli",
"author_id": 9737,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9737",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Difficult to choose a title without more information, but why not choose:</p>\n\n<p><em><strong>Performing ..., theoretical comparison of four algorithms, and implementation of ...</em></strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14453,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would go for something brave:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>Algorithmic Jungle on GPU: QuickSort, HeapSort and ShakeSort Compared.</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The fact that you implement one of them should be mentioned in the abstract, however, it seems to be too long for the title, and people don't like too long titles.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, if the implementation is more important for you, then maybe:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>QuickSort Implemented on GPU for Sorting Ducks.</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14449",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6416/"
]
|
14,466 | <p>As a third year graduate student (theoretical physics) I need to find out methods to understand if I am doing well or not, am I making progress or not, am I putting in enough effort or not? </p>
<p>How do I judge/measure my performance? </p>
<hr>
<p>Of course a primary skew in my situation is that I found an advisor only towards the end of my second year of PhD. (..before that I was working in other groups on topics which I didn't like at all..) </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14468,
"author": "Flyto",
"author_id": 8394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think that one factor should be \"ask your advisor\". Depending on the relationship that you have, they might be best placed to give you an honest opinion. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14469,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's a good question, and one that's rather difficult to answer. I'll say a few things though.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>being able to judge your own level of progress and evaluate yourself honestly but fairly is a crucial part of your development. After all, you won't have an advisor for very long, but you'll be a researcher for a long time. So it's good that you're asking this question</p></li>\n<li><p>Research has many phases, and to evaluate your progress it's important to recognize which phase you're in. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>in an exploratory phase where you're looking at different topics to see what might be worth pursuing, you should be reading a lot. A plausible metric here could be whether you're reading something every day, and if you're getting a sense of familiarity with the literature (you know citations without having to look up the bibliography, you keep encountering papers you've read before, and so on)</p></li>\n<li><p>when you are working on a particular problem, do you have an idea that you're trying ? If not, what are you doing to search for the next idea ? do you have concrete tests of whether the idea is going to fail or not ? If you're thinking concretely and constructively, then you'll automatically make progress (notice that I'm not talking about how long it takes, but rather whether you see paths to progress)</p></li>\n<li><p>when you're writing up work, are you methodically identifying things that need to be edited/cleaned/removed, and are you spending enough time each day working on these. When there's a lot of grunt work to do, time spent is a good measure of productivity. </p></li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Conversely, students (and researchers!) often become unproductive when:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>they don't know what to do next, and don't know to ask, or how to find something to do next</li>\n<li>they have things to do next, but are overwhelmed/fearful, and avoid doing them, or fritter away time in busy work (getting the exact right font for the title, for example)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The trick is not to get caught up in doing things at a certain rate, or worry about the large-scale, but rather <strong>ensure that you always have something to do next</strong>. If you don't, that's when you go talk to your advisor. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2013/11/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14466",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6683/"
]
|
14,486 | <p>I just submitted my applications to all the grad schools I am considering. Is there anything I can do during the wait to help my application?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 14490,
"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 anything I can do during the wait to help my application?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I'll answer assuming you are applying to programs that work like most U.S. math graduate programs. In other words, programs where admissions are decided by a departmental committee, rather than by individual professors, and where there are no interviews or other direct involvement of the applicant after the application is submitted. For other sorts of systems, I'm not competent to offer any advice.</p>\n\n<p>To a first approximation, there's nothing you can do during the wait to help your application. It's best to find a distraction and try not to worry about it. That being said, there are several things to keep in mind:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>You should make sure your letter writers actually submit their letters. Every year, a few letter writers are many weeks late, and this can cause real damage. Even once you have submitted everything you are responsible for, the application is not complete until enough letters are received.</p></li>\n<li><p>Getting in touch with potential advisors might help, but it should be done exceedingly sparingly. If the content of your e-mail amounts to \"please look at my application\" or \"see how great I am\", it will only annoy people. \"Please estimate my chances of admission\" is even worse. I'd recommend restricting pre-admission e-mails to cases where you have something genuinely substantive to say. For example, if you have intellectually serious comments or ideas related to the person's research, then that's always worth an e-mail. Same thing if you would like to bring their attention to a paper of yours that is closely connected with their work. A good test is whether you would still send the e-mail even if you weren't applying to their university. I don't recommend manufacturing a contrived reason to send e-mail, but if you never got in touch with someone whose research you extended, now would be a good time to do so.</p></li>\n<li><p>It's usually possible to add information to your file if something important comes up (e.g., a paper acceptance or a prize). This is not worth even trying unless it's a real improvement in your file, and you certainly shouldn't make repeated changes in an attempt to draw attention to your file (any additional attention will be negative). However, if you get good news you should consider sharing it. The best news is often financial: if you get a fellowship that would pay for one or more years of grad school, then you should definitely add this information to your file. It's both a serious vote of confidence from another organization and a real savings to the department.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 14493,
"author": "Jeff",
"author_id": 1171,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1171",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You should follow Anonymous Mathematician's advice. The very unhealthy thing to do is to obsessively update the Results Search at <a href=\"http://www.thegradcafe.com\">http://www.thegradcafe.com</a>. It does pass the time, though...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 59239,
"author": "Ooker",
"author_id": 14341,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14341",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am exactly in this situation. Here are some of my suggestions:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Advancing your specialty knowledge.</strong> If you are changing your field, or having some knowledge gap in your specialty, then you will need to learn a lot of new things. While learning during work is fine, knowing them ahead will save you lots of time. Everyday, you can read 5 pages of a good textbook, that only takes you half an hour. Do you have any subject that you want to have a review?</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Knowing your body.</strong> You won't have much time to care about health, and going to hospital (in the US) will rip you off. If you have an illness, try to know the why your body goes wrong, how it goes wrong, and how to prevent it. I had always known that I should exercise, but I was just lazy, until I know <em>the reason why</em> I should do that: exercise will move my lymph, and my illness has a relationship to that. Since that day, needless to tell me that I should exercise, I workout everyday. </p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Reading books, learning new skills.</strong> You won't have much free time during your study. Read as much as you can. If you don't know where to start, then here are some topics I can suggest you: personal development, ergonomics, project management, personal finance, designing, language acquisition. </p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Exploring something new.</strong> What's your favorite activities? Swimming, playing go, drawing, taking photographs? It's time to do that. Going abroad, climbing mountain, parachuting, etc. They are the moments that you will never forget in your life.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Getting familiar to programs aiding your research.</strong> Every programs will take you a learning curve. If you have to simulate something, Python and Linux is your friends. Never heard about LaTeX? Better than Microsoft Word a million times. Learning to design, so that you will never make a boring slide or poster, or at the very least they are easy to be digest. I also suggest you to learn to customize the programs. My beloved apps so far are OneNote, Kanbantool, Toddledo, Google Keeps, ManicTime and Firefox with <a href=\"https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/collections/Ooker/favorites/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">addons</a>.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Having a job.</strong> Money is also good, right? Or joining a summer school or lab to improve your CV.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2013/12/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14486",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8794/"
]
|
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