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17,070 | <p>I value the reputation of the journals to which I submit articles. Mostly, I wish to confront my work with the most competent researchers in my field through peer review, in order to have an expert opinion on its quality. In my field, the best ranked/most reputable journals are dominantly subscription-based (although all offer 3'000$ open access (OA) options, that not many researcher choose). So I give priority to reputation/quality over OA policy. On the other hand, I'm well aware that subscription journals are a big weight on universities budget.</p>
<p>So, <strong>does OA* really help access to science and save taxpayer money?</strong></p>
<p>The arguments I know about that suggest it does: </p>
<p>I'm aware of the arguments (very efficiently publicized by big OA publishers like <a href="http://www.frontiersin.org/about/openaccess" rel="noreferrer">Frontiers</a>) that OA is good karma because it gives access to science 'for free'. People argue that when the taxpayers pay for research, they should also get to read the results without paying a subscription.</p>
<p>Reasons for which I'm not sure it does:</p>
<p>I believe that if every article costs 500-3000$ just to publish, and the total number of article explodes, taxpayers (or private scientific funding agencies) are not winning a lot in the change. I also think that people can go to the library to get access to research.</p>
<p>Isn't it reasonable to use the options that we have to freely give access to our work (self-archiving, sending preprint to people who ask politely, etc.). </p>
<p>ps. I published in both OA and subscription-based, and I will gladly submit to OA journals if they end up being the highest quality ones in my field.</p>
<p>*I'm talking about OA journals with article processing charge. I'm aware of the existence of completely free OA journals (funded by universities I presume), but they are only relevant for a few research topics. And not mine.</p>
<p><strong>Edit</strong> apparently the science funding agencies of the UK <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/uk-open-access-movement-sways-towards-low-cost-repositories-1.14953" rel="noreferrer">think that gold OA is not that good of a strategy</a>.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17073,
"author": "Alexlok",
"author_id": 11867,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11867",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I also think that people can go to the library to get access to research.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You're assuming that libraries can pay for access. That's not the case anymore. Even <a href=\"http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/apr/24/harvard-university-journal-publishers-prices\">Harvard univerity</a>, one of the richest in the world, can't pay for all the journals its researchers need. I think none of the Universities I know have access to all the journals it needs. So, you can imagine a public library won't grant access to all the existing literature.</p>\n\n<p>That's even worse in developing/not too rich countries. In this case, you can notice that most Open Access (OA) journals adapt the cost of publication to the wealth of the country the article comes from (for example <a href=\"http://www.plos.org/newsroom/viewpoints/global-participation-initiative/\">Plos</a>).</p>\n\n<p>It can also be a problem for small enterprises, that aren't very rich, so they can't subscribe to journals and have to pay \"per view\", but need access to the latest research in order to innovate. So, non-OA journals are an impediment to the technological progress too.</p>\n\n<p>And I will also add the fact that, even in rich countries, it is not always that easy to go to a library. For example, when answering here on Stack Exchange, I try to add links to research articles which can be more precise than my own answer. If the OP is really very interested in a complete understanding of the answer, he could go to a library. But in most cases, if he doesn't have access to an article through the Internet, it will just waste an opportunity for him to learn.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I published in both OA and subscription-based, and I will gladly submit to OA journals if they end up being the highest quality ones in my field.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>However, you're pointing to a real problem here. If the \"best\" journals are not OA, do you have to compromise your career (or your students') to publish in an OA journal? In fact, some people would answer that the Impact Factor-based ranking of journals doesn't make much sense (see for example <a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23805088\">this article</a>). And it is one of the reasons for the creation of Plos One, a \"mega-journal\" accepting articles only based on their scientific value, and <em>not</em> on an estimate of the interest its conclusions might have in the future. But for sure, this is a hot topic.</p>\n\n<p>And another real problem here is money. If the Universities have to pay both for keeping access to non-OA journals, and for publishing in OA journals at the same time, it will be even more expensive. No university can afford it. A proposed solution is <em>green Open-Access</em>, where the articles are just put in repositories, and nobody needs to pay neither for publishing, nor for accessing. With a good post-publication peer-review system, this could work. But it also implies a huge paradigm shift, with new problems.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Isn't it reasonable to use the options that we have to freely give access to our work (self-archiving, sending preprint to people who ask politely, etc.).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That is in fact kind of green OA. But, depending on the license you agree with when you publish in a journal, that's <a href=\"http://svpow.com/2013/12/06/elsevier-is-taking-down-papers-from-academia-edu/\">not always possible</a>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17093,
"author": "just-learning",
"author_id": 10483,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10483",
"pm_score": 3,
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"text": "<p>To expand on JeffE's comment: the diamond open access (free for <em>both</em> authors and readers) certainly does benefit the taxpayers while for the golden open access (the author-pays model) it is less clear, as detailed in the answer by AlexIok. A detailed discusion of differences among different kinds of open access can be found e.g. here: <a href=\"http://www.jasonmkelly.com/2013/01/27/green-gold-and-diamond-a-short-primer-on-open-access/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">http://www.jasonmkelly.com/2013/01/27/green-gold-and-diamond-a-short-primer-on-open-access/</a> </p>\n\n<p><strong>EDIT</strong>: To make things clear, this answer was written for the original version of the question that dealt with OA in general rather than with the author-pays model.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17100,
"author": "darthbith",
"author_id": 7346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7346",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>On the topic of <strong>save taxpayer money</strong>, I think it is important to consider the question - where does the money to pay the publisher come from, in an \"author-pays\" system? Presumably, PIs will have to add the cost of publishing into the budget they submit in grant proposals. This may increase the amount the grant giver is required to give PIs, or perhaps they will be able to do less research for a given grant. Either way, the taxpayer may end up paying <strong>more</strong> for research, and it may be research they are not interested in, so even if they can access it all freely, they may not care to.</p>\n\n<p>Now the counterargument to this is that if universities are no longer required to pay subscription fees, the amount they take from a grant should be reduced, and so the PI will end up with more or less the same amount of money as under the old system. I think this may eventually be the case, but the transition time will probably be somewhat difficult, and I would imagine that universities will be loath to give up a very steady source of funding - they will just find some other use for the money if not subscription fees.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17106,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Isn't it reasonable to use the options that we have to freely give access to our work (self-archiving, sending preprint to people who ask politely, etc.).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Many academics don't self-archive, especially for non-recent work, and consider the idea of sending a pre-print out - first, this implies that the reader knows that they can ask for this (given you're talking about the general public, I don't think it's a great assumption to make), and second <em>that you'll do so in a timely fashion</em>. Consider the circumstance where you're a faintly scientifically literate family member trying to make sense of what the doctor's are telling you about a loved ones medical condition - it's very possible that sending out a preprint, or a PDF, if you can even find a corresponding author, the email address is still current, etc. will come only after several weeks, which can be extremely frustrating.</p>\n\n<p>Beyond that, if they can't get past the paywall, how do they know if it's worth reaching out to you?</p>\n\n<p>I also think \"Will save the taxpayer money\" is a little bit of a red herring. The argument I've always heard, and advanced, is not that it will save the tax payer money, but <em>given they have already paid for the reseach</em>, Open Access gives them access to what they paid for.</p>\n\n<p>As to whether or not it will save them money, I think that's a question that changes based on the dynamics of the journal publishing industry. Right now, I'd say the answer is no - in addition to authorship fees, I have yet to see a library be able to drop a major publisher because there's sufficient OA coverage in a field (or group of fields). I suspect the cost savings for individual users not having to pay $50 or whatever it is for access to an article pale in comparison to library subscription fees, mainly because per-article readership is fairly low.</p>\n\n<p>Someday, perhaps, but I think cost is one of the weaker arguments for OA.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17121,
"author": "Jealie",
"author_id": 8849,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8849",
"pm_score": 4,
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"text": "<p><em><strong>(Edited to address Anonymous Mathematician's great remark)</em></strong></p>\n\n<p>Well, my understanding is that you asked a math question: is it better for the tax payers to have academics publishing in Gold Open-Access, compared to the standard journals? Neglecting the fact that the tax-payer won't have access for free to articles published in regular journals, this could be answered by a comparison between the current <strong>closed system</strong> (all the costs are concentrated in the library subscriptions of journals) and the <strong>open system</strong> (all the costs are concentrated in OA journals processing costs).</p>\n\n<p>It is hard to have good figures, so I will make a number of approximations... Feel free to correct/adapt these as you like. I also consider only Harvard - other institutions may give very different outcomes.</p>\n\n<p>So, trusting this <a href=\"http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k77982&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup143448\">link</a>, the total library expenditure for research purpose is 3 750 000 $ /year for roughly 20% of Harvard's collection - in other words, the total yearly spending of Harvard's library for science publications amounts to the mind-boggling 19 000 000 $ / year (!)</p>\n\n<p>Knowing that Harvard has roughly 2000 faculty members <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University#Academic_organization\">cf the Wikipedia page</a>, the total expenditure <em>per faculty</em> is between 9000$ and 9500$ <em>per year</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Given that the typical faculty publish maybe 3 papers per year (depending on the field!), any cost lower than 3000 $ <em>per publication</em> in OA journals is worth the money for the tax payer, as this means that the overall cost per year and per faculty is below 9000 $. Furthermore, according to <a href=\"http://www.nature.com/news/open-access-the-true-cost-of-science-publishing-1.12676\">this article from Nature</a> the true average cost of OA publication is around 2300 $ (with some good journals well below), making the open system a better value for tax payers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17123,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Let me add a slightly different point. It's slightly off-topic because this is not OA in any of the colorful meanings, but it is on topic for possibilities to lower costs and get the taxpayers access to published papers:</p>\n\n<p>Here in Germany one reaction to the library subscription costs is that now the DFG negotiates nationwide (not only university libraries) subscriptions with some publishers. I believe the DFG is a big enough player to stand their ground when haggling with Springer, Elsevier & Co. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.textkritik.de/digitalia/katzengold.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">I found some numbers</a>: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>total costs for scientific libraries (Germany-wide): 793 M€ / a </li>\n<li>therof infrastructure costs for buildings and staff: 548 M€ / a</li>\n<li>for buying books and journals: 245 M€ / a</li>\n<li><p>the Nationallizenzen cost ca. <a href=\"http://www.goethe.de/wis/bib/dib/de6630674.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\">110 M€ / a</a> (according to the text linked above they started with much less)</p></li>\n<li><p>I did not find numbers on how much subscription costs the libraries saved. All in all, I assume that the total costs probably stayed roughly the same (at least that's what I hope) but the availability is increased. </p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The nice thing from taxpayer's point of view is that everyone can access these papers without the need even to go the next university library (need to get a login, though but that's not difficult).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 170638,
"author": "Allure",
"author_id": 84834,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/84834",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There're two completely different aspects to your question. "Help access to science" is completely different from "save taxpayer money", as will be apparent in the following.</p>\n<p><strong>Help access to science</strong>: this is relatively straightforward. The answer is yes, as you can see from <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access#Readership\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Wiki</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>OA articles are generally viewed online and downloaded more often than paywalled articles and that readership continues for longer. Readership is especially higher in demographics that typically lack access to subscription journals (in addition to the general population, this includes many medical practitioners, patient groups, policymakers, non-profit sector workers, industry researchers, and independent researchers).</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>Save taxpayer money</strong>: this aspect is much more complex, because where all the money in publishing goes to is itself <a href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/495426a\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">complex</a>, but I'll go ahead and venture the answer "not really".</p>\n<p>The reasoning is pretty intuitive. Publishing involves lots of things, and those things cost money. So to actually save money, you need to either do the same thing for less money, or don't do the thing at all.</p>\n<p>So the question becomes "is it cheaper for the publisher to publish an OA article than a subscription article?". Drawing on my experience doing editorial work in academic publishing, I am quite confident that the answer is "no". The production process is 100% the same, except that at the end, one bills the author for the APC. Things like the editorial management system, the journal's website, the indexing - they are all the same.</p>\n<p>Hence any savings come from other aspects of publishing, like marketing or distribution. Here OA definitely saves on distribution, since OA doesn't involve print journals and therefore doesn't need to be distributed. But then again, it's generally already possible to subscribe to electronic journals only (i.e., you do not request the print journal if you don't want it), which would also eliminate distribution costs. Marketing is a different animal and I am not an expert on it, but my impression is that it really isn't that different. You have $X in budget (in turn this is indexed to the journal's revenue) and you use all of it. Sure you might do something different when promoting an OA journal, but ultimately you still use all the budget.</p>\n<p>One thing that isn't complex is whether the publisher gets less revenue if all the journals convert completely to OA. This can be easily calculated by taking the journal's subscription revenue and comparing that to the expected revenue if every paper paid the APC. Here the answer is usually "no"; the publisher does not lose revenue if everything converts to OA. In fact they probably <em>gain</em> revenue. This differential is a big part of the reason why publishers are able to waive OA fees for some authors.</p>\n<p>So the answer is not really - gold open access simply shifts the money around. To actually save taxpayer money, one needs to do what I alluded to in the second paragraph: either do the same thing for less money, or don't do it at all.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17070",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10643/"
]
|
17,094 | <p>Although in mathematics the <em>letters</em>, i.e., really short articles, just a few pages long, are perhaps less common than in the other fields (see e.g. the comments by Pete L. Clark under his answer to <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17050/acknowledging-the-discussion-with-someone-in-the-paper-but-excluding-this-person/17092">this question</a>), sometimes such a letter really is the best way to communicate the result. It is also quite clear that for this very reason (that the letters are quite uncommon), such letters are not likely, save for some <em>very exceptional</em> situations, to be a good fit for the top pure math journals like the <em>Annals</em>, <em>Inventiones</em>, <em>JAMS</em>, etc. </p>
<p>Apparently in earlier times the best place for publishing letters in mathematics was the French journal <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/1631073X" rel="noreferrer"><em>Comptes Rendus</em></a>. This journal still exists but I am not quite sure whether it is <em>the</em> place for letters in mathematics anymore.</p>
<p>Another option that comes to mind could perhaps be the math section of the <a href="http://www.pnas.org" rel="noreferrer">PNAS</a> but again I am not quite sure how this journal is actually standing with the pure math community, especially outside the US. </p>
<p>There should certainly be other worthy alternatives, so I look forward to the answers pointing them out as well as discussing the journals mentioned above.</p>
<p><strong>QUESTION:</strong> What are the best (in terms of standing in the math community and being widely read by mathematicians) journals, or perhaps sections of mathematical or even multidisciplinary journals, for letters in mathematics nowadays?</p>
<p>P.S. I am specifically interested in the journals which would tolerate the papers which are on the border of mathematics and mathematical physics (just to clarify, this refers to the subject matter rather than, say, lacking in rigor). The <a href="http://link.springer.com/journal/11005" rel="noreferrer"><em>Letters in Mathematical Physics</em></a> and <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/0951-7715" rel="noreferrer"><em>Nonlinearity</em></a> appear to be a bit too niche, I would prefer more broad-scope alternatives. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17126,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
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"text": "<p>I think this is a good question because I don't really know what "letters" means in the world of mathematical publishing. While I have <a href=\"http://alpha.math.uga.edu/%7Epete/plclarkarxiv8v2.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a paper published in <em>Math Research Letters</em></a>, I am having trouble pointing to a single way in which that paper is different from any of my other papers: it is slightly short (12 pages) but I have several other papers which are shorter, it contains complete proofs, the syle is not especially conversational or different from the norm...</p>\n<p>With regard to <em>Comptes Rendus</em>: it still exists, and it is still a very high quality journal, so far as I know. I do not have a <em>CR</em> paper, and I wish I did, but setting aside the limitations of my own research achievements I am not sure exactly what papers to submit to this excellent and highly French journal. My understanding though is that it is roughly analogous to <em>Proceedings of the AMS</em> but of higher quality (or better taste?). For instance <a href=\"http://alpha.math.uga.edu/%7Epete/atkinlehnerfinal.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">I have a <em>PAMS</em> paper</a> and think that would be in the right ballpark of <em>CR</em> but that I would be lucky to get it published there.</p>\n<p>It was suggested in the comments that the publications in <em>CR</em> are more like <strong>research announcements</strong>. I don't think that's true. They're short, punchy and written in a somewhat telegraphic style, but they certainly do include proofs. Quite recently I had the occasion to go to the actual library and pull off the shelf a <em>CR</em> paper. It was lovely, and short enough so that I transcribed (and translated, but big whoop: mathematical French is so easy that <em>I</em> can do it) it in its entirety on my notepad. (If you're interested, it is Guy Terjanian's first paper, referred to <a href=\"http://alpha.math.uga.edu/%7Epete/shortfinitesatz.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>...and as I learned slightly to my chagrin, one could regard the research contribution of this note of mine as being a fleshing out of a mild Alon-style generalization of Terjanian's argument. Actually there is another theorem he proves in that paper as well which is more interesting. To me this is a <em>CR</em> paper <em>par excellence</em>: a small but perfectly polished gem.)</p>\n<p>I also think that <em>Enseignement Mathematique</em> is somewhere in this constellation of journals: more apparently elementary than <em>CR</em>, less laconic, but still high quality work which is somehow in "good taste". And note that the title of the journal would lead you to think that it publishes expository papers, but I don't think that's really the case.</p>\n<p>After all this, let me come back to where I started:I am not sure what a "letter" is in this context, other than a short paper which is high quality and is written in a relatively laconic way. I have, unfortunately, zero expertise with physics, including the substantial portions of mathematics that overlap with physics. Maybe the concept of a letter is better understood by that portion of the mathematical community?</p>\n<p>Added at the end: okay, let's see how <em>MRL</em> describes itself:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Dedicated to rapid publication of complete papers of original research in all areas of mathematics. Expository papers and research announcements of exceptional interest are also occasionally published. High standards are applied in evaluating submissions; the entire editorial board must approve the acceptance of any paper.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Thus there is some kind of vestigial connection with abbreviated papers, expository work and research announcements, but by and large it is no longer what that journal is about. I think this is rather typical.</p>\n<p><b>Added</b>: Since I was specifically asked to comment on PNAS, and I am a little gun-shy about leaving things in comments at the moment (see the meta site for more on this...), I will add the following non-answer answer: I have very little direct experience with PNAS. I tried to think of a single paper that was published in that journal and I came up with Milnor's "Eigenvalues of the Laplace operator on certain manifolds", a famous one page note. Based on that one paper (!!) I will guess that PNAS is like <em>CR</em> but for laconic treatments of even more important results. (I will also guess that most of their papers are more than one page long...)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17167,
"author": "Benoît Kloeckner",
"author_id": 946,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/946",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As Pete L. Clark, I do not quite know what a letter is: short papers are usually quite similar to regular paper, only shorter and usually called notes.</p>\n\n<p>Concerning the venue suitable for short articles, there are quite a few. First, you should now that most journal could accept short papers, but certainly you have more chance to get accepted in a journal specifically targeted toward short paper (except if you solve a known problem or reprove a notoriously difficult theorem, in which case no reviewer can use the length of the paper to argue it does not have much merit). Let me give my impressions on the journal that come to mind (to remind that this is from a biased perspective, I will often refer to the French mathematical community), limiting to journals that to not claim being restricted to a subfield -so called generalist journals.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>CRAS</strong> (Comptes-Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Paris): this journal publishes both research announcements and complete short papers. The announcement part is less and less relevant, but I do not know whether it is less present now. Sadly, while CRAS published top-notch papers, it cannot afford to be very selective anymore. It also suffers from the research announcement role: French hiring committees often blankly dismiss CRAS papers, partially because they may be only announcements.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>PNAS</strong> (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA): this journal is not very well-known from French mathematicians, but publishes some quite good papers. I think it has a particular taste, but I cannot find the word to describe it. Beware that even if it has a page limit, the format is very dense so articles are not necessarily that short overall.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>PAMS</strong> (Proceedings of the American Mathematical society): this journal is explicitly for short papers, but the page limit recently moved from 10 to 15 (AMS format). As far as I can judge it is selective, and sometimes publishes excellent papers. It is reasonably well regarded, benefiting from the sisterhood of Transactions AMS.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Bul. LMS</strong> (Bulletin of the London Mathematical society): this journal is the LMS counterpart to PAMS, and is somewhat similar (although a little less known and considered, maybe). Since the LMS series has three journals (Bulletin, Journal and Proceedings in increasing order of paper size) instead of two for the AMS, I guess that the average Bulletin paper is somewhat shorter than the average PAMS paper, but the different format makes it difficult to judge.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>AMM</strong> (American Mathematical Monthly): this journal is well-known and extremely selective. It publishes papers of general interest, of varying length. The notes are typically a few pages long. It is even possible to publish mathematical facts of a few lines, in a grayed box. Since it is considered somewhat recreational, publishing in the Monthly gives less weight to a CV than its harsh selectivity would do for any other journal.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Elemente Math.</strong> (Elemente der Mathematik): this is a Swiss cousin to AMM, much less known and much less selective.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>MRL</strong> (Mathematical Research Letters): this does barely belong to the category of note-publishing journals: it does not usually published paper more than 30 pages, but the average paper there is not a note as far as I can judge.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17094",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10483/"
]
|
17,097 | <p>For some reason, I was always under the impression that people that are included in the acknowledgement section of paper are not contacted to review your paper because they would be predisposed to give a favourable review. However, after reading the discussion in <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/17050/66">this question</a> it seems like it is standard to send papers out for review to people in the acknowledgements section if there is not another conflict in place (like being from the same institution, for example). Which is it?</p>
<p><strong>Do editors send a paper out for review to people in the acknowledgements section?</strong> Can I suggest a person I acknowledge for helpful comments as a potential reviewer (assuming there aren't other conflicts of interest)? If the field matters then I am interested primarily in mathematics, theoretical computer science, and biology.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17098,
"author": "xLeitix",
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>For some reason, I was always under the impression that people that are included in the acknowledgement section of paper are not contacted to review your paper because they would be predisposed to give a favourable review. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is certainly true in my field (software engineering). I was also reasonably confused by the underlying assumption of the question you linked. It certainly does not seem to make sense to me to ask people that are clearly closely related to the authors for fair peer review.</p>\n\n<p>What <strong>does</strong> happen a lot in practice is that authors mentioned in the bibliography of a manuscript get asked to review a paper, especially if the editor is not from the same field and does not know any experts in the field by heart.</p>\n\n<p>Apparently, this is particularly common for grant proposal evaluations (at least in Austria), as the people assigning reviewers there are usually not scientists themselves. Hence, they rarely have deep insight into who the big players in a field of study are, and instead select persons that are not obviously related to the proposal authors and have published a healthy amount of related papers cited in the bibliography of the proposal.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17109,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The acknowledgement is there to thank people for their help in the work. It is not a place to provide information to the editor on who may have conflicts of interest. You list such persons in a cover letter with an explanation for why there is a conflict. This will make the situation clear to the editor. Persons in the same department will pretty much be excluded by default but if an obvious connection is not present it should be pointed out in a letter. It seems a little odd to thank someone without there being any connection to the work so I would not recommend trying to suggest such a person as potential reviewer. At the same time a person who ha a conflict of interest should decline to review with the excuse that there exists such a conflict. I would say such behaviour is good etiquette and good ethics.</p>\n\n<p>I know there have been instances where a person received a strong reject review on a crap paper by a high-ranking scientist and then used the name in the acknowledgement thanking for input on an earlier version of the manuscript. The manuscript was almost the same but the signal was the high-ranked scientist approved it and so reviewers were unwilling to reject it. Hence the acknowledgement is not a place where a seasoned editor would look for valuable information.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17133,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think you're talking about my comments.</p>\n\n<p>Unfortunately I am speaking from direct experience. I did have the occasion to think more carefully about this since seeing your question, and at the moment I can remember exactly once when this occurred. (I have refereed probably about 40 papers over the years, and I can't tell you that I went back over all of them...) So once is only once. But this one case is awfully distressing: it was at a very famous journal, with a very famous editor, and the acknowledgment in question was very far from random or frivolous: the paper was, in fact, a continuation/improvement of a recently accepted joint paper between the author and me! So in my mind this somehow \"counts twice\". But do other mathematicians know for sure that this happens? I would be very interested to know.</p>\n\n<p>Let me also add that it almost never happens that I get asked for a list of recommended or excluded referees: I think once or twice out of about 30 submissions. </p>\n\n<p>It it tempting to speculate more broadly about why this practice -- which I think everyone here agrees is not kosher if authors do not clarify/disclose information about potential referees -- may in fact exist. But actually I have some academic work of my own to do tonight (and not so much \"tonight\" left). So maybe later...</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17097",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/66/"
]
|
17,103 | <p>As the title puts it, what is the real meaning of this stage of a peer reviewing process and how are the odds for having a submitted paper accepted change if it's accepted for this stage? (Does it mean anything other than the editors decided not to reject it from the start?)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17104,
"author": "V_ix",
"author_id": 11877,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11877",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This means that the paper is sent out to reviewers and the chances of acceptance are at the mercy of the reviewers. If the reviewers find it good enough , it will be accepted(usually pending additional experiments). How the actual odds change depends on the journal but I'm not sure if most journals even publish these statistics in detail. I would sit back and wait for reviewer comments as you've done what you can. Congrats on the paper.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17105,
"author": "cc7768",
"author_id": 9882,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9882",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I actually tried to figure some of this out recently as I've been working to get my first article published. I will try to elaborate on the little bit that I know about the review process and maybe others can chime in and let me know if I more or less have the process right.</p>\n\n<p>First, you submit your article to the journal. It is then received and submitted to one of the associate editors I believe. I don't know how carefully they read it in this stage, but they make a decision whether to \"desk reject\" or send it out to the reviewers. If they desk reject your paper then no one else at the journal gets a real look at it. (I think this is what the accepted for first look means; that your paper is not desk rejected)</p>\n\n<p>If they decide that it is worth having someone take a look at it then they inform you that it is accepted for a first look. At that stage they send it out to several other reviewers. For the papers I've submitted it has usually been 2 or 3 reviewers. They take somewhere between 3-9 months to read the paper carefully and provide good feedback. They then submit a recommendation for what should be done with the paper either 1) accept, 2) reject, or 3) revise and resubmit. If they accept or reject then the outcome is relatively self-explanatory. If they ask you to revise and resubmit, it means that they thought it was pretty good, but that they had some issues with the paper that would need to be cleared up prior to accepting the paper for publishing. You can make the revisions that they ask and then resubmit the paper and you once again get one of the 3 decisions.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17107,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>\"First look\" is a stage in the ScholarOne Manuscripts (S1M) system used by many journals. The First look stage means that your manuscript, after an \"Accept\" decision is scrutinized to see if it adheres to journal standards (a.k. Instruction for authors) and that figures are of sufficient quality (resolution for bitmaps). The journal editor(s) handle(s) this stage. Your paper may be returned to you to fix specific formatting problems BUT NOT changing the content. See <a href=\"http://mchelp.manuscriptcentral.com/gethelpnow/training/admin/tutorials/productioncenter.pdf\">S1M pdf</a></p>\n\n<p>So \"First look\" is not a general name for a stage but is specific to S1M. Other systems or journals may of course be using such a term for other purposes but it is not a general publishing term. The stage it represent will, however be found in all journals.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27077,
"author": "Tony",
"author_id": 20619,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20619",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I attached the guideline of S1M system, saying that \"\nMANUSCRIPTS ACCEPTED FOR FIRST LOOK\n If your paper is accepted but minor updates are required before the final files can be sent to production you will be notified of this and will find the paper listed under \"Manuscripts Accepted for First Look\". Click the link and then click \"submit updated manuscript\". Further instructions on how to upload your final files can be found on the screen that follows. \"</p>\n\n<p>That means the MS is accepted with minor revision without peer review.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 61462,
"author": "vonbrand",
"author_id": 38135,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/38135",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The workflow in each journal and conference might be <strong><em>very roughly</em></strong> comparable (because they all draw on the same mass of experience in the job, because people overlap/move from one to the other, because they pilfer ideas they see in the competition), but nothing suggests they will use the same terms to describe substeps in the process.</p>\n\n<p>The only way to find out what exactly some uncommon term means to <em>that</em> journal is to ask them. Sure, you might chance upon someone who knows their terminology in detail here, but you won't recognize them if so either.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 127041,
"author": "Vishal Sharma",
"author_id": 105994,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/105994",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This means that the paper has been accepted for publication pending some minor changes like appropriate files/ images/ abstract etc</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17103",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2819/"
]
|
17,111 | <p>Since I need a break from the reviewing...</p>
<p>Often in my field I review papers from researchers in Asia (reviews are not double blind) which are poorly written. By poorly written, I don't mean that the prose is not pleasing to the eye, that there are problems with how the writing flows, or that there are innocuous typos or spelling mistakes. Instead, the grammar used by the authors differs seriously from normal English, and often produces significant changes in the <em>meaning</em> of sentences.</p>
<p>Usually such papers are ultimately readable, but one has to go back and re-read sentences or paragraphs several times to infer the meaning (and this is with strong knowledge of the research area!), so I generally won't reject a paper solely for this reason. However, I would feel remiss in my duties as a reviewer if I didn't instruct the authors to improve this aspect of the paper. I'd like to provide helpful advice for the authors without just giving them a laundry list of the errors. </p>
<p>Typically I highlight a few places where I had significant trouble understanding what they actually meant to say, and suggest seeking a professional editor before publication. </p>
<p><strong>Are these reasonable things to suggest?</strong> </p>
<p><strong>What other suggestions can I make?</strong></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17112,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
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"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>To comment on language is fair, to suggest improvements and even making corrections goes beyond what can be expected, depending on the degree of problems. There is of course a fine line between when something can be salvaged with a little editing and where things start to lose meaning. Many journals and publishers provide services (albeit often at a cost) for non-native speakers. What you can do is to try to help the author(s) if possible by providing examples and making minor corrections. But, it is not your job to be a service. You should state your opinion about the paper, clearly separating the scientific aspect (indicate if your think the science holds) and the language issue. It is particularly potent to state when the language obscures the scientific message. In the end it is the editor who should decide what must be done.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17131,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>[I speak from experience with math journals. As always, if things differ in your neck of the woods, I'd like to know.]</p>\n\n<p>The quality of the writing of an academic paper is one of the two main things that the referee is being asked to evaluate in her determination of the suitability of the submitted paper (the other of course being the content of the paper). In mathematics the quality of the writing and the quality of the content are usually largely separate entities, although I think it is an oversimplification to regard them as totally separate (to write a math paper well requires more mathematical thought than to write it decently, which requires more thought than to write something badly but that a qualified expert can see essentially does accomplish what it sets out to do). I <em>think</em> that this is less true in the humanities, but I'm not fully qualified to say more than this. </p>\n\n<p>The \"default\" for math journals is that they say that their papers should be sufficiently well written in order to be published: of course this is a nearly useless statement. </p>\n\n<p>I include that vacuity to contrast it with what <em>certain</em> other journals do: namely explain to what extent expository considerations are weighted in with the \"content\" of the paper in arriving at a decision. For instance some journals say that they welcome \"expository\" papers. In my experience <em>they rarely mean this</em>; much more often what they actually mean is that it is unusually important to them that the papers be well written, and that a research paper which has fewer results but that is truly attractive in its writing may be worthy of publication. The MAA (Mathematical Association of America) journals take exposition much more seriously: for the <em>Monthly</em> they seem to be about equal; for <em>Mathematics Magazine</em> and <em>College Math Journal</em>, good writing seems to be more important than content. I am tempted to tell a personal story here, but I will save it for a more appropriate time. Well, except for this: I got a referee report back from the <em>American Mathematical Monthly</em> saying \"I give this paper an A for the mathematics and a B for the writing.\" For any non-MAA journal that would have been a strangely worded stamp of approval, but for the <em>Monthly</em> it made me nervous, and I worked hard on yet another revision.</p>\n\n<p>There are also some research journals which have a reputation for accepting sloppily written, but contentfully deep, papers. The one which stands out in my mind is the <em>Asian Journal of Mathematics</em>. It sounds bad, but in my field I get the impression that if you have proved a great result and for whatever reason can't indulge in the luxury of writing it up properly -- by properly here I mean \"formally completely and correctly\", not \"well\"! -- then <em>AJM</em> is the journal for you. And it sounds worse than it is: if I'm right then it's good to have journals like that, and in some ways of course they are better than the journals which publish perfectly polished, but very minor, work. </p>\n\n<p>Anyway, back to your question. What to do if the writing is bad? The answer is that you should indeed report on this and try to discount the value of the paper appropriately (neither too much nor too little), according to your best understanding of the demands of the journal (or conference?). It seems quite reasonable to me to write back to the editor asking whether the journal (or the editorial group) has definite opinions on the desired writing standards. Working off the cuff, it seems reasonable to identify three levels of bad writing:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>1) The prose is not pleasing, the writing doesn't flow, and so forth. In other words, the style is bad, up to the point where the paper becomes less pleasant to read but no farther.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I think that for many journals and conferences this would be a minor offense. Especially, if you are participating in an international academic scene, then really the authors are doing the academic world a great service by writing in a language that the vast majority of the contemporary academic world has learned to read. You speak particularly of Asian authors. Well, it is rather gracious of them not to write in, say, Chinese, isn't it? For this level of bad writing I think it is best to mention it but make clear that it doesn't really detract from the paper. It would be nice to offer to help out in the editing, if you want to, but it is not clear that it's your job.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>2) The writing is bad enough so that it interferes with the meaning, and an expert has to work harder to read it than she would for a decently written paper.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This seems to be what you are describing. Here I think I would really ask for guidance from the editors of the journal: the worth of the paper should be downgraded for this, but by how much? A paper which one has to struggle to read but ultimately succeeds in doing something brilliant or ground-breaking is still a great paper. (And in my field, very few brilliant or ground-breaking papers are really \"easy to read\". At a certain point you get past the writing altogether...provided the writing lets you!)</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>3) The writing is so bad that a qualified expert is unsure of the meaning, either at multiple lesser points or at at least one key point.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In this case you can't certify that the content is legitimate, so you have to recommend the paper for rejection, right? You should indicate exactly why you are rejecting the paper; in many situations, a paper which is rejected for bad writing (but not obviously defective content) may only then get the attention to writing that it actually needs and then come back as an acceptable paper. When I reject a paper for bad writing (which rarely happens, but it has happened) and I suspect that the content is also not sufficient, I try to at least hint at that in the report...otherwise the danger is that everyone's time (including yours!) will be wasted by a revision which is more superficially acceptable but still defective on a deeper level. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17132,
"author": "Leon palafox",
"author_id": 2806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I can speak with some authority in this subject, since I did my PhD in Asia.</p>\n\n<p>First of all, yes, their English writing skills are sometimes real bad, which usually happens in small Universities that do not have budget for proof readers. </p>\n\n<p>When I reviewed such papers, I sometimes rewrite full paragraphs for them and show them what would be expected from a well written documents, I take the time, because I know they are doing their best effort, and probably will take those suggestions at heart. </p>\n\n<p>I also recommend them books, like Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, which is not perfect, but gives good pointers on how to write correctly. You know, the whole Give them a fish or teach them how to fish.</p>\n\n<p>My decision ultimately is never guided by the writing, but I always note to the editor that the paper is in a stage where it needs heavy rewriting so it can hold up to the standards of publication of the Journal (I usually review for a high regarded Journal, which tends to be more picky on the grammar thing)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17149,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From your description of having to read sentences and paragraphs several times to figure out what they mean, it seems that the writing is a significant hindrance to people understanding the paper. Since a paper is only written once but (hopefully) read many times, the burden should be on the writer, rather than on the reader.</p>\n\n<p>For a journal paper (and assuming that you feel it has sufficient technical strength to be accepted), advise the authors to consult a native speaker or other expert to improve the writing and advise the editor not to accept the paper until the writing is improved.</p>\n\n<p>For conference papers, it's harder to know what to do, since there's only one round of reviewing. Ultimately, though, it's the PC's problem, not yours. Write your review about the technical quality of the paper, advise the authors to improve the writing and advise the PC that you found the paper hard to understand because of the quality of the writing. They can weigh up whatever factors they want to take into account when deciding which papers to accept.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 44304,
"author": "scrollex",
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"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33692",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I used to work for a company that edited academic manuscripts prior to peer-review submission for foreign academics/researchers looking to get into English journals. Most of my work revolved around biomedical articles being submitted by researchers in Asia (namely, China, Japan, South Korea, and India), with the occasional article coming out of Turkey or penned by a foreign author working in the U.S. Although I like editing a good deal, I've spent an regrettably high number of hours being a glorified grammar/spellchecker in the academic context. In addition, I've also served as a peer-reviewer and as an invited editor for an academic journal.</p>\n\n<p>Here's an image of a sample manuscript I had to work on while employed at this pre-submission editing outfit. <img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/nJm4k.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"> This isn't even one of the bad ones, where I bent over backwards to decipher what the author meant. This sort of thing can be incredibly difficult to do, and can require some back and forth between myself and the author. It's not a question of polish; sometimes the translation just isn't interpretable. Had I received anything that requires this much textual hewing in my role as invited editor, I would have told the authors that a native speaker needed to run through the piece. I've redacted enough manuscripts for labmates in grad school to know that even native speakers can have trouble writing a fully-formed paper on their own, so I see no reason to shy away from suggesting the same sort of route be taken by a non-native author.</p>\n\n<p>Equally as important, if not more so, is the question of clarity in terms of the science being communicated. I've seen numerous instances of methodology getting so muddled in translation that the whole study put forth by the authors became lost in a sea of confusing syntax. Reproducibility is a large enough issue in science as it stands, and any further obfuscation will only hurt the quality of the field. </p>\n\n<p>In sum: don't be afraid to suggest major linguistic edits to the authors, and feel free to recommend an editing service. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17111",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1125/"
]
|
17,113 | <p>I will soon start my thesis, and have read a bit of literature, particularly a few short papers. One professor recommended using a template, displayed below. However, I generally feel that the questions in the template don't apply well to the papers I have read, and my answers get very "artificial" or "forced", while some aspects are not answered by the template at all. Obviously no template can fit perfectly for every paper, but perhaps there are better templates out there. </p>
<p>Are there any standard templates for this purpose? Perhaps a list of questions to ask oneself when reading? Or other structured ways of note writing for scientific papers or similar literature?</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Title</strong></p>
<p>Title of paper</p>
<p><strong>Citation</strong></p>
<p>Authors</p>
<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p>
<p>A short summary of the paper.</p>
<p><strong>Issues</strong></p>
<p>What are the issues that the paper addresses? Describe the problem.</p>
<p><strong>Approach</strong></p>
<p>What did the authors do? How did they approach the problem. What did
they do? What methods did they use?</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>What are the authors conclusion? What do they claim about their
results.</p>
<p><strong>My Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>What do you think about the work presented in the article? Explain</p>
<p><strong>Rating</strong></p>
<p>Give a score [0 - 10] 0: awful, 10: brilliant.</p>
</blockquote>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17114,
"author": "Trylks",
"author_id": 7571,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It can't be any more minimalistic than that.</p>\n\n<p>Basically you have some metadata: title, citation, abstract, comment (your conclusion) and rating.</p>\n\n<p>That fits every intellectual work, you could apply it to movies, songs or anything that has an author and about which you can have an opinion.</p>\n\n<p>Then there are a few other fields that cannot be any more minimal:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>issues: why is the paper written and published? There has to be a reason for that work to have been done, presumably people don't enjoy wasting their time.</li>\n<li>approach: which is basically what they do. There was a reason to do something (and then publish it) an \"issue\" and something has been done about that \"issue\" so that it is less of an issue in the future.</li>\n<li>conclusion: there was an issue, something has been done, is it still an issue? are there more open issues?</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Quite simple if you think about it.</p>\n\n<p>Survey papers and so on basically solve the issue of summarizing something, they cite other papers, so you should also fill this template for those other papers.</p>\n\n<p>Are you having trouble with some other kind of papers? This seems to capture everything that is relevant. Do you miss something?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17115,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I had a template for myself, pretty similar to that one:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ul>\n <li>Journal name, article name, reference information</li>\n <li>One-line description of the problem</li>\n <li>\"What They Did\"</li>\n <li>My conclusions</li>\n </ul>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The issue was that, in almost all cases, I was studying their paper to better understand either (1) the field in general or (2) how to solve a problem I was having. I found that, <strong>for note-taking purposes</strong>, focusing on mainly what they did and then recording for posterity my <em>own</em> conclusions and thoughts about their research was much more useful than re-reading my synopsis of what <em>they</em> concluded.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17243,
"author": "Mads Skjern",
"author_id": 12090,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12090",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have been thinking about this since asking the question, plus I have done some actual note taking. </p>\n\n<p>For me personally, I have found the following points to be helpful:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Why did I read this paper: Perhaps my professor recommended it, in which case it probably is relevant despite what it initially seems to me. </p></li>\n<li><p>My takeaways for the thesis: Ideas, inspiration or references, that I can use for my thesis</p></li>\n<li><p>General takeaways: What I learned, that is relevant/interesting/useful, which however are not directly useful for my thesis. </p></li>\n<li><p>What I did not understand (entirely): Maybe some terminology, maybe some theory. I am writing them down, so I might get a chance to ask them later, or I might revisit it later after having gotten a better understanding. </p></li>\n<li><p>What I should (perhaps) look into: Projects, literature, websites. Typically other papers that they reference in the paper. </p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17113",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12090/"
]
|
17,117 | <p>A couple of weeks ago I met this person who had come to our institute for an invited talk. Her domain of work was same as my area of research. Later I discussed with her some of the topics and asked her if there are any openings in her company (she is in the industry as an R&D head). She responded: <em>"Send me your CV, I will look into it."</em></p>
<p>Now I want to write to her. How do I begin with that? Should I send my CV in the first mail itself? If so should I also include a cover letter? What's the best way to introduce myself? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17119,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
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"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Well... there are lot of important variables not mentioned, but this is how I will generally draft it:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Dear Madam Give-me-a-job,</p>\n<p>It was great talking to you after your talk on Jan 17th, 2014 at\nMy-Little-Institute. I found your experience and nature of your job\nfascinating. In our conversation about pursuing a career in\nWhatever-you-are-working-in, you were so kind to offer giving comments\nto my CV. And if you don't mind, I would love to take up your\ngenerous offer.</p>\n<p>Attached please find my CV. I would love to follow up with you in two\nweeks and set up a phone conversation to discuss how I can strengthen\nmy profile so that I can be a more competitive candidate in this job\nmarket. Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to your invaluable critiques and suggestions.</p>\n<p>Sincerely yours,</p>\n<p>Penguin Knight</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>My approach:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Don't treat it like a lead to a job. She might just say that to be nice. If I come off too pushy, I may not even get a chance listening to her comments. For that reason, I <em>will not attach a cover letter</em> that details my experience, research interest, and why I am suitable for the position. There isn't even a job, a catch-all cover letter is difficult to write and hard to be made impressive.</li>\n<li>Ask for follow up and act on it. A lot of the "send me your CV" didn't get follow up because the candidate really just "sent the CV" and that's the end of it. I specifically tweaked it as wanting advices from her, making it easier for both parties to engage in another conversation.</li>\n<li>No need to worry about "what if she really just gives me comments?" She probably knows and remembers. If my CV is really good, she will mention the availability of openings. If there isn't or I am not good enough, then I can use this chance to flush out weaknesses and improve them.</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17122,
"author": "Bohemian",
"author_id": 12077,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12077",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I wouldn't make a big deal of it:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>FirstName,</p>\n \n <p>Good to meet you the other day. Interesting presentation. </p>\n \n <p>Attached is my CV as discussed.</p>\n \n <p>Best wishes,\n Your full name</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Most people are busy and they're not going to read more than a couple of sentences anyway.</p>\n\n<p>Also, the longer the email, the more desperate and obsequious your tone; save time and your dignity - keep it brief.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17125,
"author": "littlekellilee",
"author_id": 11933,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11933",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Hello (Speaker-name),</p>\n \n <p>We spoke on (date here) when you came to our institution and presented\n on (topic here). I very much enjoyed your speech and our discussion\n afterwards on (a few words on what you talked about) and possible\n openings in your company. As discussed, I've attached my cover letter\n and resume for your consideration.</p>\n \n <p>Thanks so much, and I look forward to hearing back from you!</p>\n \n <p>Sincerely,</p>\n \n <p>(Your name here)</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>My post is making the email a bit less formal, as I assume you talked to her in an informal way. By bringing up where you guys were, when you met, and what you talked about, you're likely sparking her memory (unless she gave two talks and had identical conversations that day, which is unlikely). I'd also keep the email relatively concise, because your intent is to seek jobs, not make a new friend.</p>\n\n<p>Personally, I would attach my cover letter, because the cover letter gives a better indication on not only what your skills and past experience is, but also on what your desired position is. It also gives the employer a bit more indication into what you're like as a person, and whether or not they'd want to hire you.</p>\n\n<p>This is all, of course, assuming you're emailing her and not mailing it. If you mail it, I would put a shorter version of this email into the cover letter and only send the cover letter and resume.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17127,
"author": "lxx",
"author_id": 12099,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12099",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>CV and cover letter in an email and maybe send physical copies as well.\nJust a friendly brief email with the attachments in the companies preferred format.\nMake sure to mention the sort of position you are looking for in the cover letter.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17117",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11088/"
]
|
17,128 | <p>I have a paper already submitted to a journal. Now, I want to try and submit an abstract to International Congress of Mathematicians 2014. The abstract basically contains the same thought and spirit of the submitted paper though I plan to rephrase it differently from the abstract and introduction of the submitted paper. Does this violate publication ethics? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17129,
"author": "trutheality",
"author_id": 11880,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11880",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Not ethics, but you do need to check if it violates the policies of either the journal or the conference. That's something that you should be able to find out from their websites or by contacting them directly.</p>\n\n<p>Sadly, ICM doesn't seem to list an explicit policy about dual submissions on the website, so you'll need to email someone (probably <code>[email protected]</code>) to ask.</p>\n\n<p>In my experience, a dual submission to a journal and a conference has been allowed, whereas a dual submission of the same work to two journals, or to two conferences, has not been allowed. Even then, some conferences are less strict.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17130,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you are submitting an abstract for a contributed talk or poster at the ICM and your paper is submitted to a math journal, then there is no issue. The mathematics community does not consider the abstract to be a publication and there is no conflict with simultaneous submission of a paper. In fact, this would be common.</p>\n\n<p>If you are writing a paper for the ICM proceedings (i.e., you are giving an invited talk), then this could theoretically be an issue. It would be polite and proper to inquire with the journal to make sure they are OK with it, but they will certainly say yes. ICM proceedings papers are considered expository, and being invited to speak is an honor, so there's no way anybody will interfere with it.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17128",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11123/"
]
|
17,135 | <p>Note that in experimental fields it is not uncommon that an abstract is required to have "specific" unpublished results 9 months or so before the conference. The problem is if you are a theoretical/mathematical researcher in these lab based fields often your mathematical model and derivations are the crux of your research and a numerical exploration comes later. How do you write an abstract for these fields highlighting that you derived the model, proved a bunch of existence and uniqueness properties (that they likely don't care about) and have just started your exploration of numerical examples (likely the only thing they care about) without having anything definitive to say yet about your numerical examples.</p>
<p>The most definitive thing I could say about the numerical examples is, "We show that for a given set of parameter space we observe X and for another set of parameter space we observe Y. This is the consequence of X being true in contrast to Y being true in our field of application". To be clear I don't know anything about the structure of the parameter space that yield the two distinct X and Y scenarios yet, but I do know that both X and Y are possible given some preliminary simulations, and that the difference between X and Y is interesting. </p>
<p>One thing to note is this is not a conference that includes a proceedings. You have an abstract and a talk, but no paper comes out of it. Papers are strictly for peer reviewed journals in this field. The answers to this question <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/7428/how-to-write-abstract-for-conference-when-you-have-no-results-yet">How to write abstract for conference when you have no results yet?</a> seem to be more geared towards fields where papers come out of the conference.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 21627,
"author": "RHC",
"author_id": 859,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/859",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It does depend on the type and reputation of the conference, but in my experience most conferences that are not publishing their proceedings will accept all abstracts that are clearly written and have no overt language, logic, factual, or similar critical problems. Looking at the question you linked to, I think exactly the same advice that is posted there is relevant to conferences with no published proceedings. I say this because the goal of your abstract here is primarily to attract attention and get people to attend your talk. (But, does this conference publish its abstracts? Some do.)</p>\n\n<p>Following the advice given in the answers to the linked question will achieve this goal without putting you in an ethical challenge or leading you to claim things that turn out to be untrue or, worse, so misguided or ambitious that it's embarrassing. </p>\n\n<p>It's up to you to convince the reader of your abstract that you <em>will</em> have compelling numerical results by that time. This comes from explaining your methodology and approach in a way that will seem reasonable and so can be reasonably expected to lead to exciting, specific results. If you don't expect to, then maybe your project isn't well designed or well suited to this audience.</p>\n\n<p>It never hurts to have a short abstract regardless of the conference rules on length. KISS! (Keep It Simple, Stupid) is appropriate here. If you are severely lacking anything interesting to say right now, it could be as straightforward as a paragraph version of: \"We will present numerical results from a novel form of mathematical analysis of problem X, which will impact Y.\" If the audience is interested in topics X or Y then they might well show up regardless of their confidence in what new results you'll have.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 21652,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Writing as a mathematical modeler in Epidemiology, and a regular submitter to conferences with these types of requirements, which are dominated by empirical research findings, this is something that's hard, if you approach it from the direction you have - with the numerical results coming at the \"end\" of your research.</p>\n\n<p>It would be good to have <em>a</em> numerical result, because as has been mentioned, while you might not view these as the crux of your research, it may very well be the crux of why someone is <em>interested</em> in your research. Even as someone who does appreciate the theory side of things, I'm often rather more interested in the numerical results.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, these conferences are mostly looking to avoid \"Will be discussed\" results, where there's no means to evaluate if you've done anything, or if it will be interesting. The latter is especially hard for deciding whether a presentation becomes an oral or poster presentation, because giving one of the precious oral slots to someone whose going to largely be discussing a slew of null results is (often) irksome.</p>\n\n<p>You do however <em>have</em> results, and that should be enough to make it past the bar. If X and Y are both possible within the parameter space, and that <em>means something for the field</em>, then that is a specific result, and you should expand on why that's interesting.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17135",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8101/"
]
|
17,136 | <p>Say you develop your own research project during your PhD years and want to carry on the research project with you to post-doctoral and beyond, are there any restriction that you can or cannot carry on the project? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17137,
"author": "Marc Claesen",
"author_id": 7173,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7173",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In general, this depends primarily on your supervisors (old and new) and/or funding. If they give you the green light you're good to go.</p>\n\n<p>If you have been working with industry or parts of your research have been patented there may be legal issues if you intend to collaborate with other parties (both companies or universities).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17140,
"author": "h22",
"author_id": 10920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10920",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As soon as the article is published, any laboratory can plan experiments described in that article, continuing the research. I see no reason why the original author should not be allowed. </p>\n\n<p>However this is often not as good idea as it may look like. Assuming the PhD student have worked seriously over PhD time, all \"low hanging fruits\" of the topic may be already picked up and published in journals. And if your parent laboratory continues that project as well, they put up the competition that may be very difficult to win. </p>\n\n<p>The probable exception would be if the continuation of the topic requires to apply methods that are not well developed in the originating laboratory, and you are starting a post-doc in the new laboratory with your current project.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17142,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From a career perspective, it's a bad idea to carry your PhD project as your <strong>primary</strong> work further into your career. It's perfectly normal for people to finish up the publication of papers related to one phase in a later phase of their career, but it's not so good to keep working on basically the same project.</p>\n\n<p>The reason for this is that you don't want to be \"pigeonholed\" as a researcher who only studies a narrow topic. In most fields, it's not conducive to a successful career, because it makes a researcher look as if uninterested in other research fields (even if that's not the case).</p>\n\n<p>So even if the funding and willingness of the advisors is available to support such a path, it's not one you should follow (absent a very specific reason to do so).</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17136",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10694/"
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|
17,145 | <p>First of all, this is about plagiarism in the sense of stealing ideas. Copy-and-paste plagiarism is included but not likely to happen in the cases relevant for this question.</p>
<p>Considering the publication of a paper prior to peer-reviewed publication on the ArXiv (or another preprint server), there are usually two main positions considering a possible theft of the idea (or somebody coming up with the same idea):</p>
<ul>
<li>If somebody manages to publish your idea in a peer-reviewed journal before you do, you can prove that you came up with the idea first or at least independently if you have published your paper on the ArXiv. Therefore it is a good idea to publish papers on the ArXiv before they have been published in a peer-reviewed journal.</li>
<li>If you publish your paper on ArXiv before it is published in a peer-reviewed journal, others may steal your work and publish it peer-reviewed before you do and thus take the scientific credit. It’s difficult to attack those people since the ArXiv is not peer-reviewed. Somebody could make a living of plagiarising ArXiv papers. Therefore it is a bad idea to publish papers on the ArXiv before they have been published in a peer-reviewed journal.</li>
</ul>
<p>Are there any <strong>example cases</strong> (or even studies) supporting either of these statements? Such examples would include, but are not limited to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Has a peer-reviewed journal ever withdrawn a paper because it plagiarised an ArXiv paper?</li>
<li>Are there well-known cases of “unpunished” plagiarism of ArXiv papers? </li>
<li>Has anybody ever successfully resolved a priority dispute with a publication on ArXiv?</li>
<li>Has anybody ever accused somebody of plagiarising an ArXiv article (with the fact that the plagiarised article was published on ArXiv affecting the outcome).</li>
</ul>
<p>Note that it is really examples and not a theoretical analysis of the statements, I am looking for. (Neither of the two positions fully reflect my opinion and some of the soft premises¹ are debatable. However, debating about these viewpoints on a theoretical basis or attacking some of the premises is usually futile.)</p>
<hr>
<p><sup>
¹ e.g., that scientific credit is only decided by peer-reviewed publication
</sup></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17148,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>If you publish your paper on ArXiv before it is published in a peer-reviewed journal, others may steal your work and publish it peer-reviewed before you do and thus take the scientific credit. It’s difficult to attack those people since the ArXiv is not peer-reviewed.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This assumes that peer-reviewed publications determine scientific credit, which may be true in some fields but isn't universal. In mathematics, it is not relevant at all for assigning credit. Peer-reviewed papers are of course more thoroughly checked, but they do not give you any additional intellectual credit, so this difficulty does not even arise. (In particular, for assigning credit an arXiv paper beats a published paper with a nontrivially later submission date.)</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>For example, has a peer-reviewed journal ever withdrawn a paper because it plagiarised an ArXiv paper? Or are there well-known cases of “unpunished” plagiarism of ArXiv papers?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is a difficult question to answer, because how could you tell? If the plagiarist doesn't copy any text, but rather just takes ideas, then it's virtually impossible to prove that anything was stolen.</p>\n\n<p>In mathematics, it works like this. If someone publicly circulates a paper, then there's a brief window in which people who have made the same discovery independently have a chance to announce this fact and claim a share of the credit. They should do so more or less immediately upon learning about it.</p>\n\n<p>By contrast, if too much time elapses, then the community doesn't count it as simultaneous discovery, but rather at best rediscovering something that was already known (which gives far less credit to the rediscoverer). There's not a clear cut-off for the timing, but I see it as follows: days later is definitely OK, weeks later might be OK, months later is generally not OK, a year later is definitely not OK.</p>\n\n<p>The biggest weakness in this system is that there's a window in which it's possible to steal someone's ideas and claim you came up with them independently. This is certainly uncommon (indeed, claims of independent discovery are uncommon, regardless of whether they are true or false), but it's hard to know for sure how rare it is because of the difficulty of proving plagiarism of ideas. Most claims of independent discovery are obviously true (because there's a manuscript that couldn't have been written so quickly, or there's a history of talks or discussions with other researchers, or there are nontrivial variations on the ideas and applications), but every once in a while someone makes such a claim without clear evidence.</p>\n\n<p>Even when there isn't much documentation, I'm inclined to believe claims of independent discovery. Faking this takes a lot of chutzpah and effort, it's not something you can get away with repeatedly, and it's an awkward situation you wouldn't want to put yourself in unnecessarily, so it seems reasonable to give people the benefit of the doubt.</p>\n\n<p>In practice, I don't think the real danger is outright theft, where someone who wasn't working on this topic at all notices a new paper and says \"That looks nice! I think I'll steal it.\" Instead, the most worrisome situation is when someone was actually working on similar ideas, but hadn't really finished sorting out the details. When they see the paper, they immediately recognize some of their ideas, and the remaining details feel so natural that they say \"Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind. This paper is merely fleshing out my ideas.\" They honestly believe that they had practically completed this work, when they might have been somewhat further than they thought. There's a whole continuum here, from people who are basically right in their beliefs to those who are completely wrong, and it's not clear where to draw the line.</p>\n\n<p>Of course I have no idea how often someone claims independent discovery based on exaggerated beliefs (again it's basically unprovable), but I imagine it happens occasionally. It's certainly unfortunate if it takes place, but it's not nearly as bad as outright theft. The worst-case scenario is having to share credit with someone who is less deserving.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45391,
"author": "Benoît Kloeckner",
"author_id": 946,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/946",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are difficult parts in your question, but it is easy to find examples where posting in arXiv did establish priority. In fact, you can open random published papers, and find that a decent proportion of them cite arXiv preprints (I found one at <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1214/EJP.v20-3176\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Yinshan Chang. Loop cluster on discrete circles. Electron. J. Probab. 20: 1–32 (2015)\">my second random try</a>).</p>\n<p>To give a famous example, Grigori Perelman published his <a href=\"https://arxiv.org/search/math?query=Grisha+Perelman&searchtype=author&abstracts=show&order=-announced_date_first&size=50\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">groundbreaking papers</a> only on arXiv, and was credited for them to the extent that he was offered the Fields medal and the Clay prize of one million dollars (as is well-known, he declined them both).</p>\n<p>These papers were digested by the community over several years, giving rise to several sets of notes by different groups of mathematicians, all of which of course credited Perelman for solving the geometrization and Poincaré conjectures; some of these notes, containing clarifications, details or alternative proofs of part of Perelman's work were published, sometimes in top journals. This part also provides an interesting example of online publishing (on a web page, not on arXiv, but seems to the point) establishing precedent, see the following <a href=\"https://projecteuclid.org/journals/asian-journal-of-mathematics/volume-10/issue-4/Erratum-to-A-Complete-Proof-of-the-Poincar%c3%a9-and-Geometrization/ajm/1175789085.full\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Huai-Dong Cao, Xi-Ping Zhu. Erratum to "A Complete Proof of the Poincaré and Geometrization Conjectures – Application of the Hamilton-Perelman Theory of the Ricci Flow", Asian J. Math., Vol. 10, No. 2, 165–492, 2006. Asian J. Math. 10(4): 663-664 (December 2006)\">erratum</a>. In short, the authors of a published paper wrote an erratum to acknowledge that they failed to properly cite a preprint which was only circulated online and not formally published, while they used some of the ideas contained in it. This is the way any reasonable journal and authors are expected to treat such cases, at least in mathematics.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45524,
"author": "padawan",
"author_id": 15949,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15949",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have found <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20150813221617/http://arxiv.org/new/withdrawals.aug.07.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this</a> link. It seems that arXiv itself has a plagiarism policy.</p>\n<p>Also <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20190819045634/http://additivegroves.net:80/papers/PlagiarismDetection_full.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a paper</a> describes "large-scale application of methods for\nfinding plagiarism and self-plagiarism in research document\ncollections." entitled as "Plagiarism Detection in arXiv".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 51429,
"author": "Rafael L. Greenblatt",
"author_id": 32880,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32880",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>According to Stephen J. Blundell (in <em><a href=\"https://books.google.it/books?id=GxUWMrm4dxsC&lpg=PP1&dq=superconductivity%3A%20a%20very%20short%20introduction&pg=PA120#v=onepage&q=preprint&f=false\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Superconductivity: a Very Short Introduction</a></em>) dealing with priority and plagiarism was exactly the reason people started circulating and indexing preprints online in the first place.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 186440,
"author": "TimRias",
"author_id": 108889,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/108889",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Has a peer-reviewed journal ever withdrawn a paper because it\nplagiarised an ArXiv paper?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Here is an example for this:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168900218311501\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Paper A</a> was retracted, because it plagiarized <a href=\"https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.98.023005\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">paper B</a> which had previously <a href=\"https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.02646\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">appeared</a> on the arxiv.\nPaper B was submitted to the arxiv on 7 May 2018 and submitted to <em>Physical Review D</em> on 9 May 2018. Paper A was submitted to <em>Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A</em> on 8 May 2018.</p>\n<p>This timeline shows paper A must have plagiarized from the arxiv version of paper B, and did so before paper B had been submitted for peer review. Presumably, the arxiv timestamp will have helped making this an open-and-shut case of plagiarism, although other avenues of proof may have been available.</p>\n<p>This example was found by scouring <a href=\"http://retractiondatabase.org\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Retraction Watch</a> entries related to high energy physics (one of the oldest and most prolific fields to use arxiv). A secondary conclusion from this exercise is that retraction due to plagiarism are rare in this field.</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/19 | [
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|
17,150 | <p>What are the most common ways to find open postdoc positions in physics, in Europe?
I use <a href="http://inspirehep.net/collection/Jobs" rel="nofollow">inspires</a> and <a href="https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo" rel="nofollow">academicjobsonline</a>, but on both sites, there almost haven't been any new positions in my field (4 in total since december).
Are there any other sites / tricks I'm missing?</p>
<p>(EDIT: my subfield is theoretical QCD)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17152,
"author": "Pieter Naaijkens",
"author_id": 22,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Many jobs are only advertised on the website of the respective universities. Often professors post positions on their home pages or group pages, so it may be a good idea to keep an eye on them. Sometimes job openings are also mailed around to colleagues, so it is a good idea to let people know you're on the market, so they can forward these announcements.</p>\n\n<p>Depending on your particular subfield there may be other relevant websites as well.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17156,
"author": "just-learning",
"author_id": 10483,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10483",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Perhaps you should also look at <a href=\"http://jobs.physicstoday.org/jobs/work_function/postdoctoral-research\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://jobs.physicstoday.org/jobs/work_function/postdoctoral-research</a> , <a href=\"http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/physical-and-environmental-sciences\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/physical-and-environmental-sciences</a> , <a href=\"http://www.eurosciencejobs.com/jobs/physics\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.eurosciencejobs.com/jobs/physics</a> , and <a href=\"http://jobs.sciencecareers.org/jobs/europe/postdoc/\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://jobs.sciencecareers.org/jobs/europe/postdoc/</a> .</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17171,
"author": "David Z",
"author_id": 236,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/236",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From my experience, most postdocs in high-energy physics have application deadlines anywhere between the previous September and the end of December. That is, for postdocs starting in fall 2014, you need to be filling out applications in September-December 2013. At this time of year, though, there are just not many people listing open positions. It's not just you; I've been looking at the listings as well and very little has been posted since the first week of December.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17297,
"author": "Hauser",
"author_id": 213,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/213",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Open positions in public institutions often will & have to be announced on a public job database, not so likely on private job databases where you find mostly industry positions (e.g. in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands). </p>\n\n<p>Often higher academic positions are listed in printed newspapers in Germany. </p>\n\n<p>Another option is to look on the sites of the national phyiscal societies (e.g. <a href=\"http://www.pro-physik.de/phy/stellenmarkt/jobsHome.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.pro-physik.de/phy/stellenmarkt/jobsHome.html</a>)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/455/213\">In this answer</a> I gave some tips how to find websites of research groups specializing in field X, you can add here \"positions\".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 49240,
"author": "MikeV",
"author_id": 37538,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/37538",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are various listings of jobs and sites where open positions are advertised, for example </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://de.physnet.net/PhysNet/physjobs.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://de.physnet.net/PhysNet/physjobs.html</a></p>\n\n<p>The sources listed in other answers are also available. For your field, there is also the HEP Postdoc Rumor Mill</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://sites.google.com/site/postdocrumor/\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://sites.google.com/site/postdocrumor/</a></p>\n\n<p>that should be starting the 2016 version before too long.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17150",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12122/"
]
|
17,151 | <p>My university recently made a direction that lectures attendance is mandatory. Now my question is, are there any studies that compare mandatory and not mandatory lectures quality? The university is trying to increase its quality and this was its main step this year.</p>
<p>More description:
As lecture quality comparison I mean, when is it easier to concentrate, study, teach and learn? When lectures are mandatory, there are a lot of students that doesn't have real interest in subject and are disturbing and making noise. That influences all students, as you can't hear what professor is saying, professor is disturbed and interrupted in teaching. So are there any studies that prove this?</p>
<p>Is this in overall a good step of university? I believe that good professors can motivate students to come to lectures, and if lectures are empty, it's a sign of something (not necessarily bad quality of professor) and this doesn't solve it at all, or am I wrong?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17154,
"author": "earthling",
"author_id": 2692,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2692",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My school also has a mandatory attendance policy. While some uninterested students do cause problems there are classroom management techniques to handle that. For example when my students get out of control I warn them. If they continue then I remove them and mark them absent for the day.</p>\n\n<p>While I do understand you are looking for studies I want to make clear that there is not much reason for lectures to drop in quality just because you have a forced attendance policy.</p>\n\n<p>All that said, I could see how in-class activities have lower participation in such a situation and that could lead to reduced learning for the group.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17155,
"author": "littlekellilee",
"author_id": 11933,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11933",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's a great step for the University. If a student comes to the lecture, they will learn something whether they intend to or not. This should, theoretically, raise the grades of the students in the classroom, which will raise the grades in the University as a whole.</p>\n\n<p>Think of this in a case where you're in a lecture and the professor puts his notes online. Students see this and decide they don't need to go because they can simply read the notes themselves and learn it on their own. This doesn't necessarily mean the prof is bad, it just means that the students are a bit lazy. Even if they do end up reading the notes (which is rare), they're still missing out on critical notes, hints the prof may give, and emphasis on certain topics. Even asking or hearing other students questions. When I was a student, I was in a class that was full and our professor posted his quizzes online, making it so you just had to look up the answers on the internet or take the quiz with a student that did attend class. In the end, I was one of 5 students out of 60. That class had a very low class average. </p>\n\n<p>It's true that students could be in the class that are disruptive, but having mandatory attendance doesn't restrict the prof from kicking those disruptive students out and taking away their attendance for that day. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to remove extremely disruptive students. And if they're there but don't care about the topic, they shouldn't be in the class anyway, or should at least understand that you need to take the class and should make an effort to understand it.</p>\n\n<p>I don't have a study to show you about this, but if you look at it from the view where it's good and think about it, it's pretty obvious there are reasons for it. Schools without the mandatory policy look at schools that have it and see that there's benefit for it, which is why that put it in themselves. No school would put a mandatory policy in without checking into its effectiveness, especially if it's the main step to making their school better.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17157,
"author": "Espanta",
"author_id": 6393,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6393",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In fact there are many studies undertaken in this topic. Below you may find the link to some of these papers.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877129713001639\">Classroom attendance: Factors and perceptions of students and faculty in US schools of pharmacy</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0260691709002330\">Student nurse absenteeism in higher education: An argument against enforced attendance</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775712000325\">Student and teacher attendance: The role of shared goods in reducing absenteeism</a> </li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0260691712002420\">Why do students miss lectures? A study of lecture attendance amongst students of health science</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477388013000613\">Does lecture attendance affect academic performance? Panel data evidence for introductory macroeconomics</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047272706001393\">The impact of charter school attendance on student performance</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>You can find tons of papers in this topic. Look at this <a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleListURL&_method=list&_ArticleListID=-524267511&_st=13&view=c&_acct=C000228598&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=12975512&md5=a36fef0c6b3e326ad9b150e3ada774a3&searchtype=a\">link</a> and <a href=\"http://scholar.google.com.my/scholar?q=effect+of+student+attendance+on+learning&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5\">her</a></p>\n\n<p>Hope it helps</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17176,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The answer to this question is that the question has no answer, because classes are not all alike. If you're taking a foreign language, then obviously attendance is extremely important. If it's a creative writing class, then students are critiquing each other's work in class, and there's no substitute for that experience. Classes come in different sizes and are taught using different methods. If the class is 500 students in an auditorium, and the professor gives old-fashioned straight lectures, then maybe watching the lecture on video would be just as good -- if not better, since you could repeat some parts and skip others. If the class is 25 students and the professor uses modern interactive teaching methods, then attendance is probably extremely valuable.</p>\n\n<p>The idea of having a university-wide rule strikes me as a stupid idea. It's one-size-fits-all, which I've argued doesn't make sense. It's an improper violation of academic freedom. What it sounds to me like is this. This school got worried about their \"success rates.\" Success rates are not a good measure of the quality of education, for a variety of reasons. At the community college where I teach, students consider it normal to take every class two or more times in order to optimize their GPA. (They can drop up to the 12th week and get a W on their transcript.) Furthermore, success rates can easily be raised simply by lowering standards.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17151",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12126/"
]
|
17,153 | <p>Here is my situation, I got a MSc from a renowned university in Europe and I have been working as a lecturer in a non-EU country until now. I am in my mid thirties (upper part =)) and I have came to an important decision to make:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>I have been offered to work as a full time lecturer with all my benefits in a local renowned university in the country that I am staying</p></li>
<li><p>At the same time I have an offer to follow PhD studies in a ZA university, but I am not very keen about it, mainly because the problems with the crime rates and low salary per month</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I have seen that there are a lot of possibilities for getting funded PhD positions worldwide, but I am afraid of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>That after my studies and if I do not get an academic position in the place that I did my PhD studies, to not be able to get another academic position as the one that they are currently offering me (I will be ending my PhD at 42 years old approximately)</li>
</ul>
<p>I have a high interest for academia, unfortunately the universities in the country that I am working are not so much oriented to research, but only to lecturing. That is why I feel like bored and stressed to do the same task everyday, to do research is very hard because I must occupy my little free time and most of my ideas get stuck after a while (mainly because there are not other academics to talk about problems encountered along my projects)</p>
<p>I would not really like just to end with the MSc and I feel that is something missing in my life, this has lead me to a problem of anxiety and depression.</p>
<p>Any advice?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17160,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First of all, nobody can tell you what the best decision <em>for you</em> in such a decision is.</p>\n\n<p>That said, what you need to look at are the <em>opportunity costs</em> of your different options. What do you gain from each of the different possible choices? Equally important is to ask yourself what will you have to give up to pursue those choices. </p>\n\n<p>For you, you need to ask yourself: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>How important is being a researcher compared to being a lecturer?</li>\n<li>How difficult do you think it will be to get a position when you finish your PhD?</li>\n<li>Is your offer of graduate admission worth the upheaval it would cause in your life?</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>And other questions like these. Once you get a feel for how important these issues are <em>to you</em>, the easier it will be to make a decision. It will still be a very tough decision (these sorts of choices always are), but <strong>ultimately it will be your decision, and you'll need to be comfortable with the decision you've reached.</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17164,
"author": "vadim123",
"author_id": 7222,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7222",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You are contemplating a choice that has a high risk of failure.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Risk of not completing Ph.D.</li>\n<li>Risk of not liking research.</li>\n<li>Risk of not finding even a lecturer position afterwards, much less a research position.</li>\n<li>Risk of unhappiness due to the conditions during the Ph.D.</li>\n<li>Risk of being academically unrewarded/isolated even in a research position.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>If all things unfold perfectly, then you will achieve a research position in some years. You may like this more, but will objectively be similar to the position you have now: indoor work, no heavy lifting, job security and benefits, education field, some things you like and some things you dislike.</p>\n\n<p>This seems like a poor risk, particularly for someone already pushing 40 -- the potential upside is smaller. My advice is to correspond with scholars at other institutions, to achieve your spiritual fulfillment while still earning a good paycheck.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17153",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6144/"
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|
17,161 | <p>For the past year I have been doing a postdoc in a Neuroscience lab, the position advertised was for computer science. </p>
<p>For the first year, the work was mostly related to my discipline, but my PI's funding got cut and now he has been pushing me to write and do experiments in an area that is entirely out of my expertise or even my field (electrodeposition/ impedance characterization). To be honest, I do not like the area, and was not written anywhere neither in the job posting or the offer letter.</p>
<p>I got a postdoc offer in a different University, and have already accepted, but my PI is pushing me to delay my start date or even come back over the summer to finish these experiments and the paper. (Probably at my own expense, the position is in a different US state)</p>
<p>As I would like to apply for a Tenure track position after the coming Postdoc, I would like to know how much can this affect my chances, would a publication in a field that is not even remotely similar to my own (Machine Learning) can hurt me more than help me? </p>
<p>I've tried to think on ways to turn it around so I can come with a feasible explanation on how is a paper on that topic even going to help build my ML expertise, but so far I have come with nothing.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17162,
"author": "vadim123",
"author_id": 7222,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7222",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A legitimate scholarly publication can only help you (although it might not help much). If you're really worried you can always just leave it off your cv. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17172,
"author": "J. Zimmerman",
"author_id": 7921,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7921",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with vadim's answer above:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>A legitimate scholarly publication can only help you. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>As for the concern about the 'helpfulness' of a paper in an unrelated field, I would tend to see it as a positive thing, showing that you are not restricted to working/thinking in/knowing about one area only. You have proven that you are capable of scholarly research in a tangential area; this should help rather than hinder your TT search. Of course, you may find that some possible positions will be unappealing to you if you really hate electrodeposition/ impedance characterization. If that possibility is a large concern to you, then you might consider leaving the paper out of your CV. </p>\n\n<p>However, I do not believe that leaving the paper out of your CV would be a good solution, unless the paper is also of very poor quality, in which case the point above does not apply and you really don't want to use this experience when searching for tenure track jobs. If the current project is of poor quality, you may be better off moving on to the next, more compatible post-doc, and also politely declining your (current) supervisor's offer to continue/finish the project you are working on now.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17173,
"author": "Lev Reyzin",
"author_id": 10,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My feeling is that a publication in a totally different field will simply be ignored and certainly wouldn't help, unless the job you're applying for is specifically interdisciplinary and across departments.</p>\n\n<p>A publication in a different subfield can help or hurt depending on its quality (and somewhat on how you're selling yourself).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17194,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Interdisciplinary research, especially at the interface between computer science and biology, is pretty hot at the moment. In that sense, a paper in neuroscience could even be helpful, especially if you later want to apply machine learning to that kind of area.<sup>1</sup> The down-side is that doing these experiments takes time, which is time you could spend doing something else.</p>\n\n<p>If it wasn't for the fact that you already have another job lined up, I'd say you should weigh up the possible advantages (increased experience of possible applications of your ML research) against the obvious disadvantages (time spent away from your core expertise). However, since you <em>do</em> have another job lined up, just go for that. Tell your current PI that you appreciate his efforts to keep you in a job even after his funding got cut but that the work he has for you just isn't your cup of tea. You're under no obligation to come back and finish the experiments (and, hey, if push comes to shove, your new employer can't give you that much time off, right?) and, since you're not an expert in that area anyway, your current PI can probably find somebody who can finish them better than you could.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><sup>1</sup> If even makes sense... As you can probably tell, I know next to nothing about machine learning and even less about neuroscience.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17161",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806/"
]
|
17,165 | <p>I'm writing my professor. She has two surnames. So far, I've been using only her first surname; however, I'm curious whether that's, generally, how I should address a professor with two surnames. I don't know whether the addressee's culture affects the answer, but the professor is from Spanish South-America. (I've noticed that some Spanish people use only the first of both last names, but most English people who take two names ask others to use both names.) Also, I don't whether familiarity matters but we communicate frequently enough that I begin my emails with 'Hi Dr...' instead of 'Dear Dr...'. </p>
<p>Thank you</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17166,
"author": "yo'",
"author_id": 1471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1471",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You cannot do any harm if you are more polite when writing to someone with a significantly higher academic state than yours. So unless she's ever written you a mail signed less formally, stick to the formal way of writing.</p>\n\n<p>It's actually quite unlikely that she gives any attention to it. When she replies, the way she signes at the end is how you should title her next time, with \"Prof.\" added, which she'll very likely exclude.</p>\n\n<p>Example:</p>\n\n<p>You write: <em>Dear Professor Doe-Toe,</em> ... <em>Sincerely, John Brown</em></p>\n\n<p>She replies: <em>Hello,</em> ... <em>Regards, J. Doe</em></p>\n\n<p>Next time you write: <em>Dear Prof. Doe,</em> ... <em>Best regards, J. Brown</em></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>There are people who are really really informal. One professor at my university always uses just the first name at the end of e-mails. She really does not care, but politeness in my environment (Czech) says that you shouldn't reply so much impolitely.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17168,
"author": "Leon palafox",
"author_id": 2806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Mexican here!!</p>\n\n<p>We also have two surnames, and to be perfectly honest we do not mind if you use both or only one of our last names. </p>\n\n<p>People call me Dr Palafox and my former advisor (Who is the head of the CS department) Dr Benitez. We are talking people from all the spectrum of workers, from administrative and cleaning staff to general directors. So is perfectly fine to use only one last name. </p>\n\n<p>Actually is going to sound weird if you end up using both names, because we rarely do. Even the President is rarely called by his 2 last names, unless is a very specific situation.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17165",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9263/"
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|
17,169 | <p>I am interested in pursuing a degree in Computer Science. Universities I've reviewed have "Major In Computer Science" , but give "Bachelor's in Informatics or Computing". There is no "Bachelors In CS", I simply couldn't find it. So <strong>are Informatics and Computing the same as CS ? or IT?</strong> </p>
<p>When I was looking for programming jobs, degree requirements were mostly CS. If I go to the university I mentioned above (Major in CS, but Bachelor's in Informatics), will I be able to write in my CV that I have CS knowledge? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17196,
"author": "penelope",
"author_id": 4249,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4249",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This greatly depends on the country the university is in, and the language spoken there. For example:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>In Croatia, <em>informatics</em> and <em>IT</em> are really roughly a same thing.\nWhat you want to study, in the strongest technical uni in the country, would correspond to something maybe best translated as <em>computer studies</em> (with a possible specialization in <em>computer science</em>).</p>\n\n<p>A <em>computer scientist</em> from Croatia speaking with another Croatian might get slightly offended if somebody called him an <em>informatician</em>.</p></li>\n<li><p>In France, the only term they have to describe computer science is <em>informatique</em>, and the person doing that for a living would be <em>informaticien</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Many French people will be talking about \"informatics\" when speaking in English.</p></li>\n<li><p>When I personally speak in English, I would never mix the terms <em>computer science</em>, and <em>informatics</em>. If I wanted to refer to somebody who might not be doing research (any more) I might switch to <em>computing</em>, or be more specific with the field.</p>\n\n<p>I might be biased since I'm Croatian and come from that culture, and I'm not fully sure what the difference between <em>IT</em> and <em>informatics</em> is, but there's a definitive difference between <em>informatics</em> and <em>CS</em> in my mind.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The bottom line would be: <strong>don't look at the Universities title when choosing, look at their program instead</strong>. Look for classes whose descriptions match your interests and skills you want to obtain. If the program matches with your interests, that that is most probably the right university for you (without talking about the Uni's quality right now).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 67197,
"author": "TOOGAM",
"author_id": 30772,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30772",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Sadly, I believe the most accurate answer is: it depends on who you ask.</p>\n\n<p>Examples: Where I live, there is <A HREF=\"http://whatcom.ctc.edu\" rel=\"nofollow\">Whatcom Community College</A> which has a Computer Science degree that dates back to the 1990s or earlier. It was largely about \"computer programming\" (which I'm going to mix together with \"software development\" as basically describing the same thing). A local state university <A HREF=\"http://wwu.edu/cs\" rel=\"nofollow\">WWU's Computer Science department</A> also focused on computer programming.</p>\n\n<p>In contrast, WCC's \"Information Technology\" (a.k.a. \"IT\") focuses more on tasks about how to set up and maintain computer networks and already-created computer software.</p>\n\n<p>However, when I became a college instructor, I met a co-instructor who had an older Computer Science degree from another state (California), and he was not a programming expert. His expertise was in handling computer networking and troubleshooting situations on networks that were already set up. When I spoke to some business leaders (managers/owners) and told them my opinion of Computer Science referring to programming and IT referring to implementations, the majority disagreed and felt like my terms were reversed.</p>\n\n<p><A HREF=\"http://academia.stackexchange.com/a/17196/30772\">penelope's answer</A> goes to show that people have different opinions. I would be inclined to go the safe route, and assume that Informatics, like the other terms, are actually not completely defined by a single centralized source that everybody agrees with. If you think you can get more specific based on some patterns or trends that you notice, I caution you to be careful because my experiences indicates that people don't universally use the terms the same way. So if you're making an important decision based on what you think the terms mean to some people, then verify before proceeding with any dependent assumption.</p>\n\n<p>(Despite all that I just said, I've still noticed nationwide posts do seem to refer to skills like technical support, and upgrading/maintaining infrastructure like handling backups and network services as being \"IT\".)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17169",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9199/"
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|
17,175 | <p>I work in a lab. This evening, thinking that my advisor had already left for the day, I started telling my peers in the lab that she has a bad attitude about a few things, and she was showing off a lot about her work last summer. Out of nowhere, she walked into the lab and was visibly upset, and I feared that she had heard what I said.</p>
<p>I just finished my masters and had asked my advisor about pursuing a Ph.D. She kind of gave an OK and I am supposed to meet with her tomorrow morning to discuss about it. Although our relationship has been on and off at times, I feel bad because she helped me a lot in past and now she will feel I am an ungrateful jerk.</p>
<p>What will be the best way to approach this issue so that I can minimize the damage to our relationship?</p>
<p><strong>Update</strong>: My advisor said she doesn't have funding so she cant take me as a PhD candidate, which I know is load of crap, she has lot of money. As one of the answers advised, I thanked her for her help over the last two years. I am torn, depressed, angry, and tearful. Most advisors help their students find jobs; mine just told me sorry and good luck. Fortunately, another advisor had offered me a position; I had planned to decline, but now taking it seems to be my best option.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17179,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Well... I am not an entirely mentally normal person so take my suggestion with a lot of salt.</p>\n\n<p>The damage is already done, and you probably cannot do too much on her side. Your side, though, can be fixed. If it bothers you enough to make a new account and ask this question, you probably do care, right?</p>\n\n<p>This is how I will approach it:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Before the meeting, prepare a thank you card and/or perhaps some little snacks/gifts (chocolate usually work, as long as she is not diabetic Other choices are small office plants, coupon to a nearby restaurant, etc.)</p></li>\n<li><p>Go to meet with her and act as if none of these had happened. If she confronts you, apologize and emphasize that the experience made you feel very bad as well. Remember to emphasize the feeling. Depending on the outcome, if she confronts, then talking about PhD project is probably a bad idea. Leave the gifts and thank you card, and tell her that \"I fully understand why you are upset, I hope you can give me another chance to talk about this in another time. I'll be outside in the lab if you need to talk to me.\"</p></li>\n<li><p>If she does not confront you, then go ahead and talk about the PhD project. Pay attention to it, because it may actually be things you spend a few years on.</p></li>\n<li><p>When it's all set, regardless of the outcome, give her the thank you card and the gifts. No need to mention your stupid chat. Just say something like \"Just my thanks to your constant help through my Masters studies, and I look forward to working with you as a PhD candidate.\" Or if you're unlucky \"Just my thanks to your help through my Masters studies, I learned a lot and I hope these little gifts will make up for all the hard times I caused you.\"</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>If she talks to you about the PhD, then she has forgiven you (unless she is a psycho who has decided to torment you.) If she decides not to and withdraws the offer, your thank you gift will also work. Either way, you'll have a chance to express your thanks, and that probably can help you feel better about your mishap.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>And please be professional in the future. Badmouthing is a really bad habit.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17180,
"author": "seteropere",
"author_id": 532,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/532",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From what you have said, I am not sure even if she heard you. All you need to do for now is to <strong>STOP</strong> this attitude. You will never find a <em>perfect</em> supervisor... Yes, you can talk with a friend about how difficult your life is with this supervisor. But this should be out of the lab and avoid -- as much as you can -- other students with the same supervisor. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Show her that you value her research and expertise (in case you don't value her research, then find another supervisor).</p></li>\n<li><p>Do not talk about anything happened unless she started the talk.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I completely disagree with @Penguin_Knight on the gift thing. Being so nice in a typical meeting indicates something weird is happening. Do not do it. (I believe this is a cultural thing some people may see it really good others will think about it in a very bad context.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17190,
"author": "Jason C",
"author_id": 12142,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12142",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you have an issue with your advisor you should approach her about it in private, calmly, clearly, and with an open mind and an idea of what you want. If you choose to speak to others without approaching her then you cannot be surprised at unexpected consequences.</p>\n\n<p>As for the current situation; if your advisor definitely heard you, then apologizing to her in person, privately, would be the honorable course of action. Of course, if there's a chance she did not hear you, this would not turn out well for you.</p>\n\n<p>So, I recommend that you simply approach her with your concerns as you originally should have (and do it soon, because if she did hear you, the longer you wait the more permanent the damage may become). Also make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to get out of the conversation ahead of time. This is a reasonable approach whether she heard you or not. If she didn't hear you, then this brings your concerns to light in a mature manner. If she did hear you, this opens up the potential for a conversation about the incident. If she chooses not to mention it, at least you approached her with your concerns and gave her an opportunity to legitimately hear where you were coming from.</p>\n\n<p>Also, whether she heard you or not, don't simply pretend that this situation didn't happen; go into it with the mindset of \"yes, it <em>did</em> happen, and that means it's time to have a real conversation about the issues that have been bothering me before the tension gets even worse\".</p>\n\n<p>Do not grovel, this only shows that you do not feel comfortable with your ability to handle confrontation, and raises <em>many</em> red flags (too many to list) and defenses (even subconsciously) to the person you are groveling to (one of the worst cases being that the recipient takes it as \"I can't believe you think I'm so foolish as to fall for your grovelling\" and thus fails to reciprocate any respect). </p>\n\n<p>Do not be close-minded or have a \"putting your foot down\" or \"shoot first ask questions later\" attitude, this will normally put somebody on the defensive immediately and kill most chances of progress. Be calm, clear, and treat her with the same amount of decency and respect that you would expect from anybody else -- even if you strongly disagree with her behavior. Going into these kinds of things with a clear head (and a clear goal) will also help give <em>you</em> confidence that can keep <em>you</em> from getting on the defensive and closing doors / burning bridges.</p>\n\n<p>And most importantly, do not forget that you may not get what you want out of this conversation; but at least you will end up doing your best to be reasonable and work with the situation. The relationship may not be perfect, but it is there and it is up to you to make the best of it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 48253,
"author": "Kakoli Majumder",
"author_id": 9920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9920",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I completely agree with Jason C's answer. If you are sure that your advisor has heard you, then a sincere apology would work best. Something similar happened with me long ago, and I scheduled a meeting with the offended colleague early next morning, before anyone else was in the office. My apology was sincere and she immediately understood that I had no problem with her on a personal level, just that I had a problem with her working style. She did make an effort to change her style as she realized it was inconveniencing me. We had a fabulous relationship afterwards and never mentioned that incident again. But I definitely learnt a lesson: when you have a problem, discuss it with the person concerned and not with anyone else.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 186006,
"author": "High GPA",
"author_id": 69151,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/69151",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I disagree with some of the comments above saying that you made a mistake. If you sincerely and objectively believe that she is really bad, then not complaining is making a mistake; though you could probably do better in choosing the venue of submitting your complaint.</p>\n<p>To answer your question, you must go deep into yourself and ask yourself what do you really want.</p>\n<p>On surface, I have two contradictory things:</p>\n<p>A) You want to do a PhD with her;</p>\n<p>B) You think she is an incompetent advisor and explicitly talk about it.</p>\n<p>You need to ask yourself:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Is she so bad that she deserves your negative comments in open public?</li>\n<li>If (1) is true, then, is she the best advisor you can find?</li>\n<li>If (2) is true, then, do you actually want to do a PhD?</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Of course, everything comes with a reason. You might have some good reasons that you want to make a public complaint. Find the true reason, and honestly communicate with your advisor. If your advisor understand you, then no damage is last.</p>\n<p>Do not fabricate some fake reasons or explanations and hoping she can understand you. Do not pretend to be nice just to get she advising your PhD. Follow your true heart.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17175",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12133/"
]
|
17,178 | <p>following different CS conferences I see the following phrase very often:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Due to many requests, the submission deadline has been extended.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Or something similar to this. </p>
<p>I won't overestimate if I said 80% of the conferences (I have followed) have this attitude. This brings me to the question of whether this is true or people (conference organisers) admit a lie when say this. Why does this attitude exit in CS conferences? Do other fields experience the same thing? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17186,
"author": "Paul",
"author_id": 931,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/931",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Extensions are common in conferences because many people procrastinate and or otherwise just need a little more time to complete their paper, prompting a heavy demand for extensions. Unless the conference is overwhelmed by submissions (which is very rarely the case), there's usually room for a little bit of flexibility in the submission deadline. </p>\n\n<p>It's not a lie... Organizers tend to anticipate it based on past experiences in previous conferences.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17188,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><em>Warning: personal opinion.</em></p>\n\n<p>I view conferences that regularly shift submission deadlines as a little suspect. You're right that this happens in CS conferences, and it soon becomes pointless because everyone expects the extension (\"<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WJXHY2OXGE\">Nobody expects the extension!!</a>\"). But your estimate of 80% is rather off. Almost none of the (many) conferences I submit to have deadline extensions for submission of the full paper. </p>\n\n<p>And don't underestimate the level of pleading that goes on. People will always ask for an extension if they have even a smidgen of hope that the pleading will work. It's only when a conference takes a firm stand for many years that people stop asking. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17268,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is outside CS, but in my field, I've only had three conferences extend submissions, and they were all for low numbers of submissions. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>One I know because the day a office mate and I submitted (the last official deadline day) we were abstracts 001 and 002, and we were not early morning people. This one, ironically, is probably the closest to your experience, and arguably <em>was</em> a CS conference, even though I'm not in CS.</li>\n<li>One has a chronic problem with this, because the session they're recruiting for (its a big enough conference that there are multiple sessions each with their own abstract committees) is a lot of work without much payoff.</li>\n<li>One was because the sequester made travel by federal employees in the U.S. impossible, which meant a quarter of the abstracts were suddenly gone. So the \"late breaker\" deadline got moved way back.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So in my experience its fairly <em>uncommon</em>, and either symptomatic of a larger problem with submissions, or some unforeseen circumstance.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17271,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Usually when a conference extends a deadline it means that they don't have enough submissions, or that the ones they do have suck, and they're hoping to find a couple more good ones if they can. </p>\n\n<p>If it were a case of a couple of people needing extensions, the conference organizers would just privately contact those people and allow the extension. You only <em>publicize</em> the extension, when there aren't enough submissions in quantity or quality. </p>\n\n<p>I'm not in CS, so YMMV, but I suspect it's the same.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17178",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/532/"
]
|
17,181 | <p>I'm preparing an NSF proposal. I ordinarily like author-year citations because they seem more scholarly and give the reviewer instant information about who(m) I am citing. However, multiple people have advised me that it makes the text hard to read, and I've heard that the <em>most important thing</em> for NSF proposals is that they are easy to read. </p>
<p>But still- I hate flipping back and forth between text and citations- it seems like that causes a readability problem of a different kind. At the same time, numerical citations are much more concise and help me make my page limit. </p>
<p>So I am in a bind. What do you people think?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17183,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In terms of reference formatting, this is the only paragraph I can find in the <a href=\"http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/nsf04_23/nsf04_23.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">NSF guide</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Reference information is required. Each reference must include the\n names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the\n publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume\n number, page numbers, and year of publication.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Thanks to @Suresh, I misunderstood the meaning of it and I agree that the instruction does not specify either numeric or author-year format.</p>\n\n<p>However, the page limit is 15, all inclusive, numeric system would give you a few more lines at the end. And you don't need to hate flipping back and forth, because the reviewers will do the flipping. However, should you feel so strong against it, call and talk to the grant program manager or contact person and ask if you can use your preferred system.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17193,
"author": "trutheality",
"author_id": 11880,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11880",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My advisor actually gave me a copy of the proposal for an NSF grant that funded some of my research, it had numerical citations. But also note that this is the style most commonly used in my field (machine learning).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 97558,
"author": "Philip Bolton",
"author_id": 81571,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81571",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have reviewed many thousands of NSF proposals (and written a few dozen, many funded) and strongly recommend numerical. You should note that even the NSF Guide uses numerical (for footnotes). </p>\n\n<p>Reviewers tend to like the following order: Author(s) Journal Volume Pages Year</p>\n\n<p>Make sure you use first and last pages: ie 2311-2318 not 2311-18 which is ambiguous</p>\n\n<p>You may find EndNote or Papers the way to go for references. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17181",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12107/"
]
|
17,192 | <p>I'm in mathematics, though I don't know if the answers to this will be field-dependent. There have been previous good questions that answer what to ask graduate students <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/353/what-are-some-good-questions-to-ask-current-graduate-students-when-visiting-scho">here</a> and only somewhat relatedly <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8507/what-questions-should-one-ask-to-the-former-current-students-of-a-professor-befo/8514#8514">here</a> (about what to ask students of potential advisors). However, I don't know what good questions are to ask professors themselves. The big question is, of course, "will I be happy at this school?", but it's not clear to me what the 'right questions' are to help me get a feel for this. </p>
<p>Essentially, what should I know about the program/school that are suitable questions to ask a professor during a meeting at these visit days?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17197,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Good question. I am a tenured (associate) math professor at UGA. To be (too?) honest, I sometimes find graduate visitation days to be slightly awkward. With most of the students, they and I <em>want</em> to have something to talk about; for many of the students, we <em>will</em> have something to talk about at some future point; for a few of the students, we will become so close that it will be hard to remember these first awkward conversations. </p>\n\n<p>I just remembered a visitation day where I almost sullenly plopped myself down at a barroom table next to a certain prospective student and a bunch of current students. They were more trying to have a conversation than actually having a conversation. At one point the topic turned to some elementary topology problem the prospective student had in mind for some reason. One of the current students was studying topology and she got interested and started to try to work it out. Alas I was still bored, and after a few minutes I quietly uttered a few words. The current student paused for a second, then her eyes lit up, and very soon after I got my chance to politely excuse myself and get another drink. That prospective student is now my PhD student, but the bond was not forged on that day.</p>\n\n<p>But still, we should try.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>1) I hear you study X. I've studied only a little bit of it so far, but I remember learning about Y. Can you tell me a little about your work?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>\"Can you tell me about your work?\" is a very natural question that sadly can often be a showstopper. The honest answer for many professors when talking to perfectly capable students who may later turn out to be <em>their</em> students is often \"Not very meaningfully, no.\" Above I tried to frame the question in a little better way. How is it better? Well for one thing, asking a professor in a department you're visiting what they do can come off as lazy: almost everyone has a wealth of information available on their webpage now. If the student really cared, wouldn't they look a little bit in advance? So the framing of the question shows that the student has looked a little bit in advance. It also clues the professor in to what might be an appropriate level at which to pitch the explanation. If X is number theory (as it is for me), then if Y is \"Wilson's Theorem\" I'm going to say something very different than if Y is \"the Chebotarev Density Theorem\".</p>\n\n<p>Still it's probably best not to say too much. I remember asking one professor this when I was a prospective student and he said, \"Yes, I study number theory, as do several other faculty members here. I guess what distinguishes me is that I've also become very interested in representation theory, and my work uses that to a larger extent than the others. Does that make sense to you?\" The person who said this to me was Dick Gross, and yes it did make sense, and as a two sentence orientation to who he was and what he did it functioned brilliantly then and it still does, but I see now what a lot of confidence and experience he must have had to know to say so little. And he asked me if I understood, and if I hadn't he probably would have said something else: he seemed like a nice guy...and it turns out that he is. (I don't remember what I said after that. I think it would have been like me at the time to try to show some knowledge by asking a question -- that's a young math student type of thing to do. So I'll imagine that I asked \"What kind of representation theory?\" because I would have known that there were finite groups, Lie groups and so forth. And Gross would have replied \"Algebraic groups\". At that point I would have had to admit that I was totally lost...and my being lost would be of no lasting significance: suffice it to say that I have since learned about that topic!)</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>2) Do you do any computer work?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I think that's an increasingly important question. Nowadays a math student has to locate himself on the spectrum of more computation / less computation. If you're thinking about working with a faculty member, you definitely want to know this.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>3) Are you interested in real-world applications of your work? Have you ever done any consulting or other outside work?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Again, a key question. You should already be starting to think about these sorts of questions for yourself. I, for instance, have absolutely zero contacts in industry, so I would be a terrible advisor for a student who was inclined in that direction, even if we had common mathematical interests.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>4) How long have you been here?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That's a nice question for one human being to ask another. The professor will probably respond with some personal information about the town or their housing situation or their family or...something. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>5) Where did you get your PhD?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You would think that would be a kind of backward-looking question to ask a professor, but actually academics ask each other that kind of thing all the time. Sad to say we really do try to have little portions of the CVs of hundreds of people memorized, even though we can look much of it up instantly if needed. Also this question subtly asks the professor to put himself in your shoes. It may also lead to some kind of insightful contrasting between the professor's PhD experiences / program and the current PhD program. On the other hand many faculty did their PhD at better places than the ones in which they are currently employed, which can be a little embarrassing. But there are various ways to spin this; maybe a temporal comparison is more interesting than a programmatic comparison. If a faculty member is old enough they can tell you that their graduate stipend was 75 cents a day plus all the potatoes they could carry, or something fun like that.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>6) Do you have any PhD students? [Then ask plenty of followup questions.]</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That's getting serious. You want to find out whether the professor is even on the table for being a potential advisor. And if a professor names his students, you can then go and seek out those students and talk to them about their advising experience...that can be very enlightening.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>7) Are you happy here?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That's a bold question, and you might try to come at it a little obliquely, but again it's a very standard question for academics to ask each other. Currently academia has an itinerant feel to it: we are all looking elsewhere around the terrain and asking each other, \"Hey, long time no see, could you show me a blade of grass over there? Hmm, that's pretty green, right? I mean, do you think? How does it compare to <em>this blade</em>, would you say? Greener? In what ways?\"</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes when you ask this question you may hear that the professor has already made or is currently making plans to leave! </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>8) How would you compare this program to other programs Y and Z?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Again, we're good at this, by and large. Even if we inflate our own program (it seems to be called for to do this at least <em>a little</em>), we are likely to be quite honest and rather knowledgeable about other programs. If you go to five different places and ask around, you're likely to get some good consensus data. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>9) What advice would you give to a student who wanted to be successful in your program? Are there any specific pitfalls to be avoided?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That's an obviously good and relevant question. </p>\n\n<p>Note that you can't ask \"Will I be happy here?\" for a simple reason: <strong>we don't know</strong>. If you're lucky, we know <strong>here</strong> and we know <strong>us</strong>. We don't know <strong>you</strong>. I think that you can in some ways get better information about the answer to this question by talking to students than to faculty, but any way you slice it, it's something you're going to have to largely figure out for your own. No one at the visitation day is going to know you like you do, after all.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 38646,
"author": "Mark Joshi",
"author_id": 29181,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/29181",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Some questions that I think are all too relevant to mathematics PhDs are</p>\n\n<p>What percentage of entrants get the PhD?</p>\n\n<p>How many years funding are there?</p>\n\n<p>What percentage of students finish before funding runs out?</p>\n\n<p>How do those without funding survive?</p>\n\n<p>Does the university allow ABD status and so no fees?</p>\n\n<p>Where do graduates of the program go?</p>\n\n<p>At what stage are you confirmed into the program and what do you have to get confirmed? eg quals or orals?</p>\n\n<p>Are supervisors required to meet with students regularly? how much time do most supervisors give to their students? </p>\n\n<p>How many students are in the program? what are their backgrounds?</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17192",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
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|
17,199 | <p>Last year I have been submitting my CV to different faculties for a lecturing position. Of all the ones that I applied only one was more serious and wanted to keep in touch (institution A), the other one (institution B) was completely silence and only they reply with a general "we are interested, but we will tell you when there are open positions". Actually the following has happened:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Institution A has offered me a full time position with good salary, and the freedom to make research or even to work in other places part time.</p></li>
<li><p>Institution B contact me a few days before the offer of institution A, telling me that they would like me to work part time with them; when I told them that I would like to have a full time position they started to tell me "that procedure is going to take time". A couple of days passed and I got the offer from the job that I mentioned in the first point.</p></li>
<li><p>Now last week Institution B called me and they told me that they want not only to offer me a full time position, but also a position as a student coordinator of the career. The drawbacks are: the salary is 14% less than A, the hours are not; fixed that means that one should stay for overtime unpaid if the goals have not been reached, the research is keep to the minimum and I will not have the chance to work in another place part time. The only benefit is that I will be have a higher rank than in A. This same institution has already booked me for some partial hour lecturers in a couple of courses. I have been sincere with them when they called me and I told them that I have been offered another position (from institution A), so I need to wait to their answer. Even with that institution B has continue insisting me for getting the job with them.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>So by factors of time, research and money; institution A seems a pretty good choice, but how I can reject politely the offer from B without being "marked" for not working there or not to burn bridges with them. Maybe somebody could say "why I do not want to burn bridges with them?, well it is just to have like a backup plan. Also institution B has the story that they are used to cut off their lecturers at any time they want, so what to do?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17202,
"author": "Willie Wong",
"author_id": 94,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/94",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>What stood out to me is:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>This same institution has already booked me for some partial hour lecturers in a couple of courses.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Have you, in any time, either written or orally, communicated with institute B indicating that you will take up the position (even just the part time one)? If so, the <em>polite thing</em> would be to honor this commitment with Institute B, even just for one term (if you really want to work at Institute A, you can try to talk to them to see if they can arrange for the offer to be deferred for a year or a term). </p>\n\n<p>If you have <em>not</em> indicated to institute B that you would take up the position, and they, <em>without your knowledge</em>, advertised you as a part-time lecturer for their courses, I would be very, very wary of joining their faculty. It is simply not the case that a department can strong-arm a potential hire into working there <em>just by listing his or her name on a website</em>. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Aside from the above: the job market is competitive. It is expected that you will be looking out for your best interest. As long as you have not made any formal commitment to either of the institutes, you are free to choose which one to affiliate yourself with in the future. If you really prefer the offer given by Institute A, you should just be honest and reply to Institute B and say that Institute A has given you a better offer and you regret that you will not be able to work for Institute B. </p>\n\n<p>This really should not be a situation that counts as \"burning bridges\". From your description it sounds like just the normal competitive hiring process. If the administrators at Institute B are the type that will hold your declining of their offer against you in the future, I really doubt you will want to work for them anyway. (That just doesn't sound like a healthy work environment.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17205,
"author": "vadim123",
"author_id": 7222,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7222",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You should very politely say to institution B that you appreciate their efforts to get you an offer, but it's not as good as your other offer. Then there are three options:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Say your better offer is for 15% more money. This commits you to institution B if they raise their offer 15%. If they don't raise their offer, it commits you to institution A. If they raise their offer less than 15%, you may choose.</li>\n<li>Say your better offer is for 15% more money and no overtime, and that you will need 25% (or whatever you choose) more money to make their offer competitive. </li>\n<li>Say your better offer is for twice the money. They can't match this, so this commits you to institution A.</li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17199",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6144/"
]
|
17,200 | <p>Our university provides computer lab rooms for the students. We will soon build some new ones, and possibly re-build some of the old ones, and we are looking for new solutions.</p>
<p>What we have now looks like this:</p>
<p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/wAtwv.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>
<p>From my experience, and a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=university%20computer%20lab&tbm=isch" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Google image search on "university computer lab"</a>, it seems similar to other universities all around the world.</p>
<p>But we would like to re-think the old ways and provide a better environment for the students, as envisioned in <a href="http://www.cdio.org/implementing-cdio/standards/12-cdio-standards#standard6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CDIO workspaces</a> ("Workspaces and laboratories that support and encourage hands-on learning of product and system building, disciplinary knowledge, and social learning").</p>
<p>Perhaps a new floor plan with smaller rooms,
or new furnishings, something like what is described in
<a href="http://www.pupnmag.com/view/article.php?articleID=6234" rel="nofollow noreferrer">New Design and Synergistic Collaboration Revitalize Gallaudet University's Harkin Computer Lab</a>?</p>
<p>We would like to hear from others who can share experiences from some alternatives. What have you tried? Did it work?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17208,
"author": "Matthew G.",
"author_id": 1165,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1165",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Just a couple of comments from local experience (CS Biased).</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>When building your lab, you have to ask what it is that makes it special. In many universities, you can expect that some very high fraction of the students are going to have their own laptops (this will vary by discipline, of course). Simply providing a generic computer may be a waste of resources -- a desk and a power-plug, with an external monitor and keyboard could be sufficient. </p>\n\n<p>My take is that a computer lab today should serve a distinct purpose: Teaching a course on computer graphics: Have a lab with beefy hardware that will minimize waiting time when attempting renders. Teaching a physics lab? Perhaps have a data-capture system integrated into the workstations. </p>\n\n<p>In the same vein, labs get used more when students see the value of going to the lab. A lab with large (or even dual) monitors will get used more, because it's A) less likely the students have that equipment at home B) more likely the students will understand the value of using that lab -- higher productivity for example. </p></li>\n<li><p>Consider a 'virtual lab': If the reason the lab is there is because of a peculiar software requirement, think about providing a virtual machine instance of the lab machine for the students to use at home. This can ease the grading workload on TAs too, by eliminating platform differences as an excuse. </p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17218,
"author": "Faheem Mitha",
"author_id": 285,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/285",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As Matthew says, many people may have their own laptops. Obviously, this depends on the university. I know of universities that make laptop ownership compulsory. Perhaps you could comment on how common it is for students to have their own laptops and bring them to the university. So you should think about what kind of value you can add for such people.</p>\n\n<p>One possibility is to have laptop docking stations available. Or if not, at least have external keyboard, mice, monitors available that can be plugged into a laptop.</p>\n\n<p>Nice big good-quality monitors (26 inches or larger) are a good idea, and are not that expensive these days.</p>\n\n<p>Good ergonomics is a must. Buy the best workstation chairs you can. I have the Steelcase Leap, which is not perfect but a decent chair. Keyboard trays are probably also a good idea. Humanscale is popular. Of course, there are many other brands, depending on location.</p>\n\n<p>Adding some whiteboards around the room would also be reasonable.</p>\n\n<p>If you are keeping actual computers in the lab, then consider having computers running operating systems different from those students may have encountered. Encouraging people to use the free Unix-like systems that are now common in scientific enterprises is a good idea. E.g. the systems based on the Linux kernels, the various *BSD systems. If such systems are already widely used in your university, this is probably unnecessary. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17200",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11361/"
]
|
17,201 | <p>A student at my college will graduate soon and go to the US to study full-time, on a visa. His family however, are planning an important event sometime in the middle of the semester, and they hope that he can return to his home country for two weeks, then return to the US to finish the semester.</p>
<ul>
<li>During that semester, he will only be taking courses and will not be receiving any grants.</li>
</ul>
<p>Do colleges typically have a policy prohibiting such arrangements? Are professors generally willing to accommodate such requests, e.g. adjusting deadlines for homework?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17203,
"author": "vadim123",
"author_id": 7222,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7222",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Colleges do not prohibit such events because colleges <em>can't</em> prohibit such events. On the contrary, colleges have policies explicitly permitting absences for certain specific reasons: travel on university business (including athletics), documented medical emergencies, deaths in the family. There is typically a special grade of \"Incomplete\" awarded if the material missed is critical, such as a final exam; the student takes the final soon upon returning and the grade is adjusted accordingly.</p>\n\n<p>As for what the professors will do, this is highly variable. Some will be accommodating and will extend deadlines, others will mark missed work with zero, while a few might even kick the student out of the course. </p>\n\n<p>Luckily, there is a simple solution for this student. While enrolling for classes, at the very beginning of the term, he should speak to the professors involved and explain the situation. If any professor is particularly hostile, then he should take a different course instead. In extremely unlucky circumstances, a specific course will be essential to take that term (and no later), and the professor will be very hostile. In this case it might end up that the student takes longer to graduate.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17204,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The answer will highly vary according to the institute, or even according to the professor because some institutes leave the professor to decide.</p>\n\n<p>What the student should do is to e-mail or meet with the professors who will be teaching in his/her chosen courses, and inform them that he/she will be a away for two weeks, give the professors the actual dates of departure and return.</p>\n\n<p>Usually, deadline can be moved and sometimes even exam can be rescheduled. But it's mostly about how flexible the professors are willing to be. If the professors wouldn't accommodate, then the student should not take that course.</p>\n\n<p>Also, the student should make arrangement about getting the lecture slides or notes that he/she will be missing, and perhaps ask for the lecturers' permission to let a friend of the student's to record the lecture, if possible.</p>\n\n<p>Just remember all of these communications should be done preferably before the semester starts. Never just disappear for two weeks and then come back to negotiate for accomodation.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17201",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/600/"
]
|
17,207 | <p>Is there examples of mathematicians who had to lose years before proving themselves in the field? I'm asking since in most of the cases I noticed a steady career path for most of the mathematicians. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17217,
"author": "BSteinhurst",
"author_id": 7561,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7561",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Vladimir Berkovich, as he writes \"I finished studying in 1976 and got a Ph.D. a year later. Getting an academic position would be too much luck, and the best thing I could hope for was the job of a computer programmer at a factory of agricultural machines... As a result, I practically stopped doing mathematics.\" The context here being the he was Jewish in the Soviet Union and made trouble for him. He did not really start working on non-archimedean analytic geometry until 1985 and then did not really return to academia until 1987 when he was able to emigrate to Isreal.</p>\n\n<p>The quote is from his introduction to: \"p-Adic Geometry: Lectures from the 2007 Arizona Winter School\" published by the AMS. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17221,
"author": "mkennedy",
"author_id": 5711,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5711",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Not a theoretical mathematician but John P. Snyder was trained and employed as a chemical engineer. He came up with a map projection useful for a United States Geological Survey (USGS) satellite-based mapping system (Landsat), then was hired by them as a cartographer. He published several more map projections and recast others to take advantage of electronic calculators and computers. </p>\n\n<p>He was over 50 when hired by USGS.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17225,
"author": "Brian Rushton",
"author_id": 4455,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4455",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>A large number of Mormon mathematicians have taken time off for a 2-year mission, including Jim Cannon (a founder of geometric group theory), Stephen Humphries (found minimal generating set for mapping class group), and Tyler Jarvis (recent Annals paper on string theory). Very little time is spent on math during a mission.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17207",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10417/"
]
|
17,209 | <p>This forum looks like the perfect place to ask a question that is being bothering me for a long time.</p>
<p>I'm 22 and a college dropout for numerous reasons (economic and mostly because I didn't like the major that I was studying, which led to depression, etc.)
Anyway, I recently discovered MOOCs (coursera, edx, udacity, OCW-MIT, etc.) and khanAcademy and I immediately fell in love with science and more precisely computer science. I also fall in love with the brain and love to think about thinking, decision making, logic, critical thinking, neuroplasticity, etc...
I also appreciated cognitive psychology and the philosophy of the mind but I haven't gone any deeper to those two.
So, you can say MOOCs changed my life because I'm able to learn things that I never would have consider ever studying.</p>
<p>I'm thinking of pursuing a Cognitive Science degree which can expose me into computer science and some kind of neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology.</p>
<p>The only thing is that here in Greece, Cognitive Science is only a postgraduate degree so I have first to finish an undergraduate degree in Computer Science or in Philosophy and History of Technology (those are the only two majors from which students are accepted for the Cognitive Science degree).</p>
<p>My question is, should I spend the next year of my life into studying for a test that will get me to the University (in order to get to a University you need to give exams in May, I'm not ready to give it this May so I have to give it on the May of 2015)?</p>
<p>Is it worth it to study Computer Science for four years to pursue the Cognitive Science degree which is my primary goal ?</p>
<p>PS: The possibility of studying abroad is out of question given the economic situation of my family, unless a scholarship for studying abroad is available.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17210,
"author": "trutheality",
"author_id": 11880,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11880",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Think further ahead: what do you want to do <em>after</em> you finish the Cognitive Science degree?</p>\n\n<p>Do want to go into academia and work as a professor (probably after some research postdocs) in the field? If that's your ultimate goal, then that's the most straightforward career path.</p>\n\n<p>If it's something else, figure out what the prerequisites for that thing are. There are too many people who got into grad school pursuing a degree in something because they thought was cool only to discover that after they graduate, they have nowhere to apply their degree.</p>\n\n<p>Whether it's worth it depends on you. Weigh the costs to you against the benefits to you.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17222,
"author": "just-learning",
"author_id": 10483,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10483",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As a EU citizen you have access to the education in the entire European Union, so you can look around for the Cognitive Science programs in the other EU countries too. It is quite possible that some of them would not require a previous graduate degree and would be taught in English. </p>\n\n<p>It may happen that there would be tuition fees (if I recall correctly, this is the case e.g. in the UK), but as a EU citizen you also can work in any EU country without almost any extra formalities (pretty much under the same conditions as a citizen of the country you are in), so you can earn the money to support yourself through your studies.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17209",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12157/"
]
|
17,211 | <p>I think I have good results for publishing a paper in a math journal, but I've never published one. I need a propose about any good math journal in mathematics for young mathematicians who have never published a paper. It can be with impact factor or with international board.</p>
<p>Thank you in advance.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17219,
"author": "vadim123",
"author_id": 7222,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7222",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you're a student you should consider Involve, or other publications geared toward student authors.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17227,
"author": "JRN",
"author_id": 64,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/64",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you are a high school student or an undergraduate, then you might want to read the answers to <a href=\"https://mathoverflow.net/q/36850/12357\">Journals for undergraduates</a>, <a href=\"https://mathoverflow.net/q/7329/12357\">Math journal for high school students?</a>, and <a href=\"https://mathoverflow.net/q/49197/12357\">What are some examples of journals that will accept undergraduate student research?</a>.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17211",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11969/"
]
|
17,214 | <p>Due to various department sortings and organizations, I have a degree that is, functionally, a computer science degree but because it belonged to the College of Mathematics, the degree is formally "Mathematics".</p>
<p>Unfortunately this leads to many employers thinking that I have a mathematics background when the reality is far from this: I don't think like a mathematician or particularly enjoy its work.</p>
<p>Is there something I can do with my CV to reduce this bias? Is it as simple as changing "Mathematics" to "Computer science" even if it isn't the official title of the degree? Are there other options?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17216,
"author": "Leon palafox",
"author_id": 2806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Depends on the employer. Any academic employer will look at your publications, rather than what your degree actually says. So I see no problem there</p>\n\n<p>If this is for an undergrad degree, I think is out of the scope for this particular forum, since this is mostly oriented towards jobs in the Academia.</p>\n\n<p>But I do think you might have problems with different titles in your undergrad, I would recommend mostly just applying for jobs and in your CV make the comment that it is oriented toward CS, many universities CS departments spawned from the math department, so I do not think there should be much of a problem.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17220,
"author": "mkennedy",
"author_id": 5711,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5711",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would list it directly with the degree. I have a similar issue in that my degree is Geodetic Science, but my focus was in (at the time) computer-assisted mapping, now known as GIS. People try to call me a geodesist, but I'm not really. I would use something like:</p>\n\n<p>M.S. Mathematics (specialty: Computer Science)</p>\n\n<p><em>Edit: I finally remembered what the various tracks were called in our department--a concentration, not a specialty. Other synonyms include focus, even research or research topic.</em></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17223,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In your CV, state that you have a degree in \"Mathematics, specializing in Computer Science\" or something like that. If you're sure it's not misleading, you could even say you have a degree in Computer Science from the College of Mathematics, Whatever University.</p>\n\n<p>In either case, explain in your covering letter.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17247,
"author": "posdef",
"author_id": 5674,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is a very relevant problem for majority of the engineering school graduates in Sweden. Based on the <a href=\"https://www.google.se/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna_Process&ei=nRYHU-LgBcaBtAb1v4GAAQ&usg=AFQjCNHHyHQYAwGMfuy3r_fm5XZlr1gtsw&sig2=jgHcO8q9MisKWKxVnBLw1Q&bvm=bv.61725948,d.Yms\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bologna Process</a> all MSc level programs are essentially cut into two bits; one that roughly corresponds to a Bachelor's (approx 3 years) and one that corresponds to Master's (approx 2 years). So far so good, the issue is that you get 1 diploma and you are supposed to have 1 title however there are numerous ways you can do your 3+2. </p>\n\n<p>What they have done to amend that is to formulate it as:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>M.Sc. in Engineering X with specialization in Y</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>which could be something you do in your CV as well. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>PS:</strong> I have the same issue even for my PhD, my group is part of a department that has a much different focus compared to what I do. So much so that there is pretty much zero overlap between my departmental association and my day-to-day research. </p>\n\n<p>Even there the I will be getting a PhD title with a description along the lines of: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>PhD in [dept_name] on Bioinformatics and Systems Biology</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Of course one would and should write more about the actual work regarding the PhD, like the thesis title, and a short description of what it's about.</p>\n\n<p>It really is a clumpy way to describe what you \"are\" and what you have \"done\" but it's getting harder and harder to define and classify research as fields start merging into one another. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17269,
"author": "Aaron Hall",
"author_id": 9518,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9518",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would suggest, for your CV/Resume, that you present yourself as a Computer Scientist and you present the University up-front, as opposed to the college, and that you frame the PhD as being in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_mathematics\" rel=\"nofollow\">Computational Mathematics</a>, and then list the topics that you studied, classes that you took, and technologies that you used in getting your degree (depending on how you prefer to frame it), and then finally your actual degree. e.g.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Studied algorithms, numerical methods, and symbolic methods. </li>\n<li>Took Monte Carlo methods, computer simulation, theory of computation</li>\n<li>Used R, Matlab, and C to solve multithreaded Linear Algebra problems</li>\n<li>You were presented with a PhD in Mathematics with a concentration in Computer Science</li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17214",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5944/"
]
|
17,224 | <p>My CS department greatly lacks invited talks hosted by faculty members and/or seminars organised within/by the department. Except for the seminars done by graduate students as a requirement for their degree, during the last year there was no seminar organised by the department/faculty member. If curious, the department size is relatively small (around 20 faculty members) and some faculty members are well-known figures in their areas. As a PhD student I like seminars and wondered how to address this to the department. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17226,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>It's hard to change the culture of a department as a student. You should definitely tell your advisor, and the department chair, that you wish there were more lectures. You might also talk to other students and encourage them to express their feelings if they feel the same.</p>\n\n<p>Then you should take action. Is there a student chapter of the ACM at your school? If not, organize one. Then organize monthly seminars by inviting faculty and students in your department and from nearby schools to present their work. If you can get a little funding, invite one of the world leaders in your area to give a seminar at your school. You might be able to get funding through the department or through the ACM (I know SIAM gives funding for such things).</p>\n\n<p>It requires work, but it sounds like it will be worthwhile to you. It is also a great excuse to meet important people in your field.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17229,
"author": "AJed",
"author_id": 4472,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4472",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>We have somehow the same problem (not that we don't have seminars - but we don't have enough in my opinion). The graduate student association in our department (CS as well) tried once to organize such seminars. There were many interested professors and students, especially when it comes to topic that are not very technical [a professor told me that such lectures are more useful for the students]. </p>\n\n<p>However, to make these seminars frequent, it was found that the best thing is to do is to make the seminars specific to one topic. In order to do this, there is a need for a group of researchers led by a professor (or more) - all working on the same area. Some professors tried to do something like that, however, only the big labs were successful in this mission (i.e. labs with many professors and students). Issues are: </p>\n\n<p>1) finding large number of speakers, </p>\n\n<p>2) intellectual property, some researchers simply do not want to share their ideas with others. [in fact, the association tried to do a conference each year, but the fear of IP theft was the biggest obstacle and the lack of motivation for researchers to publish in an non-indexed conference]. </p>\n\n<p>Conclusion, you need a lot of support in order to organize frequent seminars in your department, but it is not impossible. Talk to young professors, they are the most motivated. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17252,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
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"pm_score": 2,
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"text": "<p>Your faculty isn't huge but, at the same time, it's bigger than many research groups that have successful seminar series. </p>\n\n<p>The first thing you need to do is to establish why there aren't already seminars. If the reason is just that nobody has bothered to organize any, you can deal with this; if the reason is that the faculty members aren't interested in attending seminars, you might be wasting your time.</p>\n\n<p>One important piece of information that's lacking is your location. If your university is in, say, the middle of North Dakota, it's going to be difficult and very expensive to organize a seminar series with external speakers. Every speaker will need flights and a hotel and, even when you pay expenses, speakers are unlikely to take a 2-3 day trip just to give a seminar to 20-30 people. On the other hand, if you're in, say, England, and there are several other universities within two or three hours' travel from you, things are much more practical.</p>\n\n<p>A good way to get the ball rolling might be to organize informal lunch-time seminars. Start with the grad students and try to get a few faculty on-board. The idea would be to have a 30-45-minute whiteboard talk while people eat lunch. No slides, so people don't have to spend hours preparing; lunch-time so it's not taking time out of people's days; typical topic would be \"What I've been working on recently\", so things stay relevant. Once you have a seminar culture started, you can think about doing something bigger.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17224",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/532/"
]
|
17,230 | <p>We are writing a paper, and want to share the raw data.
My advisor suggests that I share the data as an Excel file, but I believe that a plain text file (such as a text-delimited or comma-delimited file) would be better.</p>
<ol>
<li>Is there a standard format for sharing data?</li>
<li>How do I convince my advisor that a plain text file is a better format for sharing data?</li>
</ol>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17233,
"author": "Matthew G.",
"author_id": 1165,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1165",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>No. </p>\n\n<p>Depends greatly on the field and kind of data. </p>\n\n<p>Some fields do have relatively standard formats: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>In Astronomy, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FITS\" rel=\"nofollow\">FITS</a> is considered pretty much the standard for imagery.</li>\n<li>In machine learning, CSV/TSV is relatively common -- though as the data set sizes get larger and richer, other formats come into play. You can troll the <a href=\"http://archive.ics.uci.edu/ml/\" rel=\"nofollow\">UCI ML Repository</a> to get a feeling for what's common.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In general though, I'd argue that plain-text based formats are what you want to preserve. If, happiness of happiness, your paper becomes hugely influential and you only provide an <code>.xls</code> file, you can bet the first thing that's going to happen is a bunch of ersatz plain-text copies will appear. </p>\n\n<p>If you want to annotate your data, and that's what is swaying your advisor to Excel, perhaps consider something like XML or JSON -- easy for the computer to process and plain text based, yet free-form enough that you can annotate it however you'd like.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17345,
"author": "Thomas",
"author_id": 6984,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6984",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with everything Matthew G. has said. But I wanted to offer some additional thoughts on your second point about convincing your advisor to use a plain-text file format. Demonstrate any of the following:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Send the Excel file to a friend running Linux and ask them to open it.</li>\n<li>Save the Excel file in Excel 2007+ format and try to open it in an Excel version from 2003 or earlier.</li>\n<li>Try to open the Excel file in a text editor to make changes.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Then repeat all of the above with a CSV/TSV. The portability of the plain-text format will be shown to be unmatched.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17357,
"author": "Armand",
"author_id": 1428,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1428",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><strong>1. Consider non-proprietary format as a good practice</strong></p>\n\n<p>You might find an argument in the Tim Berners-Lee <a href=\"http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">5 star approach</a>. When discussing Open Data (something we should be embracing more in academia as well), he presents the following: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Under the star scheme, you get one (big!) star if the information has\n been made public at all, even if it is a photo of a scan of a fax of a\n table -- if it has an open licence. The you get more stars as you make\n it progressively more powerful, easier for people to use.</p>\n \n <p>★ Available on the web (whatever format) but with an open licence, to be Open Data</p>\n \n <p>★★ Available as machine-readable structured data (e.g. excel instead of image scan of a table)</p>\n \n <p>★★★ as (2) plus non-proprietary format (e.g. CSV instead of excel)</p>\n \n <p>★★★★ All the above plus, Use open standards from W3C (RDF and SPARQL) to identify things, so that people can point at your stuff</p>\n \n <p>★★★★★ All the above, plus: Link your data to other people’s data to provide context</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It is best to publish in an non-proprietary format (csv would be fine) as you claimed.\nStars 4 & 5 are for Linked Data structure which is a nice thing to aim.</p>\n\n<p><strong>2. Publish in a reliable repository thinking long-term preservation</strong> </p>\n\n<p>Citation and versioning are very important if you want to alter something on your data-sets in the future. \nI would recommend you publish your data in <a href=\"http://figshare.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Figshare</a>. Research made publicly available of figshare gets allocated a DataCite DOI at point of publication. It supports versioning as well.</p>\n\n<p>Another alternative for a repository is <a href=\"http://thedata.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">DataVerse</a> suggested by <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17230/is-there-a-standard-format-for-sharing-data/17357#comment34434_17357\">Thomas</a> below</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17230",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8802/"
]
|
17,231 | <p>I'm a TA/grader for an online course in introductory programming. We have students ask us questions related to homework/labs/etc. on Piazza where we can have quick back-and-forth with questions and answers. </p>
<p>However, some students ask questions that are either require very basic logic, or are one of the first parts of the course. Also, some students ask for what we think of their code after every little change. </p>
<p>I (at least) try to ask them back questions that will lead them logically and to think critically about the material, and to come up with a solution themselves. However, this leads to not much success.</p>
<p>My question is how to best respond to students who ask us these questions. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17237,
"author": "ff524",
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"text": "<p>You refer to a \"quick back-and-forth\" in your question. A danger with being <em>too</em> responsive is that it becomes easier for a student to ask the TA than it would be to reason it out on his own, look up material from earlier lectures or from the Internet, etc. It also encourages students to \"check in\" with the TA more often, e.g. about tiny changes to their code.</p>\n\n<p>Perhaps limiting your responsiveness could help. For example, announce that you will visit Piazza at 4 PM every weekday and answer all the questions that have accrued since your last visit. Don't answer questions multiple times per day.</p>\n\n<p>That way, students won't expect immediate \"coaching\" from the TA, and might be more motivated to work through small problems themselves.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17260,
"author": "J.R.",
"author_id": 780,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/780",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If some of the questions are very basic, they could probably be answered by fellow students. </p>\n\n<p>I often encourage students to answer questions posed by other students on the discussion board. It's nice to log on and see a question already answered, even before I've read it. One professor I know even awarded some extra credit to students who answered questions, with excellent results. </p>\n\n<p>Also, you could also provide some feedback that helps define the ground rules as you go along. For example, early on in the term, at the end of an answer, you could append something like this:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I didn't mind answering this question, since it's still early in the course. However, as the course progresses, I'm expecting this forum to be used for more substantial questions, rather than simple checks. Students shouldn't need to ask for help here for such basic issues; this isn't supposed to be the first place you go every time you encounter a small snag. Make sure you've put in a good effort into solving your problem first.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Maybe not every student will get the message, but such feedback may steer most students toward the desired behavior. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17270,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My answer is a bit tangential, but should help somewhat.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Archive your Q&A:</strong>\nI face similar problems, but on an annual, seasonal base. Every semester I find myself answering the same fundamental questions. Then I thought I should probably spend my time on more valuable activities, so for different courses I set up a WordPress or wiki site to compile a list of Q&A. Whenever there is a question e-mail to me, I posted the question (in a de-identified format) and my answer. Students can comment on the blog or directly edit the wiki if they have anything to add.</p>\n\n<p>Now, six years down and the sites are going well... I can't be happier that I made the decision. The initial investment was high, but it started to pay off pretty much instantly.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Provide a questioning protocol in the syllabus:</strong> In my syllabus I also included a section called \"What to do if I have a question?\" In the section I put information about how to search different resources, how to test the codes step by step, how to find a popular discussion board and what are some I would suggest, what other reference books one can use for more/less advanced readers</p>\n\n<p>I specifically explain <em>how to properly ask a question in e-mail</em>. For instance, I specify that in the e-mail they should describe what they are trying to achieve, software that they use, data set that they use, problem (with relevant error message and screenshot.) I also specify what are not the right ways to ask question, which includes:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>\"Please take a look and see if I am on the right track.\" -- <em>We do not check your homework without you specifying a question. The grade will tell you if you were on the right track. And the suggested answer scheme will guide you to improve your work</em></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Consider giving some very explicit hints, and ask the student to identify what went wrong:</strong> This one hits me hard, because I felt giving the steps to them make them learn less. However, there have been some students who were really lost. And in those case, I would consider calming them down by providing an anchor point, which is the steps to the right answer. I then follow up with them by asking \"Now, you have the suggested steps guiding you to the answer, compared to your original scheme, can you identify what might have gone wrong?\"</p>\n\n<p><strong>Be very sure that you did give enough examples and self-assessment opportunities:</strong> When developing questions, I will make sure to start with some that are very similar to the examples I show in class or notes. Sometimes, we may want to try to tweak the questions right from the get go by introducing what we think are \"simple logic.\" That, to me, is not the correct approach. If the task is how to deal with XYZ, then show them how in the class, and then test them the exact same skill sets in the beginning of the assignment. From there and on, you can start introducing slight variations, so that now it's about XY'Z... just a bit of a twist, bit by bit.</p>\n\n<p>For us who have sorted all topics nice and tidy in our brain, we can immediately tell the unimportant from the important (think a super nice walk-in closet on a lifesyle magazine.) For the students, their pieces are like a pile of things in a dorm room. For that reason, I wouldn't worry too much if they ask seemingly very simple questions... because when you don't have all the pieces laid out structurally, some simple stuff can look huge.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 61497,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
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"text": "<p>When I was a TA for a computer programming course for non-majors, I would give a lot of assistance for a while, but stop short of giving the answers away. This allowed the ones having a difficult start on the material to get started, but they could see that I was not going to \"spoon feed\" them. When they were stalled on a critical issue which I knew they had been instructed about, I would just redirect them with questions or refer them to the source material. </p>\n\n<p>Normally, they realize what I am doing and then have the requisite \"ah ha\" moment and come up later to explain what they had figured out on their own. I would confirm it and everyone was happy. I guess I call this \"being an adult\", but I suppose it takes a lot of discernment and mastery of the material, plus familiarity with handling the TA situation. (As I said, being an adult.)</p>\n\n<p>I had one decisive moment when I was a student and the TA pointedly did not explain what I was doing wrong in a programming assignment. I learned what I was doing wrong on my own, although it took a while, and I never forgot the lesson, and I was grateful to the TA, and I tell the story every chance I get. (See? It is catching.)</p>\n\n<p>One thing I <strong>do not agree with</strong> is to expect other students to be available to answer such questions. It is fine if someone <em>wants</em> to \"help\", but then they are taking on the responsibility (for being an adult) and I don't condone or condemn. No one should be <em>expected</em> to teach their peers: that is not why they came to class.</p>\n\n<p>(Of course, this was ages ago when there was a \"computer lab\" because students did not have their own computers, let alone online classes or resources like discussion forums. I guess adulthood has changed.)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17231",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12165/"
]
|
17,232 | <p>I am studying a combined bachelor of engineering (electrical) and bachelor of mathematics; I just started this year and will graduate in 2018. The reason why I am doing double degrees and not a single degree is because I love both electrical engineering and mathematics and I could not ignore any of them. So with this in mind, I am thinking of doing two PhDs when I graduate (one in electrical engineering and one in mathematics). Is this a good path or I should concentrate on only one of them?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17234,
"author": "vadim123",
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"text": "<p>It is essentially impossible to do two PhD's concurrently, but if you like you can begin a second PhD after completing the first. Keep in mind that many people drop out of (even the first!) PhD, and are generally quite drained by the time the conclusion arrives.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17235,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
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"text": "<p>Loving two fields is not a good reason to do two PhDs. </p>\n\n<p>The work you do in a PhD is so specific and focused that I guarantee it will \"ignore\" most of mathematics <em>and</em> most of electrical engineering. Matt Might has a great illustration of this: <a href=\"http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/\">PhD school in pictures</a></p>\n\n<p>By the time you finish your current degree, you'll have a better idea of what specific area (i.e., subfield) of research you are most interested in (if you still want to do a PhD at that point). Then, decide whether it would be more at home in a mathematics or EE department, and apply to grad school accordingly.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17241,
"author": "AD - Stop Putin -",
"author_id": 12177,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12177",
"pm_score": 3,
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"text": "<p>Going 100% for two subjects might be hard.</p>\n\n<p>One way, which might however be an opportunity for you, is to write an electrical engineering PhD that is very mathematical. Vice verse there are certainly many mathematical problems that arise from electricity question. </p>\n\n<p>If you do this you will surely be able to study at both fields. Also, no matter what field you would choose, you would need to make sure that your thesis really belong to that field.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17245,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 10,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I suspect that most people who ask about the possibility of doing multiple PhDs are missing something fundamental in what a PhD is and what it's for. This is an understandable misperception because the general populace knows little about what PhD programs are all about, to the extent that even most people who enroll in a PhD program <em>think</em> they know what they're getting into and then find out that what they had in mind is an approximation to the truth (sometimes a good approximation and sometimes not). </p>\n\n<p>In the various fictive media (novels, comic books, television, film...) having multiple PhDs -- often in confluence with a very youthful persona or explicitly pointed out that they were attained at an early age -- is a standard trope for a certain type of characterization: depending upon the genre it can signal super-genius types, intellectuals, or nerdy/socially awkward types. For instance, Professor Charles Xavier graduated from Harvard at the age of 16, and he holds PhDs in Genetics, Biophysics, Psychology, and Anthropology as well as an MD in Psychiatry. This is obviously meant to be a real-world grounding for his vast mental powers. On the TV show <em>House</em>, the youthful medical student Martha Masters has previously attained PhDs in applied mathematics and art history, and the characterization is less positive: they are not trying to suggest that she's a genius <em>per se</em> -- House is the genius! -- but rather that she has an extremely overachieving personality type.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, Charles Xavier and Martha Masters are fictional characters. Moreover I imagine they were written by people who are not so familiar with PhD programs. In real life, having PhDs in Genetics, Biophysics, Psychology and Anthropology is not the hallmark of a super-genius: rather it would mean that the person is pathologically obsessed with graduate study. PhD's are not merit badges -- more of them is not better. Rather a PhD is the necessary and grueling training for a specific type of professional career. </p>\n\n<p>If you are <em>interested</em> in a subject then you read and learn about it. You get a PhD in a subject because you want that subject to be an essential part of your career (which of course ought to imply that you are very interested in the subject). Moreover, although the PhD provides specific technical training in a certain subject, it does not provide <strong>exhaustive</strong> training: in most cases people spend the rest of their careers continuing to train in these areas. Rather the point of a PhD is to give you enough specific training so that you can henceforth direct your own training and learning. Otherwise put, a lot of what you do in a PhD is <strong>learning how to learn</strong>. But learning how to learn is actually a rather robust and subject-independent skill. If you learn how to learn genetics, then if later on your interests turn to psychology or biophysics you will be in a much different and better position to <em>train yourself</em> in these areas. In some ways, doing a PhD in one of these subjects and then turning around and doing another is like becoming an internet millionaire who wakes up one day and decides that she wants to sell electronics...so she shuts down her website, gives all her money away, and starts the business out of her parents' basement. (Or maybe it is like what happens in some of my dreams: I am doing high school all over again, and somehow it is not going as well as it did the first time around.) Why are you starting over from scratch?!?</p>\n\n<p>It is true that \"academic transfer\" makes better sense between some fields than others. If Martha Masters got a PhD in art history and then decided that she wanted to do applied mathematics instead then she would not have been able to \"segue\" from one field to the other: she would indeed have had to go back to school. But that makes her story a bit sad: getting a PhD is very difficult and very time consuming, but it is not really a feat of strength, and getting two PhDs in two unrelated areas does not show how much of a super genius you are; it shows that you really changed your mind considerably about what you wanted to do with your life and maybe wasted a lot of your time. No matter how smart you are, I don't see how you can get a PhD in art history and then one in applied mathematics without spending at least eight years. You can't just skip to the end and pass the thesis defense by virtue of your preternatural brilliance: there is coursework, residence requirements, and various other mandatory things which necessarily take time. Her character is comic-booky: it is not really plausible that she could have these two degrees and have gone on to be a medical student while still being in her 20's, no matter how brilliant. [Well, \"no matter how brilliant\" is a little too strong: if she had graduated college at age 16, then the math works out okay...] Moreover, for someone who is that brilliant it would really be sad that she can't seem to figure out anything else to do besides infinite schooling.</p>\n\n<p>Electrical engineering and mathematics are rather closely allied fields. For sure do a PhD in one or the other. While doing a PhD in either one you can choose the amount of involvement you have in the other field, i.e., you can do a very mathematical electrical engineering PhD or a math PhD on a mathematical topic with important applications in electrical networks. Then after you get your PhD you can continue to learn and train in one or both fields as you see fit. It is entirely plausible that you could land an academic job in one department while having gotten your PhD in the other department. This is an ambitious goal, but any academic job is an ambitious goal. Getting the second PhD is unlikely to be directly helpful once you have it, let alone worth the sacrifice of 4-6 years of your life!</p>\n\n<p><b>Added</b>: By the way, when you mention \"mathematics\" and \"electrical engineering\": I think of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Bott\">Raoul Bott</a>, a brilliant and beloved professor whose long career at Harvard ended while I was studying there. I think that his story will be inspirational for many people with this confluence of interests. Check out his bio: he balanced his early interest in these two fields nicely...and only needed one PhD. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17248,
"author": "posdef",
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"text": "<p>Are you also interested in getting two jobs or having two families <em>simultaneously</em>? At some point in life people make decisions, long-term decisions that chart out a path for their lives. </p>\n\n<p>The fact that you love both subjects is nothing but positive, and the fact that you have the drive and will-power to pursue higher education in both is admirable. It really is... But here I have lay out some points to consider:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Is it <em>possible</em> to do a PhD in two disparate fields simultaneously: probably.. I reckon it depends on the faculty/university and what they are willing to accept. Normally you can't get two PhDs from the same faculty (at least here it is not possible) and again, normally, universities do not accept other professional commitments while doing doctoral studies (with the exception of medical reasons). That is especially the case if you are officially employed as a grad student and not on stipends. </p></li>\n<li><p>Is it advisable to go for two PhDs in disparate fields simultaneously: no, probably not. Doing a PhD alone is challenging, and I don't mean \"<em>OMG, it's too much work</em>\" but rather \"<em>OMG, wtf am I doing here!</em>\" or \"<em>OMG what am I gonna do with my life?!</em>\". Don't believe me? Just look at the most voted questions here, a healthy portion of them are about managing the mental burden of PhD studies. </p></li>\n<li><p>Have you considered doing a cross-disciplinary PhD where you get to play with both subjects, meld them in a pot and make something awesome out of it? ;)</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Hope it works out for you, best of luck! </p>\n\n<p><strong>PS</strong> - also worth reading: <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1836/when-does-one-go-for-a-double-doctorate\">When does one go for a double doctorate?</a></p>\n"
},
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"answer_id": 17249,
"author": "Phil H",
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"text": "<p><strong>It's too early for all that</strong> - it is impossible to know now what you will enjoy by the end of your first degree, and there is no bonus for deciding early. I started my Physics degree loving space and looking forward to rocket science, by the end I wanted to do theoretical quantum physics, and now I do scientific/numerical computing. If you enjoy Maths and EE, you may end up enjoying a specific part of EE, like signal processing or quadrotor flight algorithms, etc.</p>\n\n<p><strong>You won't want to do a second PhD</strong> - A PhD is characterised by a lot of legwork, a lot of self-discovery and usually a capitulation to reality over hope in order to get something finished for the thesis. The important parts of that are not worth repeating. The only time a second PhD is worth doing is if you realise after completing one that you want to do research in another field, and that you can't make a path from one field to the other. A PhD is essentially the first step on a research path in a particular field, so make sure it's a field you want to do research in.</p>\n\n<p><strong>What happens after the PhD(s)?</strong> - A doctorate is just a step on a path to being a researcher, a lecturer, a professor. It is often the last piece of education people do just for the sake of a qualification. Afterward, if you go into research, you will have to choose a field, closely related to your PhD topic. You cannot go into two fields; the closest is to go into an interdisciplinary area between the two, hence quadrotor flight algorithms or sigproc. If you don't go into research, some experience of work would be a far better qualification for your CV than a second PhD.</p>\n\n<p><strong>My advice</strong> - Spend your current degree exploring the different fields. When you're intrigued by something in a course, follow it up with the lecturer, do some additional projects in your own time. Lecturers love people with enthusiasm and drive for a topic, and they will find time and resource for your project, perhaps with an eye to larger projects later. That process will be instructive, and help you understand what work you enjoy. </p>\n\n<p>I realised I enjoyed numerical computing when I spent hundreds of hours expanding on a genetic algorithm project in my second year. Two years earlier, I wanted to build rockets. I would still like to build a rocket, but I would derive much of my enjoyment from simulation and design, rather than fabrication and testing; you will find that there are specific fields that match your skills and pique your interest, so <strong>accept that you will specialise</strong>, at least for a while.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17251,
"author": "user12188",
"author_id": 12188,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12188",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I do suggest completing your Bachelors first to see how you feel about progressing onto postgraduate studies. Having said that, I'm an individual who is completing two Masters degrees simultaneously. It may seem like an impossible task, but really it isn't.</p>\n\n<p>Just like you I love both fields and really didn't think I should choose one over the other. I also work full-time (Executive position), and lead a pretty full life with sports, yoga, meditation, etc. It's all about knowing how to organize your time and still maintain balance. </p>\n\n<p>So, if at the end of your Bachelors you feel you can do it, go for it. Why not? It's your life. The key is try to balance your life. You don't want to find yourself coming to a point where all you do is work and have no play. Then again, if you love your fields that much, work can be more like play. This isn't an impossible task at all. Passion for what you do, coupled with focus and organization are the key to your success. Really. Take it from me. </p>\n\n<p>At the end of the day, do what feels right to you. <em>You</em> know what's best for you, not anyone else.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17256,
"author": "Steve",
"author_id": 12192,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12192",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Definitely not. Try to concentrate on one first and do the other as a hobby. You will get a lot better because you don't have double-pressure. Alternatively, when you finished the first doctor degree work for several years (I'd say 10-20) and then you can possibly start with the other doctor degree.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17258,
"author": "user941649",
"author_id": 12193,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12193",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Truthfully, there are few, if any, reputable universities that will allow you to pursue 2 PhDs at the same time. Also, most universities will not accept students who already have a PhD, especially when they overlap with one another. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17262,
"author": "h22",
"author_id": 10920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10920",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In most cases you simply will not get offered the second PhD, even if you apply, and this remains true also if you try to do these two PhD positions in different countries. I am not aware if these are written rules, or unwritten rules, but, really, mostly no avail. </p>\n\n<p>Unlike master studies, PhD is often supplemented by stipend that, while small in general, is enough to sustain a living. Probably because of that there are some efforts to avoid a \"professional PhD student\" who would keep \"studying\" till retirement. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17266,
"author": "gordon",
"author_id": 12202,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12202",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm on my second PhD, 40 years after the first one. My first one was in mathematics, and I worked as a university teacher in maths for many years. I agree with the general advice given here. A PhD is as much research training as anything else. In the course of it you work intensively in a specialised area and learn how to develop an achievable project that can be done in the time you've got. You will pretty much be living and dreaming your project. It would be very difficult to be so intensively involved in two completely unrelated projects at the same time. </p>\n\n<p>In your case, see how your current course goes. If you're still enthusiastic about both fields, look around various universities and see where there are interesting projects across both areas - aiming to do one PhD, and then maybe a post-doc position of some kind, if things work out that way. I knew a guy who studied the applied maths/engineering of the very high-speed spinning machines used in the textile industry - weird instabilities could lead to disaster. Another project I came across involved applying image processing techniques that had been developed for astronomy to classifying microscopic images of cells for medical research. There are lots of interesting hybrid fields out there: the more engineering/physical side of robotics, remote sensing, aspects of fibre optics, the bionic ear and bionic eye - lots of innovative signal processing needed!</p>\n\n<p>As for my second PhD, it is in fine art, but I'm writing computer programs to \"evolve\" artworks (not a new idea, but there's plenty of room for new work). I need to engage with the history of art and other aspects of the discipline, since I'm in an art school now, though one if my supervisors is in computer science.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17283,
"author": "Rikki",
"author_id": 12230,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12230",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's barely even a good idea doing one PhD, let alone two! What you need to decide is what career you want. If it's to be a researcher, then doing a PhD is appropriate, because it is training to be a researcher. Once you have that career, why do another one, unless moving to a vastly different research area that requires very different research methodologies?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17290,
"author": "user12241",
"author_id": 12241,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12241",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First of all, in your case, it should be obvious that it is way, way too soon to even think about a PhD of any kind. In many ways even one PhD is too much these days - given the employment market today, opportunities for PhDs are slim to none. Best advice? Keep in mind that having a PhD often closes more doors than it opens.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17291,
"author": "jwg",
"author_id": 5824,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5824",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>An important difference between a bachelor's degree and a PhD is this: when doing a PhD, there is no maximum amount of effort one can usefully put in, nor is there a maximum level of attainment one can achieve. (Whereas with a bachelor's, once you have got top grades in all your courses, there's not much more you can usefully do.)</p>\n\n<p>Supposing, what is very unlikely, that you have the academic ability and the huge amount of motivation and energy it would take to do two PhDs simultaneously. Then instead you should do one PhD, but:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>in a shorter time than is usual</li>\n<li>writing an astoundingly good thesis</li>\n<li>publishing significant work</li>\n<li>which you have largely done on your own</li>\n<li>and having gained an exceptional depth of knowledge about your chosen field</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>For you to do all or most of this will be no more work than two simultaneous PhDs, but it will get you a lot further. Graduate students who do PhDs like this (they are quite a few) tend to quickly build prestigious and desirable careers for themselves, whereas 'professional students' who spend their lives amassing diplomas in different fields usually don't.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17317,
"author": "qasim",
"author_id": 12287,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12287",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>You can not sail in two boats, a foot in each ?</strong><br>\nFirst make up your mind about GOALs in life, what are your objectives . </p>\n\n<p>See how best to get them.<br>\nPhD for what purpose , NOT just for sake of having on Name plate outside house or for filling CV. </p>\n\n<p>Worry not, you have enough time to take that decision, but Decide about your GOALs today, you will have a better life, well managed. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17319,
"author": "Ryan",
"author_id": 12289,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12289",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The answer to your question depends on your goal. </p>\n\n<p>In my experience in the software industry, if your goal is to go into industry, a PhD often gives the impression of someone who is \"overly academic\". Someone who holds a doctorate may be seen as someone who preferred to stay in the comfort of academia. I imagine someone who had done two PhDs would be practically unemployable in the eyes of many hiring managers.</p>\n\n<p>If your goal is to work in industry: I'd advise dedicating time to locating a company with highly skilled teams doing work that really interests you. Build relationships with those people and go work on those teams. I imagine working as a team on a real world project might be more enjoyable and inspiring than a PhD. You'll probably learn faster and broader too.</p>\n\n<p>I'd advise observing the general demeanor of people doing PhDs too...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17343,
"author": "Jeromy Anglim",
"author_id": 62,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To add to some of the existing answers, a desire to do two PhDs in different fields may be a sign that you want to combine your interest and skills in those two areas. This is very reasonable. There are also arguably several better alternatives for combining two fields in a research career than completing two separate PhDs.</p>\n\n<p>The main option is to <strong>do a PhD in one field that links in with the other field</strong>. With regards to the linking, you can have a PhD supervisor who works at the intersection of the two fields, you can get a co-supervisor who works in the second field, you can self-teach yourself the other field, or you can do formal training in the other field.</p>\n\n<p>To make this discussion concrete, I can point to many examples where a person combines skills in one field to complement another.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>I personally completed a PhD in psychology, but have endeavoured to acquire skills in statistics (through courses, self-teaching, a Post-Doc with a statistician, etc.).</li>\n<li>I know a student who has a law degree and is completing a PhD in forensic psychology.</li>\n<li>I knew a professor who had published books on music, and studied the psychology of music.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>If after your undergraduate studies you find that you still enjoy engineering and mathematics, you may be able to find a PhD in one of these fields that links with the other.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 101631,
"author": "Ian Vera",
"author_id": 51504,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/51504",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have a PhD in Computational Biology. I have worked in that field, various engineering fields, am currently in management at a large corporation, and have even worked in finance. The point being, that once you have a PhD in a technical field, you generally have the credibility to switch fields to a number of other technical fields. It certainly takes some work to do so, but quite a bit less work that earning a second PhD. </p>\n\n<p>Furthermore, about 80% of the process of getting a PhD is learning how to research and the other 20% is learning subject matter. This carries a couple different consequences in regard to pursuing a second PhD. First, while you could finish a second degree much faster than a first, there is a certain amount of structure to graduate school and you will invariably waste time developing (or rather proving that you have already developed) skills that you learned the first time around. Second, once you have the research background that a PhD confers, you can quickly learn the subject matter required to conduct novel research in a relatively similar field - it's not easy, but it's not that hard either.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17232",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
]
|
17,239 | <p>The field of research is the biological sciences.</p>
<p>Graduate student B worked on the project for 2 years: he did experiments to gather genome-wide data and analyzed part of that data. He defined the direction and feasibility of the project, and developed the methodology; if it were not to him, there wouldn't be a paper.</p>
<p>Post-doc A picked up the project for 1 year after graduate student B left the lab, analyzed the data, wrote the paper, contributed 4 key figures (exactly half of the figures) and at least half of the scientific conclusions. </p>
<p>It was agreed upon that A and B would be co-first authors, but currently they are listed as B, A, et al. </p>
<p>Do you think A would be entitled to feel some kind of injustice at not having his name listed in alphabetical order? Is there a consensus that co-first authors should be in alphabetical order and is the editor likely to point this out?</p>
<p>[edit] Additional information:
In this field, you can specify 'co-first authors' at the time of submission, and it is written as such under the author's list on the final publication as "X an Y have contributed equally to this work". Which of course is a big source of conflict.</p>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17242,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I don't see any way to view this other than as a misunderstanding or miscommunication. (Not necessarily an innocuous misunderstanding: perhaps someone is trying to pull a fast one of some sort.) </p>\n\n<p>I am a mathematician, so maybe I am especially sensitive to logical issues, but I can't think of a situation in which someone tells me something that sounds like a logical contradiction in which I wouldn't just say, \"I'm sorry: I must be confused because that sounds contradictory. Could you please explain it again?\" </p>\n\n<p>My only guess at the resolution of the contradiction is that someone is in fact trying to change their mind about the ordering of the authors. I know little about the conventions and nuances of author ordering (because in pure mathematics the order is almost always strictly alphabetical), but I do think I understand the meanings of all the terms involved, so I can only imagine that if you submit a paper to a journal saying \"by Bravo, Alpha, Charlie....Please note that Bravo and Alpha are co-first authors\" then the editors will respond by calling attention to the contradiction. What else?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17246,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Should co-first authors be listed in alphabetical order?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>How is being <em>co-first authors</em> supposed to work in general? I come from a field where authors are typically ordered by contribution, but, <strong>by definition</strong>, there has to be exactly one first author. Being the first author of a paper is not some honorary title that can be split - it is simply <strong>the first gal/guy on the author list</strong>. Hence, by convention in my field, this is also the gal/guy that the authors have agreed upon has contributed most to the paper and should receive most recognition.</p>\n\n<p>What is important here is that just because \"A\" is the second author of the paper, it does <strong>not</strong> imply that he did not do anything substantial. It merely means that the authors have agreed that her/his intellectual and technical contribution was at least a tiny bit less central to the paper as \"B\"s.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Do you think A would be entitled to feel some kind of injustice at not having his name listed in alphabetical order? Is there a consensus that co-first authors should be in alphabetical order and is the editor likely to point this out?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No, \"A\" has no right to require alphabetical ordering. The editor will not care, because how would he even know that \"B\" was supposed to be a <em>co-first author</em>?</p>\n\n<p>The more important question here is whether \"A\" has a right to feel injustice because she/he in fact believes that her/his contribution was in fact larger than \"B\"s, hence, that \"A\" should be the first author. This is a question that we cannot answer. Note that the number of figures contributed per author does not seem extremely important. Likewise, who ultimately submits the paper is not the deciding factor. That \"B\" has spent multiple years working on the project sounds like she/he had in fact a lot of impact on the work, though (assuming that she/he did in fact not just idle around and procrastinate, which we cannot tell of course).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17356,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When talking about Grad Student B, you said</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>if it were not to him, there wouldn't be a paper.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If that's not a good definition of \"most important contributor\", I don't know what is. B should be the first author. If you want to make sure that A gets due credit, and the journal in question allows this, I would suggest adding a footnote specifying who did what (I typically ask my undergrads to do this when they write joint term papers).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 54390,
"author": "Biophys",
"author_id": 41162,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/41162",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I've been in a similar situation. Getting offended won't help anything. Alphabetical order is just as arbitrary as random order. </p>\n\n<p>But on your personal CV and website, feel free to list yourself first if you are indeed a co-primary author. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17239",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12049/"
]
|
17,253 | <p>Progression in academia, in general, seems and feels extremely linear, i.e. you do your undergrad, then you do graduate studies, then you do a post-doc (or two, or three ... ) and eventually if you are good/persistent/well-connected/... enough you might get funded to start your own group and live the rest of your professional life in chasing grants, fighting with faculty and editors etc [<em>yes, I am exaggerating</em>], which I don't find particularly appealing. </p>
<p>Alternative to this scenario is to quit academia and go to the industry, often labeled as "selling out" by senior scientists I have personally met and discussed this subject with. </p>
<p>But life in general never gives a clear bisections, like you do either A or B, but there are typically a number of options to choose from. Thus I figure there should be some shades of gray in between the white and black. As a resource to other doctoral students I figured we could perhaps accumulate the possible career paths for people that have finished their PhDs, besides trying to climb up the ladder of academic ascension. </p>
<p>The ones I can think of are: </p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>specialized (lab) technician:</strong> working for instance with complex instruments. I have noticed in our lab that having an experienced technician operating and maintaining the heavy instruments is invaluable for the group. Not only for the sake of projects going as smooth as possible, but also for teaching grad students how to properly use the instruments. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>popular science author/editor:</strong> I have read quite a few popular science books by people with PhDs on fields that I know little about (here's <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1851688331">a good example</a>). Similarly, magazines such as Illustrated Science typically need a middle layer between cutting-edge science and interested (but not adequately educated) readers.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>research position at industry:</strong> I am really going on a limb here, as I don't personally know anyone who is actively doing just that, but companies in several different fields actually do research; either in collaboration with universities, or in-house. I am inclined to think that such a position would include less grant-seeking, and publishing headaches (perhaps replaced with other types of headaches).</p></li>
<li><p><strong>production position at industry:</strong> from what I understand this is the more typical scenario where people that go to industry after doing a PhD end up in. Based on my discussions with people (in academia) these positions typically include little to none intellectual development or acquisition of new skills. Thus not-so-desired or looked-down-upon by academics.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>My question(s):</p>
<ol>
<li>what other career paths are there, that I might have missed?</li>
<li>am I correct in my understand of the above 4 paths? are there any insights that you would like to add? </li>
</ol>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17264,
"author": "Daniel Watkins",
"author_id": 9397,
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"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am assuming that you're talking about career paths for PhDs in STEM fields. One major area of employment that you missed is the national lab path. The lab route is, in a sense, a middle ground between industry and academia. A scientist at a national lab is engaged in basic science research. The labs do work for government organizations like DOD, DOE, DHS, all sorts of acronyms. Rather than writing grant proposals you would be writing proposals to take on projects for these agencies. Depending on your area of expertise, you may be expected to publish your results in journals, or publish results as technical reports. At Pacific Northwest National Lab, there is a fundamental sciences directorate that is committed to basic science research (chemistry, physics, engineering, biology, mathematics) that mainly publishes in journals, and there is a national security directorate that mainly publishes technical reports (often classified).\nThere are also many research labs that contract to the federal government such as HRL, Matrix, MITRE, and Lincoln Laboratories. </p>\n\n<p>Scientists at government labs publish without the \"publish or perish\" atmosphere of academia. They enjoy more freedom in choosing their own career path than a researcher in industry. There is also more respect (and demand) for interdisciplinary research than in academia. Since you are competing for federal dollars, the research you do is also more likely to be used than research in academia.</p>\n\n<p>For completeness -- In addition to the scientist path at research labs, many choose to go into project management. This requires a deep knowledge of the subject area, and pays better, but you might stop doing the actual research yourself.</p>\n\n<p>I've done internships at Pacific Northwest and Los Alamos national labs, and my comments are based on discussions with employees at those labs.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17286,
"author": "Alexlok",
"author_id": 11867,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11867",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think you can add:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>teaching,</li>\n<li>several kind of management jobs in the industry where your PhD can be an asset (see <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/16983/transition-from-phd-to-project-manager-position\">this question</a> for example),</li>\n<li>or even creating your own startup! In fact, doing your PhD, <a href=\"http://paulgraham.com/startupideas.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">you might have come across some ideas</a>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>research position at industry: I am really going on a limb here, as I don't personally know anyone who is actively doing just that, but companies in several different fields actually do research; either in collaboration with universities, or in-house. I am inclined to think that such a position would include less grant-seeking, and publishing headaches (perhaps replaced with other types of headaches).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Many companies have a research department. Some do quite fundamental research, but most of them are rather development-oriented. In the latter case, it is an other way to consider things: you want a product that works, even if you don't understand precisely how it works. It can be very interesting too, but it is different from academic research; you might like it or not.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17287,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A nice piece of advice on going to industry is here <a href=\"http://www.chrisstucchio.com/blog/2012/leaving_academia.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">How to leave academia [and go to programming, data science or quants]</a> (at least I've found it valuable).</p>\n\n<p>I guess the question is what you've learnt (some you take for granted, like ability to be manager of your own project), which kind of connections you made, what is the kind of job you would like to work, etc. Then, well, you can think about <em>all</em> jobs, forgetting that you were a PhD (except that additionally you can consider a very few highly academia-related, e.g. science popularization, lab technician).</p>\n\n<p>And then, at least among my friends (and places I am looking by myself) is it is mostly \"jobs in tech\" - software engineering, web development, quants and data science. The last one seems to be one where a PhD student can have an edge (over s standard programmer) due to being immersed with different numerical tools (and general research methodology, etc). There are even some courses aimed at PhD graduates, for example <a href=\"http://insightdatascience.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Insight Data Science Fellows Program</a> (or <a href=\"http://www.bigdive.eu/\" rel=\"nofollow\">BigDive</a>, which is more general, but I wholeheartedly recommend it, as an alumnus). </p>\n\n<p>In the case \"what are you missing\" - I wouldn't split it in 4 paths. Especially as in many places there is no clear distinction between production and R&D (it may depend more on actual company, project, people involved, your drive to learn, etc).</p>\n\n<p>But clearly, you miss whole \"free\" part related to being a consultant, freelancer or starting your own business.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17292,
"author": "Jon",
"author_id": 12243,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12243",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Selling out? Hardly!</p>\n\n<p>I am a researcher in industry, and I love it. I get to work on important problems and my work is expected to translate into real products in roughly 5-10 years.</p>\n\n<p>While working on my PhD, I felt that the academic mindset was overwhelming. I have never had any intention of doing anything but research in industry, but I was certainly in the minority. </p>\n\n<p>Some of my reasons for choosing my career path were/are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Many people in academia seem to be overly focused on publishing, even before they can make reasonable and meaningful conclusions (which can contribute to a mass of conflicting literature). To me, conferences are for discussing interesting work, but publishing is for disseminating conclusions (& supporting data) that can have a meaningful impact on a field of knowledge. In industry, I have to write up reports all the time, but only the important stuff gets published.</p></li>\n<li><p>I am a scientist, which is just the modern term for a \"natural philosopher.\" I take my role as a philosopher very seriously, but as much as I love knowledge, I believe it is irresponsible to use other people's money to pursue research that is unlikely to benefit those people in a timely manner. Pure research is a hobby; Applied research is a job. In industry, I am free to pursue pure research when I have spare time, but I get paid to work on real problems.</p></li>\n<li><p>In an academic setting, it is far too easy to pursue research in a very narrow field in which everybody knows everyone else. No thanks! I love that my job forces me to work outside my comfort zone, with a wide variety of people that I would never interact with in an academic setting. I have grown personally and professionally from these interactions.</p></li>\n<li><p>Working for a company, I am usually guaranteed funding for something... but not necessarily things I think are important or interesting. As with any funding agency, I have to propose research projects that the company is willing to pay for. I have some early-stage projects that require minimal funding, but also others that require huge investments and therefore must offer much in return. However, I can also apply for funding through both private and government agencies. We often do this when we want to pursue a new area of research and/or collaborate with other organizations. (Note that we also fund grants for others too, so some of my work involves reviewing those proposals.)</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Granted, very few people can actually get a job doing research in industry. It is highly competitive, and you often need far more than just a PhD. I worked in industry for 2 years before starting my PhD, but internships can also be great experience. (Unfortunately, most PhD programs frown on internships or other outside jobs... which is very disappointing!) Of course, networking also helps. I have found that most research jobs are not advertised, so you have to actually talk to people. In my case, I asked the VP of research for some career advice and ended up with a job offer.</p>\n\n<p>I hope this helps. Doing research in industry is very different in some ways, but similar in others.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17330,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One option that's not quite included is what I'll call the \"<strong>we love you for your brain</strong>\" option. </p>\n\n<p>In certain parts of STEM (especially physics/math/computer science), you can get a certain kind of industry job not based on the subject of your research, but merely as someone with \"analytical thinking\" skills. Wall street 'quants' are the best example of this. </p>\n\n<p>If your specialty is a different non-STEM discipline a similar phenomenon can occur. People coming out of the humanities with strong critical writing/reading skills can end up in grant-writing positions, or technical writing positions with corporations, and so on. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 25989,
"author": "Doug Spoonwood",
"author_id": 7158,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7158",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My very limited understanding comes as that people with psychology doctorates often become school psychologists, social workers, or counselors. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 25990,
"author": "bfoste01",
"author_id": 19610,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/19610",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Well, as a grad student who has no interest in academia, I have my eye on industry positions. I should also mention that I am a social scientist. The typical route is to enter into a research or evaluation firm. I'm interested in pursing those jobs. </p>\n\n<p>However, I've known since I started graduate school that academia was not for me, and I also acknowledge that getting a Ph.D. in social sciences doesn't necessarily mean you have developed skills that are critical for jobs outside of academia. I'm often baffled at how ignorant my peers are to the hiring environment that exists beyond the walls of academia, and the mentality is usually, \"well, if academia doesn't work out then industry job will be easy to nab.\" Anyways, as a result of being cognizant of the demands of industry jobs, and how I can foster those skills through the projects I work on in graduate school, I've taken to developing my quant skills. I'm the go-to person for quant questions within my department and in my network of friends, some of which are in industry. I've also taken to extending these quant skills outside of my field whenever I have time. I want to work as a data scientist. However, this career path requires social scientists to learn a lot outside of what you are typically exposed to in academia. Therefore it's not uncommon for me to learn about a particular analysis in my field, and then spend the next few months playing with that analytic framework with business data, sports data, stocks, etc. I've had to learn machine learning, and find outlets to practice those skills. In addition, the same can be said for learning to program better. </p>\n\n<p>My point is:\nIt takes considerable effort in the social sciences to develop skills that will make you not just employable outside of academia, but in demand. Fostering those skills while in graduate school, in addition to the requirements of the program, is a very important thing to do. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 43591,
"author": "Flounderer",
"author_id": 5842,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5842",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You already have some answers to your first question, but I can provide some for your second question.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Lab Technicians:</strong> I know one or two of these, and they typically don't have PhDs, so I am not sure that I would characterise this as a post-PhD career. But I am not an expert, so I might be wrong about this.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Popular Science Author:</strong> Seriously? This is way harder than becoming a tenured professor. It would probably be a lot of fun to write a book, but there is basically zero chance of making it your career.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Research Position in Industry:</strong> Absolutely a possibility. There are tons of people working in different fields of research in industry and government. Often it might be more focussed towards solving specific problems rather than blue-sky research like in academia. I've actually been working for two years in government and last year I was back in academia and I have to say that the research environment in academia was a lot less stimulating. Everybody keeps their data secret and all they care about is publications. I love teaching but at the moment I am quite glad to be out of academia again.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Production position in industry:</strong> It's hard to say what you mean here, but I guess for STEM people, software development is the most common one. There are lots of good jobs for software developers and there is a whole culture that goes with it. I know many people from academia who have gone into this area and it sounds like they often find it to be a rewarding career. As for no intellectual development or acquisition of new skills, it's quite the opposite. Most of the developers I know are encouraged to educate themselves all the time, and often they are forced to anyway because of new technology! (Of course, I am sure that it is quite possible to get a boring dead-end job in this area as well.)</p>\n\n<p>As for your first paragraph, I don't think you are exaggerating.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 99330,
"author": "Yang",
"author_id": 83313,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/83313",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Here are several popular career paths. For completeness, I include yours as well.</p>\n<h1>Within academia</h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>tenure-track professor</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: ability to attract funding, publication/citation, networking, creativity/luck, hard-working</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>scientist (national labs)</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: , relevant research, ability to attract funding, creativity/luck, publication/citation, networking, hard-working</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>non-tenure-track professor/visiting professors/scientist/postdoc</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: good relation with your boss, publication/citation, hard-working</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>lecturer/teaching professor</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: teaching, networking</p>\n<h1>Outside academia</h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>journal assistant editor/popular science author/PR</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: scientific writing</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Legal assistant/patent researcher</strong></p>\n</li>\n<li><p><strong>production/management at industry</strong></p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: relevant experiences and credentials</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>specialized (lab) technician</strong></p>\n</li>\n<li><p><strong>R&D at industry</strong></p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: relevant skills (see below)</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>developer</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: relevant programming skills (cf. LeetCode), experience, hard-working</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>data Scientist</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: relevant experience (cf. Kaggle), statistics, hard-working</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>quant</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Essential skills</em>: relevant experience in finance and statistics, model building, luck, hard-working</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17253",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674/"
]
|
17,265 | <p>I am a first year Master's degree student of computer science in Northern Europe. I am paying for my living expenses and do not have any kind of assistantship or funding. I have a full funding admission for the same subject in Canada. I would like to know if it is a good idea to accept the offer and start my studies there and also continue my current degree remotely (Since the second year is about completing the thesis, and I can do it while I'm in another place) or drop my studies completely here (since I would like to move to Canada or USA later and have money issues to continue my current studies).
If I do have two MSc degrees in the same subject, would is have any negative or positive effect on applying for a phd degree later?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 18786,
"author": "okw",
"author_id": 13528,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13528",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Having two MSc degrees is not unusual. And it can only be positive. However, you might find it not so useful at the end of the day.</p>\n\n<p>In general it is not necessary to have two degrees in the same subject, so people would rather concentrate into getting only one, with the maximal grades, as it is sufficient either for getting a job or a PhD candidate position.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, having another degree from another university shows that you could work succesfully in another environment, maybe with a different speciality or focus. The reason why people would take a second degree is often because of this focused extra experience, and because they can use their previous credits and/or knowledge to complete their second degree quicker (\"double degrees\" are common wherever there is an agreement between universities).</p>\n\n<p>However, my advice would be to go for this second degree only if there is some added learning value to it, as it is not necessary for the PhD itself, and you would rather use this time for preparing specifically to your future research, which will in all cases be much narrower and require much time. On a side note, once you get your PhD, as a researcher, your MSc's will not be much value anymore, especially if they are exactly in the same field.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 20093,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The first question is whether you even have the option of working on both degrees at once. I'd assume you don't, since positions with full funding are generally based on an assumption that you will be devoting full effort to them. They may formally rule out other employment/studies, and even if they don't the department may become upset or feel tricked if they discover you are also doing something else at the same time. (And departments can sometimes react similarly even if the position has no funding: even if you are paying your own living expenses, they probably consider themselves to be at least partially subsidizing the costs of your education.)</p>\n\n<p>So you shouldn't try to do both degrees at once unless both departments officially agree to it. Even in that case, I think it's a bad idea. Success in graduate school is based on quality, not quantity, and this approach can't be good for quality. You'll be writing your thesis remotely, with far less contact and advising than you would have had in person. That alone will make it harder to do your best work, but at the same time you'll also be participating in a different full-time program. You might not be able to do good work for both at once; if you can, then you ought to be able to do great work if you focus on just one (and doing great work at one program is much better than doing good work at two). The same reasoning applies no matter how talented and hard-working you are: if you can do great work in both programs at once, then you ought to be able to do amazing work by focusing on one.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>If I do have two MSc degrees in the same subject, would is have any negative or positive effect on applying for a phd degree later?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Having two MSc degrees might be a small negative, by making you look unfocused, but it probably won't make much of a difference either way. Ultimately, you'll be evaluated by your academic achievements (papers, thesis, outstanding performance in courses), judged primarily by quality rather than quantity, so you should try to maximize these achievements.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17265",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12199/"
]
|
17,277 | <p>I am a PhD researcher in my first year. For the first 3 months all my supervisor made me do was read related papers on IEEE, so a LOT of literature review.</p>
<p>Recently in trying to recreate the result of another paper I was reading, I wrote some code on segmentation that appears to work really well and has got my supervisor's attention and interest. He thinks this may lead to a publication.</p>
<p>He asked me to write a technical report on it. So I wrote a simple report in MS Word which included a brief explanation of the method with graphs and result images but he said this is not what he wanted. What he expects from me is a IEEE style report/paper, including introduction, algorithm/method explanation, mathematical representation, experiments, future work etc.</p>
<p>The problem is that I believe he thinks too highly of my code, its just a for loop applied at different settings. That is all..</p>
<p>What is the mathematical representation of a for loop? How do I make it look more professional? As I know my reports are those of an undergrad standard.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17278,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Quite possibly, your supervisor is encouraging you to write early, to learn how to write, and to get into the habit of writing your results down.</p>\n\n<p>You would gain a lot by watching this youtube video by Haskell inventor Simon Peyton Jones on <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3dkRsTqdDA\">How to write a great research paper</a>. Part of his message is that you can do the research while you are writing, meaning that many ideas will come to you as you are writing things down.</p>\n\n<p>You ask how to write a paper. Didn't you just read a whole bunch? Pick one that you found easy to follow and inspiring. Model your paper on its structure and style.</p>\n\n<p>Regarding the actual work. A formal model of a for-loop has already been done, so I suspect that this is not the right level of abstraction to consider. What is the data to which your for loop applied? What did it mean? What did the parameters mean? How are the results of your code interpreted? Were some better than others? On what scale?\n<em>Part of science is learning to ask and answer the right questions.</em></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17331,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From the wording of your question, it looks like what you wrote can be summarized as \"I wrote this code and obtained these results\". Even if your code and results are correct (I assume they are, if they got your prof's attention), this is not a publishable paper. The reason is that \"I wrote this code and obtained these results\" is something that you can say of any piece of code that actually works, no matter how trivial or mundane. What your prof is expecting you to write is a paper that says \"I wrote this code and obtained these results, <em>and this is interesting to you, dear reader, because...</em>\". There are a bunch of reasons why your code is interesting: it might run faster than standard code for certain cases; it opens up a different way of attacking a certain problem; it shows that a certain cases have some properties that set them apart from their complement class; and so on. </p>\n\n<p>If you had decided to go into industry after getting your BSc, you would be paid to write code that works, period. In grad school, on the other hand, whether your code actually works is to some extent secondary (cf. Knuth's quote \"Beware of this code: I've proven it correct, but I haven't run it yet\"). What matters is whether your code teaches your peers (grad students, postdocs, profs) something new about your (sub)field.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17277",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11689/"
]
|
17,294 | <p>My work got accepted into a very good category in a very good conference in my field. Due to complicated visa issues it will be very hard for me to attend that conference. </p>
<p>If I don't attend the conference they are certainly going to remove my work from the proceedings.</p>
<p>I am worried I won't be able to claim any sort of achievement if I don't attend this conference.</p>
<p>Can I still add it to my CV and specify that my work got accepted in this conference in a very good category?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17295,
"author": "Arno",
"author_id": 12047,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12047",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If your paper gets withdrawn, then there may be no public record that it ever was accepted (and if there were, it could potentially be misconstrued as a withdrawel for other reasons). I can't say I've ever seen such an item on a CV.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, even if you cannot make it to the conference in person, you can try to either:</p>\n\n<p>a) have someone else give the talk in your place.</p>\n\n<p>b) give the talk via telecommunication, e.g. Skype.</p>\n\n<p>Both options are certainly not too unusual in my field (theoretical computer science/math). If you have to go for the second one, make sure not to leave contacting the conference organizers for the last moment, and be aware that this causes quite some work for them. If you can provide enough detail on your visa issues that it is clear that it's not just \"You waited too long to apply\", most people will be quite understanding.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17296,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You will need to find some way to have the paper presented. At the most recent conference I attended, a speaker was unable to attend for visa reasons and sent in a video talk. That talk was played back by a friend who also took some (simple) questions. </p>\n\n<p>At pretty much every conference I've been to in the past few years in the US at least one person has had visa trouble, so it's not uncommon at all. But you will need to do due diligence to try and get the visa as far as possible. Once that fails, then the above three suggestions (someone else, a skype talk, a video talk) become available, depending on what the conference organizers want. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17298,
"author": "Luke Mathieson",
"author_id": 1370,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1370",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I recently gave a presentation at a conference on behalf of a colleague who was unable to attend, so it's certainly a possibility in at least some fields (I'm in theoretical computer science). I had nothing to do with the research, but I do know the person, so I was able to talk to them beforehand and get a decent briefing on the material.</p>\n\n<p>If you know some of the other attendees, that may be a possible route to getting your work presented. In my experience of glancing at the rules of various conference (all CS though), there is only a requirement that the work is presented - it doesn't strictly say by whom, and that at least one of the authors registers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17325,
"author": "sansuiso",
"author_id": 11141,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11141",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This happened in my lab. The solution was to either present the work by a co-author, or present the work by a lab mate that was attending the conference.</p>\n\n<p>Pay attention that in the second case (non-author, lab mate) you need to get in touch with the <em>conference staff</em> in order to expose the case to them and make sure they agree. Some conferences consider it a <em>paper withdrawal</em> when none of the co-authors attends the conference to present the work. Also, you will still have to pay the author fees, even if you can't assist to the conference.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17583,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As you know, most conferences accept papers on the condition that one of the authors attends the conference to give a presentation. Of course, sometimes things come up and somebody who planned to attend cannot; organizers are sympathetic to that, as discussed in the other answers.</p>\n\n<p>However, I think it's worth pointing out that, if you knew at the time of submitting the paper that getting a visa would be difficult or impossible, you should probably have agreed that one of your co-authors would attend the conference from the start. If all your co-authors were in the same situation, it would, I think, have been best to contact the organizers for advice before submitting.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 29323,
"author": "Nicholas",
"author_id": 1424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1424",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Have you considered converting your presentation to a poster? If the conference organisers have accepted your presentation as a talk, then they should - I expect - accept a poster from you on the same topic, even if you can't attend owing to your visa difficulties. </p>\n\n<p>If you submit a poster, your contribution will at least be on record. Additionally, you might be able to convince someone at the conference - via your network of collaborators - to spend a few precious minutes of their presentation talk to advertise your poster, adding, perhaps, that but for your visa difficulties, you would have been in attendance to present your work orally.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 34254,
"author": "Floris",
"author_id": 15062,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15062",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have encountered multiple instances of this. Once, the airlines messed up my connections so badly that I did not make it to the conference (which was in a remote region) although I had given myself 48 hours \"leeway\" for just that eventuality. We ended up setting up a Skype connection (voice only - the internet connection was quite poor) and the talk was well received. I have to say though, that not seeing your audience and gaging their reaction / understanding is a HUGE barrier to effective delivery.</p>\n\n<p>On another occasion, a hurricane caused severe flooding of the house of an academic acquaintance, and he chose not to travel abroad to give a presentation - instead he dealt with the flooding, insurance, etc. He asked me to give the talk for him, and we discussed it at length so I would be able to present effectively. The only problem was that I could not answer follow-up questions: instead I put up the author's email information as the last slide so people could follow up with him directly.</p>\n\n<p>On a third occasion, travel restrictions (funding) required me to stand in for a colleague; while I was not an author on the paper, I was very familiar with the work (from my group) and was able to present and field questions from the audience. That is the ideal scenario.</p>\n\n<p>On no account should you simply be a \"no show\": that will affect your acceptance at future conferences (even though it is \"not your fault\"). Everyone understands that stuff happens - but the show must go on. So find a sub - preferably someone you know and trust, with knowledge about your work. If necessary, just call all the other authors who are presenting in the same section - they are likely to understand the material best. And presumably you know some of them from other conferences?</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17294",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12246/"
]
|
17,299 | <p>My GPA of bachelor is about 3.0, and I just want to know how much it would approximately be in German Grade? Would it be lower than 2.7 in German Grade?
I have read other questions on this website, but none of them could help me, can you simply tell me how to convert GPA to German grading system? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17295,
"author": "Arno",
"author_id": 12047,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12047",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If your paper gets withdrawn, then there may be no public record that it ever was accepted (and if there were, it could potentially be misconstrued as a withdrawel for other reasons). I can't say I've ever seen such an item on a CV.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, even if you cannot make it to the conference in person, you can try to either:</p>\n\n<p>a) have someone else give the talk in your place.</p>\n\n<p>b) give the talk via telecommunication, e.g. Skype.</p>\n\n<p>Both options are certainly not too unusual in my field (theoretical computer science/math). If you have to go for the second one, make sure not to leave contacting the conference organizers for the last moment, and be aware that this causes quite some work for them. If you can provide enough detail on your visa issues that it is clear that it's not just \"You waited too long to apply\", most people will be quite understanding.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17296,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You will need to find some way to have the paper presented. At the most recent conference I attended, a speaker was unable to attend for visa reasons and sent in a video talk. That talk was played back by a friend who also took some (simple) questions. </p>\n\n<p>At pretty much every conference I've been to in the past few years in the US at least one person has had visa trouble, so it's not uncommon at all. But you will need to do due diligence to try and get the visa as far as possible. Once that fails, then the above three suggestions (someone else, a skype talk, a video talk) become available, depending on what the conference organizers want. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17298,
"author": "Luke Mathieson",
"author_id": 1370,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1370",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I recently gave a presentation at a conference on behalf of a colleague who was unable to attend, so it's certainly a possibility in at least some fields (I'm in theoretical computer science). I had nothing to do with the research, but I do know the person, so I was able to talk to them beforehand and get a decent briefing on the material.</p>\n\n<p>If you know some of the other attendees, that may be a possible route to getting your work presented. In my experience of glancing at the rules of various conference (all CS though), there is only a requirement that the work is presented - it doesn't strictly say by whom, and that at least one of the authors registers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17325,
"author": "sansuiso",
"author_id": 11141,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11141",
"pm_score": 3,
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"text": "<p>This happened in my lab. The solution was to either present the work by a co-author, or present the work by a lab mate that was attending the conference.</p>\n\n<p>Pay attention that in the second case (non-author, lab mate) you need to get in touch with the <em>conference staff</em> in order to expose the case to them and make sure they agree. Some conferences consider it a <em>paper withdrawal</em> when none of the co-authors attends the conference to present the work. Also, you will still have to pay the author fees, even if you can't assist to the conference.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17583,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As you know, most conferences accept papers on the condition that one of the authors attends the conference to give a presentation. Of course, sometimes things come up and somebody who planned to attend cannot; organizers are sympathetic to that, as discussed in the other answers.</p>\n\n<p>However, I think it's worth pointing out that, if you knew at the time of submitting the paper that getting a visa would be difficult or impossible, you should probably have agreed that one of your co-authors would attend the conference from the start. If all your co-authors were in the same situation, it would, I think, have been best to contact the organizers for advice before submitting.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 29323,
"author": "Nicholas",
"author_id": 1424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1424",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Have you considered converting your presentation to a poster? If the conference organisers have accepted your presentation as a talk, then they should - I expect - accept a poster from you on the same topic, even if you can't attend owing to your visa difficulties. </p>\n\n<p>If you submit a poster, your contribution will at least be on record. Additionally, you might be able to convince someone at the conference - via your network of collaborators - to spend a few precious minutes of their presentation talk to advertise your poster, adding, perhaps, that but for your visa difficulties, you would have been in attendance to present your work orally.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 34254,
"author": "Floris",
"author_id": 15062,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15062",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have encountered multiple instances of this. Once, the airlines messed up my connections so badly that I did not make it to the conference (which was in a remote region) although I had given myself 48 hours \"leeway\" for just that eventuality. We ended up setting up a Skype connection (voice only - the internet connection was quite poor) and the talk was well received. I have to say though, that not seeing your audience and gaging their reaction / understanding is a HUGE barrier to effective delivery.</p>\n\n<p>On another occasion, a hurricane caused severe flooding of the house of an academic acquaintance, and he chose not to travel abroad to give a presentation - instead he dealt with the flooding, insurance, etc. He asked me to give the talk for him, and we discussed it at length so I would be able to present effectively. The only problem was that I could not answer follow-up questions: instead I put up the author's email information as the last slide so people could follow up with him directly.</p>\n\n<p>On a third occasion, travel restrictions (funding) required me to stand in for a colleague; while I was not an author on the paper, I was very familiar with the work (from my group) and was able to present and field questions from the audience. That is the ideal scenario.</p>\n\n<p>On no account should you simply be a \"no show\": that will affect your acceptance at future conferences (even though it is \"not your fault\"). Everyone understands that stuff happens - but the show must go on. So find a sub - preferably someone you know and trust, with knowledge about your work. If necessary, just call all the other authors who are presenting in the same section - they are likely to understand the material best. And presumably you know some of them from other conferences?</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17299",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12262/"
]
|
17,300 | <p>After so many incidents happen that my advisor trying to bad mouthing to my committee, sobstege my publication, secretly removing me from my PhD projects I feel I cannot trust my advisor anymore. Now, I feel everything he said was insincere and full of lie. My advisor always says positive thing but all end up negative. He is not consistent of what he said and what he actually does which disgust me. I don't want to let him handle my manuscript or assign me project because I always fear that he will do something underhanded. If I really grant a PhD from my advisor, I would be ashamed of such lineage. All I want now is live in bubble space undisturbed focusing on my own topics. I want to be myself as a phd student and one day as a professor. What should I do? Please help!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17301,
"author": "trutheality",
"author_id": 11880,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11880",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Switch advisors. There is really not much else you can do*.</p>\n\n<p>*If the person does something truly unethical and you have definitive proof you can try to bring it up with someone who has more authority.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>You say that that isn't an option, and it sounds like you're planning to stick it with this advisor until you get your PhD. Things to think about:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Do you think it's realistic to get a PhD at all with this advisor?</li>\n<li>Are all of his grad students just as miserable, or just you? What are the successful students in his group doing?</li>\n<li>Who are your letters of recommendation (you need 3, typically) going to be from when you apply for postdocs/jobs after you graduate?</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Nuclear options (purely for completeness, I <strong>don't</strong> recommend them):</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Apply to a PhD program somewhere else (you don't have to finish this one, you can apply while you're still in this one, actually, and only quit the program if you get accepted somewhere else).</li>\n<li>Quit academia. (Warning: it's hard to get back in once you're out.)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<hr>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I am not sure how you define \"successful\" (fellowship, publication, support)? I know there are people who were quite supported by my advisor because they know what my advisor like, and it's their way to get ahead. That's fine and that should be the norm but I'm not the norm.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Successful means publications (well, that depends on the field), research that is progressing in a clear direction, completion of milestones towards the degree. The advisor having successful students ultimately is measured by how good the jobs the students he graduated got are.</p>\n\n<p>It sounds like he has students that are content to have him as an advisor.\nIt also sounds, from your <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/16153/losing-faith-in-my-phd-advisor\">other question</a> and the comments there that you think that your advisor is incompetent, which means that you don't take him seriously.\nThis creates at least half the problem, because if you don't take him seriously, he won't take you seriously, which, among other things, includes telling his colleagues about how terrible you are, and not trusting you to write a manuscript for submission.</p>\n\n<p>If you're staying in this PhD program with this advisor, you will make your own life a lot easier if you at least imagine that your advisor might not be incompetent.\nWhen he gives you an idea for an approach, make an honest effort.\nIf it doesn't work, try to figure out why. If you figure out why, don't look happy about it: look concerned about it. If you have an idea that you think will work, propose it as a solution to this problem you just found. And by \"propose\" I mean actually ask him for what he thinks about it, and be interested in what he has to say.</p>\n\n<p>This is what \"taking him seriously\" means. If you start doing that, he might start taking you seriously for a change.</p>\n\n<p>Also try to have insightful research-related conversations with some other faculty (preferably the rest of your committee), maybe even have one or more of them meet with you and your advisor when you discuss research ideas (make sure to plan meetings so that everyone is in the loop, don't try to surprise anyone). Build those professional relationships for some good recommendations.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17305,
"author": "Philip Gibbs",
"author_id": 7466,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7466",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When I read your question I must take into account that I am hearing one side of a dispute, so it is likely to be biased and incomplete. I don't know who is in the wrong but I can see a few pointers. Firstly you make very few specific complaints about what your advisor has done. You say he is trying to sabotage your publication and remove you from projects. It is the job of your advisor to decide when your publication is ready. He has much more experience of this than you do. He can see better than you what direction you need to go in. </p>\n\n<p>No advisor takes on a student to sabotage them. An advisor can only have a limited number of students and they want them to succeed. You claim that things he says are insincere which means that he is saying positive things that you will not accept. It sounds like most of the anger is on your side. You even indicate that other students are getting along with him.</p>\n\n<p>If there is a personality or culture clash between you and your supervisor it may be possible to talk to your department head about a change, but it is more likely that you are on a slippery slope towards failure and it would be better that you listen to your advisor who seems to be trying to help you. Put your ego aside and consider the possibility that your advisor who has been working in the field for many more years than you may know it better than you. If you still genuinely think that your ideas are better and you want more independence then you need to discuss this calmly with your advisor. He may agree to let you take that route but that is only likely if you are exceptionaly talented. If he doesn't he should explain why and you need to listen and find a compromise.</p>\n\n<p>One last thing, your English grammar is not very good. I dont know if you are an English speaking native, studying in an English speaking country or writing papers in English, but if any of these are the case then you need to improve your English. It will have a bearing on your ability to communicate with people including your advisor.</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17300",
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|
17,307 | <p>I have decided to apply to PhD studies and in one part it says that my CV should contain: <em>"Study curriculum with rankings"</em>.
What does that mean? because they are also asking me to submit my studies transcripts. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17301,
"author": "trutheality",
"author_id": 11880,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11880",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Switch advisors. There is really not much else you can do*.</p>\n\n<p>*If the person does something truly unethical and you have definitive proof you can try to bring it up with someone who has more authority.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>You say that that isn't an option, and it sounds like you're planning to stick it with this advisor until you get your PhD. Things to think about:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Do you think it's realistic to get a PhD at all with this advisor?</li>\n<li>Are all of his grad students just as miserable, or just you? What are the successful students in his group doing?</li>\n<li>Who are your letters of recommendation (you need 3, typically) going to be from when you apply for postdocs/jobs after you graduate?</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Nuclear options (purely for completeness, I <strong>don't</strong> recommend them):</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Apply to a PhD program somewhere else (you don't have to finish this one, you can apply while you're still in this one, actually, and only quit the program if you get accepted somewhere else).</li>\n<li>Quit academia. (Warning: it's hard to get back in once you're out.)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<hr>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I am not sure how you define \"successful\" (fellowship, publication, support)? I know there are people who were quite supported by my advisor because they know what my advisor like, and it's their way to get ahead. That's fine and that should be the norm but I'm not the norm.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Successful means publications (well, that depends on the field), research that is progressing in a clear direction, completion of milestones towards the degree. The advisor having successful students ultimately is measured by how good the jobs the students he graduated got are.</p>\n\n<p>It sounds like he has students that are content to have him as an advisor.\nIt also sounds, from your <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/16153/losing-faith-in-my-phd-advisor\">other question</a> and the comments there that you think that your advisor is incompetent, which means that you don't take him seriously.\nThis creates at least half the problem, because if you don't take him seriously, he won't take you seriously, which, among other things, includes telling his colleagues about how terrible you are, and not trusting you to write a manuscript for submission.</p>\n\n<p>If you're staying in this PhD program with this advisor, you will make your own life a lot easier if you at least imagine that your advisor might not be incompetent.\nWhen he gives you an idea for an approach, make an honest effort.\nIf it doesn't work, try to figure out why. If you figure out why, don't look happy about it: look concerned about it. If you have an idea that you think will work, propose it as a solution to this problem you just found. And by \"propose\" I mean actually ask him for what he thinks about it, and be interested in what he has to say.</p>\n\n<p>This is what \"taking him seriously\" means. If you start doing that, he might start taking you seriously for a change.</p>\n\n<p>Also try to have insightful research-related conversations with some other faculty (preferably the rest of your committee), maybe even have one or more of them meet with you and your advisor when you discuss research ideas (make sure to plan meetings so that everyone is in the loop, don't try to surprise anyone). Build those professional relationships for some good recommendations.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17305,
"author": "Philip Gibbs",
"author_id": 7466,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7466",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When I read your question I must take into account that I am hearing one side of a dispute, so it is likely to be biased and incomplete. I don't know who is in the wrong but I can see a few pointers. Firstly you make very few specific complaints about what your advisor has done. You say he is trying to sabotage your publication and remove you from projects. It is the job of your advisor to decide when your publication is ready. He has much more experience of this than you do. He can see better than you what direction you need to go in. </p>\n\n<p>No advisor takes on a student to sabotage them. An advisor can only have a limited number of students and they want them to succeed. You claim that things he says are insincere which means that he is saying positive things that you will not accept. It sounds like most of the anger is on your side. You even indicate that other students are getting along with him.</p>\n\n<p>If there is a personality or culture clash between you and your supervisor it may be possible to talk to your department head about a change, but it is more likely that you are on a slippery slope towards failure and it would be better that you listen to your advisor who seems to be trying to help you. Put your ego aside and consider the possibility that your advisor who has been working in the field for many more years than you may know it better than you. If you still genuinely think that your ideas are better and you want more independence then you need to discuss this calmly with your advisor. He may agree to let you take that route but that is only likely if you are exceptionaly talented. If he doesn't he should explain why and you need to listen and find a compromise.</p>\n\n<p>One last thing, your English grammar is not very good. I dont know if you are an English speaking native, studying in an English speaking country or writing papers in English, but if any of these are the case then you need to improve your English. It will have a bearing on your ability to communicate with people including your advisor.</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17307",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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|
17,309 | <p><strong>Background:</strong> There is currently a proposal for a new Math Teaching site that will be entering private beta once enough people sign up. One question that came up during its question is (basically): Is teaching math significantly different from teaching any other subject? Would it be better to broaden the scope to all education?</p>
<p>I had my own opinions, but I don't have enough experience teaching non-math classes to know. And now I am really curious about variation in teaching methods across disciplines.</p>
<p>Therefore, I have this question:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Is there any evidence (such as refereed sources) to show that teaching mathematics and related fields uses significantly different methods or skills than teaching other subjects?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Conversely,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Is there any evidence that teaching ability and/or techniques transfer across a wide variety of disciplines?</p>
</blockquote>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17310,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One evidence that some <em>teaching abilities/techniques transfer across a wide variety of disciplines</em> is the existence of the <a href=\"http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ukpsf#whatisframework\" rel=\"nofollow\">UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF)</a>, which <em>\"provides a general description of the main dimensions of the roles of teaching and supporting learning within the higher education environment\"</em>. </p>\n\n<p>I'm currently attending a training course at my university to obtain some qualifications for this framework, and this course is attended by people from many disciplines (from maths to history, including medicine or economy), and the teaching techniques we are learning do not depend on the field (and the people in charge of the course are explicit on that fact). </p>\n\n<p>Of course, some particular aspects can be specific (for instance, techniques specific to teaching in a laboratory with potentially dangerous equipment might not be relevant to mathematicians), but for instance, learning how to conduct an interactive exercise can be done similarly in most fields. </p>\n\n<p>Now, perhaps the proposal in question looks for techniques for very specific topic, for instance, how to teach Pythagoras theorem, or some nice examples of matrix operations. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17314,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>At the University of Georgia <a href=\"http://math.coe.uga.edu/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">we have a program</a> (which is not identical to a \"department\", but is close enough so that the distinction has always eluded me) in <strong>Mathematics Education</strong> and thus we have undergraduate <em>mathematics education majors</em> and also <em>mathematics education graduate students</em> (both master's and PhD). </p>\n\n<p>There are certainly close ties with both the mathematics department and other education disciplines -- e.g. the mathematics courses I teach have a substantial population of mathematics education majors -- but such undergraduate majors also take plenty of courses with the name \"Math Education XYZW\". These courses are split into \"content\" and \"pedagogy\" courses. This distinction was very hard for me to wrap my mind around (it literally took me a few years to do so, although obviously I was not working very consistently on it!): see for instance\n<a href=\"http://www.coe.uga.edu/mse/academic-programs/mathematics-education/b-s-e-d/program-of-study/major-courses/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this page</a>, and please read carefully: the courses that they list as Content are actually in the math department (one or two of them are taken mostly by math education majors, but many of the others are also required courses for undergraduate math majors). Rather the distinction between \"content\" and \"pedagogy\" -- which are the terms used by UGA students and faculty who talk to me about this -- is a distinction being made between two types of courses in the longish list of Professional Education courses. Thus e.g. compare</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>EMAT 3800.<br>\n Course Title: Connections in Secondary Mathematics II<br>\n Course Description: Exploration of secondary mathematics topics related to number and measurement with an explicit focus on reasoning that connects critical topics of secondary mathematics to one another and to problem situations. Sample topics include proportional reasoning, number theory, and probability.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>and</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>EMAT 4800<br>\n Course Title: Teaching Secondary School Mathematics I<br>\n Course Description: Introductory ideas about mathematics education, including current mathematics standards and policy documents, learning theories, and teaching strategies. Students will explore how secondary students think about and learn mathematics, examine how to select and modify tasks, use appropriate technology, and apply their learning in an accompanying field experience.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This seems to give rather strong evidence that the answer to the OP's first question is <em>yes</em>: Math Education is rapidly becoming distinct enough from Education in general to count as its own discipline. (Obviously there remain many connections and commonalities between Math Education and other kinds of Education, just as virtually any academic field overlaps significantly with others.) In particular, yes, math education students learn math-specific teaching methods. This is indirect, though strong, evidence that there are differences between the teaching methods of various subjects. But my other point is something that is not explicitly in the OP's question: more than just teaching methods, techniques or ability, there is actually <strong>additional content</strong> that math teachers learn and that other teachers (and students of mathematics who are not intending to teach!) do not. </p>\n\n<p>Let me also introduce you to my colleague <a href=\"http://www.math.uga.edu/~sybilla/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Sybilla Beckmann</a>. Beckmann (who was trained as an arithmetic geometer and holds a faculty position in the UGA mathematics department; her office is next door to mine) is truly* one of the very top American experts in the field of mathematical education of teachers. (Beckmann is also largely responsible for my awareness and understanding of the issues presented above. In fact I will contact her and ask her to look over this response to make sure I have gotten things right.) One of her initiatives over the last few years has been to promote the idea of an explicitly identified <strong>mathematics teaching community</strong>. In this regard, please see <a href=\"http://www.ams.org/notices/201103/rtx110300368p.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this article</a> and <a href=\"https://mathematicsteachingcommunity.math.uga.edu/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this website</a>. Also, Beckmann writes on her webpage \"Longer term, we plan for this project to include an electronic self-organizing journal.\"</p>\n\n<p><strong>tl;dr</strong>: Yes, this is definitely a thing. It is a thing which has grown in recent years and is liable to continue to grow in the near future...and everyone seems to agree that we want/need it to grow. </p>\n\n<p>*: So much so that I need not justify it here: just search the web for her and you'll see it right away.</p>\n\n<p><b>Added</b>: My colleague Sybilla Beckmann took time out of her busy workday [on Saturday!] to quickly look over what I wrote above. She pronounced it \"basically accurate\" and went on to add the following:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Teaching methods in math are definitely different from other disciplines. Work of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Shulman\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Lee Shulman</a> and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Ball\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Deborah Ball</a> on mathematical knowledge for teaching has been transformative for the field in that regard. Some sources to refer people to: the CBMS Mathematical Education of Teachers II on the CBMS website. It refers to various other sources. Math education is a separate discipline with a large body of research amassed over the last 30 - 40 years. It connects to other education research but is its own separate field. At UGA, the math ed program is within the department of mathematics and science education (it used to be a separate math ed department but was joined for administrative reasons some years ago). </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I added links to the wikipedia articles on Shulman and Ball, and I recommend at least skimming these. Shulman is responsible for the idea of <strong>pedagogical content knowledge</strong>, a concept which is rather slippery at first [or at least, it was to me] but really seems to lie at the heart of an answer to the OP's question: it is precisely the material that you need to know as a mathematics teacher that you do not learn in your mathematics courses and cannot learn in non-math specific education courses. To nail it down more specifically than this is beyond my expertise -- e.g. the above two course descriptions were intended to convey this distinction but looking back it seems even more complicated: none of EMAT 3800 would be appropriate material for aspiring teachers of most subjects other than mathematics, and <em>some but not all</em> of EMAT 3900 would. </p>\n\n<p>The two linked wikipedia articles give entry points into the vast body of literature \non these matters; people who were interested enough to read this far are encouraged to delve into the literature itself. And when you do, come back and tell me about it! I am an academic mathematician and thus a mathematics educator, but I have no specific training in mathematics education. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17336,
"author": "Community",
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"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
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"text": "<p>The methods we use in physics are certainly different from the ones used in math. We have lab courses. Also, there is a huge pedagogical literature on overcoming students' preexisting conceptions of physics, and the literature seems to show that straight lecturing never does an acceptable job of overcoming these preconceptions. The classic paper is Hake, \"Interactive Engagement Versus Traditional Methods: a Six-Thousand Student Survey of Mechanics Test Data for Introductory Physics Courses, Am. J. of Phys, 66 (1997) 64, and I believe it's available online.</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/22 | [
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17,320 | <p>I recently came across a friend who is applying for a PhD in my lab. He happens to be from Brazil, on an F-1 visa. He was told by my advisor that his citizenship status affects the sources of funding available to support his work. I was always under an impression that the principal investigator applies for research grants and funding does not depend on visa status (if any) of the students under his guidance. Was I wrong in making this assumption?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17321,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It absolutely depends on the source of funding. Each organization has their own rules. By and large, the NSF (since you mentioned F-1 visas I assume this is US-centric) allows foreign students to receive funding from grants, but this intent has to be disclosed at the time of submitting the grant request. </p>\n\n<p>DARPA has slightly tighter rules although I'm reasonably sure foreign nationals can be funded. But if you're from a \"country of interest\" like Iran, there can be other complications. </p>\n\n<p>Finally, while these are not PI-requested grants, the NSF-Hertz graduate fellowships are exclusively for US citizens. </p>\n\n<p>p.s This even applies to PIs. There's a large DARPA program that you're not eligible to apply for unless you have a SECRET clearance, for which a necessary but not sufficient condition is that you're a US citizen.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17328,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The question (or the supervisor's answer) does not indicate clearly if the supervisor is planning to incorporate your friend into one of his grants as support personnel, or is planning to have your friend write his own doctoral fellowship grant.</p>\n\n<p>For the first option, the student's visa status does not matter in most of the cases. I have seen CDC and NIH grants used to fund foreign students. My PhD was also funded by NIH (I was not listed as an investigator) when I was holding an F1 visa.</p>\n\n<p>The only wrinkle I can think of is that, the PI (principal investigator) might have budgeted a full time salary of, say, $50000 a year for an assistant. Due to F1 visa's limitation, the student has to be a full-time student, which means he cannot get full-time salary as a worker simultaneously. The usual approach is to resubmit a minor adjustment and change the budget into $25000 part-time salary and $25000 scholarly support. At this point, some problems can occur as some grants might have specified that they wouldn't fund school fee (which means your friend may have to look for scholarship to supplement his study. But he will have some stipend from the grant), and the agency may also question the feasibility of cutting a position's time in half. etc. Otherwise, I cannot think of other significant reasons.</p>\n\n<p>For the latter case, then visa status matters a whole lot more. If your friend is going to write his own grants, it is true that a lot of grants do not accept proposal from non-US citizens. Try to scout around some grant websites such as <a href=\"http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Grants.gov</a> and do a search. The site allows you to screen out grants by applicant's visa status. As far as I have seen, PhD fellowship grants mostly welcome all kinds of visa status.</p>\n\n<p>So, in conclusion, clarify with the said supervisor, and start assessing the grant availability.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/23 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17320",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9306/"
]
|
17,347 | <p>I am soon finishing my PhD in computer science and I decided to leave academia for the industry (not industry research). </p>
<p>I am not clear about what to include in the CV.
I currently structured it like this:</p>
<ul>
<li>Education</li>
<li>Work experience (including teaching positions and internships)</li>
<li>Selected Honors, Awards & Fellowships</li>
<li>Programming Skills </li>
<li>Selected journal publications</li>
<li>Selected Workshops, Schools & Conference Talks</li>
</ul>
<p>which in its current version results in a two page CV. </p>
<p>I am neither sure about the ordering of the above items as well as the importance of each. </p>
<p>For example while I have ten publications I only mention two of them in the CV. On the other hand I mention about eleven Workshops, Schools & Conference Talks. I think this is not the right balance. On the other hand I am not sure how much companies (like Facebook, LinkedIn, ...) care about theoretical publications. I also do not mention any research visits I did. </p>
<p>So my question is, what academic information do you include in a CV for non academic positions and how important is each of the items?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17350,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't see any reason to omit your publications, since in your proposed ordering they are at the end. You definitely want to indicate your programming prowess as soon as possible. It might also help to insert a line above the Education section indicating your areas of expertise and interests. This is useful for bots that look for keyword matches. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17351,
"author": "Nobody",
"author_id": 546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The current structure of your CV looks like an academic CV to me. You put too much emphasis on the academic credentials. You definitely need to rewrite it.</p>\n\n<p>What the industry (not industry research) companies are looking for are your <strong>skills and experience</strong>. They are not interested in how many publications you have or how many conference talks you gave. They are interested in how much you know about <strong>solving problems</strong> so that you can help them to make money.</p>\n\n<p>I would suggest you to emphasize your programming skills, the contents of your publications (what kind of problems you solved in those papers), the internships, etc.</p>\n\n<p>Don't under-estimate your teaching experience. Emphasize it. Many hiring managers had told me that they like the teaching experience on my resume. I asked them why. They said I must know how to communicate because I can teach. Knowing how to communicate to others is an essential skill in industry.</p>\n\n<p>Good Luck!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17352,
"author": "Thomas",
"author_id": 6984,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6984",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You may find the website <a href=\"http://versatilephd.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Versatile PhD</a> helpful, as it provides guidance on how to transition from an academic research track into the non-academic market.</p>\n\n<p>The most important thing to keep in mind, though, is that you need to stop thinking in terms of the incentive structure of academia (i.e., firstly publications, secondly grants, positions, and awards) and start thinking in terms of skills that you can offer.</p>\n\n<p>This usually means you need to organize your resume in terms of employment or projects and the skills and competency you demonstrated therein. If you have project management skills (supervision of research assistants, for example), programming skills put to use in projects, or other skills (meeting deadlines, working collaboratively with others, etc.) these are the things to emphasize as bullet points under jobs/projects rather listing out academically-valued output (pubs, presentations, grants, visits, etc.).</p>\n\n<p>Also, if you're applying for entry-level jobs in industry, I see no reason why your resume should be longer than one page. If you have an online presence, you can always have a longer CV online that possible employers can look at if they're intrigued by what you have to offer from your short-form resume.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17353,
"author": "MasterPJ",
"author_id": 4079,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4079",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am not sure if you are writing a CV for particular position or a CV to put on a web-page.\nA common advise is to <strong><a href=\"https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv.htm\">fit the CV to the particular position</a></strong> (What makes a good CV? section) you are applying for. So lets assume that you are writing something like your CV template.</p>\n\n<p>In such a template I would suggest to put as much papers, experience, skills and relevant information as you can think of. This may significantly shorten the time of CV preparation for any particular position in the future.</p>\n\n<p>Later on, when you will prepare a version of your CV for particular job, you will delete all points which are not relevant as you want to keep your CV as short and as relevant as possible. </p>\n\n<p>So to answer the question: <strong>you should put that academic information which is relevant to the application</strong>. In some jobs, it can be relevant that you are able to write long texts, in some others that you are able to lead a group of people, speak in public or your innovative thinking and so on. So put everything now and choose the relevant content for each CV later. </p>\n\n<p>If you feel that the list of the conference talks, or the papers is way to long you can include only 5 the most important or the ones which can be easily checked. In case you really want to emphasize the quantity of your work, put list of the papers/conferences on a separate paper or provide a link of such information in the accompanying letter or mail. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17358,
"author": "Bob Cross",
"author_id": 12344,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12344",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>tl;dr: The industry hiring process is entirely different from academia. You'll have to adapt but it isn't that hard.</strong></p>\n\n<p><em>Note: It's not clear from your answer whether you're in the US or elsewhere so please translate my US-centric answer to fit your situation.</em></p>\n\n<p>I received specific advice on this subject when I was doing the same thing years ago. It's a variant of \"speak to your audience\":</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>A one-page resume is for the human resources filters.</li>\n<li>A detailed CV is for the people with whom you want to have a detailed conversation.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The human resource filtering problem is a serious one. From the point of view of HR, everyone in the world is applying to the job, regardless of experience, requirements or even location. HR might not even know what all the technical jargon means but they're looking to filter that pile down as fast as possible.</p>\n\n<p>So, you need to write the one-page resume carefully to fit the position description and set of requirements. Yes, they're looking to see if you've ever held paying work and who they can call to confirm that. However, they're also looking for certain called out buzzwords and key points.</p>\n\n<p>For example, if they use the phrase \"required experience elements\" in the position description, make sure that your resume has a bold \"Experience elements:\" section. If the description asks for \"Java\", make sure your resume describes your use of Java for each position or project that you list.</p>\n\n<p>In short, the resume is all about taking away their excuse to say \"No.\"</p>\n\n<p>The CV is an entirely different thing. Someone who's interested in your CV knows a lot about the details of the position and wants to have a detailed conversation with you. With the CV, you have the ability to reduce a lot of the friction: you're already volunteering plenty of the \"tell me about this project...\" content up front.</p>\n\n<p>Here's what I did:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Rewrite the resume from scratch for every job, tuning the words to fit the position description. It's not that onerous: it's only a page.</p></li>\n<li><p>Offer the CV in correspondence. These days, I would probably point them to LinkedIn or careers.stackoverflow.com</p></li>\n<li><p>If I was called in for an interview, I would brought several paper copies of my resume and CV tucked in to my portfolio of previous work. </p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Repeat all of the above far more times than I like to remember and eventually you find a paying job....</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17359,
"author": "Shaz",
"author_id": 11349,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11349",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Since others have this covered fairly well, I'll add only this: make sure that your main bullet points are recent!</p>\n\n<p>Here's a few examples:</p>\n\n<p>When you're applying to colleges, they want to know what you did in high school. They don't care about K-8(in the US). They want to know extracurricular activities, standardized test scores, etc.</p>\n\n<p>When you're applying for grad school, they want to know what you did in college. What's your overall GPA, what's your major's GPA, GRE scores, extracurricular activities, undergrad research positions, internships, etc. </p>\n\n<p>When you're applying for your fifth job in your career, they want to know what you did at your previous jobs. They may still be interested in knowing your Alma Mater, graduation date, and GPA, but they're less interested in all of the details. You've had 4 jobs since college, and they want to hear about your successes in those jobs.</p>\n\n<p>Likewise, when leaving academia for industry work, they will want to hear about your grad work first and foremost. Others have mentioned the kinds of information you should include - such as skills - so I won't say much other than to say these look good:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Education</li>\n<li>Work experience (including teaching positions and internships)</li>\n<li>Selected Honors, Awards & Fellowships</li>\n<li>Programming Skills </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Teaching experience can easily translate into communication experience. Communication is a great skill to have in the industry, and if you're able to communicate with technical and non-technical folks alike, that is a <em>huge</em> advantage.</p>\n\n<p>Honors, awards and fellowships are proof that you're not lazy, that you're motivated, have initiative, etc.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, your last two bullet points about publications and workshops probably won't gain you much, if anything. </p>\n\n<p>In short, make sure to highlight your accomplishments in college, nothing earlier than undergrad, and focus on your graduate years.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17366,
"author": "Leon palafox",
"author_id": 2806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'll just add a few points a couple of friend as recruiters told me.</p>\n\n<p>The Interviewing process usually goes through HR first, believe me, they could not care less about your publications.</p>\n\n<p>That is the short form CV, is the one you usually give out first. And since is HR people who will be looking at it first, you have to put emphasis on WHAT tools you know how to use.</p>\n\n<p>For example:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>My research consisted on the optimization of distributed systems </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>That is mute for an HR, and more than one TI manager. But if instead you rewrite.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>During my research, I used extensively tools like HADOOP and JAVA in a team setting, using collaboration systems like Github (even saying subversion might not help at all).</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Both sentences are saying the same, but in the second one you are specifying which tools did you used.</p>\n\n<p>Remember that academic buzzwords like \"parallel computing\" , \"probabilistic inference\", etc. Do not mean much for many recruiters. They care about the tools, and how long have you worked with them.</p>\n\n<p>If you have a github repository with some examples, that might help them as well (I'm assuming you are a programmer)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17390,
"author": "iasksillyquestions",
"author_id": 12371,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12371",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Assuming you're looking into joining a Dev Shop, I'd ensure that your CV includes your engineering skills.</p>\n\n<p>What do I mean by engineering skills?</p>\n\n<p>Which source control tools are you familiar with?\nWhich test frameworks have you used?\nHave you used any CI tools (i.e. Hudson)?\nWhich Agile methodologies do you use?\nHave you contributed to any open source projects?\nDo you have a github account so that interviewers can see your code?</p>\n\n<p>There is a perception that developers from Academia tend to be a little light on these skills, so it's important to ensure your CV describes them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17429,
"author": "OK-",
"author_id": 8542,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8542",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you already have industry experience, then highlight it <em>prior</em> to your academic achievements. Given that you don't have any industry experience, exploit your PhD thesis <strong>as an actual project</strong> in term of how did you manage, designed, developed and why it is significant especially to industry. It automatically qualifies as a project if it was not in theoretical computer science, otherwise you need to justify how the theoretical aspect is valuable for industry. From this point of view, you can add your PhD time frame as your <em>work experience</em> and demonstrate that research was actually working on a project. For many tech companies, even personal pet projects are considered valuable, so in that sense a good research project is invaluable.</p>\n\n<p>Your CV should flow from a Summary, Skills, Experience and then Education. Remember, the industry is interested in your computer science skills not your qualification. The final and probably most important point is that you should aim for organizations closer to your field or at least the jobs which are closer to your skills rather than applying to every single developer/analyst position.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17347",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10277/"
]
|
17,362 | <p>I've been in engineering PhD for 6 months and now considering transferring to another university. The reason is not academic, but family -- I'm in a long distance relationship with my boyfriend. We're both serious about this relationship and plan to get married. However if I keep doing my PhD in my current university, we'll be separated for many years </p>
<p>I am considering transferring my PhD to university closer to him. My questions are:</p>
<ol>
<li>Should I contact the potential future advisor first before telling my boss I'm leaving? </li>
<li>When should I talk to current advisor and how (focus on my family reason?)</li>
<li>Is it possible to get his letter of recommendation, or I'll screw up this relationship entirely?</li>
<li>will it possible to transfer to an university better than my current one? (honestly getting to a higher place is not my purpose, believe or not, but around my BF's place are almost all very good universities (1 tier higher than my current one), which actually refused me when I applied them last time. So I'm very concerned if I could be able to enter them now)</li>
</ol>
<p>One thing that comfort me is that because I work hard, my current advisor seems have good impression on me. But I don't know whether this will help. If anyone have any ideas, would you share your suggestion? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17364,
"author": "Arno",
"author_id": 12047,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12047",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If your advisor is generally an emotionally sane person, he should be able to understand your position. If your advisor is not, you're better off finding out as early as possible, and then to run.</p>\n\n<p>That said, the right time to talk to your supervisor is right now, for two primary reasons:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>As you're working in a lab, it is quite likely that your supervisor would want to hire a replacement for you, which takes time.</p></li>\n<li><p>Your supervisor may have contacts to the relevant universities, and be able to help you moving.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>When it comes to what to talk about, there are two important aspects besides your wish to be closer to your family:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>You'll want to reassure him that you are not leaving unfinished things around. Wrap up your experiments as far as possible before you leave, and be available to work on manuscripts after you're gone, too.</p></li>\n<li><p>Do you plan to take your thesis topic with you? If so, you probably should discuss intellectual ownership with your advisor. Even if you feel it was your idea, he may disagree.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Finally, is there any risk that your current lab has some \"secret techniques\" that you'd \"hand over\" to the competition? If so, try to address potential concerns.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17394,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>I did this.</strong> I moved to a higher-tier department that had previously rejected me, after two years in my first PhD program, to be close to my SO. My former advisor and the other faculty in my research area were nothing but helpful and understanding.</p>\n\n<p>The sooner you talk to your current advisor the better. The last thing you want to happen, no matter how friendly and understanding your advisor, is for someone to ask him \"So why is Jae leaving?\" before he knows you're thinking of leaving.</p>\n\n<p>Be honest and direct. Keep in mind that you are asking for help—which is your advisor's job—not for permission to leave. Try to bring your advisor in as a collaborator in your move. Reassure him that you will finish whatever tasks are still on your plate, and that you are willing to help choose, train, and/or mentor your replacement if his thinks that would be appropriate. (Follow through.) Try to leave doors open for future collaboration, either through visits or remotely.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, ask for a strong letter of recommendation, and for suggestions for potential advisors to contact. Since your target schools have already rejected you, you need strong evidence of excellence beyond your undergraduate record. Your current advisor is the strongest source of that evidence; people will take his letter very seriously. Conversely, <em>not</em> having a letter from your current advisor will raise a red flag.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, if you can pick up a master's degree before you leave, that will raise fewer eyebrows when people look at your CV in the future.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17362",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12348/"
]
|
17,363 | <p>As a male Ph.D. student in engineering, I have not had a problem with long hair at any of the reviews I've attended with funding agencies, conferences, etc. However, I wonder if search committees will view long hair in a negative light. </p>
<p>I would particularly like to know if anyone has known of any instance in which a male candidate's long hair worked against their chances of obtaining an academic position, but I've edited this question title to be more general with respect to a candidate's outward appearance attributes <em>which are under their control</em>.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17369,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>First, let me place my answer in the context of American academia. I'm sure that in some other parts of the world social conventions are different.</p>\n\n<p>Contemporary American academia is one of the more formally progressive and tolerant subsets of western society. There are American schools which recognize a student's right not to have any gender! Although this is an extreme point, academic culture places a premium on toleration of personal differences, to the extent that most hiring committees are instructed not to take such \"irrelevant things\" as personal appearance into account.</p>\n\n<p>But do they? I think all human beings do, in some ways. I do believe that people who are more physically attractive make more attractive job candidates, all other things being equal (and there are lots of studies to back this up). Recently for health reasons I lost a substantial amount of weight, and I think that my relations with undergraduate students are noticeably better, e.g. resulting in higher evaluations. Of course this probably has at least as much to do with the way I (nonverbally) communicate that I perceive myself: being more comfortable in your own skin shows. </p>\n\n<p>As a result, if long hair feels natural and good to you, then I would recommend that you keep it. Like Samson, it may somehow be a source of strength for you. I was going to say that even the fact that you're asking about it seems slightly strange, but then I remembered that as a graduate student I would shave my goatee every fall (when I was teaching) and let it grow every spring (when I wasn't). I have now had a goatee continuously since getting a PhD in 2003! I also used to dress more nicely for class than I otherwise would. While I still think that one should not wear clothing which is especially ratty in any professional context, I have long since learned that nobody cares whether I wear sneakers or a jacket or anything like that. </p>\n\n<p>The other thing is that it is not 1964 anymore: the men who were long-haired youths in the 1970s are now some of the senior people around, and many are still proudly growing long what remains of their hair. Both of the men who have been department heads in my time at my present job grow their hair longer than what conservative mores would recommend, and the current chair has hair halfway down his back. It is really no big deal.</p>\n\n<p>Let me say finally that the odd faculty member who mutters something sour about your hair probably had other reasons not to like you. And if not, do you really want colleagues who are so superficial and intolerant? Times are tough, but I think one needs to make feeling comfortable in one's own skin a high priority. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17370,
"author": "Federico Poloni",
"author_id": 958,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/958",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>We all agree that they <em>shouldn't</em>, but the truth is that probably they <em>are</em>, at least some of them. It's difficult to control subconscious feelings.</p>\n\n<p>You can try to play the game in your favour, though: wear an elegant, smart outfit and make sure your hair is well groomed (there is a difference between \"long hair\" and \"hasn't seen a pair of scissors in years\"). What people are usually biased against is not long hair <em>per se</em>, but the feeling of untidyness and negligence that they associate with it; you have to disprove this unconscious mental association.</p>\n\n<p>(Disclaimer: I've had long hair for 1/3 of my life, and cut it a couple of years ago).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17371,
"author": "Erran Morad",
"author_id": 11743,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11743",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You are making a mountain out of a molehill. Just cut your hair and grow it back when you get the funding, job or whatever. Just keep it neat. Dress up nicely and conduct yourself well. Unless your hair is like the guy below, you should be fine.</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/93DFR.png\" alt=\"Chris Barnes\"></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17377,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>By request:</em> </p>\n\n<p>The simple answer to your question is the <a href=\"http://www.improb.com/projects/hair/hair-club-top.html\">Luxuriant Hair Club for Scientists.</a> </p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17363",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11192/"
]
|
17,365 | <p>I'm in a conundrum.
Due to a change in areas half way through my PhD, I find myself at the end of my training with no significant publications. I have one in press, and several in prep so in the next year I should have 3-4 if all goes well. I'm also at a top ten university in the US and have good recommendation letters etc...</p>
<p>My issue is: I need to get a job as soon as possible <strong>in Europe</strong> to be with my partner. I have applied to both post-docs and to some assistant professorships at smaller schools in his city thinking I should at least try but I'm feeling seriously under-competitive where the norm in my field is at least three papers by graduation.</p>
<p>I have an option to stay on as a grad student for a 6th year at my institution, but it would have to be remotely (as I will move to Europe anyway) and frankly, I don't want to have to do that (both because it's too hard to do research and I make little money). But it is a safe option, and might give me time to write up all the backlogged data I've recently acquired.</p>
<p><strong>So my options are to take an extra year with very little pay and apply later, or apply extensively and effortfully to jobs that will probably reject me, though there is a small chance I'll get one.</strong></p>
<p>In your experience, will people even consider PhD's with very few pubs, or impending pubs, and if so, are there things I can do to make my application look more competitive, e.g. should I explain myself (I don't want to make excuses though) or highlight grants and presentations?</p>
<p>Or should I just cut my losses and suffer through living abroad with no money and taking the extra time I would have spent applying to a million places to write up a bunch of papers and then try again next year with more confidence and competence, and maybe landing a better job?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>UPDATE: I ended up getting short-listed for five institutions, two of which are top-tier, and ultimately was offered two assistant professorships and one post-doc. I am sure I would have been better off with more pubs but I'm glad I ended up applying for reach jobs as ultimately I think I ended up with some great choices, met a lot of people in the field, and most importantly, got a job!</p>
<p>Thanks for all your input.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17367,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Disclaimer: this question is seriously underspecified. For a reasonable answer we would probably need at least the city you are looking for, your field, your qualifications beside publications, etc.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, I feel that the Assistant Professor market in Europe is <strong>insanely</strong> dry in most fields, and, honestly, getting an Assistant Professor position directly after your PhD graduation is very unlikely even with an extremely good CV. If your CV is not <strong>absolutely</strong> top-notch for your field, I am afraid applying is largely a waste of your time. On the other hand, at least in my field, getting a PostDoc is often comparatively easy and uncomplicated, and reasonably payed in many places. A PostDoc is also a really good time to write up a backlog of publications and improve one's CV, so maybe this is what you should be shooting for. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17375,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Just to clarify, OP, you are listing the papers in press and under review under your publications too, right? You don't have to wait till the thing is actually printed to put it on your cv, so long as it is absolutely unambiguous what status each paper has, whether it is under review, been sent back for revision, accepted for publication but forthcoming, etc. </p>\n\n<p>You should also list current working drafts if but only if those drafts are good enough that you would not be embarrassed to email them to a search committee member instantly upon request. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17365",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12347/"
]
|
17,368 | <p>I'm having some trouble understanding exactly what the <a href="http://journals.aps.org/authors/transfer-of-copyright-agreement" rel="noreferrer">American Physical Society (APS) transfer of copyright agreement</a> does and does not permit, and I was wondering whether someone here may have a clearer insight or previous contact with them to know exactly what their position is. Their <a href="http://journals.aps.org/copyrightFAQ.html#eprint" rel="noreferrer">copyright FAQ</a> is, I feel, not clear enough on the subject, and it's not quite clear how I should contact them about this.</p>
<p>The relevant paragraphs from the copyright transfer agreement are, I think</p>
<blockquote>
<p>2. The nonexclusive right, after publication by APS, to give permission to third parties to republish print versions of the Article or a translation thereof, or excerpts therefrom, without obtaining permission from APS, provided the APS-prepared version is not used for this purpose, the Article is not republished in another journal, and the third party does not charge a fee. If the APS version is used, or the third party republishes in a publication or product charging a fee for use, permission from APS must be obtained.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and </p>
<blockquote>
<p>4. The right to post and update the Article on free-access e-print servers as long as files prepared and/or formatted by APS or its vendors are not used for that purpose. Any such posting made or updated after acceptance of the Article for publication shall include a link to the online abstract in the APS journal or to the entry page of the journal. If the author wishes the APS-prepared version to be used for an online posting other than on the author(s)’ or employer’s website, APS permission is required; if permission is granted, APS will provide the Article as it was published in the journal, and use will be subject to APS terms and conditions.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The latter one looks pretty inclusive, but it does not specify whether all licensing schemes for e-print servers are acceptable or not. Similarly, in their I am worried, in particular, by a note in the <a href="http://arxiv.org/help/license" rel="noreferrer">arXiv license help page</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Creative Commons Attribution license in particular, permits commercial reuse and thus conflicts with many journal agreements.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In particular, posting to an e-print server may be construed as overstepping the rights granted by point 2 of the agreement, since it can be used by a third party as permission to republish it in print and charge a fee for it. If that is the only objection, then choosing a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" rel="noreferrer">CC Noncommercial-ShareAlike</a> license would be compatible with the above.</p>
<p>I have two specific questions about this.</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Is my reading of these publicly available documents correct?</strong> Did I miss important information either on these or other publicly available resources?</p></li>
<li><p>Does anyone have specific experience with them regarding this question? Is there some specific contact for these matters?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>(I believe the <a href="http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/license.html" rel="noreferrer">non-exclusive license to distribute</a>, which is the most restrictive arXiv license, is definitely compatible. This question is mostly about the Creative Commons licenses.)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 28885,
"author": "silvado",
"author_id": 3890,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3890",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't think you can use any CC license with such a publishing agreement. </p>\n\n<p>Point 4 allows you to post the article to preprint servers. This covers the <a href=\"http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/license.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">non-exclusive distribution license</a> that Mangara mentioned in a comment: You permit arxiv.org to reproduce the article on their website. Importantly, you don't grant any rights to anybody else with this license.</p>\n\n<p>If you put your article under a CC license, you would grant <strong>anybody</strong> the right to reproduce it (under conditions depending on the exact type of the license). Whether it is published on arxiv.org or not doesn't really matter here – arxiv.org will just be one of the potentially many users of this license. Looking at the <a href=\"http://arxiv.org/help/license\" rel=\"nofollow\">arxiv help page</a>, this is hidden behind the specific wording they use. For the non-exclusive distribution license:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>grant arXiv.org a non-exclusive and irrevocable license to distribute the article</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>which makes it clear that you are giving permission to arxiv.org and <em>not anybody else</em>.</p>\n\n<p>For the CC license, they say instead:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>certify that the work is available under either the Creative Commons Attribution license, or the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike license</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>that is, you don't give a license to arxiv.org specifically, but to the general public, and arxiv.org is just going to make use of that general license.</p>\n\n<p>I don't think your publishing agreement allows you to issue a CC license, even the noncommercial one. The publisher does not allow you to grant a license to anybody, just specifically to \"free-access e-print servers\".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 28891,
"author": "Peteris",
"author_id": 10730,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10730",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<h2>CC licences are incompatible with arbitrary restrictions</h2>\n\n<p>Paragraph 2. of the copyright transfer agreement that you cite allows you \"... to give permission to third parties to republish [...] provided the APS-prepared version is not used for this purpose, the Article is not republished in another journal, and the third party does not charge a fee.\"</p>\n\n<p>Offering the content under a CC licence means that you're giving permission to third parties to republish that content, period. Even if they would republish it in another journal or charge a fee. </p>\n\n<p>You can't give those permissions according to the APS agreement; and you can't require those restrictions under a CC licence; so that doesn't work out.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17368",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/820/"
]
|
17,374 | <p>I have published a paper in a fake journal. I want to withdraw the paper from that journal. </p>
<p>After successful withdrawal from the fake journal, can I can submit the same paper to a legitimate journal?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17376,
"author": "E.P.",
"author_id": 820,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/820",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I see two main barriers for this to happen, and I would not attempt to cross either unless the circumstances were truly exceptional. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>If your paper is already published, you will most likely have transferred either the paper's copyright or a very wide license to the original journal. You can probably force the journal to retract the paper, but if you want the copyright you will have to ask for it back, and it is legally up to them whether they want to give it back or not.</p></li>\n<li><p>Most journals have a policy of only accepting works which have not already been published. This would make it very hard for your paper to get into the second journal, and the editors would most likely have to make an exception to their rules. This is up to them, and I would advise you to contact them beforehand to see whether they would be willing to do something along these lines.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The worst case scenario is one where the paper is very visibly retracted, you do not get the copyright back, and you cannot republish it anywhere. I can't really imagine any degree of shadiness of the original journal that would make this outcome preferable, because a retraction will leave a very visible, very black mark on your publication record for a long time. As mentioned in the comments, retractions are vivid indications of academic misconduct, plagiarism, or just plainly incorrect findings, and rarely of anything else. Therefore, you should be really careful that this doesn't happen.</p>\n\n<p>I would advise you to take this in stages. First, read all the documentation you have available. Read very carefully, in particular, anything you have signed, either in paper or electronically, to the original journal. Check all their publicly available policies, and particularly those on licenses and copyright. Check also what your new target journal states as their requirements that submissions be 'new, unpublished work'.</p>\n\n<p>Armed with this information, contact your new target journal first, to see if they will re-house your paper after it's been withdrawn, and what conditions they would require for this. Do not move forward until you have good assurances of a good home for your paper, or you risk ending up with a homeless paper.</p>\n\n<p>After that, you should contact the original journal. If you gave them the copyright, you will have to ask for it back but you should be prepared for them to say a plain no. I suppose that if you gave them a more restrictive license then you can ask that they take it down and find out how you can revoke it, but you should be aware that author contracts do not normally include anything like that. Be polite and explain why you are doing things but be prepared for things to turn adversarial; you are after all out to affect their revenue stream.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Mostly, though, why don't you consider your options in terms of fixing the damage this publication has done to your record? Publishing in a predatory journal without knowing it is something that can end up happening to anyone (which is why one should always exercise maximum care when opting for a new publication venue). </p>\n\n<p>Keep in mind that the venue of publication does not affect the quality of your paper, but only (potentially) how it is perceived by others. This can be palliated by other means: for example, take the paper to conferences and explain and defend your findings to your peers. Work especially hard at making sure the material finds its way to the hands of people who will use it and cite it, and that will help validate it as good research in a possibly shady journal. </p>\n\n<p>If the journal is not very visible or accessible, post it to an eprint repository if it is possible (though of course only if other republication options are exhausted and allowed by your original journal, or if you are prepared for your relation with them to turn adversarial). Consider building a bigger paper, formally a derivative work, which you can then publish in a journal you're happier with.</p>\n\n<p>In short, there are many options available to mitigate the damage done by a paper in a journal you (and whatever review boards you might come across) don't like. Think them through before you attempt something which is as potentially damaging as this.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 93275,
"author": "David",
"author_id": 62652,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62652",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First: I'm not a lawyer, and StackExchange is not a place to pursue legal advice.</p>\n\n<p>Depending on exactly what you mean by \"fake,\" you might want to consult a lawyer. If the journal lied or mislead you then you may have grounds to litigate for contract fraud. It may be possible to revoke the contract, get an injunction against further publication or distribution of your paper, or claim monetary damages. Arguing this successfully would require showing that the journal <em>knowingly</em> mislead you with an intent to profit off your work. There are other reasons to claim that a contract should not be enforced as well.</p>\n\n<p>Be warned that merely having an unsatisfactory outcome is not illegal. Making a bad deal is not generally something the courts are going to protect you from.</p>\n\n<p>A random website synopsis for US contract fraud: <a href=\"https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/what-is-contract-fraud.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/what-is-contract-fraud.html</a></p>\n\n<p>A random website synopsis for when a contract is unenforceable: <a href=\"http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/unenforceable-contracts-tips-33079.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/unenforceable-contracts-tips-33079.html</a></p>\n\n<p>I'd also consider the possible ramifications to your career before pursuing any course of action. Litigation is a high-visibility thing and at best it would seem you're going to come across as naive or gullible.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17374",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12359/"
]
|
17,378 | <p>I'm struggling with deciding to which type of school to go in order to gain a better research experience. Basically, the research experience is the most important factor for me to decide my college, since I want to be a strong applicant in PhD admission. Most reputable, research universities are far larger than LACs (liberal arts colleges), and they (except for top schools like HYPSM) are not so friendly places for those who want to conduct their own research and engage in research from Sophomore or even Freshman. To get rich research experience, I want to be involved with research as early as possible and not only during the summer but also throughout a year. Just for example, Reed College has mandatory Senior thesis like Princeton, and profs are eager to help even Sophomores to do their research. However, in research universities, I can take graduate-level courses and touch with cutting-edge research as a research assistant. So, I can gain more advanced knowledge than those in LACs. </p>
<p>Could you tell me your recommendation both for me and those who have the same aspiration? </p>
<p>*If my question is too vague, please just compare UC Berkeley/University of Michigan vs. Reed College/Carleton College. I'm sure this will be a good comparison, since the quality of the students are almost equal. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17389,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I wouldn't say that any university \"type\" is universally better or worse for gaining undergraduate research experience. The culture with respect to undergrad research varies so much, even within one school.</p>\n\n<p>My advice is to look up the Biology faculty in the schools you are considering, and identify those you would be interested in working with. <strong>Do your homework</strong> - don't just spam the entire department. Then email them: </p>\n\n<p>Dear Professor {X},</p>\n\n<p>I am {applying to, accepted into} the B.S. program in Biology at {University}. I am interested in pursuing a PhD in {specific area related to X's research} when I graduate, and am hoping to start doing research early in my B.S.</p>\n\n<p>I am very interested in your ongoing research on {subject area}. {Say something intelligent about subject area that demonstrates your ability to contribute.} Do you take on undergraduate research students?</p>\n\n<p>(I highly recommend reading the tips here for contacting a prospective research advisor: <a href=\"http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/advice/prospective.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/advice/prospective.html</a>)</p>\n\n<p>By doing this, you'll get a good sense for where you're most likely to have undergraduate research opportunities, and a head start on finding a potential research advisor.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17420,
"author": "neuroexpat",
"author_id": 12390,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12390",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I went to a small liberal arts college and worked at a large university lab, that had undergraduate interns. From both experiences I agree that it is the lab and not the school that matters. However, there are conditions that you will be more or less likely to find, depending on the type of school. In general liberal arts colleges will give you more personal attention and large universities will have more resources. Funding at liberal arts colleges is focused on undergraduate education and funding at larger universities is focused on research. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Personal Attention:</strong> </p>\n\n<p><em>Liberal arts:</em> A lab is led by a principal investigator or PI. Liberal arts colleges often do not have graduate students or have few graduate programs. So, at a small liberal arts college you will work closely with your PI and get to know them well. I left my college with great letters of rec that helped me overcome a poor GPA (due to a medical problem in my first two years) and get into grad school. </p>\n\n<p><em>University:</em> The undergrads were trained by PhDs and post docs and had little contact with the faculty. Post docs and PhDs can often be great teachers, though, since they either are students or were students recently and might be able to anticipate the student's perspective. At a university, they will normally write your letters of recommendation and the faculty will sign them. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Independence:</strong> </p>\n\n<p><em>Liberal Arts:</em> All of our grants were training grants, so the emphasis was on teaching, as opposed to producing results. This means you will get to do more independent work. I got first hand experience with the equipment (EEG) and techniques (analysis of FMRI and EEG data) that few undergraduates get to use. Additionally, I know of at least two of my friends who published, as first authors, in major research journals. This is not uncommon in my school. </p>\n\n<p><em>University</em>: The undergrads had to learn a program that is no longer used by most labs in the field. There was little room for mistakes (all of the labs grants were research grants), so the undergrads were given the task of modifying previous work and really did not develop any understanding of how the program actually works. However, this lab was an older lab. I also believe students at an older lab at my undergraduate school had a similar experience, where the methodology they were taught was not consistent with current standards in the field. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Connections:</strong></p>\n\n<p>They are pretty equal in this area. Liberal arts college professors often collaborate with people at larger institutions and can connect you with other labs. I have friends who got summer jobs at Stanford and CalTech this way. At the large university, one of our undergrads got to go to Oxford for the summer, because of the professor's connections to a lab there. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Equipment and Resouces:</strong> </p>\n\n<p><em>Liberal arts:</em> We did not have access to some of the most expensive equipment (an MRI, for example). However, one of my professors also worked at a local university that had access to an MRI and we got to use it there. Ideally, you should get some lab experience at a major research university, so you are exposed to techniques that require more expensive equipment. You can do this during summer internships. Getting more experience at different labs will look good on your application. </p>\n\n<p>On that note, a liberal arts college is more likely to have grants that will help students study at other institutions. My college had several such grants for student research grants. Additionally, all senior thesis was funded by the department. The senior thesis funding and one of the summer fellowships both require students to focus on their own original ideas. In most fields the first author is the person who had the idea for the project. This is how undergraduate students were able to become first authors.</p>\n\n<p><em>University:</em> Universities will have the best equipment, but they are less likely to have funding for student research. The institution I worked at had grants for students, but they were only for work at that university. They also had no specific grants that would allow students to propose their own projects, based on their own ideas. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17378",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10189/"
]
|
17,379 | <p>This question is in response to <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17374/how-to-withdraw-publication-from-fake-journal-and-resubmit-to-legitimate-journal">this very interesting question</a>. The original post mentioned that they wish to retract their paper from a "fake" journal. I don't know what a fake journal is but better safe than sorry so I want to make sure what defines a fake journal. In the comments, other people also mentioned "shady" journals and "predatory" journals. This is the first time I encounter these descriptions so I would like to know more about what they entail. I would be interested in hearing about your experience with such journals as well, if any.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17380,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 8,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>A \"fake\" or \"shady\" journal is a low-quality journal that does little or no quality control.</p>\n\n<p>They are often called \"predatory\" because they prey on people who are under a lot of pressure to publish, charging high author fees for promises of quick publication. (Since they do little, if any, peer review, the time from submission of a paper to publication is often very quick in these journals).</p>\n\n<p>They often engage in deceptive practices to make themselves appear legitimate, such as: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Pretending to be affiliated with a reputable professional society</li>\n<li>Claiming an \"impact factor\" when they do not have one, or when they have an \"impact factor\" from some entity other than Thomson Reuters ISI </li>\n<li>Listing important academics on their editorial board, when these people never agreed to serve in this capacity.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Publishing in one of these journals can be very damaging to your academic career. At best, it shows that you don't know what journals are considered reputable in your field; at worst, it makes you look like you are trying to \"get\" publications without doing the work required to publish in a reputable, high-quality journal.</p>\n\n<p>An academic librarian named Jeffrey Beall kept a list of open-access <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20170111172309/https://scholarlyoa.com/individual-journals/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">journals</a> and <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20170112125427/https://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">publishers</a> that <strong>he</strong> considered to be \"predatory.\" (The links are to archived versions of the pages). His lists were quite well-known - you may hear people refer to \"Beall's List\" when talking about predatory journals.</p>\n\n<p>Between the growth of open-access and the Internet making it possible for literally anyone to start a \"journal,\" these \"journals\" have been popping up at an alarming rate. The NY Times even ran a <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/health/for-scientists-an-exploding-world-of-pseudo-academia.html?pagewanted=all\" rel=\"noreferrer\">story</a> about it recently.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17381,
"author": "Ben Norris",
"author_id": 924,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/924",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Jeffrey Beall, who works for the University of Colorado, Denver, maintained a <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20170112125427/https://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">list</a> of predatory journals. He also publishes his <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20170103170856/https://scholarlyoa.com/2012/11/30/criteria-for-determining-predatory-open-access-publishers-2nd-edition/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">criteria</a> for determining which journals/publishers are predatory. (both links are to archived version of the pages) The criteria are numerous (and I find many of them amusing). The main thrust of the criteria are such things as:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Lack of transparency (in both business model and editorial process)</li>\n<li>Disregard for intellectual property</li>\n<li>Promise to publish anything in exchange for money</li>\n<li>Dishonesty (in business model and editorial process)</li>\n<li>Poor (or no) peer review</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17392,
"author": "E.P.",
"author_id": 820,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/820",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>... and a very good question indeed. The present answers do a good job, but it's worth emphasizing that there is a whole continuum between legitimate journals and what amount to conning schemes. </p>\n\n<p>\"Predatory\" is used to describe a journal that hinges its business model on getting article processing charges from authors, whilst providing a very low quality journal. \"Fake\" is less defined, but it carries the connotation of a journal that pretends to carry out rigorous peer review but in fact doesn't (which is what makes it damaging on a CV: it looks like you too want to skip formal peer review but pretend you still did it). </p>\n\n<p>\"Shady\" is a much more informal term, and denotes a journal anywhere in that continuum. I intentionally used this term in <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/17376/820\">my answer</a> to keep it broadly applicable, in terms of any journal of possibly not-so-good standing which is, after publication, thought to have a negative impact on one's CV.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 32287,
"author": "Phil",
"author_id": 24768,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/24768",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is a special class of 'fake journal'. Some long-standing real (but minor) journals, which are listed on the Web of Science, but only have print editions and haven't moved online, are having fake websites created by criminals, which are purporting to be the official website of the journal. In essence, the identity of a real journal has been 'hijacked'. Obviously, the websites charge 'article processing charges', which is why these scams exist, but the articles 'published' are NOT listed as part of the output of the journal on the Web of Science. Most of these journals have been forced to very quickly enter the internet age to try and fight this! This is surprisingly common - see the (archived) list of hijacked journals here: <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20170111172313/https://scholarlyoa.com/other-pages/hijacked-journals/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://web.archive.org/web/20170111172313/https://scholarlyoa.com/other-pages/hijacked-journals/</a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17379",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12049/"
]
|
17,383 | <p>I'm interested in going to grad-school but I have been working at a "real job" as a software engineer for the past few years (since I graduated with a BS in Math in 2010). What are the best ways to to break back into the academic world? How can I spin my work experience in a positive way to departments?</p>
<p>Ideally I would be getting a phd to study Mathy CS, or CSy Math.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17404,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>We see a number of students who apply to graduate school after an undergraduate degree in math/cs followed by some years spent working at a not-any-realler-than-faculty job. In short, what admissions committees would like to know is:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>what have you been doing since then, and in what way does it influence your current interests and desire for grad school</li>\n<li>have you continued working on projects on the side ? (not a problem if not, but good if yes)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In other words, I don't view work experience as a negative in CS. In fact it's a bit of a positive because the student then usually knows what they want to do and is a lot more focused about it. There's a lot more maturity as well. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17436,
"author": "OK-",
"author_id": 8542,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8542",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have seen people coming from top companies like Google into PhD and still they struggle a lot during their PhD. So, when it comes to research, the work experience is not everything. You can see it from a couple of different perspective. </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Given that your \"real job\" is relevant to your future program, a good practitioner style CV would be beneficial.</li>\n<li>Also, if your \"real job\" is truly cutting edge AND you maintain good relationship with your past organizations AND you can demonstrate that you can use your industry experience to involve organizations in a way that it will add empirical component to your research, THEN it is quite an attractive offer for universities. Too good to refuse.</li>\n<li>However, if your \"real job\" is yet-another software engineering job and distant to your future program, then your industry experience is somewhat irrelevant.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>On top of it all, for US universities a low academic scores such as GRE could be deal breaker with or without experience.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17383",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12363/"
]
|
17,405 | <p><strong>Main concern:</strong> I am looking at PhD programs in Germany and the UK (vs US programs). Ideally, I would like to end up at a small liberal arts college (I got my BA from one). So I know I want a program with teaching requirements. I think this rules out France and Switzerland, but I believe many German PhD programs have teaching requirements. I also think the UK has teaching opportunities as well. </p>
<p><em>Are there other factors I should be thinking about?</em> </p>
<p><strong>Specific Concerns I've thought of</strong></p>
<p>First, am I wrong in my assumption that there are only small liberal arts colleges in the US? Or are there places in Europe, where you can get the same research, teaching, and mentorship balance? </p>
<p>I know that liberal arts departments are smaller. Should I be worried that a foreign school that is good in my field might not be known in the department that I am applying to?</p>
<p>Also, I had a friend at Oxford, who said that she would need to do a postdoc (in a field that doesn't normally require them), because US universities will not see her 2 year masters + 3 year PhD, as equivalent to a master + 5 year PhD in the US. I'm in the sciences and my field doesn't normally require a masters. Should I also be concerned? </p>
<p><strong>Reasons</strong>
I am currently a Master student in a European program that allows us to do research in multiple countries (theoretically anywhere that will take us, but we have specific connections to France, Germany, and Switzerland). So far I really like the science culture here. I like how easy it is to collaborate with and even work in different labs. In my experience, PhD students in the US just don't have the mobility that EU students. I have an interdisciplinary focus, so this is very attractive to me. I also am interested in a very specific topic and there is better funding for it in Germany and (I think) in the UK. </p>
<p>In the US, it is hard to find a school with more than one lab working on the topic, I'm most interested in, so I like the idea of applying to the lab rather than the school. I am willing to consider working on related areas, but I'm not sure if I can spend 5 to 7 years working on something that is only tangential to my main interests. On the other hand, my Master program has a general focus and I would be interested in taking more classes that are specific to my main interests. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17406,
"author": "Community",
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"text": "<p>It's hard to get a job teaching in America unless you do the degree in America. This is because so much of getting an academic job, especially at a small teaching college is going to depend upon personal connections. </p>\n\n<p>Think about it from their point of view. The hiring committee wants somebody who is a good scholar, a good teacher, and a good citizen of the department (in some order, which factors are more important differ from school to school). It's really hard to evaluate somebody in depth along all three of those axes. It's even harder when you have a pile of three or four hundred applications for one job. So you use shortcuts.</p>\n\n<p>One quick shortcut is no Ph.D. in hand, or a Ph.D. from a place that has a bad reputation. That cuts your pile to 200 or so applications. Then you look and see who doesn't have any good publications or presentations. Now you're down to 100 or so candidates, all of whom are very strong, but you're only going to be able to interview about 20 or so. So the next thing you look at is letters of recommendation. The way you get from that pile of 100 to the pile of 20 is by having letters of recommendation from people that members of the search committee have heard of. There's a chance that they've heard of your famous german mentor, but there's an even better chance that they haven't. Take two scholars X and Y of equal ability, but where X is an American and Y is a German. Let X and Y have equally good publication records and so on, it's still far more likely that the search committee has heard of X than that they've heard of Y, because they've got to conferences with X and heard X's papers and been impressed by him over drinks, etc. This matters hugely in terms of getting hired in the ultra competitive world of academic hiring, and so doing a degree abroad is always going to handicap you.</p>\n\n<p>The only exception I can think of are Oxford and Cambridge. American scholars tend to know the names of those folks, and those two universities have such a strong reputation that you might not get penalized in this way having the degree from them. Everywhere else is a danger zone. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17491,
"author": "rachaelbe",
"author_id": 11304,
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"text": "<p>There is no specific requirement in the UK for teaching as a part of a PhD. The exception is when a University grants funding on the proviso that teaching work is undertaken - however, this is a separate contractual issue to the academic requirements of obtaining the PhD itself.</p>\n\n<p>Having said that, most departments in the UK rely upon their PhD students for teaching (normally running tutor groups) and the available hours are handed out as evenly as possible. All you can do is to ask the department to which you are thinking of applying if teaching hours are available.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17494,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have not lived or worked in Europe, so discount accordingly, but my understanding is that, <em>yes</em>, \"liberal arts college\" does not really exist there. Also higher education in Europe is (at least in many parts; less so in the UK) already significantly more specialized than most US undergraduate education: the \"Diplom thesis\" that Germans write to get what is chronologically closest to an American bachelor's degree is often of a greater depth and sophistication than an American master's thesis (in mathematics, anyway). I am not really making a direct comparison, but one key to your question is that American liberal arts colleges and American research universities lie on a certain axis with respect to educational philosophies, and on this axis a European university would not lie between them but on the research university side.</p>\n\n<p>Liberal arts colleges look carefully at their applicants for their familiarity with the issues of the above paragraph: they want their candidates to have had some direct prior experience with the liberal arts side of things. Candidates who have gone only to American research universities have real work to do to convince liberal arts colleges that they understand and value the liberal arts college product, to the extent that I think they should be doing some teaching-related activity which is above and beyond standard graduate student teaching. With this kind of additional work and attention, research-university candidates can still be successful...but I have still found that liberal arts colleges pay a bit more attention to <strong>pedigree</strong> -- i.e., where you got your degrees -- than research universities of the same quality.</p>\n\n<p>So I think that doing your graduate training in Europe would be a strike against you, yes. If I were at a liberal arts college, I would worry that the culture of teaching in Europe is so different from that of the US that some of the acquired teaching experiences could actually be detrimental to acquiring good American liberal arts teaching practices. That's my general answer. The fact though that you went to a liberal arts college yourself is a huge point in your favor: that seems to be the best possible way to show familiarity with the liberal arts college ethos. </p>\n\n<p>Overall I would say: if you know that your goal is to end up at a liberal arts college, doing graduate work in Europe is not the best preparation for that, no. But since you have liberal arts college experience, it shouldn't absolutely exclude you; rather, if for other reasons you find a European graduate program very desirable, you should be thinking from the beginning about how to keep yourself attractive to liberal arts colleges while doing so (e.g. a summer teaching opportunity in the US).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17545,
"author": "Ben Webster",
"author_id": 13,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>While my answer is pretty close to Pete Clark's, I'd like to put it a little differently: by doing a Ph.D. In Europe, you are taking a huge risk; there's a reasonable chance (not surety, probably not even balance of probability, but real chance) that you will end up with a record that will make you completely unhireable at a liberal arts college. Similarly, no matter what, you will be closing off the possibility of some liberal arts schools who are not going to consider a foreign Ph.D. Keep in mind, no matter where you're applying, there are going to be people with strong teaching records from institutions in the US in the candidate pool, and it's going to feel much lower risk to hire one of them rather than someone with a foreign Ph.D.</p>\n\n<p>I want to emphasize, I'm not saying all, but some number will. I would only consider staying in Europe if you see a benefit that outweighs that risk, which I am not seeing in your current question, but I don't know the whole situation.</p>\n\n<p>(Of course, you're taking a reasonably large risk by getting a Ph.D. anywhere and hoping enough liberal arts schools are still hiring by the time you finish. Nothing in life is sure.)</p>\n\n<p>One good experiment: look at the CV's of young faculty at the sort of schools you're interested in being hired at. See what you find on them; that will probably be more valuable than whatever we're telling you.</p>\n\n<p>You should also know, a lot of American academics think that in Europe, quality teaching is valued even less than in the US (I'll note, I'm not making a judgement about whether this is true, but simply that this is a widely held bias), so even if you have considerable experience with teaching in Europe, it may not actually help much. Schools are going to look not just at quantity but quality. They like to see class evaluations and reports from classroom observations, for example, so look carefully at what you'll be able to get those wherever you're going in Europe, and whether the courses you'll be doing are at an appropriate level.</p>\n\n<p><strong>tl;dr</strong>: it's possible that one could make this work out, but it's a big risk, so I would only consider it if you see a big benefit on the other side.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17688,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's not impossible to get a PhD in Europe and then get hired in the US. I got my PhD in the Netherlands and a couple of years later got shortlisted for a tenure-track job at Stanford, no less. One of my grad school advisors got his PhD in Belgium and then got almost immediately hired at a SLAC (he then decided to return to Europe after a few years), as did a girl who was in a cohort a couple of years behind mine. </p>\n\n<p>The reason why these stories are relatively uncommon is because the structure of graduate programs in Europe and the US is quite different. In Europe, there tends to be a disproportionate emphasis on producing a dissertation. I've met a number of people who have spent their <em>entire</em> time in graduate school (three or four years) working on their dissertations to the exclusion of everything else. In contrast, in US programs, the dissertation is just one requirement among many; before you even start to write your dissertation, you have to spend a couple of years taking courses, write one or two qualifying papers, and/or pass a qualifying exam. As a consequence, students with a US PhD tend to have a breadth of knowledge that students with a European PhD typically lack. Unsurprisingly, the European students that get hired or shortlisted in US institutions are invariably those that make a deliberate decision to delay writing their dissertation until their last 12-18 months, so that they can have a couple of years to take the kind of courses and do the type of research that gives them a breadth of knowledge comparable to that of their US peers.</p>\n\n<p>So, if you want to study in Germany, what you want to look for is the kind of school and the kind of advisor that will push you to get out of your narrow topic of research and dabble in other subfields. If you can't find this much, you'll be better off going to a US graduate program of comparable standing.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17405",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12390/"
]
|
17,407 | <p>I'm a first-year student at a top 100 university studying computer science. I have looked at all the different fields of software for which I can get into and I am personally most interested in exploring a career in AI and/or machine learning. </p>
<p>Basically, I am wondering what my college studies should look like in order to make my interest a reality. Its obvious that I need to learn computer programming but are there any other less obvious topics which I should study up on? I have heard that I need to know every field of math, quantum mechanics, physics, and a bunch of other stuff, what is the reality of this?</p>
<p>Last question, is graduate school necessary if I want to go into an advanced field like AI? Are there any paths other than graduate school which I can use to get into the career?</p>
<p>Thanks for your help.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17413,
"author": "trutheality",
"author_id": 11880,
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>[I]s graduate school necessary if I want to go into an advanced field like AI? Are there any paths other than graduate school which I can use to get into the career?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>\"Go into AI\" is pretty broad. What sort of job do you want to be doing? Theoretical research? Software development? Engineering? To get an idea of what jobs are out there you can look through the job postings at Google Research, Microsoft Research, IBM Research, Amazon Research, and so on. All of these do ML and AI.</p>\n\n<p>They have position all along the spectrum from things that only require undergraduate degrees to things that require PhD's. I have no experience with the non-PhD path, so I can't tell you much about that, but a lot of their internships are geared to ML/AI PhD students spending their summers there, and then those same people get their degrees and apply for research jobs at those companies.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I am wondering what my college studies should look like in order to make my interest a reality.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I can tell you what is useful to know for ML and AI, besides programming: In computer science, you need to have a good grasp of the theory, taught in courses like Theory of Computation and Algorithms. Some schools also teach an undergraduate AI course. Machine learning can be viewed as the intersection between computer science and statistics, so basic statistics is important. A lot of AI and ML has to do with (mathematical) optimization, for that you need a good grasp of linear algebra and multivariate calculus. Some methods (like neural networks) require understanding differential equations and partial differential equations (but I would put those down as fairly optional, you'll learn the relevant material if you ever need to).</p>\n\n<p>The reality is, if you are going to go to a graduate program in AI/ML, you'll learn all the AI/ML-specific things you need to learn there. What you need to know to get accepted into the program is very variable on a program-by-program basis, but the reality is that the coursework probably won't be the most important thing in the admission process. If you're going straight for a job out of college, employers probably won't care much about your coursework either. It will be all about how you do at the interview, which will be very variable on an employer-by-employer basis.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>At the end of the day, my suggestion is to think about what job you want to end up doing and work backwards from there to figure out what you need to do to get it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 115192,
"author": "K.Praveen",
"author_id": 96987,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96987",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Firstly, I congratulate you for thinking in these lines at your initial engineering days itself.</p>\n\n<p>My answer for you is that, no subject is ignored to make a machine (lifeless object) intelligent. But still focus on these subjects like Eng.Maths, *data structure (code it understand it), compilers design, os, dbms, nlp, ai, etc-- to expertise in the space of Artificial Intelligence. Don't consider them just as a subjects learnt it like a Pro.</p>\n\n<p>For most of the C.S.E students completing their B.tech, will have two option either research or Development. </p>\n\n<p>But many of them will fail in understanding what they are capable of. For this matter I would ask you to get good mentor first and do some projects on ML, AI. Understand the algorithms. You should do the projects that you are nowhere less than a typical AI developer.</p>\n\n<p>Having all this done, by the end of your course you will be able to figure out either to go for research or development.</p>\n\n<p><strong><em>As per me,</em></strong> </p>\n\n<p>If any student wants to explore more insights of the Algorithms/Mathematics or want enhance the existed algorithms or really passionate to design a new algorithm they <em>can go for Research.</em></p>\n\n<p>If any student wants to make business out of the existed technology then they <em>can go for Development</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Hope this will be helpful to any cse student.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17407",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12392/"
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|
17,409 | <p>After you have finished a PhD when does it become inappropriate to ask your advisor for advice, read over a manuscript, or do any other "advisor things"? Presumably if every student an advisor ever had continued to act as if the former advisor was still his/her advisor, the professor wouldn't get anything else done. Basically how should one interact with the former advisor once the PhD is finished?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17410,
"author": "Thomas",
"author_id": 6984,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6984",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>My advisor, at two different points in my academic career, said:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>\"I am your advisor for life. You can always count on me.\"</li>\n<li>\"I think it's time for my old students to start finding new people to comment on their work.\"</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I took away from this that your advisor should always be available at some level, it's part of the point of taking on students. You are part of their scientific (or otherwise scholarly) contribution. At the same time, post-PhD you have to develop your own network of support, which is part of your growth as a scholar.</p>\n\n<p>But how do you know when to do this? I think the best answer is simply to ask your advisor (see, they're always there to answer the hard questions). Hopefully they'll give you an honest opinion - either to keep asking them for help or that they think you're ready to fly on your own. Either, if you don't feel confident that you have enough peers to count on, it's probably a sign that you both can still ask your advisor for help <em>and</em> that it's time to put some more energy into expanding your professional network.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17415,
"author": "Irwin",
"author_id": 5944,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5944",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Honestly, I'm not sure if it ever becomes \"inappropriate\" to have your advisor continue to give you advice, to read manuscripts, or even to help write them (as long as that person gets authorship credits), unless of course, your advisor says, \"No\".</p>\n\n<p>Many universities however evaluate a tenure-track faculty member based on his or her ability to do independent research, which means that if your entire CV is filled with publications co-authored with your advisor, they will not consider you as doing independent research.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17416,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>After the Ph.D. the advice should get more career-y, and less student-y. So less, \"hey will you look at this paper for me\" and more \"i've got this really great paper, but i'm not sure whether to publish it in a Journal X, or just expand it into a book?\" Or, \"man I hate my first job, but i'm getting close to tenure, do I need to go on the market again and try to move up before I get stuck?\" stuff like that.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17417,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>All the answers here are very good. I'd just like to add one extra point. </p>\n\n<p>There are often two kinds of advice one looks for in one's career:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>What should <strong>someone</strong> do in this situation ? </li>\n<li>what should <strong>I</strong> do in this situation ? </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The first class of questions are things that often get asked on this forum, and are relatively easy for someone more experienced whose advice you respect to answer. And in fact it's useful to cultivate a few such people whose opinions you respect. When you're a student, most of your questions are of this kind.</p>\n\n<p>The second class of questions are much harder: they're not really about the situation but about you. So the person answering has to know both the situation and understand some things about you. Sometimes (and not always) an advisor can provide that dual insight since they are both experienced, as well as experienced in understanding you. Again, this is not true for many advisors, but it can be true. </p>\n\n<p>Of course, the best person to answer the second type of question is yourself :), but sometimes the perspective from outside helps. </p>\n\n<p>What typically happens is that as you \"leave the nest\", you stop asking your advisor for answers to questions of the first kind, and you might occasionally still ask them for advice on the second kind of question. There are no hard and fast rules here. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17435,
"author": "Mark Meckes",
"author_id": 101,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/101",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A few years after finishing my PhD I emailed my advisors (I had two) asking for advice about something. I prefaced the email with something like, \"How long after finishing a degree is one entitled to ask one's advisors for advice?\" One of them responded, \"When they start asking you for advice, you might want to reconsider.\"</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17473,
"author": "keshlam",
"author_id": 10225,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10225",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Note that something industry has been trying to do is encourage more employees to seek out mentors and/or become mentors -- either in working effectively with the company, or in specific skills (which may result in the new kid teaching the oldtimers). </p>\n\n<p>Try not to waste their time with trivia you could teach yourself, and have the grace to be embarassed if you have to ask for advice on something you really should already know... and accept that sometimes the right answer is going to be \"go read X and come back to me if you have specific questions\" -- but if someone has the answer you need, there's nothing wrong with asking them how to approach the problem.</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17409",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8101/"
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|
17,421 | <p>I am trying to understand this regarding aspects of funding only and not quality of research.What is difference between funding an PHD and an MS student. </p>
<p>I thought both took courses, get some stipend and advisor funds them.Maybe for PHD they fund students for 5 years instead of 2 years of MS ? </p>
<p>Is there any other major difference?</p>
<p>I understand PHD student's research output expectations are completely different.I am asking this question with specific regards to state universities in US.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17422,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>Disclaimer: this is US-specific and quite likely engineering specific.</em> </p>\n\n<p>The only potential difference is that the rates for funding Ph.D students (post-candidacy) might be different to that of an MS student. But the difference is usually between types of funding(RAship, TAship, etc), not who gets funded. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17423,
"author": "nagniemerg",
"author_id": 11084,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11084",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>This is a US-based answer and maybe specific to Mathematics, but I think this generally applies.</p>\n\n<p>From my understanding, the difference is only whether or not you have been admitted to the PhD program or not. Many times it is the case that you can be admitted to an MS program but not a PhD program until after you have passed some type of qualifying exams. </p>\n\n<p>Depending on the university, you may see an increase in your pay after successfully completing the necessary qualifying exams, etc.</p>\n\n<p>It is not necessarily the case that an advisor will fund you during your MS or PhD. At many universities, you will have an offer of a TA position (not related to research, as the name suggests), and you are required to teach / grade / hold recitations (depending on the university) in order to fulfill your TA contract. Often, you can attain funding from an advisor so as to 'cover' your teaching load for the semester or potentially the summer. The benefit here is that you are primarily spending your time on research and are not under a TA contract.</p>\n\n<p>Often, if you have been admitted to a PhD program and passed your qualifiers, you will have the opportunity to teach higher level courses that a MS student would not.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17424,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Other answers pointed out that the amount of support for PhD students (post-qualifying exam) can be higher than M.S. students. However, in addition to funding levels, funding <strong>sources</strong> for PhD and M.S. students can be very different.</p>\n\n<p>For example, in my lab (US, engineering), most of the M.S. students working as research assistants are supported by funds allocated by the <strong>department</strong> to the professor every semester. This money is given specifically for the purpose of creating extra educational and training opportunities for M.S. students, through participation in research. </p>\n\n<p>Then, in my lab, the funds that support PhD students usually come from their advisors' <strong>research grants</strong>. (A small number of PhD students are funded by the department for a year, but this comes from a very limited \"pool\" that is separate from the M.S. student money, comes directly from the dept to the PhD student - not the professor - and is much harder to get. Some PhD students are funded by external fellowships, like NSF Graduate Research Fellowships.) </p>\n\n<p>You didn't ask about undergraduate researchers, but we also have those in my lab, and they are often funded by the NSF from Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) grants.</p>\n\n<p>Thus, in my lab there are certain funds that may be used only for undergrads (from NSF via REU grants); certain funds that can go only to M.S. students (from the department, via a pool of money allocated to create research opportunities for M.S. students); and certain funds that can go only to PhD students (from the department, via a pool of money allocated specifically for one-year PhD fellowships). Then there are funds (mainly, from the professor's research grants) that can be used to support any kind of student.</p>\n\n<p>This is of course just an example - other labs will have entirely different \"pools\" of funds that they may draw from, which may or may not have restrictions as to who may use them.</p>\n\n<p>It is entirely possible for a professor to be able to fund an M.S. student (because it comes out of departmental M.S. research opportunities money) and not a PhD student (because they don't have enough active research grants, or all their grant money is already committed, and the department PhD fellowship pool is empty).</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17421",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10442/"
]
|
17,430 | <p>I just finished my masters studies. My question is, <strong>will my age (29) affect my chances of getting a funded PhD position?</strong> I finished Bachelor of Engineering when I was 24 (took 6 years to graduate, normally my program was 5 years). I worked as a Lab course assistant (teaching the practical part of the course at a local university) for 2 years before I started my MSc a bit late due to financial reasons. I started working in industry a year ago (for same financial reasons) in a computer science field but irrelevant to the research area. I know that most of PhD <em>scholarship</em> positions <em>officially</em> require the applicant's age to be under 35, but do not they prefer someone who is 25 rather than 34? </p>
<p>I have two conference publications, one in IEEE, and about to send the third for journal publication. My field is computer engineering with a focus on the software side and I am trying to apply in Europe mainly.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17432,
"author": "OK-",
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"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8542",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The short answer is: no. Quite the contrary, many universities value the experience (preferably from industry) so it is beneficial. Also, your conference papers will be the most important factors in getting the PhD position and/or funding. I'd also emphasize that you should highlight the fact that you have a journal article (preferably A or A*) in progress.</p>\n\n<p>I have not seen any such requirement which is restricting PhD or any academic degree to a specific age. In fact, doing so is illegal in most (read: all) European countries as it comes under age discrimination. </p>\n\n<p>To narrow it down further, different funding bodies could impose their own restrictions per project, for instance DAAD's grant that you mentioned is \"to promote and fund young artists\" according to them, that is why it is restricted to a certain age group. A similar example could be feminist studies where it could be restricted to a single gender. Again, this has nothing to do with general conditions of admission.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17449,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In general, the idea of age restrictions is not to punish non-traditional educational paths, but to target \"younger\" professionals who are just getting started in their careers, rather than \"returning\" students. Thus, in some cases (including the DAAD link provided), you'll notice that there's a two-pronged requirement: either be under a certain age <em>or</em> have procured the degree within the last <em>X</em> years. This allows programs some flexibility while not excluding candidates who have made their way in a manner other than the traditional route.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17430",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6416/"
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|
17,431 | <p>I recently saw this infogram circling around various social networks:</p>
<p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/06n84.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>
<p>It appeared in <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamGDunn/status/432520636716441600/photo/1" rel="noreferrer">this Tweet</a> with the following claim:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Got a PhD? Your chance of becoming a Professor is 0.45%. Good luck.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Being a bit sceptical of the claim and of shiny info-grams in general, I traced the image back through <a href="http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2014/02/08/thinking-about-the-pipeline/" rel="noreferrer">this blog</a> to <a href="http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2010/4294970126.pdf" rel="noreferrer">this report</a> by the Royal Society (see page 14), featuring various reputable academics in the introduction. The report cites a number of other reports from UK organisations as its source (I did not dig deeper). The infogram seemingly pertains to graduates of PhDs in the UK in STEM fields.</p>
<p>I find the figures literally incredible. I cannot believe them. Fewer than 1-in-200 PhD graduates become professors? This would imply, for example, that STEM professors in the UK would need to graduate 200 PhD students just to "repopulate" themselves.</p>
<p>I would like to compare these estimates with figures sourced elsewhere. And so my question is: </p>
<p><strong>Are any other studies or sources of data for estimating the number of PhD graduates who end up with professorships?</strong> (... preferably within the STEM areas and not restricted to the UK)</p>
<hr>
<p>There is a related question specifically for the maths field and referring to tenure-track positions but none of the answers really address this question: <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8236/what-percentage-of-phds-in-math-actually-get-a-tenure-track-academic-job">What percentage of phds in math actually get a tenure track academic job?</a></p>
<p>EDIT: Pointer to a follow-up question asked by @gerrit: <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17461/how-many-phd-students-does-a-typical-stem-professor-graduate-during-their-entire/18096">How many PhD students does a typical STEM professor graduate during their entire career?</a></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17434,
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"text": "<p>Under stable situation, this probably can always be approximated by dividing the number of professor positions by the number of the PhD student positions, and normally makes numbers below 10 %. Same way you can calculate your chances of getting any other reputable, sufficiently well paid position below professor.</p>\n\n<p>Apart lots of hard work, making to professors also requires a great deal of success. Counting on this is same as counting on getting a gold medal in Olympics: somebody does, but if this is the <em>only</em> your reason to participate, be ready for disappointments.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17437,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's a shiny info-gram, but I think there is a lot wrong with it:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>It transports the (common) misconception that the 53% leaving to industry after their PhD are sort of <em>failed professors</em>. At least in CS, and probably a lot of other STEM fields as well, many PhD students start with the full intention of leaving academia sometime. Hence, the better question the diagram should be asking is <em>How many of those that want to become professors actually do?</em>. Basically, I could come up with similar low percentages for every field. Let's say less than 1% of all working population of a city works in supermarkets. Does that mean that supermarket jobs are horribly hard to break into? No, because most people do not have the career goal of working in a supermarket in the first place.</li>\n<li>Similarly for the 17% non-university research. In CS, good industry labs (like the ones at IBM or Microsoft) are preferable options for many researchers, so they would not take a professorship even if offered.</li>\n<li>As already stated by commenters above, the title <em>professor</em> means different things in different places. In Austria, for instance, many high school teachers are officially \"professors\" (tenured even), despite not having a PhD or ever doing research. In Great Britain, very few people are professors (most are lecturers or senior lecturers). In Madrid I know an academic research lab (not affiliated with a university) that calls their staff members <em>research professors</em>. Job titles are almost never clear-cut.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>That being said, I do think that there is a problem. If we assume a reasonably stable system (number of professors in a discipline stays more or less constant), then every tenured professor is in average allowed to see <em>one</em> of her/his students through to also become a tenured professor. Given that many tenured professors (at least here in Europe) maintain groups of 15+ PhD students at a time, I is pretty obvious even without digging into the data too much that the job market for professors is insanely competitive (which, incidentally, captures my personal experience hunting for tenure-track positions pretty well).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17462,
"author": "gerrit",
"author_id": 1033,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>An article in Physics World has more information, and appears to be the source of the figure in question (I'm not entirely sure if it is the <em>original</em> source, as the article draws it data from elsewhere). The article is <a href=\"http://physicsworldarchive.iop.org/full/pwa-pdf/25/10/phwv25i10a40.pdf\">available to subscribers</a>, and the full citation is:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Harris, Margaret. \"The academic pyramid.\" Physics World 25, no. 10 (2012): 54-57.</em></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>It appears to be <a href=\"http://images.iop.org/dl/physicsweb/2012/PWOct12graduate-careers-web-small.pdf\">presently mirrored here</a>, and my information is drawn from the mirror. It answers some questions on data sources that were lost when the image got its own life without proper context. Data are for STEM fields, and are relevant for the United Kingdom. The figure caption reads:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Transition points in typical academic scientific careers following a PhD. Based on data from the Higher\n Education Funding Council for England, the Research Base Funders Forum and the Higher Education\n Statistics Agency’s annual “Destinations of leavers from higher education” survey. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Furthermore, the article states:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Statistics\n suggest that the vast majority of people who\n complete science PhDs will never obtain a\n permanent academic post. This is vividly\n illustrated in a diagram published in 2010\n by the Royal Society as part of a report on\n the future of scientific careers in the UK\n (figure 1). Drawing on data from various\n UK sources, the diagram follows a “typical\n academic career” through a series of post-\n PhD transition points, when large numbers\n of people leave the university environment\n for careers in, say, government or industrial\n research. These data show that less than\n 0.5% of science PhD students will ever\n become full professors, while just 3.5% will\n obtain lower-ranking permanent positions\n as research staff at universities.</p>\n \n <p>For physicists, that 3.5% figure is probably a little low. Slightly older data collected by the Institute of Physics and the\n US National Science Foundation suggest\n that the fraction of physics PhD students\n who obtain permanent academic jobs has\n historically hovered between 10 and 20%.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>(...) But many more <em>do</em> want to stay in academia:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Indeed, according to an August 2012 survey carried out\n by the American Institute of Physics (AIP),\n nearly half (46%) of new physics PhD stu-\n dents at US institutions want to work in a\n university. The next most popular career\n plan among those surveyed, attracting 18%\n of responses, was “unsure”.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>For more information, the article points to the UK group <a href=\"http://www.vitae.ac.uk/\">Vitae</a>, UK science advocacy group <a href=\"http://scienceisvital.org.uk/\">Science is Vital</a>, and the <a href=\"http://www.nsf.gov/statistics\">US NSF Statistics page</a>.</p>\n\n<p>So, for physics, it appears between ¼–½ of PhD students who want to get permanent academic positions, ultimately succeed in doing so. That's a quite different figure than 0.5% (but still problematic, as the article discusses in some detail).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17686,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Just looked up some numbers for Germany: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>In 2013, 8700 PhDs were finished in maths/natural sciences.</p></li>\n<li><p>average age at finishing (all fields): 32.5 a</p></li>\n<li><p>average age at becoming professor (maths/natural sciences): 40.5 a </p></li>\n<li><p>predicted number of retiring professors in 2021 = in 8 years = when last year's fresh PhDs reach the average age of becoming professor<br>\n(maths/natural sciences): ca. 190</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>190 : 8700 ≈ 1 : 46 or 2.2 %</p>\n\n<p>Some of the tables show only overall numbers, and no details for maths. But I think that this result is influenced by the fact that the majority of chemistry and biology students go on for a PhD (though I guess that a non-negligible fraction leaves for industry [slightly] before finishing the PhD - which after all may not be that different from doing a PhD in order to get a better entrance position in industry).</p>\n\n<p>Sources: Statistisches Bundesamt</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/BildungForschungKultur/Hochschulen/PruefungenHochschulen.html\">exam statistics</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/BildungForschungKultur/Hochschulen/PersonalHochschulen.html\">university staff statistics</a></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 95189,
"author": "badroit",
"author_id": 7746,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7746",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Another related data point quoted from the article \"<a href=\"http://www.economist.com/node/17723223\" rel=\"noreferrer\">The disposable academic</a>\" in the Economist.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Indeed, the production of PhDs has far outstripped demand for university lecturers. In a recent book, Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, an academic and a journalist, report that America produced more than 100,000 doctoral degrees between 2005 and 2009. In the same period there were just 16,000 new professorships. Using PhD students to do much of the undergraduate teaching cuts the number of full-time jobs. Even in Canada, where the output of PhD graduates has grown relatively modestly, universities conferred 4,800 doctorate degrees in 2007 but hired just 2,616 new full-time professors. Only a few fast-developing countries, such as Brazil and China, now seem short of PhDs.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The ratio of doctoral graduates to new professorships reported here (16% for the U.S. figures, 54.5% for Canada) is orders of magnitude higher than the statistics quoted in the question (0.45%). </p>\n\n<p>Though the quoted numbers are not directly comparable with those of the question (quoted numbers are not STEM while those of the question are STEM; quoted numbers are from US/Canada while those of the question are from the UK; etc.) it is hard to understand why there would be an orders of magnitude difference.</p>\n\n<p>(Perhaps there is some semantic difference in what \"professor\" is interpreted as, perhaps having a stricter meaning in the UK -- suggested by Mark Meckes in his comment -- as being something closer to having an endowed chair.)</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/26 | [
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|
17,438 | <p>When using an online library, tool, framework or something similar, what is the proper way to reference it in an article?</p>
<p>(I work in Computer Science). For example, I want to say that many popular implementations of the method presented in <em>[article reference]</em> use a slightly modified version of the main formula. I mention some examples for the implementation (e.g. <a href="http://opencv.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OpenCV</a>, <a href="http://www.vlfeat.org/man/man.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">VLFeat</a>).</p>
<p>When thinking of a way to reference this, I have several dilemmas:</p>
<ul>
<li>I could <em>put a small explanation in a footnote</em> or <em>add it to the list of references</em></li>
<li>I could use the link to the <em>main webpage</em> or to <em>an online manual</em></li>
<li>do I reference it at all?</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/5482/4249">This question</a> about how to reference Python is somewhat similar. The difference is that the tools I want to reference are fairly well known in my community (unlike Python for biologists).
In short, <strong>I am looking for a good way to acknowledge tools, frameworks or libraries <em>not associated to any article</em> in my writing</strong>.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17440,
"author": "Armand",
"author_id": 1428,
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"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If there where an article related to the presentation of the tool, framework or library then a proper citation should be used.</p>\n\n<p>If you are looking for a good way to acknowledge tools, frameworks or libraries not associated to any article, (such as the case of Python) then you can do this in a footnote. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17442,
"author": "OK-",
"author_id": 8542,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8542",
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"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'd put emphasis on the <strong>literature review</strong> section of your article and/or thesis. From this perspective, there are two possible citation styles. First, instead of referencing a programming language, reference the concept that you are writing about. For instance, instead of saying</p>\n\n<pre><code>C++ (Stroustrup, 1986) is a programming language.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>say</p>\n\n<pre><code>Stroustrup (1986) extends C to develop object-oriented programming by doing so and so.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>In this way, you enrich your literature review and not simply accumulate references.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, if the tool is quite novel and not used anywhere in literature yet, then cite who and where it was developed. For instance, SuperComp has developed SuperLang that you want to cite. It could look like this:</p>\n\n<pre><code>SuperComps (2014) develops Superlang for this and that so on and so forth.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The reference for it could be an online resource, book, manual, etc and will simply follow your referencing style e.g., APA, Harvard, etc.</p>\n\n<p>So, you can simply cite OpenCV, VLFeat as either website, online resource, related paper, or patenting or licensing author(s).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17450,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A good citation has the following properties:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Gives credit where it is due for an (idea, tool, dataset, etc.) that is not your own.</li>\n<li>Directs the reader of your paper where to look, if he/she wants to verify that your claims about the (idea, tool, dataset, etc.) are correct.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Any of the following can be used to cite a tool, as long as the above properties are satisfied:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>If the authors of a tool explain how they would like it to be cited, follow those recommendations.</li>\n<li>If there is a paper or tech report about the tool, cite that, because that is what the authors would probably want (if they didn't specify). </li>\n<li>If there is no paper or TR, cite the website of the tool. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Of course, in most cases, you're not the first person to cite the tool - go search Google Scholar for the name of the tool, and find out how others cited it.</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17438",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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|
17,451 | <p>I plan to be applying to graduate school next year in Statistics or Biostatistics and due to some financial constrictions, I will not be able to attend unless the tuition is waived at the the minimum. I am hesitant to commit to a 5 year PhD program for a funded education since I may run into some financial issues a few years in and may not be able to complete it. I know that most schools use their Masters program as a cash cow and thus are usually not funded. I was wondering if anyone here knew of any statistics programs that go against this and actually do fund their Master students? </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17440,
"author": "Armand",
"author_id": 1428,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1428",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If there where an article related to the presentation of the tool, framework or library then a proper citation should be used.</p>\n\n<p>If you are looking for a good way to acknowledge tools, frameworks or libraries not associated to any article, (such as the case of Python) then you can do this in a footnote. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17442,
"author": "OK-",
"author_id": 8542,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8542",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'd put emphasis on the <strong>literature review</strong> section of your article and/or thesis. From this perspective, there are two possible citation styles. First, instead of referencing a programming language, reference the concept that you are writing about. For instance, instead of saying</p>\n\n<pre><code>C++ (Stroustrup, 1986) is a programming language.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>say</p>\n\n<pre><code>Stroustrup (1986) extends C to develop object-oriented programming by doing so and so.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>In this way, you enrich your literature review and not simply accumulate references.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, if the tool is quite novel and not used anywhere in literature yet, then cite who and where it was developed. For instance, SuperComp has developed SuperLang that you want to cite. It could look like this:</p>\n\n<pre><code>SuperComps (2014) develops Superlang for this and that so on and so forth.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The reference for it could be an online resource, book, manual, etc and will simply follow your referencing style e.g., APA, Harvard, etc.</p>\n\n<p>So, you can simply cite OpenCV, VLFeat as either website, online resource, related paper, or patenting or licensing author(s).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17450,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A good citation has the following properties:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Gives credit where it is due for an (idea, tool, dataset, etc.) that is not your own.</li>\n<li>Directs the reader of your paper where to look, if he/she wants to verify that your claims about the (idea, tool, dataset, etc.) are correct.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Any of the following can be used to cite a tool, as long as the above properties are satisfied:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>If the authors of a tool explain how they would like it to be cited, follow those recommendations.</li>\n<li>If there is a paper or tech report about the tool, cite that, because that is what the authors would probably want (if they didn't specify). </li>\n<li>If there is no paper or TR, cite the website of the tool. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Of course, in most cases, you're not the first person to cite the tool - go search Google Scholar for the name of the tool, and find out how others cited it.</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/26 | [
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|
17,454 | <p>What is the proper way to address a person who is an office in the military (USA) who at the same time has a Ph.D.? Would it be Dr. General John Doe or General Dr. John Doe?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17457,
"author": "Ben Webster",
"author_id": 13,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Everything I've seen suggests that \"General John Doe\" without any \"Dr.\" is correct (you've never heard of \"General Doctor David Petraeus\" right?); for example, military doctors are usually addressed using their rank, not as \"Doctor.\" In part it just sounds clunky to try to use both titles. Similarly at Virginia Military Academy (bizarrely, in my opinion) all of the faculty are officers in the Virginia state militia, and are listed on the website with military titles (<a href=\"http://www.vmi.edu/Content.aspx?id=4294974313\">http://www.vmi.edu/Content.aspx?id=4294974313</a>), not with the title \"Professor\" or \"Doctor.\" I think \"General John Doe, Ph.D.\" is more common, though discouraged in some sources I read. I think it's hard to go wrong just addressing someone in the military by their rank.</p>\n\n<p><strong>EDIT:</strong> I should probably say that isn't to say that you never combine Doctor with another title: \"Herr Professor Doktor\" is standard in Germany, (though I'm not allowed to call myself that, since I have a doctorate from the US) and \"Reverend Doctor\" (or even \"Most/Right Reverend Doctor\") are established titles, though more common in Britain than the US. Just in the specific context of military titles in the US, it's not standard to mix them with other titles. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 34121,
"author": "Ivan",
"author_id": 26456,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/26456",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>CPT John Smith, Ph.D.; MAJ James Dean, M.D.; or LTC John Doe, J.D. are more correct when addressing doctorate officers in writing. </p>\n\n<p>Although this is true that Military rank usually comes before academic in most cases, there are some exceptions. </p>\n\n<p>Doctors in the Medical Corps are often addressed as \"doctor.\" Many medical officers preferred to be called doctor as this title reflects their professional and client relationship instead of subordinate and superior. In addition, JAG officers are sometime addressed using the title of \"counselor.\" </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46996,
"author": "Sean Johnson",
"author_id": 35729,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35729",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>in general the only time a rank and title are used together is with Chaplains. Formally it is Chaplain (Major) John Doe, and informally it is Chaplain Doe. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17454",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12427/"
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|
17,455 | <p>Journals like <em>Nature</em> and <em>Science</em> have impressive impact factors. How and why did these top journals become top journals? Why are they able to sustain their statuses?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17456,
"author": "Drew",
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"text": "<p>Stringent review standards, leading to highly integritous articles, could account, in part, for what has led these journals to become 'top' journals.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17458,
"author": "Bjørn Kjos-Hanssen",
"author_id": 11257,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11257",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think this is analogous to \"why is Harvard a good university, and able to maintain its standing as such?\" A partial answer is that (1) it was founded a long time ago, and (2) it was founded by serious people. Given that, further serious people will tend to gravitate to the same institution, creating an inertia in the rankings.</p>\n\n<p>A quote from <em>The Crucible</em> (set in the year 1692):</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I am not some preaching farmer with a book under my arm; I am a graduate of Harvard College.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17459,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>All journals that have a high standing have the standing because of the support of the community. If the community loses interest, the journal will drop in the ranking. The top journals have therefore attracted authors for one reason or another. The editorial staff of journals try to maintain this status by making sure the work published there is of good quality and will be cited. It is thus not impossible for new journals to attain high status as long as authors provide the necessary papers. To this mix, we now also add the impact factor and other bibliometric factors. They matter now but have not been the driving factor for making the older journal what they are today.</p>\n\n<p>I work with a more modest journal and I can definitely state that improving your impact factor is far more difficult than to drop in ranking. But, if your ranking becomes high enough (no specific number will be relevant since it varies between fields) a journal will be self-fuelling since many want to publish their material there and competition stiffens leading to a strong selection.</p>\n\n<p>So the standing of Science and Nature, is part their long history, in part the hard work by the journal itself and in part the, now, need for authors to publish in as high ranking journals as possible since that is what forms the basis for most evaluations in academia.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17485,
"author": "Philip Gibbs",
"author_id": 7466,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7466",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Journals gain their status mainly by being the first to offer publications in a new field and secondly by recruiting influential people in the field as editors. </p>\n\n<p>Once a journal has a high impact factor people will want to publish there because authors themselves are judged on the impact factors of the journals they publish in. This means the editors can set a higher standard for acceptance. Since the impact factor is based on citation rates it then increases further. Most academic journals publish only papers and have very little editorial content, so this positive feedback mechanism is the main thing that maintains their top ranking. The mechanism operated even before impact factors were formally measured because people still knew roughly what the impact and standing of a journal was.</p>\n\n<p>It is very hard for a new journal to get a good reputation because it takes two years for them to even be given an impact factor and this will remain low because they will fail to attract the best papers initially. A new journal needs to offer something different to succeed. They may specialize in a new field that does not already have a top journal, or they may offer open access for low charges in order to get going, but the established journals are always very hard to dispose.</p>\n\n<p>The other factor that keeps a journal in the top ranking is its editorial board, but this is not because the editorial job requires their skills and knowledge. What the journal needs is a good supply of peers willing to review articles well and it is not easy to persuade academics to dedicate their valuable time to this chore when they don't get paid for it. The main reason they do agree to review articles is to impress the editors because the editors are influential people in the field who may help them get their next job. </p>\n\n<p>Editors themselves take on the role because of the prestige of being an editor for a top journal and because they get an opportunity to identify reviewers who understand the field so that they can recruit them. This establishes another positive feedback that helps maintain the journals top spot. One of the few things that can destabilize a top journals position is the resignation of its most influential editors.</p>\n\n<p>Whether this amounts to a good system for academia is very much open to debate. Most top journals are in the hands of big commercial publishers who understand how the system works and who have cleverly developed and promoted the journal impact system to their advantage. They make huge profits taking money from scarce scientific funds when most of the hard work in publishing is done by unpaid authors, reviewers and editors. Efforts by academics to change this usually fail because they don't understand how the system works, or because they dont have the time or funding to realize their ambitions. Another reason seems to be that governments and funding agencies like the big profitable corporate publishers so they tailor legislation to suit the publishers rather than the academics. Also the academic societies (APS, AMS etc.) who supposedly oversee the interests of the fields are themselves funded mostly through their journals so they have a massive self interest in perpetuating the system. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17505,
"author": "Flounderer",
"author_id": 5842,
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"text": "<p>Suppose you start with a collection of journals and people who want to publish quality papers in them, who arrive over time. Suppose that each new quality paper is sent to a journal which is chosen at random, but where the probability of choosing journal X is an increasing function of the number of quality papers which have already appeared in X. Then you are dealing with a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preferential_attachment\">preferential attachment process </a> and you will find that after a long time, most of the quality papers will be appearing in a few top journals and there will be lots and lots of mediocre journals with very few quality papers.</p>\n\n<p>Naturally it's a very simplified model, but the same argument can be used for the sizes of cities, views of Youtube videos, distribution of wealth, etc. See <a href=\"https://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/kleinber/networks-book/networks-book-ch18.pdf\">Chapter 18 of Easley and Kleinberg's</a> textbook for more.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17509,
"author": "socialsciencedoc",
"author_id": 11154,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11154",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One related comment- </p>\n\n<p>There are some comments here that are equating high-impact factor with high prestige. I think this generally holds true, especially for people working firmly within the boundaries of a single discipline. For these people, of course, reputable journals are going to be more widely read and thus cited more frequently, and have higher impact-factors.</p>\n\n<p>For people whose work are more inter-disciplinary, the relationship between prestige and impact factor are not so straightforward, because the size of the disciplinary audience can be very different. </p>\n\n<p>For example, my work is interdisciplinary and lies at the boundaries of sociology, economic geography, management/organizations, and Asian studies. Journals in each these fields have different audiences, number of scholars, and thus, different impact factors. For example, Asian studies have a number of high quality high prestige journals that publish excellent papers, but because the size of the core audience, even the top journals hardly have impact factors that exceed 1. For management, however, because the field is very large, even journals that publish not-so-rigorous studies tend to have high-impact factors, easier exceeding top journals in social science/humanities. There are a number of journals that have impact factors over 5 or 6, and even mid-range journals have impact-factors around 3. Sociology and geography lie somewhere in-between. </p>\n\n<p>It might be a natural tendency for people to try to publish in journals with high-impact factors. However, I would say, at least in my field, there is definitely higher prestige that will be attached to work in, say, top tier Asian studies journals (say, impact factor of 0.5-0.6) or a top- sociology journal (impact factor around 2-3) than a mid-tier management journal (impact factor of 3-4). </p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17455",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10421/"
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|
17,461 | <p>The <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/17431/1033">discussion on this infogram</a> made me wonder about the number of PhD students that a full research professor successfully graduates in their entire career. By professor, I mean a full professor, not an associate or exclusively teaching professor or other positions referred to as professor depending on field and location. Of course, the answer is not a single number, but rather a probability density function that is a function of field, place, time, university, and probably other factors. To narrow the scope, I formulate the question as:</p>
<p><em>For selected fields and countries, what are recent figures on the mean and standard deviation (alternatively median and median absolute deviation, in case the distribution is non-Gaussian) for the number of PhD students successfully graduated per professor throughout their entire career?</em></p>
| [
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"text": "<p>My guess is that it probably varies hugely, by field, by department and then again by professor. </p>\n\n<p>The fields might vary because of the different expectations about having co-advisors, the size of dissertation committees and so on. </p>\n\n<p>Departments might vary based on their teaching needs. A department (Department A) that the university needs to cover lots of intro classes might be funded primarily by teaching, and so such a department is going to have a lot of graduate students. On the other hand, Department B that brings in tons of grant money might have more labs, but less teaching responsibilities, and therefore have a higher proportion of post-docs and lab assistants than grad students. Hence, profs at Dept B might have fewer students than profs at dept A, but that won't speak to the relative quality of the faculty at either institution obviously.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, it might also vary just from faculty member to faculty member. Some people are jerks and nobody will want to work with them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 20234,
"author": "RoboKaren",
"author_id": 14885,
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"text": "<p>It depends on the size and staffing needs of their lab. For example, theoretical computer science and mathematics professors may need no lab support at all. Thus, they are under no pressure to take grad students or post-docs and can choose just the ones that they want.</p>\n\n<p>However, if you are doing work on stem cells, you may need a great deal of lab support. You would want a team of doctoral students and a couple of post-docs at any one time. In order to maintain continuity, you would want to accept at least one doctoral student each year. So if you had a 20 year career, you would have at least 20 students (or 20 - 7 = 13 given that it takes students 7 years to graduate and you don't want to leave students hanging at the end).</p>\n\n<p>You'll need to narrow down what you mean by a \"STEM\" field in order to get a more precise answer.</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17461",
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|
17,470 | <p>In mathematics (and other sciences) there are thousands of concepts, theorems, lemmas, etc which are named after some mathematicians (scientists). However, this nominations are not always very straightforward, especially if we are going to assign a new name for new concepts. For example, I can imagine the following scenarios and I would like to know what general protocol we should apply in each case: </p>
<ol>
<li>A concept may have several origins in different fields and due to several individuals. </li>
<li><p>A concept is built on another concept which already have a name and this can happen several times. For example "Hecke pairs" is a concept in mathematics, then Bost and Connes make a particular Hecke pair famous, so we have "the Bost-Connes Hecke pairs". Should we name all influential people in each stage of advancement of a concept?</p></li>
<li><p>If an author invents a concept, is it appropriate to name it after him/herself, or he/she should wait others call it after his/her name?</p></li>
<li><p>A concept was invented by some author "X" in long time ago, and then it has evolved to something very modern and somehow different. Should we still call it by the name "X"? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Please do not hesitate to add new items if you can imagine other scenarios too.</p>
<p>Finally, I would like to ask another related question:</p>
<p>Can we use acronyms in stead of the full names, especially if the names of several people are involved? </p>
| [
{
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"text": "<p>Good questions. I will only tackle the last two:</p>\n\n<p>3) In mathematics, it is (virtually?) universally bad form to name something after yourself. This is high on the list of things that amateurs/newbies do that make the professionals/veterans roll their eyes. </p>\n\n<p>Some people have joked that the best strategy to get something named after yourself is to give your nice new concept such a terrible name (or lack of a name) that the rest of the community converges on naming it after you. </p>\n\n<p>Even after something has been named after you, it is not necessarily completely kosher to speak your own name when referring to the concept. Rob Kirby famously speaks of \"the calculus of framed links\" (or, I think ironically, \"the calculus\") where others speak of \"the Kirby calculus\". At one point Armand Borel writes of \"the subgroup whose name I have the honor to bear\".</p>\n\n<p>It gets a bit ridiculous: when you give a talk and state one of your own theorems, it is most common to write out the names of your coauthors and not write out your own name. In my student days I saw a lot of first letter then dashes. Nowadays I mostly see the name dashed out entirely. Come to think of it, this reminds me of the Jewish practice of leaving letters out of the name \"Jehovah\", although the theological implications of treating <em>your own name this way</em> are much more profound.</p>\n\n<p>4) I don't know whether we \"should\", but we often do. In general, it seems to me that mathematics has gotten used to naming things after certain people, and we often name things after people who would never have understood the things that are named after them. The example <strong>Hilbert space</strong> (coined by von Neumann in its present generality) is a famous one. The example <strong>Euler system</strong> has always struck me as being especially ridiculous (I asked my advisor about this, and he told me that the name comes from Euler products: that's quite a stretch). </p>\n\n<p>Some people in mathematics are somehow especially good at getting things named after them. In my field, perhaps the outstanding example is John Tate: he has curves, algebras, half of the Shafarevich-Tate group, half of Hodge-Tate weights, half of Lubin-Tate formal groups, a pairing...As a graduate student, I was struck by the fact that I was giving a talk on Galois cohomology of products of Tate curves, analyzed via Tate local duality. The title of the talk, \"Tate-Tate-Tate Stuff\" was a riff on the title of the previous speaker's talk (\"Hodge-Tate Stuff\") and this Tate-ish ubiquity. When Tate showed up for the talk, I got very nervous...but he was cool with it. </p>\n\n<p>Needless to say, John Tate is a true luminary. The fact that so many things bear his name is only possible because of the immense amount of fundamental work that he did. But the converse does not hold: e.g. Barry Mazur is a mathematician with a similar impact on the field, but he has...what? A manifold and a swindle? (Both of these come from his work in topology at the beginning of his career.) Instead we have the <strong>Eisenstein ideal</strong>. These things are strange.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17475,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
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"text": "<p>In order to disabuse you of the idea that there's a reliable system to name things after people, I present to you: <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigler%27s_law_of_eponymy\">Stigler's law of eponymy</a>. </p>\n\n<p>And if that's not enough, you'll occasionally have item A invented by author X but named after Y, and item B invented by author Y and named after X. </p>\n\n<p>My usual joke about this is that something is usually named after the last person to invent it, because they're the one to popularize it enough that no one else can reinvent it. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17507,
"author": "Superbest",
"author_id": 244,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The following has been my impression as a biologist:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>What is the general protocol to name something after somebody (some people)?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>There is none. For certain things, such as names of genes or species, there is a protocol for submitting a name to the relevant databases, which is a right reserved for authors of the publication. This name can be anything you want, although certain standards are encouraged.</p>\n<p>People often name species after their own name. For plasmids, the convention is to acronymize the name(s) of people who created the plasmid and make it the name. For genes, this would be considered tacky (the fashion seems to be to naming them after "clever" puns instead) but I'm sure you could get it to happen with enough perseverance. But there is nothing special about it being <em>your name</em>, because the name of the thing is arbitrary. You are allowed to give it any sort of name, your own name is just one of the (less interesting) options.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A concept may have several origins in different fields and due to several individuals.</p>\n<p>A concept is built on another concept which already have a name and this can happen several times.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Concepts are not formally named after people. When originally published, the authors may or may not invent a term for the concept they discovered, to facilitate its discussion. It gets named after them, when the research turns out to be so seminal that everyone cites and recites it, and the authors begin using "the Smith protocol" as shorthand for "protocol described in a recent high-profile publication by Smith and colleagues (Smith et al. Nature 2012)". If it yet persists the test of time further, it may become a de facto tradition to call this the "Smith protocol", especially once textbook authors start electing to use "Smith protocol" as the canonical name in their own texts.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If an author invents a concept, is it appropriate to name it after him/herself, or he/she should wait others call it after his/her name?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The exception I name earlier notwithstanding, absolutely not. A scientist would get laughed out of the room if he tried to present something he blatantly named after himself (some subtle reference to his name, like an anagram of his first name, might be begrudgingly accepted), unless he was perhaps a famous Nobel laureate.</p>\n<p>If he was a famous Nobel laureate, people would still laugh, they would just wait for him to leave the room first.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A concept was invented by some author "X" in long time ago, and then it has evolved to something very modern and somehow different. Should we still call it by the name "X"?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Since I assert the naming of concepts happens not through formal procedure, but as a consequence of frequent references to the original publication, then an improved "Smith protocol" may be named the "Doe-Smith protocol" or "Doe protocol (based on the Smith protocol)" or even just "Doe protocol" if Doe manages to publish a paper which provides a useful reference for the improved version, and the improvements are substantial enough that people feel the need to cite and refer to Doe's paper at least as much as Smith's paper.</p>\n<p>If you were trying to get something named after you, the realistic strategies in biology are:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Discover and name a new species, plasmid, gene, etc. And hope the nomenclature committee doesn't think you're being too arrogant.</li>\n<li>Describe a new experimental or mathematical/computational method, and fail to give it a nice name yourself.</li>\n<li>Write a definitive reference which synthesizes several existing ad-hoc variants of a concept into one unified theory, and fail to give it a nice name yourself.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>For 1, formal procedures exist and are detailed by the agency you submit your name proposal to. For 2 and 3, you basically write the paper, and wait for everyone and their brother to start citing your landmark publication - hopefully they will talk about your research so much that the name you used will prove too cumbersome.</p>\n<p>Some examples:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>The famous Southern blot is described as only "a method of transferring fragments of DNA from agarose gels to cellulose nitrate filters" in Southern, 1975. Although extensions of this method, like the Western, were important discoveries, their popularizers got a bit less glory since it turned out that geographical puns were more fun.</li>\n<li>Eagle's minimal essential medium is described as "a fluid medium" in Eagle, 1955.</li>\n<li>Okazaki fragments were not referred to as such in Sakabe, Okazaki, 1966.</li>\n</ul>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17470",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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|
17,478 | <p>An undergrad who's worked with me for just over a year (for course credit or for pay, depending on his preference in any given semester) presented a poster on his work with me at an event hosted by my lab. Afterwards, the student told me that he spoke to Professor B at the poster session, and Professor B suggested a project that he'd like the student to work on with him. </p>
<p>He had a meeting with Professor B to talk about the specifics, after which Professor B emailed me and asked whether I would recommend the student. I indicated in my response that the student is very capable and I would rather <strong>not</strong> lose him, to which Professor B responded, "He's planning on working with me for course credit next semester."</p>
<p><strong>Was Professor B's behavior in this case OK</strong>?</p>
<p>More generally,</p>
<p><strong>Under what conditions is it OK to hire another lab's student?</strong></p>
<p>By "OK," I mean "not considered inappropriate behavior by the professor."</p>
<p>Hiring another lab's student is of course a continuum:</p>
<ul>
<li>On the one hand: Student from Professor A's lab appears in Professor B's office, says "I've heard about your research and would really like to work with you." Professor B says, "Sure, I'd like that a lot." </li>
<li>On the other hand: Professor B attends event (open house, workshop, etc.) hosted by Professor A, where Professor A's student gives a talk about his ongoing research with Professor A. Professor B chats with the student after the talk, then says "You should work with me next semester." </li>
</ul>
<p>Is either or both of these considered OK/not OK? </p>
<p>Does the type of student (PhD, MS, undergrad, high school student doing summer research) make a difference to your answer?</p>
<p>Do the terms of the student's position in either lab (earning course credit, getting paid, just getting supervision) make a difference? </p>
<p>Does it matter how long the student has been working with Professor A?</p>
<p>Should Professor B ask how Professor A feels about it before offering Professor A's student a job?</p>
<hr>
<p>This is not an active, ongoing situation - I am not looking for advice on how to respond to Professor B, or whether I should say something to the student. (The student chose to continue his work with my lab and not to work with Professor B.) I just want to know whether Professor B's behavior was appropriate.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17480,
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"text": "<p>In this particular case, there are two factors to consider.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Prior to Prof. B's offer, had Student expressed an interest (or committed) to remain in your lab next semester?</li>\n<li>Prior to Prof. B's offer, had you (or anybody in your team) already invested time and effort in the specific research that Student would be doing?</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>If the answer to both of these questions is \"no\", then Prof. B is totally entitled to try and get Student into his team. We'd be talking about a student whose connection to your lab finishes, as far as anybody is concerned, at the end of this semester. So why shouldn't other people try to hire him? On the other hand, if you had already prepared this semester with this student in mind, and/or he had already committed to staying with you, things are different. Prof. B would effectively be disrupting part of your lab's work, and you should let him know that he would be. You should also tell Student that it is not good behavior to suddenly abandon a project after committing to it. If he really wants to leave you under these circumstances, it should be because Prof. B can offer him something you can't (for example, if my brightest MSc student told me \"I have been accepted to this super prestigious PhD program, under the supervision of Prof. Superstar, so I'm leaving at the end of the semester\", I'd be annoyed, but I'd let him go for his own benefit).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17481,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Consider the following scenario: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I've been working with a professor for a year now, and at one of his\n events, I presented a poster. Another professor came up to me and\n started talking, and it turned out that this professor had a very\n interesting project related to my interests. I'm applying to grad\n schools in a year, and if I can get two recommendations from faculty\n it will really help my application. Should I work with this professor\n or not ?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Students have agency too. There's a lot of context and background missing in your description that Koldito alludes to. But in general students should be free to make their own decisions about their research activities and honor existing commitments that they've agreed to. </p>\n\n<p>Personally, if I were Professor B, I might suggest that the student talk to you first before deciding, but it's also possible that B did that, and the student indicated that no continuing commitment existed. If I were advising the student, I'd also suggest they clear things up with you first. I might also suggest that depending on the level of interest in the project they have with you, they give you the right of first refusal. </p>\n\n<p>But this exact situation has happened to me with students (twice). They worked with me for a while, and then found a topic that made more sense to them with another professor. I wished I could have convinced them to stay, but they did well with their advisors and I was on both their committees, with no hard feelings at all. </p>\n"
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]
|
17,483 | <p>I've been just had an abstract accepted to one of the top conferences in my field, but I'm cancelling my participation for personal reasons (short story: my wife is going to give birth to our first child a couple of weeks before the conference, and at that point I'd rather stay at home than spend several days in a different continent; this happened because I neglected to check the actual conference dates when I submitted the abstract; let that be a lesson for all of us). When I informed the organizers, they suggested that I still should add the conference to my CV, with an indication that I didn't actually present, i.e., under "Peer-reviewed conferences", I would write something like:</p>
<ul>
<li>"A genius solution to an insanely difficult problem". Conference Everybody Wants To Attend XXIV, May 2014, Prestigious American University (unable to present).</li>
</ul>
<p>What are your thoughts about this? If the organizers hadn't said anything, I would have left it out of my CV; but then, the particular organizer I corresponded with is a big name in the field and way more senior than I am, and she didn't seem to have any problems with it.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17486,
"author": "MasterPJ",
"author_id": 4079,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4079",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>As it is a peer-reviewed conference, I think it is OK to mention it the CV. </p>\n\n<p>I am not sure about your particular conference, but in such conferences the biggest step is to get accepted (extended abstract/paper) and you did. So you did the job, they liked your idea and in normal situation you would present there.</p>\n\n<p>It can happen that you are not able to present and you cannot find anyone to do it for you. However, you met all the requirements to be there, so it has its place in your CV.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to be more correct you can mention the abstract as well because not everybody can know if the abstract or whole paper is required.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"A genius solution to an insanely difficult problem\". Conference\n Everybody Wants To Attend XXIV, May 2014, Prestigious American\n University (accepted abstract, unable to present)</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 47282,
"author": "Nicholas Rowe",
"author_id": 35922,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35922",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am not sure that it is a good idea. Firstly, it draws attention to your lack of preparation (however understandable). Secondly, it was never presented (however acceptable the organisers found it), and Thirdly, you did not even attend. It is meritable that you succeeded in getting accepted (& should re-direct the paper to another similar conference), by your CV shows 'where you have been & what you have done', & you did not complete the journey.... do you want to draw attention to this? You should treat being accepted as a personal success, but adding a caveat to something that was never presented is (IMO) not recommended. Your CV mentions actual activities and formal achievements, and although being accepted is an achievement in itself, it is taking part & delivering the information to others that is of note. I would leave it off & submit the good work you have done elsewhere.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17483",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314/"
]
|
17,495 | <p>Suppose we perform experiments with input parameters (temperature, humidity, processing time...) and collect resulting data (thickness, structure, mech. properties...).</p>
<p>Is there a tool (or set of tools) to organize, process and export data from such experiments?</p>
<p>Key features are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Structured files decomposition (raw text files).</li>
<li>Basic math operations.</li>
<li>Filter and sort by given parameters (show/export data from samples treated at given temperature and humidity for various times).</li>
<li>Generating tables with given parameters and list of "constants" (table of times, mech. properties and thicknesses and list containing temperature, humidity...).</li>
<li>Vector graphics output and/or output suitable for MATLAB (graph of thickness as function of time).</li>
<li>Automated (or easy-to-create) LaTeX output (report sheet).</li>
</ul>
<p>If not, any idea, hint or recommendation how to create it is appreciated. Right now I'm thinking of a spreadsheet (Excel) as core database and MATLAB as the processor (filters, sorting, graphics).</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17498,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would store data in <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma-separated_values\" rel=\"nofollow\">CSV</a> (i.e. text file with a table, with values separated by commas) rather than XLS files (the first is easier to import from and export to anything). Otherwise many tools will do the job (if you are familiar with MATLAB - why not using it)?</p>\n\n<p>For general data processing and manipulation, <strong>Python</strong> (with <a href=\"http://www.scipy.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">SciPy</a> stack) is capable of everything you mentioned. In particular <a href=\"http://ipython.org/notebook.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">IPython Notebook</a> is great for data exploration and presentation (you can use code, comments and LaTeX in such notebook - also for reports). For tabular data, use <a href=\"http://pandas.pydata.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Pandas</a> (R-like DataFrames).</p>\n\n<p>For reports also you can create files in Markdown (with LaTeX), and then convert them to pdf with <a href=\"http://johnmacfarlane.net/pandoc/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Pandoc</a> - may be much easier than generation of LaTeX code. (To get you some taste what is Markdown - look at <a href=\"https://stackedit.io/\" rel=\"nofollow\">StackEdit</a>.)</p>\n\n<p>And alternative to Python is <strong><a href=\"http://www.r-project.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">R</a></strong>, with <a href=\"http://yihui.name/knitr/\" rel=\"nofollow\">knitr</a> for report generation. If you are not sure, if to choose R or Python, then for your task R seems to be an easier and better way to start (especially with <a href=\"https://www.rstudio.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">RStudio</a> as an interface).</p>\n\n<p>For a bigger list and links to tutorials, take a look at a list of <a href=\"https://gist.github.com/stared/9130888\" rel=\"nofollow\">software for scientists</a>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17575,
"author": "Fuhrmanator",
"author_id": 3859,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3859",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I find Google Sheets is easier and more powerful in many ways than excel. I have done a couple of projects with a sheet of raw data coming in via csv, then other sheets to process it. If you're clever, it can be done so that when the raw data are updated, everything else falls into place. Google Charts is basic but has some neat features for looking at data. The Transpose, Filter, Sort and even query (SQL) is very cool if you have lots of data. </p>\n\n<p>You can collaborate in teams, commenting on interesting findings, etc. Graphs output to PNG or PDF look great in latex. Data are available in the cloud, not just on some file server in a lab. Tables are a special kind of graph that can be shared on web pages and have user-selectable options for sorting, etc. </p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17495",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9200/"
]
|
17,497 | <p>I was recently asked to review a paper, and ended up recommending a rejection of the paper. The journal has, apparently, asked the authors to revise their paper, and the journal has come back to me asking me to review the revised paper. There is, however, no option offered for me to decline. I will likely recommend rejection again as I see that the main problem with the paper is still not addressed. What should I do in this case? Should I write to the journal that I am not willing to review this paper again, or should I go ahead with the review and recommend rejection for the second time? Since I need to provide my comments to the authors again, what should I write while still being constructive? This was my first time recommending a rejection. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17501,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>That the paper was not rejected probably depends on the second (or more) reviewers comments. I would consider it normal to ask if reviewers wish to review the paper again. That you were still asked may be a mistake, most electronic systems would require you to make a decision on that point. There may also be a flaw since a rejected paper would not need a second review and the paper was not rejected based on your suggestion. One can only speculate. I would consider it only fair to write to the editors and state that you are not interested in re-reviewing the manuscript. You could state that your impression is that a similar result would be likely were you to do the job. But, honestly, why you decline the review is no-ones business and you should have been asked before being faced with the task.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17508,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>This has happened to me a couple times. As Peter Jansson has pointed out, what probably happened is that, while you recommended rejection, reviewers 2 and 3 said \"it's actually publishable if the authors solve such-and-such problems\". This is the kind of situation where a sympathetic editor will make a \"revise and resubmit\" decision. </p>\n\n<p>In this particular case, you have it easy. Just write a very short review along the lines of \"in my first review, I recommended rejection of this article because of [problem that made you recommend rejection]. As the authors have not addressed this problem, I'm regrettably forced to maintain my previous evaluation\".</p>\n\n<p>[FWIW, one of the times I reviewed a paper like this, the journal actually ended up publishing the paper in question, with the problematic section still exactly as it was when I reviewed and rejected it. Go figure]</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17497",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10936/"
]
|
17,499 | <p>I am a biologist and very recently there has been a movement to increase the use of preprints in publishing biological research. This has generated a lot of discussion about preprints and their merits and has spawned a few servers (e.g., <a href="http://www.biorxiv.org/">bioRxiv</a>) but I have not gotten a good sense of how I should incorporate the preprint server into my normal publishing workflow.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17500,
"author": "E.P.",
"author_id": 820,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/820",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The role that pre-prints have in the collective workflow of people in a field depends half on each person's preferences and half on how it gets established as a means of communications. There are no 'right' or 'wrong' workflows for using a pre-print server (though there <em>are</em> wrong ways to use one), and you should use the one that fits you best personally and lets you communicate best with your colleagues.</p>\n\n<p>There is a broad spectrum of reasons you might want to upload a preprint, which are explained in detail in <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/16832/why-upload-to-academic-preprint-sites-like-arxiv\">this question</a>. To give a brief summary, you might upload a preprint or postprint</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>to provide free access to your content to researchers and students in institutions without subscription to the journals you publish in, which is also a way</li>\n<li>to help increase the use of your papers by the community, and hence the number of citations;</li>\n<li>to establish priority of a result, and particularly as a way to get more widespread credit for having introduced an idea at an early stage;</li>\n<li>to open a manuscript up for public comment from your colleagues after you feel it's mostly ready but before you're prepared to set it in (published) stone;</li>\n<li>to make it visible to people who browse it often as a way to see new results;</li>\n<li>to cite as-yet-unpublished work in some other paper, in a way that referees of the second one can see it;</li>\n<li>to fulfil open-access conditions on a grant;</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>or for many other reasons. Whether these (or others) apply to you will determine how you use the repository. Some of these are personal choices, and may come down to how much you feel you stand to gain from non-institutional readers having access to your work. Some of these are field-dependent, and hinge on there being a significant fraction of the workers in your field that regularly check the repository.</p>\n\n<p>The appropriate time to upload will typically vary on a case-by-case basis. You might upload at an almost-finished stage, at the time of submission to a journal, at time of acceptance, at the time the paper is published, or even six to twelve months after that. Each of these corresponds to some or other of the motivations above.</p>\n\n<p>One thing that's important to keep in mind is that you must have a good idea of prospective journals you'd like to publish in, and of what their preprint policies are, <em>before</em> you upload, as it can rule out certain publication venues if you're not careful. This is again field-dependent; many physics journals take that as standard but biology ones might not.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17502,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Workflow may be different, but the one I am familiar with is:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>put preprint on arXiv along with sending it to a journal</p></li>\n<li><p>after the final version is confirmed, update the arXiv with the newest version of text (with your formatting)</p></li>\n<li><p>(in case there are serious mistakes or omissions, update arXiv at anytime)</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Sometimes version on arXiv is put before the submission to a journal, for example:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>there is some work that need to be done before the submission, but we want to have it before a conference we are attending, or a talk at another department (so we can point the preprint to the reader),</li>\n<li>we haven't decided yet where or if we want to send it.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>And in some cases, arXiv is used <em>instead of</em> a journal, especially if:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>the work is not suitable for publication in a journal (e.g. a PhD Thesis, textbook), but we want to disseminate it, preserve it and make it easily citable,</li>\n<li>the author prefers it that way (e.g. it is a short note, or the topic is unconventional and the author prefers to avoid struggling with editors).</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 77218,
"author": "warship",
"author_id": 58901,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/58901",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm compelled to add an answer to this question from the biologist's point of view. arXiv and bioRxiv are extremely important in the field (both wet-lab biology and dry-lab bioinformatics/computational biology) for 3 reasons:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Getting your work out there ASAP (since peer-review can, and often will, take over a year). As such, if another paper gets published that's very similar to yours in study design, methods, and research, then you have the benefit of the timestamp of arXiv/bioRxiv submission and can claim precedence. Which brings me to the next point:</p></li>\n<li><p>From personal experience, I've been in situations where my work was in the middle of peer-review but someone publishes a related paper (in the same subspecialty as me) in an Advanced Access issue of a peer-reviewed journal (e.g., Bioinformatics, Nucleic Acids Research, etc). Their paper did not include a citation to my bioRxiv work, so I emailed the editor of the respective journal drawing attention to my preprint and timestamp. The editor sent my query to the authors and all agreed to cite my bioRxiv work in the next edition of the paper (which came out the next month). If I had not posted my preprint to bioRxiv 6 months beforehand, the situation would have been very different. Once my paper got accepted, the bioRxiv citation transferred automatically to the journal article. Hence, I did not lose a citation needlessly. </p></li>\n<li><p>arXiv/bioRxiv is indispensable if you feel that giving away your work to peer-review might open you up to the \"non-public domain\", which is slang in our community meaning \"opening yourself up to getting scooped.\" This is important if you're publishing in a very hot, fast-moving field and/or there is academic funding/grants at stake (think study section at major organizations). There are many reasons (not all of them noble) for why people volunteer their time to journal editorial boards and/or grant review panels. I'll leave it at that. </p></li>\n</ol>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17499",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/248/"
]
|
17,504 | <p><strong>Background:</strong>
I have done quite a lot of research work for a particular project.
I am working in the field of operations research (i.e. applied math/physics),
so this work primarily takes the form of propositions, proofs and numerical experiments.
In the process of my research,
each day I write up my daily progress in my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lab_notebook" rel="nofollow">lab notebook</a>,
which in my case takes the form of a very very long LaTeX file.
I am now trying to write up my work as an article for submission to a journal.</p>
<p><strong>Question:</strong>
What is an efficient process which I can use to write the journal article?</p>
<p><strong>Related links:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>The <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/stephendmumford/the-mumford-method" rel="nofollow">Mumford method</a> sounds interesting.
However, as Mumford is a philosopher,
his writing process seems to me to be less relevant to writing in the sciences.</li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17506,
"author": "Not Quite An Outsider",
"author_id": 10390,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10390",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I should think an annotated outline (indented list of titles) would be effective. Do a basic outline of the article with however many titles, and under each title put one or more of:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>link(s) to the text to use from your journal</li>\n<li>a short phrase to use in conveying the point of the titled section</li>\n<li>an idea of how much (word, line or paragraph count) to use to fill this out.</li>\n<li>links to other outline titles.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Once the structure looks good (or even make a few structures to pick from), go back over\nand fill in the body under each title. The annotations will help you keep track of\ncertain goals (word length, number of ideas, enough persuasive sentences, logical\ncoherence), and it is easier to manage a high-level version of the article this way.\nIt also makes editing easier if you prioritize which titles to cut.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17510,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I think the process of writing papers is pretty individual to each researcher. What works for me may not work for you. That being said, the following are a few rules that I usually give me mentees and students when we start writing a paper together:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>As \"Not Quite An Outsider\" states, do start with an outline. Look through related work for papers with a similar scope / methodology / idea and start by imitating their outline. However, do not do so blindly. Instead, focus on <strong>understanding</strong> why the authors of your related work chose to structure their paper the way they did, and check whether their (assumed) reasoning is also useful for your paper.</p></li>\n<li><p>Keep in mind that your paper needs a \"story\" - you know your material and reasoning, your readers do not. Start at the beginning, and end with the conclusions. Avoid statements that are not understandable at the point in the paper where they appear (rule of thumb: when you feel writing something along the lines of \"as will be explained later on\", you likely have a bug in your structure).</p></li>\n<li><p>Plan the length of your paper. Fill each section with some <a href=\"http://www.loremipsum.de\" rel=\"nofollow\">Lorem Ipsum filler text</a> of roughly the same length as you plan for this section. This allows you to see how much space you actually have for each part of your paper. During writing, when I start a new section I remove the filler text and replace it with what I actually plan to say at this point. I sometimes even go as far as drafting where in the paper I will have which figures, and put placeholder figures there instead when doing the outline.</p></li>\n<li><p>Write the paper <strong>in order</strong> (i.e., in the same order as it will appear in the final paper). This is a bit controversial - I have seen many experienced paper writers suggest various other orders (\"Start with Related Work\" - \"Start with Conclusions\" - etc.). To me, the problem with writing in a different sequence is that it is very easy to lose track of what a reader actually knows at this point in the paper (hence destroying the story of your paper). For instance, you would end up using concepts and ideas that you actually only discuss at a later point. This makes papers unnecessary difficult to understand. I feel it is also much easier to produce a convincing line of argumentation when you produce the material in the same order as it will be read.</p></li>\n<li><p>In any way, later rearrangements will be necessary. After reading the paper, you decide that you need to switch some subsections around, or that you do not need Section 3 at all. Stay flexible and don't be too much in love with your current outline just because it is how you initially wanted to do it. One additional sidenote in this is that you write your paper in LaTeX. This makes later changes in the outline trivial.</p></li>\n<li><p>Write the text the way you suppose it should appear in the paper. Do not draft too much - there is no point writing throwaway text unless you really do not know how to write this section / part properly at this point. Only go on to the next section when the last one is pretty much done.</p></li>\n<li><p>As soon as a section is pretty much done, get some feedback on it. Remember that your paper should already be coherent and complete up to this section, so there is no harm in sending it to colleagues or your supervisor and asking them to tell you whether the paper makes sense up to and including Section X.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17504",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8802/"
]
|
17,512 | <p>I've recently obtained my PhD in mathematics and started a post-doc this year. I have 5 published papers, across a wide spectrum of journals (in terms of quality, from very good to mediocre). However I never received any off-prints from the journals and it seems that to receive those one has to pay. On the other hand all the professors that I know of have always a lot of off-prints for most of their journal publications. I always wanted to have these neat looking off-prints but it seems that the winds have changed and journals are becoming "cheaper" (behavior-wise) than ever.</p>
<p>This leads me to the following question:</p>
<ul>
<li>Is this a recent change? Is it considered the norm now to not send off-prints free of charge?</li>
<li>Are these professors perhaps ordering the off-prints through some departmental fund?</li>
</ul>
<p>Is there anything that can be done about this situation? Can I pressure the journal into sending me off-prints free of charge (e.g would trying to refuse signing the publishing agreement, unless they provide the off-prints for free work?). Have people tried boycotting journals not offering off-prints? This kind of cheap behavior really strikes me as pushing the boundary of what is acceptable. Not only we do most of the work for the journal (refereeing, writing, etc.) but on top of that journals are expensive and do not even offer off-prints anymore.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17514,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Offprints were a key part of the publication process before the digital era since digital versions did not exist; a smaller number of them commonly included in the page charges. Since journals are now digital and are also moving away from printing as a whole, reprints are things of the past. That your professors get them is most likely because they are used to have it this way but I am sure there will be journals from which they would not be able to get them other than the now standard pdf. I am not sure they get them for free anymore either. A pdf is easy to distribute and carries virtually no cost, to the publisher (journal) or the environment. I am sure the publishers were happy to see them go but the move was not primarily a financial move, it was a lack of demand. Some publishers still provide reprints but since they are no longer part of the standard service, they may charge for them. After all you get a pdf for free to distribute in a similar manner as the reprint. I have been publishing long enough to have a shelf full of useless reprints that in addition exist as pdfs as well. I am also an editor for a journal and for us it is also a question of when, not if, we move away from printing altogether. And in that case the publisher has no part in the decision since we are a society owned journal with no page charges. So I am not sure why you believe the reprint is so important. There is little demand for posting reprints to others when a pdf exists that can be sent over e-mail. I can understand that sending a paper copy can be more personal than e-mailing a pdf but I still think the demand for a printed copies is very low indeed.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17515,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Off-prints are a remnant from the days when photocopying hadn't been invented and, if you wanted your own copy of a paper, the only reasonable way to get one was to write to the author and ask for an off-print.</p>\n\n<p>Providing off-prints to authors certainly seems to be becoming less common. Some journals still provide them for free, some only for a fee, and some not at all. I don't think most people care, and among those that do care, many prefer not to receive the off-prints. It's been years since I received a request for an off-print, so when I do get them they just end up sitting in piles in my office while I offer them as party favors to anyone who enters the office. Some decline and probably many of the rest recycle them, since electronic copies are far more convenient.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Can I pressure the journal into sending me off-prints free of charge (e.g would trying to refuse signing the publishing agreement, unless they provide the off-prints for free work?).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I wouldn't try pressuring them, which could come across as both eccentric and rude. Instead, you could try begging, by explaining that you are a postdoc with strictly limited funds but would really love off-prints and hope they could provide them at a reduced cost. I have no idea whether this could work, but the worst that can happen is that they'll say no.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Have people tried boycotting journals not offering off-prints?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You are welcome to investigate which journals provide off-prints for free and submit your papers there, but I doubt many people will join you in this.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17512",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12473/"
]
|
17,513 | <p>Several friends and acquaintances have recently died from cancer. The chemo treatments are crude and destroy quality of life. Furthermore, chemo treatments depend on the efficacy of antibiotics for protection while one's immune system is compromised. </p>
<p>We have to do better. </p>
<p>Who is developing the "personalized medicine" processes? It seems like there should be a way to look at the DNA of a cancer and reprogram it to settle down or go away.</p>
<p>My expertise is in systems engineering and software development - not in the biological sciences. I am just retired, so I don't need reimbursement. How can I contribute to improving this situation? </p>
<p>I suspect the answers depend on more fundamental research, that is why my question is: How can I contribute on a volunteer basis to cancer research?</p>
<p>Update: I plan to upgrade from a 2006 MacBook Pro to something that can run BOINC problems a bit quicker. Rosetta@home seems like a reasonable target.</p>
<p>I have found Rosalind - a site for exploring bioinformatics.
The next step for me is to ask friends who might have contacts in academia.
Thanks for looking!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 20267,
"author": "vector07",
"author_id": 14719,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14719",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I greatly admire your interest in contributing to an area of medicine, and I'm sorry to hear that so many of your friends and relatives have succumbed to this disease. You're absolutely right that the treatments are barbaric. The subject of personalized medicine with application to cancer treatment is a hot scientific topic right now, and we're probably on the verge of a revolution in this area. </p>\n\n<p>Two specific groups come to mind as leaders in this though I'm sure there are more. <a href=\"http://garrawaylab.dfci.harvard.edu/?q=node/2\">Levi Garraway's lab</a> at Harvard is developing \"PHIAL\", which stands for \"Precision Heuristics for Interpreting the Alteration Landscape\" [in cancer genomes]. The name alludes to Galadriel's phial, although it remains to be seen whether this sort of computational analysis will live up to being 'a light to in dark places, when all other lights go out.' It is exactly what you imagined in your post, that is, given DNA sequence, predicting candidate causal mutations. There's also <a href=\"https://together.wustl.edu/Pages/News/Tim-Ley.aspx\">Tim Ley's group at Washington University in St. Louis</a> which was one of the first to sequence a patient (one of their own oncologists!), identify the specific mutation and treat his cancer. The story is pretty compelling, but it's worth noting that this was a fortuitous situation where the underlying mechanism just happened to be one treatable by a drug already on the market.</p>\n\n<p>Laboratories are always underfunded -- your services would be a gift. It's just a matter of finding the right one. If you live in a major city, consider contacting some people in cancer to identify someone in computational biology or bioinformatics. If you post what city you're in, I (or others, I'm sure) could help you find a lab doing this sort of work already. Good luck!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 20530,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You may want to consider keeping an eye on Solvers.io - it's a new site that's trying to link up coders with scientists in need of help for bite-sized software development tasks. I haven't looked to see if there are any cancer-specific calls for help, but it may be a place to find people who would value your time and expertise.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17513",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12474/"
]
|
17,521 | <p>I was reading about what makes reasonable grounds for rejecting a paper and came across the following statement:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.cs.gmu.edu/~offutt/classes/phd/Hints-Review.html">... two major revisions are not allowed.</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Does it mean that only two rounds of review at the maximum are allowed? Is this always the case? I do remember recommending major revision twice, and indeed the editor stopped the review process and decided to accept the paper without the authors having to revise their paper the second time. </p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17527,
"author": "socialsciencedoc",
"author_id": 11154,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11154",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Long answer short- It depends on the editorial policy of the specific journal or the current editor. </p>\n\n<p>In my field, 4 or more rounds of revisions is not completely unheard of. Despite people's frustration with such policy of unlimited number of revisions (Imagine being that person who got a rejection after 4 major revisions and the manuscript being under review for 3 years? --- this is not uncommon in the social sciences), some journals do retain such policy. The top 2 journals in sociology are notorious for this. </p>\n\n<p>I currently serve on an editorial board of a reputable journal in the field (one of the top 5), where the current editor has changed the journal policy to not extend second R&Rs. In this journal, you only get once chance to revise, and the result of the revise can either be an outright accept, conditional accept (which will come back with very minor change suggestions-- for example, cite an overlooked source, change the title of the paper, rewrite the conclusion, etc), or reject. I think this is a positive step forward, especially since many editors in the field tend to be very nitpicky about minor/aesthetic issues. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17600,
"author": "Dirk",
"author_id": 529,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/529",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Is this always the case? <strong>No.</strong></p>\n\n<p>However, I often see reviewing software that does not have the \"major revision\" category for the second revision. On the other hand, a colleague told me that he had a paper in the <strong>seventh</strong> revision at a very respectable journal (actually it was a debate about proof details in math…).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 97133,
"author": "Yingkai Ouyang",
"author_id": 54888,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/54888",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Q: Does it mean that only two rounds of review at the maximum are allowed?\nA: No</p>\n\n<p>As long as the authors keep failing to address the concerns of the reviewers, the paper can potentially end up on a long loop of repeated revisions that are required. </p>\n\n<p>It is important to fully address the concerns of the reviewers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 97170,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Does it mean that only two rounds of review at the maximum are\n allowed?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In this particular case, it appears so.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Is this always the case?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No. Different journals will have different policies. For example, there's a journal in my field that has a reputation for indulging many rounds of review, and I've seen papers there go over two rounds - indeed, I just finished my third review for a paper.</p>\n\n<p>However, as a general rule, two rounds of review both of which came back \"Major Revisions\" is likely a bad sign, as it means that there <em>remain</em> substantial problems with a paper even after substantial work should have been done. There's a number of reasons that might be true - the revisions introduced new errors, one of the reviewers or the authors are digging in their heels, etc. After two rounds of being nowhere near acceptable, it's possible the editor will start looking to cut their losses.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17521",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10936/"
]
|
17,522 | <p>I've never been in a University in my life, but I enjoy reading research papers to expand my knowledge and go deeper in the understanding of details which are not covered by books.</p>
<p>A recent paper shows that this substance X causes reaction Y. Many others have shown that reaction Y can cause a dangerous consequence Z. I'd like to ask the author of the paper if he thinks substance X can trigger consequence Z. No one seems to have answered this question and, if they did, they're out of my radar.</p>
<p>Many papers covers details and little aspects of how reaction Y causes consequence Z, however I've found that a Wikipedia article does a good job in summing up all of these papers:</p>
<ul>
<li>Can I link the Wikipedia article to the Doctor?</li>
<li>Or should I link the 20+ papers?</li>
<li>Assuming consequence Z is well known in the field, should I give for granted that he knows of it (thus not linking anything)? Can putting the links to something that is well known make me sound like a pretentious prick?</li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17523,
"author": "Layla",
"author_id": 6144,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6144",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>About your questions:</p>\n\n<p>1) If you want you can link the Wikipedia article or make a small summary explaining your thoughts, usually Professors or researchers do not have too much time to read long emails; so try to keep it up simply</p>\n\n<p>2) explained before</p>\n\n<p>3) It is nothing bad that you point to the other papers of consequence Z, if he knows about them he will tell it straightforward</p>\n\n<p>In conclusion, do not feel bad that you did not have any formal education. Just address to the researcher in a respectful manner and tell him/her that you are interested about his job. You do not need to send your CV or a motivation letter just for asking something, but beware, you can or you cannot get an answer (usually depends how much interested of free time the researcher you are appointing has)</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17539,
"author": "h22",
"author_id": 10920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10920",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You can contact any professor asking about they research projects, assuming you are polite enough and really interested in the topic, not just in talking with somebody from the \"real science\".</p>\n\n<p>The kind of response (if any) largely depends on the personality of the researcher, how busy is he at the moment, how frequently he receives a contact requests of this kind and how good is your question (a really good question contains majority of the answer asking to explain which alternative is true or to clarify particular point).</p>\n\n<p>There are no particular rules that would force a scientist to ignore or to respond your message.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17522",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12478/"
]
|
17,528 | <p>I got a BA in English at a pretty good school, spent the next 10 years in a fruitless pursuit of screenwriting with a day job in a legal department, and now that I'm sick of all that, I'd like to do something mathy. And it seems pretty clear that that's going to require going back to school.</p>
<p>Since this is a HUGE redirection -- a ridiculous one, really -- I assume I should get a second BA/BS before even considering a masters, right? I did well in math in school, but I left off at single variable calc. (I'm currently studying linear algebra on my own and loving it.) But what, really, are my chances for even getting into a decent second bachelor's program?? I'm thinking of taking college extension classes to get more experience and recommendation letters for that purpose. If I get some online bachelors degree (EDIT: or a post-bac), are any (reputable) masters programs even going to consider me?? </p>
<p>You may well ask what my eventual goal is, but I'm at such a basic level that I'm not sure that that question is all that relevant. If I were to pick a goal just for the sake of aiming for something, getting a job in statistics sounds interesting, but who knows what I'd want to do after getting a second bachelors. I'd like to try my hand at research, but that sounds way too pie-in-the-sky given my background.</p>
<p>Thanks for any advice or feedback.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17607,
"author": "Zach H",
"author_id": 8857,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8857",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>You are not prepared for a Master's program right now, which I think you recognize. That said, it may not take too long to prepare yourself. I would recommend looking at requirements for continuing education and graduate programs at nearby regional universities. Many of them have programs designed to accommodate a student with your needs. For example, <a href=\"http://www20.csueastbay.edu/csci/files/docs/comp%20sci%20pdf/msmath.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">here</a> are the requirements at CSU East Bay, a regional school near Oakland. Note in particular the Post-baccalaureate unclassified status. You might not expect it, but many such programs are quite strong and have a solid record in placing students in PhD programs. Don't discount them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17608,
"author": "Arno",
"author_id": 12047,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12047",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>If you want to go into math, should you get a BSc?</strong></p>\n\n<p>I'd say \"yes\". It often is quite doable to pick up a new subject on your own if you have academic experience, but English and Mathematics are so far apart that I'd doubt there would be a lot of synergy. Mathematics has its own way of thinking, which is probably picked up best by going through an undergrad degree.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Should you go into math?</strong></p>\n\n<p>Enrolling for a degree is of course a rather strong decision. In my experience quite a few of those who start anew later in their lifes drop out rather early. Maybe taking an online course first could both be a good preparation if you go through with it, and helpful to figure out if you really want to it.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Can you get in somewhere?</strong></p>\n\n<p>I don't know about your country, but both the UK and Germany often have places reserved for mature students, which have fewer formal requirements. So in those countries, getting into a decent program would be quite doable.</p>\n\n<p><strong>A final comment</strong></p>\n\n<p>For me at least mathematics is great fun. If you believe you'd like it, and you are willing to put in the effort, give it a try.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17613,
"author": "TCSGrad",
"author_id": 79,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/79",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Well, I commend the OP on having the heart to contemplate such a step. I'd like to mention a factor that has not yet been mentioned in the other answers - your age, and more specifically, the responsibilities that you have to shoulder while attempting such a career switch. If you do decide to apply for a undergrad program in maths, and happen to be accepted in a reasonably good one, you'd be starting from scratch in a field governed by abstract concepts that take a good deal of focused work to wrap ones head around! This is a lot easier if all you have to worry about is yourself, and don't have the weight of other responsibilities (family obligations, relationships etc) to bog you down. Even if you don't have such responsibilities, you'd have the inescapable feeling of being a generation behind your peers, and unless you have a very determined and strong force of mind, you would be having to fend off doubts regarding your decisions/capabilities at regular intervals - which could hinder your focus significantly, and make your mental faculties less acute than they ought to be!</p>\n\n<p>(This is a personal opinion of mine - I've seen many later-career grad students struggle with these issues, and hence I thought it was wise to know about the possibility of such a train of events before committing to such a momentous decision!)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 26344,
"author": "Tom Au",
"author_id": 755,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/755",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm answering from an American point of view, on the supposition that is your background also. I'm not sure how applicable this advice is to a non-American.</p>\n\n<p>You already have a bachelor's degree, so you shouldn't need to take a second full BS. There are two ways that I can see you going. Either way, you should be taking the equivalent of a major, or at least a minor in math before you pursue graduate studies.</p>\n\n<p>Enroll as a full time second, or third year \"transfers\" student in a math-science oriented BS program, using your BA credits surrounding your English major for your non math credits. You should be taking something like two to three math courses (and one or two courses in physics and/or computer science) a semester, until you have completed a math major.</p>\n\n<p>Enroll as a \"special student\" somewhere part time, taking one to two math classes a semester, until you have 10-12 math courses that constitute the equivalent of a math major, or at least 6-8 courses for a math minor.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17528",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12481/"
]
|
17,533 | <p>I'm told there are conventions in scientific papers around graphs. I'm publish material for a general audience based on a the findings of a scientific paper (unpublished) and having a disagreement with the author of the paper about how graphs must be presented.</p>
<p>I'm specifically asking here about the conventions for scientific publishing. I'm very aware that conventions outside scientific papers for graphs are much more open, I take my visual data cues mostly from Edward Tufte's books.</p>
<p>I'm being told that displaying horizontal grid lines implies a greater accuracy in modelling data and therefore should be absent in the case of this carbon sequestration modelling since it's not the results of measurements? (I would have thought significant figures on axis, axis spacing and fundamentally the caption explaining the data source and assumptions were more relevant to that)</p>
<p>I'm told that titles are a no go, captions only. (I've found a Uni spec online for science papers saying titles are mandatory). I'm told titles are rare in journals.</p>
<p>Is there any right or wrong to these matters of convention or is it just opinion?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17535,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is no right or wrong when it comes to grid lines. There may be conventions varying between disciplines. The basic question of whether to use such lines or not, is if they add something useful to the reader to better understand the data displayed. A go figure should communicate as many thought as possible to the reader without to much effort. If you want to get some ideas of thinking about graphics, try to locate the book <a href=\"http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi\" rel=\"nofollow\">The visual display of quantitative information</a> by Edward Tufte. There are many constructive thoughts about displaying information there worth considering. </p>\n\n<p>In the end you need to look at how others publish similar data and figure out if a \"standard\" has developed. It may not be the best way to display data but since many are familiar with the format it becomes an efficient communication. Otherwise you should try to display the data as clearly as possible, lines or not.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17554,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>On grid lines</strong></p>\n\n<p>It depends on the points you would like to make with the graph. If you're just going to show an upward or downward trend, then the grid lines are probably redundant. If you'd need refer back to a certain point of a curve, and knowing the vertical position of that point would be crucial, then grid lines can help. It's not about the graphs (or I may go so far to say even within publication culture,) it's about the points you are trying to get across. If the grid lines will get people there with less puzzling or work, then yes to grid lines. In all other occasions, then no.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I'm being told that displaying horizontal grid lines implies a greater\n accuracy in modelling data and therefore should be absent in the case\n of this carbon sequestration modelling since it's not the results of\n measurements</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is perhaps the oddest graphical rule I have heard in the last 12 months. For most grid lines are just an extension of the tick mark on the axes. As long as you provide the tick marks on the y-axis, anyone can draw horizontal grid lines.</p>\n\n<p>It is, however, not advisable to provide tick marks or grid lines finer than what your instrument or model can discern. For example, if your measurement or prediction is in the unit of meter. Then, at most I'd just put grid lines at 0.5 m increment. I wouldn't go so far to put 0.01 or even 0.1 m increments. That would imply some precision that I never had. I believe your partner author's concern may be more related to this problem. In that case, you two need to talk and make sure at least the tick marks make sense.</p>\n\n<p><strong>On caption vs. title</strong></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I'm told that titles are a no go, captions only. (I've found a Uni\n spec online for science papers saying titles are mandatory). I'm told\n titles are rare in journals.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Yes, they are rare in my field (biomedical.) We use captions (located <em>below</em> the graph) most of the time. The caption usually starts with something like this:</p>\n\n<p><strong>Figure 1. The [would have been title]</strong><br>\n[texts explaining the graph.] </p>\n\n<p>If you have a title in the illustration, it only serves to duplicate information, making it redundant ink.</p>\n\n<p>Though, depending on fields and journals, the rule may differ. Check with the journal's guideline and other published work in that journal for clues.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17533",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14971/"
]
|
17,537 | <p>There is this investment bank specialized in the mining sector. I had access to one of their presentations where they have data regarding the production and end use of some chemical elements. They do not cite the data.</p>
<p>Do you think that is good or bad, trustful or not, to cite these data in my PhD thesis?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17538,
"author": "h22",
"author_id": 10920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10920",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>If the source has been used, it generally must be cited, otherwise you assign yourself results or conclusions obtained by other researchers. </p>\n\n<p>Providing the source is not a question for its reputability. If you think the source is not reputable enough, do not use it in your work. It is not very common but I have even seen \"personal communication\" as a type of the reference.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17540,
"author": "Nobody",
"author_id": 546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It depends on your research topic.</p>\n\n<p>If you are conducting research on the marketing value of a chemical element, the trustfulness of a presentation without citation sources is unknown at best. All you know is that they did the presenation for purposes.</p>\n\n<p>However, if you are conducting research on the investment bank marketing strategies, this presentation can be a research subject. The trustfulness of the presentation can be a research topic by itself. However, you will have the citation issue if the presentation is not publicly available as @xLeitix pointed out in the comment above.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17537",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12495/"
]
|
17,543 | <p>I have done a short summer research internship at a department of a famous University in Europe. Unfortunately, this was last summer and I reminded my professor several times now to give me some sort of written confirmation that I actually stayed at his department.(3 times per E-Mail and one time, when I left him). He always said that he will do it, but he always pointed out that he is very busy currently. </p>
<p>Do you think this sounds true? I mean, it has been half a year now and apparently there is not much to do about it instead of just waiting or is there? I also just asked for a few lines, not a confirmation letter of anything similar and I also told him that I would need this for my home university(Which was true)- but he did not really react upon that. </p>
<p>I do not want to pressure him by being more "rude" in my mails, this is not the way I deal with such situation, but I think his behaviour is very annoying and I want this piece of paper now. </p>
<p>How would you deal with that?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17548,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I would address this by contacting the professor's <em>administrative assistant</em> or <em>secretary</em>. Usually, such \"form letters\" do not need to be actively written by the professor in question—just signed by the professor. The assistant can prepare the letter, and get the faculty member's signature; in some cases, the assistant may even have a digital signature available, so the professor's direct involvement isn't even necessary.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17566,
"author": "Konrad Höffner",
"author_id": 7324,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7324",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Hah! It took me 4 years to get a confirmation for my exchange student year to get my degree. After numerous emails and even official letters from my University which all got ignored, the only thing that finally worked was a flight back and running around there for a week, where everyone was telling me they had no trace of my stay whatsoever and putting the responsibility on someone else. So I hope you don't need to do those extreme measures but stay prepared and first go to your departement and let them write a formal letter. Also phone calls may work better than emails. Good luck!</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17543",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
]
|
17,544 | <p>I am in the process of updating my CV. Since I often get labeled as "the bioinformatician" I get to play with many different languages and technologies, and similarly what people expect from a bioinformatician varies from person to person. So I figured it would be a good idea to indicate how much I <em>feel</em> I know in respective fields/languages.</p>
<p>Inspired by <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/14080/mention-impact-factor-or-conference-acceptance-rate-in-cv">this question</a>, I came to wonder whether or not its acceptable to have self-assessed ratings of your technical skills, such as: proficiency programming languages, familiarity with relevant software etc. </p>
<p>My own feeling is that such ratings are useful to indicate what you feel most confident or comfortable with. It would also be useful to show any potential future employer the level of competence you have in different fields. If you think about it a bit, it is common to have some type of rating for the languages one speaks, so I think an analogue to programming language proficiency should not be that alienating.</p>
<p>On the other hand there is the risk of rendering your CV like, as a friend of mine put it, a role-playing game character sheet. </p>
<p>Is it common to have such ratings on skills? Are there any potential problems with it? </p>
<p><strong>Edit:</strong> What I was thinking is a small listing something like:</p>
<p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/mGBDG.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17546,
"author": "Ben Webster",
"author_id": 13,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>What scale do you intend to rate yourself on? Maybe that sounds like a silly riposte, but that's a serious issue. If you say you're proficient in Java, how does the person reading the CV know what on earth you mean (assuming they're willing to take your word for it). I would be much more inclined to focus on what experience you have with a language (I have X many years of Java programming experience, I've done such and such projects), since that's actually something which people understand the meaning of. You also don't necessarily need to cover this in a lot of detail in your CV, since if you're applying for a job where these skills are relevant, you can mention it in your cover letter.</p>\n\n<p><strong>EDIT</strong>: In response to the proposal of using stars or a 0-5 rating: <strong>DON'T DO IT!</strong> If you want to write \"I'm proficient in Java and have some experience in C\" that's harmless but won't make too much of a positive impression either without some more concrete information. The stars will make you look eccentric at best, and lunatic at worst. I know that some times the usual convention about how to do things seem constraining and silly, but if you've never seen something on a CV before (and I've never seen giving yourself numerical ratings on an unknown scale), there's probably a good reason. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17547,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Let's get some terminology clear. A self-assessment is something like this:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I am proficient in Java and Python, and have a good working knowledge of C++.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You don't want to self-assess, if only because, in the absence of an external standard, self-assessments are difficult for others to evaluate. What does \"good working knowledge of C++\" mean, for example? If my work depends on a program that involves many thousand C++ lines across dozens of files, can I count on you to maintain, debug, and expand it?</p>\n\n<p>What you want to do is accomplishment-listing, which looks like this.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I took CS304 \"Advanced C++\" (grade: A) and CS407 \"C++ Applications in the Life Sciences\" (grade: A+) in Alma Mater State University (2010-2011). At BioInfo Inc. (2011-2013), I helped develop the C++ backed of the following programs...\".</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is much more helpful for prospective employers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17905,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It seems like you need a second opinion so:</p>\n\n<p>No way should you put the graphic you added to your question in your CV. It looks very strange and does not help you. When I see it:</p>\n\n<p>(i) My eye immediately notices that there are a lot of missing stars. Altogether you are giving yourself 63.3% of the maximum possible programming proficiency [whatever that means!]. That sounds really mediocre. Most other candidates' CV will contain only 100% positive information about them. </p>\n\n<p>(ii) While my eye notices that you haven't rated yourself so highly, my brain is very frustrated that it doesn't know what any of the ratings mean, high or low. You give yourself 3.5 out of 5 stars on LaTeX. If I want to take your LaTeX skills into account in my decision on whether or not to hire you...then what on earth am I supposed to do with 3.5 out of 5 stars?!?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17907,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I do think there <em>can</em> be some value to listing skills and your confidence in them, especially if they're not immediately obvious from your accomplishments.</p>\n\n<p>But, I agree with the others that the stars are not useful and do not work in your favor.</p>\n\n<p>For example, if your CV lists: \"Project X: Did A, B, C, (implemented in Ruby)\" and \"Project Y: Did D, E, F (used HTML, CSS, Javascript)\" that doesn't really tell me much about how much you've really done with each of these languages. In Project Y, did you really design your CSS or did you find some nice templates and modify to suit your needs? </p>\n\n<p>It's not always appropriate to describe in such detail what each project entailed. If I'm looking for your expertise in a particular skill that isn't obvious from your experience, then a listing of skills and confidence levels <em>is</em> helpful. But, there's a better way to do it than with star ratings.</p>\n\n<p>Google's self-rating scale (<a href=\"https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/15004/at-which-point-do-you-know-a-technology-enough-to-list-it-on-a-resume\">reportedly</a>) goes like this:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>0 – You have no experience</li>\n<li>1 to 3 – You are familiar with this area but would not be comfortable implementing anything in it.</li>\n<li>4 to 6 – You are confident in this area and use it daily.</li>\n<li>7 – 9 You are extremely proficient to expert and have deep technical expertise in the subject and feel comfortable designing any project in it.</li>\n<li>10 – Reserved for those who are recognized industry experts, either you wrote a book in it or invented it.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>On your CV, a textual description (\"<strong>Ruby</strong>: I am confident in Ruby and use it daily\") is more useful and also makes you sound better than saying \"<strong>Ruby</strong>: 6/10\"</p>\n\n<p>(Of course, the rest of your CV should go on to present your experience in Ruby, so the reader becomes confident that your self-rating is reasonable.)</p>\n\n<p>You didn't ask about this, but I would also strongly advise <strong>against</strong> listing \"Microsoft Office\" as a software skill if you are looking for a technical job in a technical field.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17544",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674/"
]
|
17,555 | <p>(Breakdown of a larger issue - <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/17516/12468">full story here</a>)</p>
<p>Following the <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/17551/12468">deliberate delay my thesis paperwork by my professor</a>, and after <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/17553/12468">my department ignored my thesis revision requests</a> for over 6 months, I finally got my graduation paperwork completed (with a $200 late fee) just after the start of the 3rd semester after my thesis defense. My official graduation was therefore graduated <em>a full year after my defense</em>. Due to the concurrent program I was in, this meant my undergraduate degree also did not post until that date - <em>2.5 years after I finished my undergraduate classes</em>. As my profession requires 4 years of <em>post-degree</em> training for licensing, this has significantly delayed my professional career. If not for delays beyond my control by school personnel, I would have had time to complete the graduation paperwork and finish my degree a full year earlier.</p>
<p>I went the the director of my program and was kicked out before I could do more than state my problem - "I don't believe the department could have held you up; students just don't know how to be responsible." I finally got issues escalated to the dean of the college, and he agreed that the department had grossly mishandled things. He contacted the dean of the graduate school, who refused to even hear the case - all that he or I ever got back from the graduate school was blanket statements about 'policy', which I presume meant their own and not some oversight body. Even when I (repeatedly) went to the graduate office in person, the (brand new) graduate dean refused meet with me. I suspect that the program director (a very aggressive personality) had preemptively contacted him to ask him to ignore me; the dean of my college was retiring that semester and presumably carried very little weight in department politics. However that is purely conjecture.</p>
<ol>
<li>Why would the graduate dean refuse to talk to me? Liability concerns? Or just pure pomp and disregard for the woes of a lowly student?</li>
<li>Is there a valid reason the graduate school would be unable to back-date my degree to the semester I had completed all my coursework and successfully defended my thesis?</li>
</ol>
| [
{
"answer_id": 18065,
"author": "John Neuhaus",
"author_id": 13011,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13011",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I sympathize with your plight. I'm lucky to have not had such a long-lasting and impactful academic misfortune, but have been in some similar situations.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>It's more likely ignorance/miscommunication, but it is\nvery probable that the graduate dean doesn't know the truth. \nObservation bias alone would make it easy to assume you shared the\nburden somewhat, and you can be sure your issue was trivialized and\npersistence cast negatively if they spoke at all.</li>\n<li>Accreditation may play a role in the college's ability to back-date a degree. I can see how that could be a very slippery slope. That said, \"a matter of policy\" is a rather dismissive reason and sounds more like he simply was trying to avoid the problem. You should investigate both graduate college and institution-wide policies on changing degree dates to rule out a high-level ban.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I've offered some suggestions on actions you can still take in your question <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17553/can-a-student-seek-redress-for-the-administration-neglecting-their-paperwork\">here</a>. If it's impossible to change the degree dates, then his reason for not talking to you is moot at this point. However, it could still be relevant if you go down the legal path. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 18178,
"author": "Christopher Harwood",
"author_id": 6863,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6863",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>John Nauhaus' extensive comments in response to <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17553/can-a-student-seek-redress-for-the-administration-neglecting-their-paperwork\">your related question</a> apply here as well. However, there is a direct question that needs a direct answer and an emotional core to your posts that deserves more direct attention as well:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>[Could] the graduate school administration change [my] graduation dates?</strong></p>\n<p>Is there a valid reason the graduate school would be unable to back-date my degree?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Your graduate school's administration cannot and will not change your graduate date if your request does not come with the support of your advisor and your department. The graduate school and the university may be "higher ups" in terms of a traditional administrative hierarchy, but in academic and curricular matters your department has absolute primacy. Any effort by the administration to "force" a graduation date on your department would be seen as an encroachment on their academic freedom, and <em>that</em> would get the attention of outside faculty and peer institutions in a tremendously negative way.</p>\n<p>This may be unrelated to the harm that has occurred to you, but it is a valid reason for the graduate school to deny your specific request. If you still have any credibility within your university's administration, you could get more traction seeking other forms of redress.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Subtext: Does the department get away scot free?</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>You will not get what you decided to ask for. This does not mean that your efforts have had no impact. They have cost your department in at least two ways: First, to the extent that you still have the sympathy of anyone in the administration the dispute has cost your department credibility and administrative reputation. As you press the matter in increasingly intrusive ways, this cost will decline and eventually flip into sympathy. No program wants to be pitied, but it's better than being disliked. Second, if you've reached the point where a dean refuses to meet with you then you've earned the "problem child" achievement regardless of the merit of your complaint. Your graduate program admitted you, and will therefore be seen as bringing a "problem" (that would be you) to the university's doorstep. The administration—even the sympathetic administration—will call your department's judgement into question because they vouched for you.</p>\n<p>Your department has paid and will continue to pay for what you went through.</p>\n<p><em>None</em> of this will be visible to you. That is what professionalism looks like from the outside: calm seas and a gentle wind, nothing happening here.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>More subtext: Why should the department's error cost <em>me</em>?</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is the most important part of your question. As a student and teacher (can't and won't speak to this as an administrator), I have seen graduate students throw away their professional futures over pride and pocket change. It may not <em>look</em> like pocket change from the perspective of a graduate student's meager income, but you need to review your relative costs in terms of a tenured professor's <em>considerable</em> income.</p>\n<p>Based on what you have written here, it looks like you are burning your professional future to ash over four years of lost pay. That "problem child" tag you've earned is sticky, and it will follow you. No faculty wants to hire a colleague that brings trouble, and <em>no</em> faculty wants to hire a colleague that <em>escalates</em> trouble.</p>\n<p>Here are two ways to overcome this tag that I am aware of:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>Be at the very top of your field. If your scholarly stature outweighs your immaturity, some good university will accept the latter's cost. This is emotionally easy—everyone would happily be the best at what they do—but it is intellectually difficult. Are you capable of being that good? What would achieving this cost you elsewhere? (It will cost you a lot. For example: Ever looked at the divorce rate for professors?)</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Demonstrate a "newfound" maturity. If it <em>looks like</em> you learned from the experience, this will slowly offset the negative reputation you've acquired and allow faculty search committees to review your applications on scholarly merit. This is easier intellectually, you just need to be an employably strong scholar. This is very difficult emotionally because it requires an extraordinary humility. That's uncommon in academia; it can work against the strength of will and self-confidence needed to succeed as a professional scholar.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Deans, directors, and other professors may sometimes look like colonoscopy bags full of "pomp and disregard," but the attitudes that give you this impression are the same ones that got them through a dissertation, tenure probation, and other indignities of the profession. You seem to have that attitude in larval form, and it seems to be acting out. These "dismissive" deans and directors have learned to channel their attitudes into socially acceptable forms, and search committees will be looking to hire only those professional scholars who have learned to do the same.</p>\n<p>John Nauhaus' comments elsewhere are going to be more valuable overall. The answer to your question about what the graduate school can do is little more than a footnote to his discussion of what you can do, and of what you <em>need</em> to do to recover personally.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17555",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12468/"
]
|
17,556 | <p>If you are interviewing for faculty positions, how can you find out whether a particular work environment would likely be toxic? (Either generally toxic, or particularly bad for you as a {woman, early career researcher, researcher in a particular subfield, etc.})</p>
<p>Can such environments be avoided?</p>
<p>Can you ask about this during a visit or interview? <strong>Who</strong> should you ask (faculty, deans, students) and <strong>what</strong> should you ask that might elicit the relevant information?</p>
<p>Are there other ways to detect a toxic environment, besides for asking people who know to be on their best behavior for you?</p>
<p>This has been discussed <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8507/what-questions-should-one-ask-to-the-former-current-students-of-a-professor-befo">here</a>, <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17192/what-are-the-right-questions-to-ask-professors-at-a-visit-day-for-prospective">here</a>, and <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/158/how-to-evaluate-potential-advisers-on-grounds-other-than-their-research-publicat">here</a> for prospective PhD students, but not for faculty candidates (as far as I know). I believe the answers will be different for faculty candidates - for one thing, PhD students are likely to be honest when telling a prospective student about their advisor; faculty members talking to a candidate about their colleagues, not so much. Also, the interview/visit procedure is different for faculty candidates, as are some of the relevant indicators of toxicity.</p>
<p>[Source: I read this question on <a href="http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2014/02/toxic-avoidance.html" rel="noreferrer">FemaleScienceProfessor</a>]</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17558,
"author": "BSteinhurst",
"author_id": 7561,
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"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>What I found useful was to be very watchful of how the interviewers act towards each other. Typically some sort of meal is part of an on-campus interview and you will be eating with several of the faculty members. If they can't make it through the meal without doing something objectionable you probably have a toxic environment. The funny thing is that they know to act properly towards you but will still forget to do so to their colleagues even though you are right there. </p>\n\n<p>As an example there was one such dinner where I was pressured into drinking alcohol the night before the real part of the interview and the junior (and female) faculty member who was present was the target of most of the jokes from the senior male faculty members. Both of these details did not help their chances of getting me to accept their offer. Fortunately I had another offer to take instead. </p>\n\n<p>This is by no means going to catch every situation you want to get away from but the general idea is to watch their behavior. In larger departments where the jerks are kept away from the candidates you may have to be more active in searching for these issues. I was mostly interviewing in small departments where I was able to meet everyone. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17559,
"author": "Ann",
"author_id": 12506,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12506",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>\"for one thing, PhD students are likely to be honest when telling a prospective student about their advisor\"</p>\n\n<p>I disagree. In fact, I have seen the opposite. A PhD student's future is <em>completely</em> in the hands of their advisor in a way that not even TT faculty depend on their chair, etc.</p>\n\n<p>I think the answer to this question is the same for both prospective students and faculty. You cannot ask directly but must read between the lines. I find that staying more quiet than normal during a conversation will sometimes inspire the other to fill in the silence in some very ... revealing ways.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17560,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A comment on the <a href=\"http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2014/02/toxic-avoidance.html\">FSP</a> post offers the following answer:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>One tell tale sign at the last university where I worked, was that almost all the research collaborations in the department had fallen apart, many due to personal conflicts. If a department doesn't/can't collaborate I'd call that a bad sign. Lots of collaborations, especially interdisciplinary ones, suggest some rudimentary ability to interact with other humans :)</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17726,
"author": "Andy Novobilski",
"author_id": 6417,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6417",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A couple of suggestions ...</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>There should be no \"invisible\" people. Do faculty greet students and administrative staff with a smile and words like \"please\" and \"thank you?\" Do they greet janitorial staff? A culture that values people for being people has a certain energy to it. Likewise, how do you interact with the secretary making your arrangements, people you see in the hallway during your interview?</p></li>\n<li><p>Consider the structure of the interview. Will you visit with everyone in the department on an individual basis? Does everyone in the department have the opportunity to meet you, even if its not one-on-one? Departments thrive on discourse, its up to you to find out if its civil or disruptive. One way to check this is to be in a position before the \"job talk\" to observe the dynamics of the room as various members enter. If the room goes quiet when someone walks in, try to observe why. Do eyes roll when someone asks a question designed to demonstrate their knowledge as opposed to find out about yours?</p></li>\n<li><p>When hiring (from the perspective of chair, dean, & provost), I want the candidate to know the unit's story and dynamic. That means a commitment on my part to allow the candidate to experience some of the discourse mentioned above. If all you see is harmony, then its either group think or a group that's been cautioned to hide the unpleasantness. You might ask your direct manager what people skills you could bring to the department that would build a stronger team.</p></li>\n<li><p>Get specifics. You are interviewing the institution at the same time they are interviewing you. For example, if you ask what people skills you can bring to the team, and the response is just be nice, think twice. Productive working groups should be built upon mutual respect for each others' strengths and a willingness to overlook some of the weaknesses. With that said, a healthy department will have a sense of what it needs to get stronger as a team.</p></li>\n<li><p>Read \"Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking\" by Malcolm Gladwell and trust your gut. If you're sensing something is wrong, it probably is. For this to be effective, you need time to reflect. If you're being pressured for an answer immediately, you should be concerned. Not that you need 2 weeks to think about an offer, but you should know how much time you need to make a reflective decision.</p></li>\n<li><p>It is a very small world in the academy with LOTS of information available, especially in the public setting. Want to know about the larger faculty culture? Go look up the minutes from the last 12-24 months of faculty senate and look at the faculty in department/college you'll be joining. Go to the website of the local newspaper and search for articles regarding the institution. Have you looked at the faculty satisfaction survey on the Chronicle of Higher Ed? Looked up articles on the institution on Inside Higher Ed?</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>One last point - healthy people are attracted to healthy environments. Think about who you are and take a look at what you want, make sure its consistent with the institution, and don't be fearful of asking difficult questions. You're worth it!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17734,
"author": "Irwin",
"author_id": 5944,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5944",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I know it's difficult to get straight answers out of people, but sometimes just asking, \"Are there any politics within the department to look out for?\" to multiple faculty on your one-on-ones will provide some insight. People who make a confused face and say, \"No, no\" or vehemently say, \"Absolutely not!\" are likely not lying about it. Those who sigh, or those who get wooden, or those who decline to speak about it might indicate some problems.</p>\n\n<p>In my experience most faculty members are rather honest and have a hard time denying problems when asked straight up about them.</p>\n"
}
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| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17556",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365/"
]
|
17,564 | <p>Whenever I am creating figures for publication, I often wonder if I should be using a serif or sans-serif font. I browse the journals in my field and notice that there is no standard, just chaos.</p>
<p>I have typically chosen serif font to match the typography of the body text; however, I have read that sans-serif stands out among the serif body text. My rationale for choosing serif text is because it allows me to reproduce the symbols from the text exactly in my legends (and/or annotations). To me, this seems clearer.</p>
<p>Does anyone have a source or standard that recommends one or the other?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17565,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>When it comes to typographic design, it can be dangerous to adhere to rules of thumb. Sometimes (actually most of the time) sans-serif fonts work, sometimes they don't. It would depend on tradition, trend, and overall feeling that the fonts project.</p>\n\n<p>If the journal does not specify. I would usually favor sans-serif. The reason is that unlike my texts, I am not always sure how much the editorial team may size down my illustration. Sans-serif has a pretty good property that they are quite resistant to shrinking, and can still be legible at relatively small size.</p>\n\n<p>In the mean time, if the publisher uses any software to smooth out the edge of the fonts after resizing (e.g. through <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliasing\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">aliasing</a>,) serif fonts can sometimes appear broken at their thinner strokes.</p>\n\n<p>There are, however, some illustrations that just don't look right with sans-serif. For instance, line labels and angle labels of trigonometry problem sets and formula like <a href=\"http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Trigonometry.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this one</a> are much nicer with bold and/or italicized serif fonts, monotone ink-drawn anatomical charts (like <a href=\"http://img0.etsystatic.com/023/0/6607786/il_570xN.494030876_fmxm.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this one</a>) will just look very odd if we put on sans-serif labels. This <a href=\"http://www.edisondrama.com/graphics/LifeofShakespeare.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">timeline</a> describing Shakespeare's Life may look ridiculous if sans-serif fonts are used.</p>\n\n<p>In those difficult situations, look for serif fonts that are beefier or with more uniform stroke width. As they can likely withstand shrinking and aliasing. In addition, look for fonts that are slightly wider, and have a good \"x-height\" (literally height of the font \"x\"). Some possible candidates are <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caslon\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Caslon</a>, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baskerville\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Baskerville</a>, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garamond\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Garamond</a>, and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatino\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Palatino</a>. Avoid cursive fonts, or fonts with some very thin lines like <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_New_Roman\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Times New Roman</a>. A more in-depth discussion on squint-free fonts can be found <a href=\"http://layersmagazine.com/art-of-type-squint-free-small-type.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">in this blog page</a> and this <a href=\"https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/3330/what-is-the-best-font-for-extremely-limited-space-i-e-will-fit-the-most-readab\">thread on SE UX</a>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17567,
"author": "rfle500",
"author_id": 4503,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4503",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I use Helvetica/Arial on all my figures, as it is a neutral font that doesn't detract from the point of the figure - to present data. It lacks the flourishes of most serif fonts, or stylistic features of othe sans serif fonts. As others have commented sans-serif fonts are more readable at small sizes, hence their overwhelming use in road signage. Since most figures are small when reproduced, readability is paramount.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/02/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17564",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
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]
|
17,576 | <p>I live in a 3rd world country and at one of top universities in my country a professor offered me a PhD position. I will pursue a part time PhD while working full time. I have to decide on whether or not to accept his offer.</p>
<p>My PhD chances in U.S. or other western countries where an established academic community exists is infinitesimal. This is due to my undergraduate degree is from another nationally lower ranked school than the nationally top ranked university I mentioned. Professors at my undergraduate school have no connection with western researchers and no cares about them, my undergradute professors also do not care about the international academic community. </p>
<p>Though the institution I was offered to pursue a PhD is nationally reputed and having a PhD degree from there carries a nationwise reputation, I believe that my postdoc chances from decent to good schools in western countries are very low. My professor has a title as Professor, but his h-index is extremely low (< 10), while his western colleagues usually have an index of greater than 30, and usually renowed ones have an index of gretaer than 50. Also his students do not seem to secure good postdocs.</p>
<p>I have started to dislike my professor too. I may work with him a few years and apply for a PhD after obtaining some publications, but still I will need his connections.</p>
<p>This might be my only chance for a PhD and I am not sure what to do. What are my chances in western academic system after this PhD ? Should a PhD done with a professor whose work does not receive much citations and who publishes rarely ?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17578,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Picking a PhD supervisor based on his h-index is like picking a car based on his horse-power; you ignore a huge number of factors that are probably equally important if not more. It is drivable (can you work with this person?), is it expensive to run (do the guy needs to pampered and treated like royalty?), are other owners happy with their purchase (are his other PhD students happy with his supervision?), etc. etc. Getting a really fast car only to crash it cause you can't drive it does mean much and getting a supervisor who after a year's time makes you want to quit your PhD doesn't mean much either. Most probably in both cases people are going to think less of you.</p>\n\n<p>I think the most important thing is that you say that \"I have started to dislike my professor too.\" that is a major problem and you should not pick a supervisor that you dislike. I do not mean that by being \"homies\" with supervisor; I mean about mutual respect and ability to work efficiently and with understanding about each other maybe \"small quirks\". (eg. My supervisor avoided setting up morning meeting with me because I am a night-person; it was fine, he even joked up about it at times \"Next week I have X thing going on so we probably need to meet at 11.00. I know you'll just be out of bed but that is my only available time.\" That did not mean though I was not expected to be always punctuational for our meeting or having worked seriously on the projects at hand.</p>\n\n<p>To recap: As you present things I would say \"do not to work with this professor\" but not because of his low h-index but because you say you do not like him and that his PhD students seem not to take good positions (low after-sales value :) ).</p>\n\n<p>You mention that US institution are out of the equation effectively; \"fine\". Have you thought of PhD programmes in Europe? Some small, not too famous but reputable universities in EU can be stepping stones for a post-doc in US (Given you do excellent work at your PhD obviously).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17579,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Having a low h-index doesn't mean that your professor is a poor scientist, in the same way that having a high h-index doesn't guarantee he/she is a good one. The primary reason is that the h-index is bounded from above by the total number of publications, so people who have entered the field recently have a lower h-index than those that have been working there for decades, simply because the former haven't had so much time to publish enough papers. Additionally, the h-index only cares about a minimum number of citations per publication, and it doesn't take into account the total number of citations per publication or the importance of those citations. For example, if I publish two papers in <em>Science</em> and then retire from academia, my h-index will never be higher than 2, even if those two papers are completely revolutionary and get cited a kazillion times by the biggest guns in the field. In contrast, if I publish 20 papers reporting trivial and mundane results in <em>North Dakota Community College Engineering Bulletin</em> that only get cited by a bunch of my colleagues in a seventh-rate journal, I can potentially get my h-index up to 20. </p>\n\n<p>A better way of deciding if you want to work with this person is to spend an afternoon reading through some of his recent work, and then to ask yourself: <em>Does this person's work look interesting enough that I want to spend the next several years talking to him every day?</em>. Or <em>If I was already a professor, would I advise my own students to go get a PhD under this guy?</em>. Or, if in doubt, ask these questions to your current mentors, who probably will have a more informed opinion than you do.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17580,
"author": "Philip Gibbs",
"author_id": 7466,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7466",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think the question of how good your advisor will be is of secondary importance here because the real question is will you do a PhD or not? PhD positions are not easy to come by (depending on the field of study.) This may be your only chance.</p>\n\n<p>The role of advisor is of course important, especially when it comes to getting your post-doc positions. You need to ask whether you are confident enough in your own abilities to write notable papers that are going to compensate for the shortcomings of the advisor. Have you discussed with him the projects that he will want you to work on? The biggest danger is that he will want you to do something that you are not inspired by. If you like the projects he proposes and feel confident that you can do well even if your advisor's help is limited then you should go for it. </p>\n\n<p>At least you will still be working part time so you have a backup. Why not give it a try and be prepared to drop out after one year if it does not look promising (but don't tell the prof that obviously).</p>\n\n<p>One more thing, if you do go for it try to have a more positive attitude. No advisor is perfect but they are usually on your side.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17614,
"author": "Gerald C",
"author_id": 12546,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12546",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I had a similar dilemma when I decided to pursue the PhD. The rank of the program is important but the intersection of your advisor's work and your interests is the critical factor. If your research is not related to that of your advisor, he will not be able to offer insights to guide you along. You can get in-depth guidance about literature searches, literature reviews, and selecting and arguing a thesis from many outstanding reference books. Furthermore, your advisor cannot cover the breadth and depth of these reference books in the few short meetings that will be allotted to you. What you need is concise, trenchant insight that is relevant to the research.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17632,
"author": "Christopher",
"author_id": 12558,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12558",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To address your last question: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Should a PhD done with a professor whose work does not receive much\n citations and who publishes rarely ?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There are many considerations as pointed out by other answers. H-index is one measure that might help you understand, at a glance, things about a scholar, but given the seriousness of your situation (wanting to do a PhD) you should dig deeper. For instance, does the professor have a low H-index because he is new to the field (as mentioned by Koldito)? Or is the H-index low because his area is highly specialized, and quite small? These might be reasons for relaxing how important this metric is in making your decision.</p>\n\n<p>If, on the other hand, his H-index is low because he does not publish often (e.g. he does not value publishing as a scholarly work), or because he publishes in venues with low impact, these might be good reasons for concern. Similarly, you note that others in his field who would be experts from the west would have an H-index > 50; if this professor isn't an expert in the field then I would consider that cause for legitimate concern too.</p>\n\n<p>You asked a second question:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>This might be my only chance for a PhD and I am not sure what to do.\n What are my chances in western academic system after this PhD ?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Your insight that his previous students don't tend to get good postdocs is something to consider, especially if other students in the university are able to secure quality postdoc positions. My personal experience has been that if you want to secure a position in the western academic system you need to do something there first (a degree, a postdoc, etc.), so making sure your PhD puts you on the path to achieving this sounds like it is important for your goals. I would encourage you to ask the adviser directly who he collaborates with and how you can get experience through the PhD working with scholars worldwide. Be explicit about your goals. If he decides he doesn't want to work with you because of this, then he probably isn't the right supervisor for you.</p>\n\n<p>And a final note of advice, your social networks and institutional affiliations are more important when you are looking for that first academic job than your h-index. H-index is used more regularly for judging things like tenure, promotion, etc. In the western system, from my experience, you want people to know at a glance that you have credentials that are rigorous and prestigious. If doing a PhD with this professor won't put you on this track then you should seriously consider your other options. But dig deeper than the H-index to investigate this.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17635,
"author": "Emme",
"author_id": 12532,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12532",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have been working as a graduate advisor for many years and I am giving you suggestions based on that experience. I hope I don't sound overly critical, just a couple of things I usually tell incoming PhD students about their expectations of graduate school. This may be because I work mostly with undergraduates transitioning directly into graduate school, so often I have to play the antagonist in these discussions to challenge my students to think about their own plans for their own future. And to be realistic. So here goes:</p>\n\n<p>Most importantly, I think that you should also consider the amount of effort you are willing to put into the PhD. Typically, PhD students are asked to commit full time to it, and though this varies with the discipline, my experience working with PhD students is that the more time they spend developing themselves as academics and masters of their field, the better they do professionally.</p>\n\n<p>I am concerned that you do not like your mentor/professor much. Are there others on your committee (or academics you are considering to be on your committee) that you do prefer? It's not unusual to not see eye-to-eye with your mentor - it is unusual that you don't want to continue working/ knowing him after your graduate - but rather his connections. Typically, his word to his connections is what begins your immersion in his network - so you will have to be careful to either keep that disdain in check or work will not be fun and challenging (as it should be) and will end up being a chore and make you more frustrated - and isolated.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, about rising in the ranks of academia. Being a part of the Western academic society is not the ultimate social status. Being a highly valued academic in your chosen field of work is. </p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17576",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12523/"
]
|
17,577 | <p>In a year, I will be taking a difficult entrance exam at a renowned postgraduate school. There are many competitors, most of whom are smart. Despite that, I'm aiming at becoming #1 in the exam, and that's why I have started preparing now.</p>
<p>I have interviewed a few top candidates of the past years and already learned which books I should read and how much I should study every day.</p>
<p>I think that learning more about planning would help me a great deal. But those books on planning and goal-setting mostly focus on reaching financial goals. I have not managed to find any books befitting my situation.</p>
<p>Another thing is that, because the duration is quite long, I'm afraid that my enthusiasm may start weakening after a few months into it, no longer performing at my best.</p>
<p>So, here is my question: How can I a make one-year study-plan for myself, and remain motivated in the long run?</p>
<p>Also, any suggestions about books, software, etc. that will help me reaching my goal will be appreciated.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17624,
"author": "RahulGupta",
"author_id": 12552,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12552",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would recommend you not to rely upon external entities for motivation. Rather then relying upon just some books and software, practice <strong>\"Self Motivation\"</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Each day think about the <strong>happiness and satisfaction</strong> that you will achieve once you got an admission in the targeted postgraduate school.</p>\n\n<p>Furthermore, browse through the <strong>list of notable alumni</strong> from the same school and make a target that you will also feature in the same list some day. </p>\n\n<p>It will encourage you to put 100% effort each day without losing excitement.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 23493,
"author": "vikas pandey",
"author_id": 17525,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17525",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>making plan is essential for the exam but rather more imp is to excute daily and alway remember ur goal ...\nif u able for the exam then u also able for making strategy or plan ownself...</p>\n\n<p>so belive in ownself,hardwork,smartwork systematicity ,mindset,ur god and positive think ...</p>\n\n<p>never give up...\n always think about ur goal ,goal,goal...so...on </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 23502,
"author": "Brian P",
"author_id": 17232,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17232",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am going to take a different strategy than suggest you need to stay motivated and positive. You can be super motivated and positive, but still not reach this goal. Focus on principles of effective and efficient learning. Create a study plan and use study strategies that maximize every bit of your study time. Here are a few possible strategies to consider. </p>\n\n<p>1) Establish a fixed study schedule that is realistic. An overly ambitious plan will likely lead to early failure. What is a realistic plan that you can reasonably adhere to for the course of a year? </p>\n\n<p>2) Avoid binge-study periods. Breaking your study sessions into shorter but more frequent times is more effective than marathon / binge study sessions. You can take advantage of the 'recency' and 'primacy' effects in learning. </p>\n\n<p>3) Be certain that you are monitoring your study sessions. Make sure you are giving yourself credit only for productive studying. </p>\n\n<p>4) Measure / monitor your progress. This is important to ensure that you are moving forward in your study plan. You can do this by specifying measurable objectives, perhaps on a weekly basis. For example, \"By Friday, I want to have accomplished ... \" </p>\n\n<p>5) Try to obtain practice tests that are similar in structure or content to the one you will be taking. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 27412,
"author": "cs_alumnus",
"author_id": 20495,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20495",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When I went through this, the thing that kept me most motivated was not doing it alone.</p>\n\n<p>To get through this, I joined a group of 4 of my peers who were studying for the same tests. We met twice a week for several hours and planned out before each meeting which chapters we would discuss. When someone felt they had a particular understanding of the subject matter for the chapter, they would lead the discussion on that chapter.</p>\n\n<p>There were several advantages to this approach.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>I was motivated to attend because not doing so would affect the group</li>\n<li>I was motivated to honestly read the chapter and not just skim it if I thought I knew the content already</li>\n<li>I found that there were things that I thought I understood that I did not. Explaining your understanding of something to someone else is a great way to find all of the holes in your understanding of it</li>\n<li>In our case, the exams were based on courses we had taken already so we all had notes and previous exams from those courses and were able to share those resources.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>In our case, several of us had family. A structured time to meet and discuss provided us a way to work with our already overloaded schedules. We chose to meet on campus in the evenings as our department is open 24/7 to students by keycard. This allowed other students studying for the same thing to drop in and out of our meetings when they were interested in particular topics.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17577",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12521/"
]
|
17,581 | <p>While attending a course sometime back, I recall an instructor saying, "I need to warn (other instructor's name)...their course syllabus is available to anyone!"</p>
<p>I do not have access to an LMS for my classroom-based course, so I just post my course details to a regular Web hosting service. On the Web site, students, or anyone else, can easily locate:</p>
<ul>
<li>the syllabus</li>
<li>exam study guide</li>
<li>homework instructions</li>
</ul>
<p>I cannot think of any reason why this would be a problem, but recall the comment, so wonder if there might be some issue I have overlooked. Is there any reason why any of this information should not be open to the public?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17582,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Basically, I would answer no! There are, however, several issues that may prevent people from publishing material openly. One is if it contains copyrighted material, another is if the material contains hints that can help students gain an unfair advantage. In your list, the only possible issue could be with the third if those in any way could lead to an unfair advantage (not that I can think of how). That said, many publish homework questions, lecture materials etc on web sites that can be found by a search. I have benefited from finding such materials when developing my own courses and I am very grateful for that. Returning to your three points, I think they provide a good basis for students to decide what they can expect from the course and hopefully will attract the right students to it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17589,
"author": "jpm",
"author_id": 12387,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12387",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As @PeterJansson explains putting material online has many advantages for the students. But I believe that there are two small conditions for this. </p>\n\n<p>First, that the author keeps control of the material. By this I mean that is not just posted somewhere on the internet where the author cannot modify it. This is because usually the material created and typesetted by a single person has not gone through a publishing process and usually has many errors an typos that the author should be able to correct anytime. This is the reason why I believe any uploaded material should always explain the way to contact the author (at least an email address). We all have found note on the web plagued with error that the author either can't correct or doesn't even know they exist. </p>\n\n<p>Second, that the existence of the material and the way to access the last version of it is explained to all the student attending the course. The problem is that we cannot control what happens whith the files once we upload them but at least we can tell students where to get the right version of them.</p>\n\n<p>This is the way to avoid the only way to prevent the only form of unfair advantage I can think of which is some students having a more recent version of the notes or some students not knowing that the notes exist. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17682,
"author": "Davidmh",
"author_id": 12587,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12587",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Let me put it this way, if I know of a published book that explains the topic of the course very nicely, do I have an advantage compared to my fellow classmates? One could think that. It is unfair? Not really, anyone could have done the same research as me and find the same book.</p>\n\n<p>Some universities actually encourage professors to publish their class notes. It is a good way of getting prestige, as other professors can base their course plan on yours, or students may find the notes useful. In both cases, it is a very good publicity for the university, and very cheap.</p>\n\n<p>Copyright issues are probably the only possible limitation, but they depend greatly on the subject: for modern English literature, you will need to comment on extracts of copyrighted books, and perhaps you want to avoid any legal fuzz regarding whether you are under fair use or not; but in mathematics there are hardly any copyrights in theorems.</p>\n\n<p>Another reason not to have things public is if you are going to publish them as a book. But that is another ethics debate for another time.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17581",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/600/"
]
|
17,584 | <p>As a grad student I was, for the most part, shielded from issues like high-level bureaucracy, departmental duties and politics, and long-term career advancement. Obviously these things become more important when you're looking for a faculty job.</p>
<p><strong>Question:</strong> As a faculty member in the U.S., what are the most tangible differences between being at a public vs. private university?</p>
<p>I.e., how does it affect your day-to-day life, or alternatively, key events like promotion, student recruiting, etc.? Obviously the question depends a great deal on the particular department and perhaps its ranking; I am interested mostly in departments "near the top" <em>[ed: of some fairly arbitrary ranking systems...]</em>, but broad answers are also useful.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17586,
"author": "just-learning",
"author_id": 10483,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10483",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the US, the private universities apparently tend to pay more to their faculty:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.aaup.org/file/2012-13Economic-Status-Report.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.aaup.org/file/2012-13Economic-Status-Report.pdf</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/faculty-pay-survey_n_3038924.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/faculty-pay-survey_n_3038924.html</a></p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, the private universities should, for obvious reasons, be less affected by the state budget cuts. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17623,
"author": "Anonymous",
"author_id": 11565,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11565",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>A few anecdotal observations. It <em>must</em> be said that these are trends, and exceptions to everything I say are plentiful.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>As just-learning said, private universities tend to pay a little better. Also, they seem to have less faculty turnover (perhaps for this reason).</p></li>\n<li><p>Public universities often have more BS committee work. For example, my university periodically mandates a lengthy process of \"post-tenure review\". Negative or positive reviews have no consequences, and therefore the process is a complete waste of time, but we have no choice.</p></li>\n<li><p>At least among top-notch research universities, public schools are usually large, and many private schools are small. Large schools typically have advantages (big seminars, lots of courses that can be offered to students, etc.) and disadvantages (lots of grading, people can feel lost in the crowd, etc.)</p></li>\n<li><p>A corollary to the above: public universities often influence their towns more, simply because there are more people working and studying at the university. For example UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke are excellent universities (public and private respectively) which are ten miles apart, and it is Chapel Hill that has the really outstanding K-12 school system. </p></li>\n<li><p>Especially at public universities, there might be many clubs which are largely student organizations, but faculty members and others also participate in. Especially if you are not yet inclined to \"settle down\", this could be a huge positive.</p></li>\n<li><p>The campuses tend to be different. Many private universities are surrounded by lush greenery, where at public universities it is more common that you can walk across the street and get something good to eat.</p></li>\n<li><p>Sports culture is more prevalent at public universities (although it is also very big at many private universities). I am a bit of a curmudgeon, annoyed at the overwhelming football culture at my school. But those more laid back than me simply enjoy the games.</p></li>\n<li><p>Student attitudes tend to be different. At wealthy private universities many of the students will be more optimistic, and more ambitious goals and dreams seem to be more common. The downside (from what I have heard) is that entitlement and grade-grubbing are also more common.</p></li>\n<li><p>Public universities serve the public. My university enrolls a number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. I attended a graduation ceremony, and when many names were called there was a palpable and obvious joy on the part of large crowds in the audience supporting them. Witnessing this was a deeply moving experience.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17584",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9538/"
]
|
17,594 | <p>Imagine that I write a paper about a controversial topic like global warming denial, the link between vaccines and autism, why different races have different IQ. After publication, the paper gets the attention of mass media, and as a counter measure, serious experts start explaining why the paper is completely wrong. </p>
<p>Would that count as citations towards a higher h-index?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17597,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>h-index counts citations regardless of the content of those citations, so citations by people criticizing the paper, disagreeing with it, or pointing out that it's nonsense do still count as citations.</p>\n\n<p>(As a plan to improve one's h-index, this seems like a bad plan for a number of reasons. As a concern about the meaning of h-index, it's a concern, though there's room to argue about whether this sort of situation is common enough to matter.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17602,
"author": "J. Zimmerman",
"author_id": 7921,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7921",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>Yes, you can!</em></p>\n\n<p><strong>But that it is possible is by no means to say that it is ethical, practical, wise, or otherwise commendatory.</strong> I would be especially concerned about becoming known as the 'person with a kooky idea' rather than as a serious academic researcher. </p>\n\n<p>The question becomes, \"It is possible to write on a very controversial topic, create a media firestorm, attract a lot of attention, increase your h-index, and still keep your credibility intact?\" The answer will be highly variable dependent on the validity of your research, your previous reputation, and the sheer capriciousness of luck. </p>\n\n<p>First, assuming that your work is valid, even if you have proven the viability of a very controversial position, your work is likely to attract some negative attention as well as attempts to disprove your research (or you-- <em>ad hominem</em> attacks are unfortunately common). However, if your work can and does stand up to scrutiny, all the brouhaha may actually work in your favor-- you have proven a controversial theory to be true, your h-index will increase and your credibility is not only intact but also bolstered by your success. </p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, if your work does not stand up to scrutiny (which seems to be the scenario you are picturing), you will have made a public fool out of yourself and the slight increase in your h-index will be more than offset by the decrease in your credibility. Neither the counter-moves of serious researchers nor the attacks of fanatics are likely to help your academic career, especially if your work cannot stand up under scrutiny. </p>\n\n<p><strong>So, write a really bad, but controversial, paper <em>only</em> if you are willing to sacrifice your credibility for the slight increase in your h-index.</strong></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17611,
"author": "just-learning",
"author_id": 10483,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10483",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Not really: note that by <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-index\">definition</a> of the h-index this paper can increase your h-index <em>at most by one</em>, unless you are lucky enough to get citations of the type described by David Richerby in the comment below (\"X, despite making significant contributions to the subjects A [1-3] and B [4,5,7-13], has some unorthodox opinions on the subject C [6]\"). </p>\n\n<p>However, attracting this kind of citations is very field-dependent, and I doubt that even if this strategy works out, be it with a single paper or in David's way, it would really pay off, especially given the losses in reputation. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17616,
"author": "Rex Kerr",
"author_id": 669,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/669",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>No, you probably can't, because for it to gain a lot of attention it needs to be intriguing in some way. Simple rubbish isn't; there's plenty of that already, and the peer review process screens out most of it. You could try some huge publicity campaign, but if you're that good at publicity, maybe you're in the wrong field?</p>\n\n<p>Finding just the right balance of plausibility, tension, incorrectness, and publicity is very hard. One indication that this may be the case is that the number of highly-cited bad/controversial papers is much smaller than the number of highly-cited good papers.</p>\n\n<p>Just write a good paper. It's easier (not easy!) and more useful.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17642,
"author": "David",
"author_id": 12569,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12569",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Most bad papers are ignored not cited for being wrong. You would have to get it into a good journal and get people to praise it etc. before other researchers will think it is worth critcizing it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17681,
"author": "Davidmh",
"author_id": 12587,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12587",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I just want to add that your examples are not likely to succeed. If you attract media attention, the debunking papers will be published in newspapers, not in peer reviewed journals, and it will not count towards bibliometric indexes. For it to work you would need to attract attention in your field, and therefore, fool experts.</p>\n\n<p>This said, there are some exceptions, one \"good\" and one \"bad\":</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Very groundshaking papers, like some of the ones published by Nature. They explore a very new frontier, and are likely to make mistakes. They do get attention because the ideas are refreshing. Even if they are not correct, the mental process is useful.</li>\n<li>In some multidisciplinary fields, most experts tend to be in one of the sides. For example, some branches of biomedical research are dominated by doctors and biologists, but there are not many physicists or statisticians. In these fields, people may incur in mistakes outside of their area of expertise (for example, a doctor may not have understood the electronics involved in his machine, and why his results are flawed). In this case, one could write a honest paper that has a fundamental mistake, and the reviewers are from the same area of expertise as the author and don't catch it; or someone could take advantage of his rare expertise and introduce wrong procedures on purpose. The first case is not unheard of, the second I haven't seen.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17716,
"author": "Dikran Marsupial",
"author_id": 2827,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2827",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my experience, most papers of this nature tend to be written by senior academics near the end of their careers, and so it has little impact on their h-indices as they already have a sufficient number of papers with more citations than the controversial paper is ever likely to attract. Less senior academics at the start of their careers (where it might have an impact on their h-index) tend to be more circumspect and careful (as their lack of experience tends to make them more self-sceptical). As a scientist, self-scepticism is a vitally important quality to be carefully nurtured.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17802,
"author": "user13985",
"author_id": 12702,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12702",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is a clever idea, never thought of it.</p>\n\n<p>You are famous for the wrong reason. Of course, what's being worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about. Unlike Hollywood, publicity does not equal fame, nor does it generate grants.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17594",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8970/"
]
|
17,598 | <p>I bet most of the users here had one of the following bad experiences: your idea and someone's idea happen to be very similar, manuscript topics got scooped, etc. Among these bad experiences, the worst is perhaps finding out a very similar paper was already published after the experimentation, simulation, writing, or even submission was done. This is very time consuming and stressful.</p>
<p>I realize that this question is very general and field-dependent. However, I would love to learn from your experience on <strong>how to efficiently look for related works in one's own field.</strong> For instance:</p>
<ol>
<li>Where (websites, publishers, pre-prints... )</li>
<li>When should we find or update these related works, and</li>
<li>What kind of tricks have you used to perform such searches efficiently.</li>
</ol>
<p>To help you orient, my background is electrical and computer engineering, communication and image/video processing.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17599,
"author": "Austin Henley",
"author_id": 746,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/746",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<ol>\n<li>Scholar.Google.com, IEEE, and ACM</li>\n<li>After every major conference in your field.</li>\n<li>See 1, find a paper, then follow its references and the papers that cite it. Repeat.</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17601,
"author": "just-learning",
"author_id": 10483,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10483",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to the sources listed in A. Henley's answer, try also other databases like SCI (<a href=\"http://www.webofknowledge.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.webofknowledge.com</a>) and Scopus (<a href=\"http://scopus.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://scopus.com</a>) to get a more complete picture.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17603,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to searching the published literature (as the other answers suggest), if your subfield is a very active one you'll also want to know about <strong>almost-published</strong> literature. There are two ways to do this:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Identify the important conferences in your field, and look through the list of accepted papers as soon as it becomes available.</p></li>\n<li><p>By following Austin Henley's suggestions you will notice that some names come up especially often as authors of related work. These are researchers doing work similar to yours, and therefore there is a good chance that their next paper will also be related. Find their homepages and monitor their publication lists on a regular basis. Many researchers list their \"to appear\" papers, which may not yet be available from the publisher.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>If you suspect significant overlap based on a paper title you see in the program of an upcoming conference or the author's homepage, you can request a preprint from the author.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17598",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11841/"
]
|
17,606 | <p>In July 2012 I submitted a bachelor's thesis on a machine learning topic. I designed an algorithm that I developed in Java. </p>
<p>Now I have found a publication (September 2012) by my supervisor with all the results of my thesis, including images, with only a thanks at the end for the "Java implementations", but all of the results and the designed algorithm were taken from my thesis. The supervisor has not added anything to what I had already written in my thesis.</p>
<p>For me she had to add my name as a co-author of publications. Of course the supervisor helped me in the writing of the thesis but having only revived my job in publishing, then I was expecting my name as a co-author because she has not added anything new.</p>
<p>What recourse do I have?</p>
<p><strong>Edit1:</strong><br>
One problem is that my thesis, about 140 page, was written in Italian and the pubblication was in English. For this reason I suppose it's hard to write to the Journal to show him my thesis. In addition, my thesis is not published online on any official channel.</p>
<p>The project and the thesis was made by me and one other student with the constant help of her (supervisor). But on the publication the name is of Supervisor, Co-supervisor and one more people (i suppose this people have translated 140 italian page in 5-6 english page) but why not me?</p>
<p>In add now I'm in other city, in other university and now i have no bridge between my supervisor.</p>
<p>If i have no more contact (only an email) with supervisor is there any way to write to the person who published that? and how can I prove that content is that of my thesis?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17612,
"author": "just-learning",
"author_id": 10483,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10483",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If this paper was published in a journal, you can write to the editor and state your case (or better, if you can, have a senior colleague to do that: (s)he would have more clout with the editor) and ask which are the available options (retraction, publishing a comment stating your authorship, etc.). It would be helpful if your thesis was available online for all that time at some respectable (and easily accessible) place like the University online repository, and the thesis has a reliable date stamp preceding the date of submission of the paper. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Caution</strong>: if you follow the above advice, <strong>be prepared to burn all bridges with the person who plagiarized your work</strong>.</p>\n\n<p><strong>EDIT:</strong> Following the suggestion given in comments below by Pete L. Clark: you may wish to consider discussing the situation with the supervisor first and, if you could agree on that, write to the journal together requesting the correction (adding your name as an author) rather than pointing out the plagiarism case. However, be warned that the odds of reaching such a compromise with the supervisor are, in my opinion, rather slim, and you should still be prepared to burn all bridges with the supervisor if the conversation doesn't produce any reasonable outcome.</p>\n\n<p>In any case, it would be extremely unlikely to obtain (supportive) letters of recommendation from this supervisor. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17627,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Unfortunately, your story does not seem implausible to me at all. Here in central Europe, some computer science departments seem to have a <em>very</em> lax mentality when it comes to acknowledging research contributions coming from undergrads or non-research master students. In some places, this thinking seems to be so ingrained that even otherwise honest and fair researchers do not even consider putting the name of undergrads on papers despite their work making up a significant part of the paper's research contribution (something that the same faculty would never do and, in fact, consider highly unethical, if the student was a PhD or a master student on a research track). I guess part of the problem is that around here, the majority of students heading for an industry career (which is almost everybody at many large universities) does not care one way or another, so nobody really complains about this practice (which, of course, does not make it ok).</p>\n\n<p><em>(the following is written under the assumption that what you wrote is actually correct - clearly, my advise is terrible if you vastly overstated your contributions)</em></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>If i have no more contact (only an email) with supervisor is there any way to write to the person who published that? and how can I prove that content is that of my thesis?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You should <strong>definitely</strong> get in touch with your supervisor. Keep the mail friendly, but do make clear that you are not ok with how this has went down. If (s)he is one of those that simply did not consider whether you should actually also be a co-author of this paper, there is a good chance that (s)he is in fact pretty embarrassed by the incident. Presumably, the first thing that the faculty will explain that this \"is just the way it works around here\". Don't accept this excuse (even though it might be factually true). Be aware that you are in the right here, and that you raising your valid concerns to the conference organisers will <strong>at least</strong> be <strong>really</strong> embarrassing for the faculty (and, as stated on this website once, reputation is the currency of science), so you do have some leverage.</p>\n\n<p>Essentially, I think the onus is on the faculty to come up with a solution here. It is not like <strong>you</strong> need to think of a way how this can be resolved sufficiently. <em>Maybe</em> your supervisor will think of a solution for your issue that is acceptable for you. As a last resort, you can contact the organisers of the conference, as stated by just-learning, and give them the information that you also gave us above (now deleted). Be aware that you will likely gain little by this move, though - presumably, either nothing will happen or the paper will be removed from the proceedings. In any case, the reputation of the authors will likely be tarnished quite a bit by this incident, and, as stated in another answer, you will have certainly burned all bridges with this group of people.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17636,
"author": "Emme",
"author_id": 12532,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12532",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The primary question here is what you would like to see happen.</p>\n\n<p>It sounds like you are angry that your work was plagiarized, but are scared that it will impact your current work. </p>\n\n<p>Typically universities have an ethics group or commission. Look into one at your past-supervisor's university. These groups often keep their work secret and use mediation to resolve such issues. That would be a good place to start to know the options available to you.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17606",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12537/"
]
|
17,619 | <p>Your undergraduate CGPA is quite low, but you were somehow accepted into a respected Masters and PhD program, and completed your postgraduate work quite successfully. Your undergraduate major was the same general field as your postgraduate research. </p>
<p>You are now beginning your academic job search. How would the low CGPA affect your chances of getting a job at a top-tiered academic institution in the US or UK? </p>
<p>If yes, then what else can you do in the meantime to counteract the negative effects of that low CGPA?</p>
<p>(btw, I am asking this for a friend, not for me as I am not in academia)</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17620,
"author": "Arno",
"author_id": 12047,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12047",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>For applications for faculty positions people would usually state only their undergrad degrees with date, subject and university. For postdoc applications, one could include more detail, but I don't think anyone would get suspicious if no grades are listed.</p>\n\n<p>Thus, having low grades on your undergrad studies would have no direct impact on jobchances after the PhD, because people simply wouldn't know about them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17622,
"author": "RahulGupta",
"author_id": 12552,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12552",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As you have already done <strong>Masters</strong> and <strong>PhD</strong>, your CGPA in undergraduate is least to be bothered. If you are in academia, your quality of research matters more than the grades that you have obtained long back in undergraduate studies. </p>\n\n<p>As your credential will grow, your resume will be filled with much more valued contents rather than just grades.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17631,
"author": "keshlam",
"author_id": 10225,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10225",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>What you have done since your undergraduate days is far more significant than how focused/motivated you were at that time. Everyone understands that students are still figuring out their priorities, and that adolescents are insane by definition. </p>\n\n<p>If you're worried about it anyway, you may want to have an answer ready in case someone asks you about them. Mine would be a combination of:</p>\n\n<p>-- I was spending too much time on student activities, mostly on volunteer projects though I admit D&D ate a great deal of my spare time as a freshman.</p>\n\n<p>-- I was still figuring out what I wanted my actual career path to be. (In fact, my degree says EE but I've wound up returning to CS ... my grades would have been better if I'd stuck with my first love, but I felt I needed to balance my knowledge of software with more hardware insight.)</p>\n\n<p>-- I was more concerned with learning the material than with proving I had learned the material. As a result, I tended to work hardest on homework in the classes where I was struggling, and sometimes blew off homework in classes where I felt I didn't need the practice. If you could look at my records in greater detail, you'd see a fair number of courses where my final grade was a B because my homework grade was C but I blew away the final. Obviously, I've gotten smarter about time management since then.</p>\n\n<p>Note that every one of those, while true and admitting a failure, also acts as an opportunity to discuss what I learned from that failure, what <em>strengths</em> it demonstrates to offset the failure, and why I'm a good candidate now. Use it as an opportunity for storytelling and marketing; make lemonade out of the lemons.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17647,
"author": "Pieter Geerkens",
"author_id": 12573,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12573",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My grandfather was famously (within the family) asked just this question (concerning poor undergraduate marks) during his interview an M.Sc. program. His answer was roughly \"As an undergraduate, I enjoyed being an undergraduate; now I am ready to concentrate on my studies.\" He was accepted eagerly, and the subject never came up again.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17619",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7478/"
]
|
17,621 | <p>Every year we organize a competitive international call for PhD students (in the area of biology). What measurable criteria should we use to predict their academic success and award them research fellowships?</p>
<p>I realize that part of the question is ill-defined because it is not clear how to define “success” for a PhD student. But since I imagine that many of us have this problem and have potentially thought of a solution, I would love to read your thoughts on this question.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17700,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The major quantifiable predictor of success in research is... success in research. People who have done research successfully in the past are more likely than not to continue to do so. </p>\n\n<p>For students that have not done research in the past, the best predictor I have seen for success (whatever that may be) is expressed in a quote from <em>The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research</em>, by Marian Petre & Gordon Rugg:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><em>A willingness to learn for themselves and good judgement about when to stop and ask for feedback.</em>*</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It's not exactly quantifiable, but you can get a sense for it in an interview. \n(Of course, this quality can be learned, so a lack of it doesn't necessarily predict an <em>inability</em> to succeed at research.)</p>\n\n<p><sub>* <em>I took this quote completely out of context; the authors there are actually discussing the role of the PhD advisor, and they mention this quality in reference to a student \"who can be pretty much left to get on with it, with supervisory meetings being something that both parties enjoy, and where each party learns from the other.\"</em> </sub></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17703,
"author": "Trylks",
"author_id": 7571,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7571",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Short answer:</strong> You should not be looking at what people do or how they are, but how what they do looks like.</p>\n\n<p>This is, how are they qualifications, specially considering consistency between them, it's not about the average, but the average and a small standard deviation. The greater the deviation, the less predictable they will be.</p>\n\n<p>On a side note: you will probably reject geniuses.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Long answer:</strong></p>\n\n<p>\"Success\" is now defined as \"publishing\", it's pretty clear how to define it since people that have to define quality and metrics are focusing on this.</p>\n\n<p>This may be wrong, some people say it's wrong to use P-values to test your hypotheses, some people say it's wrong to use h-indexes to measure the quality of researchers, but it's certainly becoming more and more common. These values provide a warm feeling of objectiveness and it's very hard to refuse to that. IMHO, they are here to stay, and without any doubt, they are here.</p>\n\n<p>Having clarified that, I have a personal hypothesis (not verified at all, sorry) that people that get good grades are better at publishing. The reason is that we can consider that the corrections of an exam and the reviews of a paper are similar.</p>\n\n<p>In my experience, in both cases is not about how much you know or how much you can do, but on the contrary it is about:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Conformity</em>. Using the same language, terminology and not producing something shocking or hard to understand that will cause failing the exam or the paper being rejected.</li>\n<li><em>Writing skills</em>. Trying to predict (consciously or not) how the person reading your paper/exam is going to interpret it, avoid misinterpretations, show self-confidence, clear ideas, clear structure, etc. </li>\n<li><em>Concision</em>. This is more than a writing skill. Time is limited in exams, pages are usually limited in papers (and the less pages, the more papers, that's also good, in principle). But it's even more than that, because most of the time it's not about how much you know or how much you have done, but avoiding mistakes. An exam that replies perfectly to half of the questions (and only that) will look better than one that replies perfectly to 90% of them but then makes really stupid mistakes in the other 10%. A paper with a small contribution may get accepted (depending on how small it truly is), but a paper with an important contribution and then an important mistake will get rejected (even if the mistake is only in the mind of the reviewer because the terminology used does not conform to what is usual and this makes reviewers very confused).</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So it's really about being compliant with the state of the art and moving step by step further, with small steps, <a href=\"http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20130114\" rel=\"nofollow\">baby steps</a>, avoiding mistakes. How can you know whether someone can do this? Looking at their grades, and specially to the deviation of their grades from the average, it's not just about high grades, but consistent grades. It's not about how much they know, but about how often do they mess up, because if they do often, chances are they will do it at least once per paper, getting all rejected.</p>\n\n<p>This is the case for me, from time to time I'd do something really <em>\"brilliant\"</em> in an exam, the teacher would not understand it and I would get a qualification of 0 in that exercise. I have never cared about qualifications, but learning, now publishing is just like any other qualification. <em>Success</em> is just like any other qualification.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17621",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12550/"
]
|
17,625 | <p>I have several math research articles on my site.</p>
<p>Some of my articles are published in open access journals.</p>
<p>Some of my articles are currently available only from my site.</p>
<p>I may probably publish something in a closed access journal.</p>
<p>The question: Should I put these kinds of articles at arXiv (and possibly replace articles on my site with redirect to arXiv)? I think yes, because it would increase visibility of my articles, as many people search on arXiv and/or receive arXiv mailing lists.</p>
<p>Is it ethical to put an already published article also at arXiv?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17626,
"author": "Layla",
"author_id": 6144,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6144",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Well you can put your published articles on arxiv just for visibility purposes, but you will be having problems with the copyright of the journals and conferences in which your work is published. Essentially, the editors will not get too busy to track you down, but it is not ethical.</p>\n\n<p>There is one way to go around this problem, publish in arxiv the draft versions of your articles, the ones that are a little bit different from the published ones. In that case you would not have any kind of ethical issues (you can also put them on your webpage, but always look to the copyright forms)</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17629,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I suggest you first of all check </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>the copyright transfers you signed</li>\n<li><p>the publisher's FAQ on rights you retain as author<br>\nMany publishers nowadays allow you to self-archive the version of the manuscript that passed the review. Some do not allow self-archiving on public repositories (but e.g. Elsevier makes an exception explicitly for arXiv). For a quick overview have a look at the <a href=\"http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/\">SHERPA/RoMEO site</a>.</p></li>\n<li><p>and your local copyright legislation.<br>\nE.g. the <a href=\"http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/urhg/__38.html\">German UrhG</a> now allows secondary publication (e.g. to arXiv) of your manuscript (including the version with exactly the content of the published paper) for journal contributions that were financed mainly by public grants.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17645,
"author": "Buttonwood",
"author_id": 11909,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11909",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Albeit not a mathematician, I like to add this: if your work was supported by a public agency and got accepted for a peer-reviewed journal, public agencies may have a policy to make these manuscripts available for everybody. </p>\n\n<p>See (as example) the <a href=\"http://publicaccess.nih.gov/\" rel=\"nofollow\">public access policy</a> by the U.S. National Institute of Health:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The NIH Public Access Policy ensures that the public has access to the published results of NIH funded research. It requires scientists to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to the digital archive PubMed Central immediately upon acceptance for publication. To help advance science and improve human health, the Policy requires that these papers are accessible to the public on PubMed Central no later than 12 months after publication.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Depending on the journals listed in <a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/\" rel=\"nofollow\">PMC</a>, some articles are \"Free Access\" immediately (if published in journals like like <em>European Journal of Histochemistry</em>), delay of six months (like <em>Organogenesis</em>) or twelve (like <em>Optics Express</em>), for example.</p>\n\n<p>While not a mathematician, I'm glad to see NIH <em>does</em> fund work in mathematics, too (according to their publication database). Of course, NIH's public access policy is in regard to the single articles published, not the entire journals listed.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17625",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1637/"
]
|
17,649 | <p>I have a sentence with two concepts and two quotations from two different authors. It goes like this</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Some is true because of <strong>concept one</strong>, that is "<em>quotation one</em>",
and <strong>concept two</strong>, that is "<em>quotation two</em>".</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Concept one</strong> and <strong>two</strong> are both from Author A while <em>quotation</em> one and <em>two</em> are from Author B.</p>
<p>What would be an elegant way to cite both authors at the end of the sentence making sure:</p>
<ul>
<li>The reader will be able to attribute each concept/citation to the write author,</li>
<li>The reader will be able to understand which work (and from which page) the quotation is from</li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17650,
"author": "RahulGupta",
"author_id": 12552,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12552",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If this is suppose to be a <strong>research paper</strong>, one can cite both the authors in <strong>Chronological</strong> manner. </p>\n\n<p>In your case \"concept one\" is from Author A and \"quotation one\" is from Author B and those are repeating in the same order, so citing them as \\cite{A, B} will work fine.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 21773,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First off, citing papers is not about giving credit to first authors, it is about making literature traceable to readers. This is a key part of scientific writing, providing sources. The format for citations is of course focussing on first authors who may, or may not, be the main contributor (remember that author order varies between disciplines). A secondary aspect is the fact that many evaluations of academic status is based on authorship and as such authors may not be credited as much as they should. This is, however, not the reason for why we reference the way we do. So, from this perspective, I do not see why you necessarily need to emphasize the name of someone other than the first or second author (I am now thinking Harvard-style references where two-author papers have both names listed in the in-text reference). </p>\n\n<p>If there is a scientifically based reason for highlighting the originator, one could write</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Concepts One and Two (reference to B) were first developed by A [then I would argue some form of explanation of why this distinction is <em>scientifically</em> important should follow or be included]</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>or</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>A originated the concept one and two (Reference to B) [then I would argue some form of explanation of why this distinction is <em>scientifically</em> important should follow or be included]</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Note that this would seemingly take away the importance of B, which in many reference systems would look strange and implicate something may not be right with the articles. I therefore think it is wise to clarify why you feel the work of A is such that it requires highlighting. Clearly, I cannot judge the case since all details are unavailable. As a side point, reviewers will likely pick up on any inconsistencies and ask for clarification in a case such as this, unless the reasons for the formatting is either clear from your writing or well known in the community.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 26515,
"author": "Xxxo",
"author_id": 20121,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20121",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If the reference is at the end of the sentence and you don't have any other clue in the sentence, then the only connection is the order of appearance in the citation, e.g. [A, B], which means that the first quotation is from A and the second from B. </p>\n\n<p>I would suggest using citations in the sentence and not only at is end. E.g. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>From [A] the first is true because [..] and from [B] the second is [...]</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17649",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12575/"
]
|
17,651 | <p>The problem: I have a professor that accepted me to take on a thesis when i'm ready but another one offered me one also. The second one did it while the first professor was in the room and I felt the obligation to deny it, even though we have way better communication with the second one.</p>
<p>Both of them know each other very well (they even have neighboring offices) and denying one of them will complicate things and the worst case is that none of them will give me a thesis because I will seem too selfish.</p>
<p>The question:
How can I choose the second one (if the offer is still on) without making a mess?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17652,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>[I am assuming that you are in the American system where PhD students are admitted to and funded by the program as a whole rather than any particular advisor. I can't speak for the etiquette in other systems.]</p>\n\n<p>I don't really see a problem here at all. At any time you can work with any faculty advisor who will have you. Switching advisors may seem awkward from the student perspective, but in fact it is very common. If you haven't even started working with one advisor, then no time has been invested in the advising relationship, and you can start working with someone else without any qualms whatsoever. (Even after you have started working with one advisor, you can still switch at any time, but if you've worked with one advisor for a while then it does start to feel a bit awkward. Sometimes one must do awkward things...)</p>\n\n<p>If the two professors know each other well, then of course they will find out about it, yes, but it should not be embarrassing or problematic for them: it's just the way things work. If you are sure that you want to work with the second professor, talk to the second professor to make sure that this offer is still on the table. Then accept it and immediately tell the first professor that your plans have changed. No biggie.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17660,
"author": "ff524",
"author_id": 11365,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I recently posted a <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17478/is-it-ok-to-hire-another-labs-student\">question</a> about being on the other side of this scenario - a professor in my university offered to take on a student who had already agreed to work with me (and had been working with me for the previous year already).</p>\n\n<p>You'll notice from reading that question and its responses that while I was a bit annoyed with the professor, I wasn't upset with the student. In fact, I advised the student to choose the advisor he thought would be best for him, and gave him a good recommendation to the other professor in case that's what he chose. </p>\n\n<p>That's because <strong>the student is supposed to act in his/her own best interest</strong> (while still being responsible and professional, of course). It's not being selfish, it's being smart. </p>\n\n<p>The first professor shouldn't get upset with you for pursuing an opportunity that is better for you - if he/she does, then you <em>really</em> don't want to work with someone like that, anyways.</p>\n\n<p>So, go talk to the second professor: \"I was thinking some more about your offer to advise me on my thesis and I have reconsidered my original decision. Is the offer still available?\"</p>\n\n<p>If he/she says yes, accept the offer and go talk to the first professor: \"I really appreciate your offer to advise me on my thesis, but I've decided to work with X instead. Thanks, again.\"</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17651",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12578/"
]
|
17,658 | <p>We have undertaken a small statistical study of M.S. students in our department, including their application information and their eventual performance in our program. The goal is to develop criteria for making admissions decisions for new applicants based on their likelihood of success in our program (as predicted by the performance of recent, similar students). I won't get into the details of the methodology.</p>
<p>One outcome of this study was that different attributes predict success for students with undergrad degrees from different countries. For example, for applicants to the program from schools in country X, but not schools in country Y, undergrad GPA is correlated with the students' GPA in our program; for schools in country Y, but not X, GRE scores are correlated with the student's GPA in our program. (I'm simplifying a lot here.) A "toy" example I just <em>completely made up</em> to illustrate is shown below:</p>
<p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/xJzc4.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
<p>(of course, for real applicants the criteria and the relationships are more complicated)</p>
<p>There are many possible reasons for this: for example, we could think that the grading system is more consistent in X so undergrad GPA is a better predictor there, and in X students study "for the exam" so the GRE becomes virtually meaningless as a measure of knowledge. I could speculate, but I don't think it would be helpful. The bottom line is, we find that different factors predict student success among different populations.</p>
<p>Therefore, if we wanted to admit students based on their likelihood of achieving a certain GPA in our program, we would apply an undergrad GPA cutoff for students from X, and a GRE threshold for students from Y. (Again, this is vastly simplified from the criteria our study actually suggested.) </p>
<p><strong>Is it fair to apply different criteria to students with undergrad degrees from different countries in admissions decisions?</strong></p>
<p>Does the answer change if this would significantly skew the admissions decisions in favor of a particular country of undergrad study (because statistically, applicants to our program whose undergrad degrees are from X have done much better than those with undergrad degrees from Y).</p>
<p>My concern is that we're effectively saying, "Students with undergrad degrees from Y with a GRE score < T will be rejected, but students with undergrad degrees from X with GRE < T may still be considered for admission (pending other criteria)." </p>
<p>On the other hand, if we ignore these statistics and reject students with undergrad degrees from X with low GRE scores, we are rejecting applicants even though we have no valid reason to believe that they won't do well in our program.</p>
<p><strong>To those who doubt the results of the study:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>When I say the study is "small" I don't mean it isn't statistically significant - just that it was not designed to be generalizable beyond our applicant pool. (This is the same reason why I won't give too many details about the study - I don't want anybody to read it and try to generalize from our results.)</li>
<li>As we know, the sample size is not the only factor that determines whether a given effect is significant. We found that the results are significant, given the sample size.</li>
<li>The results also seem "sane" (which of course is subjective). It's not unexpected that undergraduate grading standards (and the standard-ness of grading standards) differ by country; or that different educational systems and cultures prepare students differently for standardized exams like the GRE and TOEFL; etc. The specifics of the results (i.e., which criteria are good predictors for which undergrad country) are consistent with what students who studied in those countries have told us about grading standards, student culture, and exam prep. So, we really have no reason to doubt them.</li>
</ul>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17662,
"author": "Pat",
"author_id": 7061,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7061",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm going to advise against.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>You say your sample size is small. And honestly, unless you hired a professional statistician, I have doubt the analysis was carried out properly or shows exactly what you think it shows. Good statistics are hard to do.</li>\n<li>Assuming my google results are truthful, National Origin is a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_class\">Protected Class</a> in the US. You can't discriminate against people because of it. I assume this is an american institution as you talk about GRE, but similar applies in other places. <strong>EDIT: OP has since clarified a misunderstanding of mine - the judgement is based not on the student's country of origin, but the country of the school they attended, which makes me less certain this point still applies.</strong></li>\n<li>You're department is actually, seriously proposing to say to people \"Sorry, while you have the same official qualifications as another candidate we accepted, we're rejecting you because of your country of origin\"? I mean, really? Whoa. Just stop and play back how this kind of justification would sound in almost any other circumstance. Think about how the <em>press</em> will make it sound when they (inevitably) get wind of it.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>SUBSEQUENT EDIT</strong></p>\n\n<p>So, this question interested me, and I've bounced it off a couple of other people in my lab. Their main concern seemed to be that grouping by country was just to coarse a measurement, as every country has its own mix of good and bad schools. The basic idea, though, didn't seem to elicit the same gut reaction as it did from me.</p>\n\n<p>Moreover, I've googled and found at least two examples of courses that vary their requirements based on country of origin, so there is precedent:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/international-students/is-entry-requirements/is-minimum-overseas-entry-requirements.html\">https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/international-students/is-entry-requirements/is-minimum-overseas-entry-requirements.html</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://sydney.edu.au/business/futurestudents/postgraduate_study/pg_coursework_studies#app_req\">http://sydney.edu.au/business/futurestudents/postgraduate_study/pg_coursework_studies#app_req</a></p>\n\n<p>So maybe I've got this wrong, and should just be ignored. At any rate I'm no longer sure it's quite so clear cut.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17663,
"author": "posdef",
"author_id": 5674,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Does the answer change if this would significantly skew the admissions decisions in favor of a particular country of undergrad study (because statistically, applicants to our program whose undergrad degrees are from X have done much better than those with undergrad degrees from Y).</p>\n<p>My concern is that we're effectively saying, "Students with undergrad degrees from Y with a GRE score < T will be rejected, but students with undergrad degrees from X with GRE < T may still be considered for admission (pending other criteria)."</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>To my ears this sounds analogous (with certain exaggeration) to: "<em>we only want rich, white men from successful parents that could afford to send them to good schools through out their childhoods.</em>"</p>\n<p>I realise that this is not what you intend but you got to realise that having different criteria based on the country of undergrad studies is unethical, biased and I can't see how you could implement something like that without having major headaches. You can, by all means, have different criteria for an <em>individual</em> (for instance by having an interview) but if you clump up an entire population based on some statistics, which you can't elaborate on for some reason, I call that discrimination.</p>\n<p>Bottom line is, you cannot evaluate the chances of an <em>individual</em> being successful or not, without giving that person a <strong>fair</strong> chance. If you deem a particular GPA/GRE score to be "good enough" for your graduate program, all applicants that satisfy that criteria should be considered good enough, regardless where they come from. Any additional selection criteria could be justified only if it warrants additional information, such as TOEFL score for those who don't have English as a mother tongue.</p>\n<p>One other option would be to calculate "success rate coefficients", something like a multiplicative factor for the GPA/GRE score for applicants from different undergrad institutions, which <em>could</em> in theory be a fair assessment, but practically unfeasible considering the number of possible institutions involved.</p>\n<p>Another alternative would be to devise a test for your institution, that you consider to be more fair than using GPA or GRE score. But even that, judging by your comments, is not an acceptable solution. Honestly it sounds a bit like you just want confirmation of some sort.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17664,
"author": "Davidmh",
"author_id": 12587,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12587",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't think it has to be bad. GRE is a measurement of how good you are at doing exams, and not necessarily the most relevant kind to your graduate work. Some universities and education systems are very good at making people excel at set fixed format exams; but they don't teach them how to think by themselves and be creative.</p>\n\n<p>In my opinion, GRE is a very biased measurement in itself, and it is not very well designed (just look at the ridiculous maths part). Also, it is based on a lot of fairly simple exercises, whereas in some universities, we are used to completely different kind of exam: a few long and complicated exercises, and perhaps don't have the ability to work fast enough in simple and repetitive tasks.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17674,
"author": "Rex Kerr",
"author_id": 669,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/669",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think the underlying questions are (ought to be) first, whether it is fair to reject a student because you cannot accurately measure their potential to do well in the program; and second, if you can perform equally accurate measurements on two groups as long as you use different criteria, is it okay to do so?</p>\n\n<p>Answering the second question first: I think the answer is \"yes\". The reason is made apparent by advocating the alternate view: should you take students who are likely to do poorly simply because you fail to apply a more sophisticated measurement? That seems pretty boneheaded, and not very fair to the best students. You should leave the analysis up to computers, as they are good at this sort of thing and impartial, but it's a good idea if you can implement it. Don't forget, though, that data on whether a score distinguishes students within your program does not tell you about whether it helped you reject students that didn't make it in! So you should be skeptical but open to the idea if that's where the data leads.</p>\n\n<p>The first question could be rephrased as: \"if I know I'm not getting a good sense of some students, can I just ignore them all?\". And that guides my advice there: no, that is not fair. Find a way to do your job better--to get more information so that you can get a good sense of these students, or just accept that you would rather make mistakes in acceptance than find a way to do better on your predictions.</p>\n\n<p>Putting these two together: if you have equal statistical power across groups when subdividing one population, then great! Use the information. But if you end up with one group better-measured than the other, you should only apply different criteria if you can show that students who are great and do all the right things in their less-measured context still have a shot at being admitted.</p>\n\n<p>(Also, simple thresholds for individual scores, e.g. \"We only take people with GREs above X\" are rarely a smart way to run admissions unless those thresholds are set amazingly low. You should be thresholding an overall score to get the top N students, so you'd be applying different weights for GRE in one context vs. another.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17675,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would argue that you are interpreting your data incorrectly and using the results in an unethical and discriminatory way. Your model is not identifying groups of individuals who should not be accepted, but rather groups of individuals that require additional support so that they can reach the full potential predicted by their past performance.</p>\n\n<p>Consider the following example: For a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with ability or commitment, women have historically been less likely to become full professors in STEM fields than men. To reject female applicants base on a model that captures this historical effect is completely unethical. What the model would show is that female applicants need additional support to maximize their potential (e.g., flexible working hours and mentoring).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17680,
"author": "penelope",
"author_id": 4249,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4249",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I was waiting and hoping that <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65/jeffe\">@JeffE</a> would expand his comment, since I share the opinion he expressed there, and moreover I think he is far more qualified to give advice on the subject. (Quite possibly, if he decides to expand his comment to an answer that has better facts and arguments than what I am about to offer, I will delete my answer).</p>\n\n<p><em>DISCLAIMER: I do not know either where you are, what the laws are like there, or if your final decision can have any legal repercussions. I advise seeking legal counsel for any questions of that sort.</em></p>\n\n<p>I think <strong>it if fine to have different criteria for students that obtained their undergrads in different countries</strong> (and/or in different institutions), as long <strong>as you can ensure the criteria are fair</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Now, how to approach ensuring that the criteria are fair, I have no idea, but I definitely know that if in some countries the GPA is indicative of a person who has potential as a researcher, in some countries it is simply not (I for example did my Masters in Croatia, and I know both people with around 3/5 GPA that made excellent PhD candidates and people with a perfect 5/5 GPA that I do not think would be capable of much independent thinking that were happy to take jobs where they have strictly defined output they have to produce and no research to speak of).</p>\n\n<p>I have two different examples of using \"different\" criteria in the admission process, but unfortunately both of them are for the wrong level of study:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>First one is about undergrad admissions to my former Computer Science Faculty* in Croatia. While the big majority of the candidates take a standardized test and are admitted based on that, a small amount of students (maybe 1%, maybe even much less) are <em>invited</em>.</p>\n\n<p>These invitations work as such: the Faculty regularly does a continuous performance study on the previous invitees according to their High schools, as well as (I assume), overall performance of students from different High schools. Each year, a number of invites is extended to High schools, who can then \"award\" their students with those invites.</p>\n\n<p>Based on the performance study and possibly High school size, some schools get a larger number of invites (up to 5, I think), while some get only 1 invite or even none.</p>\n\n<p>And, actually, I think it's fair. E.g. the strong mathematical High schools will get the most invites (those are the schools \"prepping\" their students for technical studies after all), strong general schools would get some, and weak schools would get none. And still everything would be re-evaluated year after year. Also, additionally, nobody still loses their fair chance to enroll: this \"invited\" students make less than 1% of the enrolled students, while everybody can still take the standardized test.</p></li>\n<li><p>The second example is about the interview for a PhD position / pre-PhD internship.</p>\n\n<p>Recently, a permanent professor from my lab started looking for a person to hire for an internship with a strong chance of offering them a PhD upon the completion of the internship. I mentioned that my ex supervisor used to supervise people with a similar profile to what was required, and that I could ask him weather he has somebody interested (and good enough) to apply.</p>\n\n<p>When he received the preliminary application documentation, he asked me to comment on the profile because he was not familiar with the Croatian University system at all. I said that good grades were <em>usually</em> indication of a good student, but bad grades do not have to be an indication of a <em>bad</em> student.</p>\n\n<p>There was also some other points in the CV adding value to his application, not directly obvious to somebody non-Croatian. After talking to an ex post-doc of his (who worked a bit with the applicant), the professor decided to interview with the student.</p>\n\n<p>A few days later, he told me that based on the interview, he offered the applicant a position. He also told me that <em>he would most probably not interview a person with that profile</em>, if not for what me and his Croatian ex-post doc said about the \"interpretation\" of the profile.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I agree with both these cases. The (\"absolute\") criteria is indeed not the same for everybody. But still, in both these cases, the goal was to be fair, to base the decision on the applicants abilities, and finally <strong>to judge the applicants abilities and potential \"on the same scale\" for all applicants</strong>, just based on different information that was available, finally causing different \"absolute\" criteria.</p>\n\n<p><sup>*In Croatia, the Universities are not wholesome entities, and all the administrative decisions are made on the level of the Faculty. There is no identification of students with the Uni in Croatia; if you ask a Croatian studying \"at home\" where he is studying, he is going to provide the information about his Faculty.</sup></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>ADDITION</strong>. I wanted to add that, despite what any statistical research might show, <strong>if students from different countries have the <em>same, internationally standardized tests</em>, then I think making a different criterion would be wrong.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Maybe, for the country X, those tests are not good indicator because students get prepped exactly for those types of exams, but there just might be a few students who learned the material in the \"proper way\" (as do the majority of students from the country Y), who might get rejected for no real reason.</p>\n\n<p>So, bottom line, I think</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>studying, and then declaring your own criteria to interpret <em>different</em> (non-standardized) national grading schemes is fine</strong> (<em>even</em> if they use the same scale \"on the outside\" -- e.g. two countries which both have a national standard grading schemes on a scale 1 to 5)</li>\n<li><p>but, <strong>if a criterion is based on an internationally standardized exam, that same criterion should be used with everybody where applicable</strong> (e.g. everybody who took that standardized exam).</p>\n\n<p>As a compromise-suggestion, I think it would be fine to say that you accept all students from everywhere if their score is <em>extremely high</em> (e.g. >95%), and all the students with <em>medium-to-high</em> scores (e.g. between 75% and 95%) will be considered based on additional criteria (where you can introduce personal interviews, standardized test from your institution, personal research statement + recommendation letters)...</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><em>Edit2:</em> <strong><em>This opinion was supported</em></strong> <em>when I talked to</em> <strong><em>a person with a background in law</em></strong> <em>(not in academia thou).</em>:<br>\n The final verdict was: interpreting criteria that are initially different (e.g. GPA) differently is OK, but if something is standardized on an international level, it would only be OK to either take it in to account equally for everybody, or not at all. (purposefully using OK instead of \"allowed\" or \"lawful\" since I don't know the laws at your place). With a note that, unfortunately, <em>What is lawful and what is just and fair is sadly not always the same.</em></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 18727,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>You asked an ethical question and got a lot of scientific, legal, and political answers.</p>\n\n<p>Ethically, you should:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Do your best to admit people based on merit.</p></li>\n<li><p>Be open about your policies.</p></li>\n<li><p>Make a serious and competent effort to ensure that your statistical methods are valid logically and empirically, and that they can withstand scrutiny from people who are experts in the field.</p></li>\n<li><p>Carefully consider the historical legacy of racism, colonialism, and nationalism, and work hard to make sure that you aren't inadvertently reinforcing this legacy.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Your behavior so far is probably far more ethical than that of most people in your position, since most such people are probably secretive about their practices (you publicly asked for advice) and probably apply various heuristics without carefully considering whether those heuristics could withstand professional scrutiny.</p>\n\n<p>You might want to expand this small, informal, unpublished, nonprofessional study into something more serious and systematic, done by people who have expertise in psychometrics and the (very difficult) methodological issues of the social sciences.</p>\n\n<p>You are unfortunately operating within real-world constraints imposed by (1) the existence of countries where GRE scores are fraudulent, and (2) the existence of countries with such poor undergraduate education that undergraduate GPAs don't mean much.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 26432,
"author": "Tom Au",
"author_id": 755,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/755",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would \"massage\" this problem by including a dummy statistical variable for the country. E.g. 0 for the country where grades are more important, and 1 for the country where GREs are more important. You could almost separate the applications into two piles this way, and tackle one pile at a time.</p>\n\n<p>If asked about it, I would answer that neither grades nor GREs alone are dispositive, and they both have have greater explanatory power when you introduce the third (country) variable into the equation. </p>\n\n<p>As far as I'm concerned, it is ethical to use any combination of statistical variables that satisfactorily explain performance, and to strive for \"best fit\" (statistically).</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17658",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365/"
]
|
17,668 | <p>This question is about maintaining email records when changing institutions. I’m writing it here because it seems to be a problem quite specific to the academic context of managing long-term relationships within the context of a series of short-term posts which seems to typify post-doc life.</p>
<p>Now I’m in a new post-doc position, my student email has about 6 months left to run before everything is deleted when the account is closed, and which probably contains several thousand carefully filed emails (academic collaborations and correspondence, supervision and PhD project, university milestones, passwords, agreements...). Probably about only 30-40 of them will be crucial to me over the next couple of years, but it’s difficult to know which ones. I’d like to keep a fairly complete paper trail. I am also preparing to encounter this problem again when my post-doc post finishes in 18 months' time. </p>
<p>A colleague who was in a similar fix ended up mailing hundreds of emails to her new account, which is clearly less than ideal. Another colleague just prints everything and stores it in paper files. If I wasn’t in academia I would switch emails to a more permanent one, but it is essential to use the proper address for work correspondence, so this doesn’t appear to be an option, unless if anyone has any ideas. </p>
<p>(Technical bit: The previous system used Outlook and exchange on the web; the current system uses Outlook and outlook.com; the next system could use anything. To complicate things, Outlook has been auto-archiving files which means there are multiple .pst files, so this option looks a little nightmarish. I'm a mere social scientist, so eager to avoid a very technical solution.)</p>
<p>Has anybody found a reasonable system for handling this sort of problem, whether manual or automated, other than finding a permanent academic post?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17670,
"author": "Tara B",
"author_id": 5955,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5955",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You can use a permanent account while still having the emails sent to your official address. I do this by getting gmail to check my university email accounts for me (Settings > Accounts > Check email from other accounts). I am then able to reply to those emails directly in gmail, while having them appear to come from my university address (there is an option to always reply from the same address to which the email was sent).</p>\n\n<p>I'm not sure whether this solution can be any use for the emails you have already received (you may be able to use it, if you can for example mark all your emails as unread, so that gmail maybe sees them as new), but it might be worth starting now to reduce future hassle.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17678,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I've had similar problems in the past. I think for the future, @TaraB's solution is the best one, given that gmail's reply-to features and identity management are quite good, and they also permit archiving of email.</p>\n\n<p>But for the past data, if you're technically savvy, it's not hard to write a small script that can ping your server, download all the email and store it locally. I in fact run such a script once a month to flush out my mailbox and organize emails in monthly folders. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17679,
"author": "josh3736",
"author_id": 12600,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12600",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In Outlook, your best bet is to <strong>export</strong> all of your mail.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Click <em>File</em>, <em>Open & Export</em>. Select <em>Import/Export</em>.</li>\n<li>Pick <em>Export to a file</em> and click <em>Next</em>.</li>\n<li>Pick <em>Outlook Data File (.pst)</em> and click <em>Next</em>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>You can export a particular folder, or select your account if you want to save everything. (Make sure <em>Include subfolders</em> is checked.)</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/hC1yv.png\" alt=\"Export Outlook Data File\"></p>\n\n<p>Outlook will save your data into a single PST file you can keep and open in Outlook at any time. Everything is saved in the PST file; you need not have access to the original email account.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17684,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Disk space is cheap, so you might as well archive (almost) everything. You never know when you might need it later. But I think the technical details of how to do so are outside the scope of this site.</p>\n\n<p>One consideration for academics, though, is that some of our email may have confidential information: student grades, or correspondence about disciplinary issues, or search committee business. Your institution may not want to you to keep a personal copy of such emails after you leave. If you keep them, and they later leak out, you could conceivably have legal problems.</p>\n\n<p>Before archiving a personal copy of my emails, I search through them to purge information that should not leave the institution, or is otherwise too risky to save.</p>\n\n<p>There's a similar issue if you want to keep your email in the cloud (gmail or similar); you and your institution both have to trust the provider to keep the data private. I know some institutions forbid users to forward their email to gmail for this reason.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17690,
"author": "Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'",
"author_id": 160,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/160",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>There are two distinct problems: having a permanent email address so that others can reach you even if they don't have your current details, and keeping an archive of your past emails.</p>\n\n<h3>Email address</h3>\n\n<p>I have an email from my alumni association that's pretty much guaranteed to be for life. If you don't have this chance, you can rent a domain name for your own use for around $10/year (if you aren't picky about the choice of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-level_domain\">top-level domain</a>). It's impossible to predict what the Internet will be like in the 40 years or so that an academic carrier lasts, but it is plausible that such methods of contact will remain relevant and affordable. At this price, you get the opportunity to make <code>http://your-chosen-name.tld/</code> point to some website and <code>[email protected]</code> redirect emails to some email provider; hosting the actual website and storing emails is a distinct service. You would typically set a web redirection to <code>http://example.edu/~lplatts</code> and an email redirection to <code>[email protected]</code> and update when you change institutions (or redirect to some other service of your choice).</p>\n\n<p>Some institutions may insist that you write the email address they provide on papers that you publish while they're paying you. Journals often allow you to specify two email addresses, though this can be crowded if you're co-financed by several institutions already. If you don't have your permanent email address in your published papers, a web page that's easy to find by typing your name in Google (or whatever becomes the de facto standard search engine) is helpful.</p>\n\n<h3>Email archive</h3>\n\n<p>I strongly recommend that you keep an archive of all your academic emails on a computer that you personally own. Keep your emails also on an online service to be able to access it anywhere, but don't leave your data at the mercy of an institution that you'll be leaving sooner or later or of a commercial service that could fold or become unusable (e.g. due to an unacceptable change in the terms of service) at any time. In other words, uploading all your emails on Gmail isn't enough.</p>\n\n<p>Most academic institutions consider that academic emails are related to your academic career and therefore your property. On the contrary, most companies consider your emails to be company property and won't let you walk away with them. If you have some data that may be considered confidential to your institution, they may not like you to walk away with it. Make sure to check your institution's policies. If you're only allowed to retain some of your emails, classify them in separate folders and export only those.</p>\n\n<p>I recommend making sure that all your email is available in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird\">Thunderbird</a>. Thunderbird is the email client from the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Foundation\">Mozilla Foundation</a> that also makes the Firefox web browser. Thunderbird runs on the major desktop operating systems (Linux, Windows, OSX) and has a decent GUI.</p>\n\n<p>You can <a href=\"http://kb.mozillazine.org/Import_.pst_files\">import Outlook's <code>.pst</code> files into Thunderbird</a>. This way, you won't depend on a proprietary tool, you can move your archives onto any machine that has Thunderbird installed. Do this regularly even if you keep using Outlook. On your last day at an institution, import your last emails into Thunderbird and burn your mailbox to a CD. When you arrive in a new institution, either use Thunderbird or export your old emails to whatever the standard format there is.</p>\n\n<p>You can <em>additionally</em> upload your emails to a service such as Gmail (currently free and with a practically unlimited mailbox size). This has two benefits: you can access your emails from anywhere, and Google's search is better than anyone else's. Once you have your emails accessible in Thunderbird, you can upload them to Gmail by configuring Thunderbird to access that account and copying the emails to Gmail. Do this only if you're willing to trust Google's privacy (depending on your field, you may not be willing to allow a potential competitor to process your emails, for example if you're researching search algorithms).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17691,
"author": "choener",
"author_id": 8826,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8826",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is a quite different answer than all others, but many email services are accessiable via IMAP. Via <a href=\"http://offlineimap.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">offlineimap</a> one can synchronize between two IMAP servers (say old and new university) as well as your computer and an IMAP server.</p>\n\n<p>This allows for moving mails, keeping a local backup of all mails, as well as using this as a general-purpose email solution.</p>\n\n<p>I synchronize between one IMAP server (my universities') and three different computers.</p>\n\n<p>The disadvantage is that this requires some knowledge of unix-like tools, and reading the offlineimap manual.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17668",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9117/"
]
|
17,673 | <p>I wanted to get some directions on how to prepare for a MS Degree in Mathematics.</p>
<p>Background:</p>
<ol>
<li>I'm interested in getting a Ph.D in Statistical Learning or related area in 5-6 years.</li>
<li>I took some courses in Mathematical Statistics and I struggled because I do not have recent coursework in Analysis, Measure theory, etc.</li>
<li>I studied electrical engineering with a very heavy mathematical component from a very decent University 20 years ago however, it is amazing how much I've forgotten.</li>
<li>I've always been fascinated by mathematics and I'm very tempted to build a solid foundation before partaking in doctoral study.</li>
<li>I am working at the moment - my job is flexible and I'm saving to take off a year or two for the final years of my doctoral work.</li>
<li>I have a couple of graduate degrees in the area of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence</li>
</ol>
<p>Plan:</p>
<ol>
<li>I'd like to build up to where I was 20 years ago: calculus, linear algebra, diff equations, calculus of complex variables, frequency domain analysis.</li>
<li><p>I'd also like to take courses that are typically reserved for math majors like proofs, analysis, group theory, algebra, etc.</p>
<p><strong>I think the best way to accomplish the plan would be a decent community college or extension program like (UC Berkeley extension) that offers online classes -- any recommendation?</strong></p></li>
</ol>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17687,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I fear that not so many community colleges would offer the upper-division courses a math-major sort of person would want, especially to aim toward graduate school in mathematics. Further, you'd be needing letters of recommendation for grad school, and community colleges would not generate letters that would help you, since the letter writers (by far most often) would not be familiar with grad school from the side of mentoring and supervising grad students (even if they themselves did have a Ph.D.).</p>\n\n<p>It is true that community colleges are usually much cheaper than \"universities\", but the coursework, context for coursework, and outlook of faculty teaching the upper-division courses you need, and their letters on your behalf, are things that you can't avoid but need.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 26969,
"author": "mctylr",
"author_id": 20501,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20501",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Unless you are using the term \"community college\" different than I am use to for in Canada and the US, then <strong>no</strong>. </p>\n\n<p>If you mean a local state or government funded <strong>degree</strong> (4-year) granting universities then perhaps. Another possibility, if they exist anymore are one or two-year <em>junior college</em> which acts like a feeder, or extension campus to a 4-year university.</p>\n\n<p>Not the 9-months to 3 year <strong>diploma</strong> granting colleges which tend be vocational oriented. (Similar to a bit lower academic standard than Polytechnical post-secondary schools in Europe)</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>You should be able to find introductory classes (years 1 and 2) via distance education through out the world easily.</p>\n\n<p>In the interests of cost and legitimacy, I recommend avoiding privately owned/run distance education programs including online universities. This does <strong>not</strong> mean government owned or run distance education like <a href=\"http://www.open.ac.uk/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Open University</a> or <a href=\"http://www.athabascau.ca/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Athabasca University</a>, those are great and affordable.</p>\n\n<p>At an university you should be able to register as a \"non-degree program\" (or similar) student, either part-time or full-time. This is commonly used for preparing towards a degree program in the future for not-fresh-from-high-school student enrollment cases.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I have a couple of <em>graduate degrees</em> in the area of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>(emphasis added) </p>\n\n<p>This makes <em>no sense</em> when you previously said \"I'm interested in getting a Ph.D in Statistical Learning.\" If you have a M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Computer Science (I don't know off-hand of any place that grants <em>degrees</em> in AI).</p>\n\n<p>Do you mean you previously have taken graduate level <em>courses</em> in CS and AI?\nIf so, I would expect you to start your search from that university unless geographic reasons prevent it, at least speaking to them as a starting point for recommendations.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17673",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12597/"
]
|
17,693 | <p>For paper submission, I have recently spent some time struggling to find appropriate classification. The main question is: who needs this information and why?</p>
<p>At first I thought that they could be used by the editor to find an appropriate editor or referees, but I have had two experiences contradicting this hypothesis. In the first one, I was only asked to provide classification AFTER the review process. In the second, I was requested to point myself to appropriate editors and referees.</p>
<p>In my experience, I do not look at those numbers, and that is true for other colleagues. The only exception is when I am trying to find appropriate classification and look at other related papers for inspiration. In such occasion, I sometimes found classifications which did not seem to match the content of the paper. Apparently people do not care much for this. Another aspect of the question is: how bad is it to have a bad classification?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17705,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From the ACM page \"<a href=\"http://www.acm.org/about/class/how-to-use\" rel=\"nofollow\">How to use the Computing Classification System</a>\":</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>An important aspect of preparing your paper for publication by ACM\n Press is to provide the proper indexing and retrieval information from\n the ACM Computing Classification System (CCS). This is beneficial to\n you because accurate categorization provides the reader with quick\n content reference, facilitating the search for related literature, as\n well as searches for your work in ACM’s Digital Library and on other\n online resources. It also ensures correct placement when a review\n appears in Computing Reviews.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There's <a href=\"http://www.ams.org/msc/msc2010.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">similar verbiage</a> for the AMS MSC. </p>\n\n<p>In other words, the institution needs it for their own databases and search mechanisms. The AMS probably needs it for something similar. So your use for the classification system depends on how much you expect people to search for your work using the classification structure provided by the institution. For math, I'd expect it to be used a lot: for CS, not so much. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17754,
"author": "al_b",
"author_id": 5963,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5963",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This classification would normally be used by librarians to catalog the books/journals/proceedings accordingly. There is more than ACM and AMS - there are at least other 10-15 frequently used systems, each meeting needs of a specific customer - be it a library or consortia of academic institutions. Almost any publisher, beyond ACM, would use one or several classification schemes.\nIn theory, the classification of proceedings should depend on terms you provide for the article, in practice, it is not necessarily the case, as you say. There are a lot of things to be improved in classification, also using semi-automated approaches for finding right keywords for papers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17757,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's for classification purpose.</p>\n\n<p>From practical side, I've heard that they use it for matching referees or seeing for what you can be a referee.</p>\n\n<p>I've never met any scientist searching according to such classification. (Except for scientometrics or similar purposes.)</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17693",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12609/"
]
|
17,694 | <p>I am currently located in central Europe. When I was hunting for an assistant professor position some months ago, I was also planning to apply to some US institutions for Tenure Track positions. However, one senior professor with some experience working in the US told me pretty much straight-up that this will be a waste of time, as "US universities do not hire people from outside the US/Canada on Tenure Tracks". Relativizing somewhat, stated that "of course exceptions exist, especially if they personally know the applicant, but generally you will get onto the <em>reject</em> pile immediately as they don't know your school well enough.". I was counselled to apply for a postdoc at an US institution first, if I really wanted to get into an US school.</p>
<p>Looking over the CVs of some existing assistant professors in good schools the statement could be accurate (almost nobody with the job title Assistant Professor seems to come directly from outside the US - many <em>graduated</em> somewhere else, but the last position before was almost always an US institution).</p>
<p><strong>In your experience, is this sentiment correct? Does it even make sense to apply for a TT position in the US from outside (under the assumption that your CV is reasonable for a TT in the first place, of course)?</strong> Computer Science is most relevant to me, but any information from any STEM fields would be interesting as well.</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17695,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>While the \"I don't know your university\" element can have an influence on whether your application gets summarily dismissed to the reject pile, it's less of an issue than one might think. We all travel to Europe and Asia for conferences now, and meet colleagues who come from different countries. I can probably name the top few universities in my field in many European countries, as well as personally know people in each of them. </p>\n\n<p>But there's a more mundane logistical reason for potentially avoiding applicants from other countries: expenses. There's always a risk in getting someone to come for an on-site interview, but with a foreign candidate the expense and logistical work (visa processing, payment methods and so on) are more onerous. We always want to find strong candidates, but when there's a large pool of highly qualified candidates in the US, it can be convenient to focus on those that we expect have a chance of actually making it through the interview process and coming. </p>\n\n<p>There's also the question of whether someone from Europe (as opposed to someone working there) really does want to come to the US, or is just casting a wide net. But that can be addressed in candidate statements or even conversations. </p>\n\n<p>None of this means that foreign candidates are disqualified. Far from it. But it creates a moment of doubt. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17702,
"author": "Leon palafox",
"author_id": 2806,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/2806",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm going to speak out of personal experience. I did my PhD in Japan, and then started doing a Postdoc in the US, my University in Japan is regarded in most rankings as a better institution that my current one in the US (not by much, but still).</p>\n\n<p>I applied roughly to the same number of postdocs while in Japan and now, that I'm changing gigs as well. In Japan I got only 3 replies. While now I got many more replies and much more requests for interview.</p>\n\n<p>So there's that to that. I'm also Mexican, with a valid travel visa (yes, they asked that), so we as part of NAFTA can get relatively easy working Visas (we only need a letter of acceptance). Also, a trip from Mexico City to LA is cheaper/shorter than a trip from Washington to LA</p>\n\n<p>I think our experiences have many differences, but in my personal point of view, yes it is easier to get positions if you are already in the US. </p>\n\n<p>Also, to be blunt, few people in the US are going to take you seriously if you do not have at least a postdoc (in whatever institution). Even James Watson (Nobel Prize Laureate) did a Postdoc.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17694",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094/"
]
|
17,697 | <p>My Background: I am an EE graduate, working in a Software Company from last 2+ years as an Application Developer(Java & J2EE). Recently I started thinking of going back to college and do my Master's in CS, as most of the jobs in industry require a degree in CS.</p>
<p>Country of Residence: India</p>
<p>Countries of Interest for University Applications: US, UK, Australia and EU.</p>
<p>I have noticed that there are prerequisites to get admitted to those programs. Specifically, I need to have completed courses in Data Structures, Algorithms, Operating Systems, Theory of Computation, Compilers and Computer Networks. My undergraduate degree did have courses like Computer Networks, but nothing else. </p>
<p>In some other Universities, I can get admitted to MS in CS, but then I need to complete those courses at the College before starting graduate school coursework. I understand all of those things, as I took various Computer Science Courses online. I understand all the things that there are in undergraduate Computer Science Course. So here are my options:-</p>
<p>1) Take a post-bacc Course in computer science. (That Costs a lot in money and Time)</p>
<p>2) Do Nothing and apply without requirements being completed and let them decide whether or not I should enroll in UG CS courses at college.</p>
<p>3) Do some online Computer Science courses on edX, Coursera and show them that.</p>
<p>Which one of them is more favourable to a person working in Software Industry with an EE background?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17701,
"author": "OBu",
"author_id": 10941,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10941",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Maybe you should add your country of residence to your question since this might affect the answer.\nIn Germany, only 1) would be accepted since all others are not from an accredited institution.</p>\n\n<p>It might be possible to enroll to a program and do all exams in one semester, but you should check this in advance. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17778,
"author": "Russell E Glaue",
"author_id": 10572,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10572",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I had two bachelors in Music and Art, minors in Marketing and CS. I then held a Computer Science career. When I went into the CS Masters program 7 years after obtaining my last bachelor degree, I had several deficiencies. I was accepted with two understandings. (1) I will complete the deficiency courses that are prerequisites to Masters courses I am to take, and (2) my current career in CS demonstrates I have the aptitude to succeed despite my entering the program with deficiencies.</p>\n\n<p>I believe your best option is your #2, to enter the Masters program and complete the deficiencies in your coursework. When you write your letter of intent for application to the Masters program, I would describe these two aspects as they apply to your situation, personality, and drive to complete your degree.</p>\n\n<p>Your other option for the US market is your #1, to complete the deficiencies from an accredited institution, then transfer the completed coursework with you when you apply. You must be careful with this option, to ensure the University you are to apply for a masters with will accept the coursework from the other institution. Before taking the coursework, it is best to call the University to ensure the courses will transfer.</p>\n\n<p>This other option is best if you are under the following circumstances:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Currently working, and can take the deficiencies at night through an online University, or through a local college offering.</li>\n<li>You will save money/time from taking the deficiencies from the alternate institute.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Your option #3 will not work, as they require the coursework credit from an accredited institution. Internationally, they usually require a demonstrated bachelors degree in CS. But post-bacc work needs to be completed as previously described.</p>\n\n<p>Otherwise, you are best to just enroll in the University Master program and take the deficiencies there.</p>\n\n<p>When I took the deficiencies for my masters program, I'd take deficiency courses one semester, and then the Masters courses that required the deficiency the next semester. In this way, except for the first semester, I was taking at least one Masters course every semester. Look at the University course catalog to see which courses have the least number of prerequisites that are your deficiencies, and then take those deficiencies first.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 21061,
"author": "Kathy",
"author_id": 15364,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15364",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the US, it will depend on the school.</p>\n\n<p>At my university they rely heavily on testing for foreign students, because the course on algorithms that is accepted as standard in your country may or may not be comparable to the algorithms course here. This is bad news if you pay a lot of money for a course that doesn't give you the preparation to pass the exam, but great news if you learned the material on your own (or through Coursera, for example) and were able to pass the test.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 44494,
"author": "Peanutboy",
"author_id": 33818,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33818",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>New York University offers a preparatory accelerated course in computer science specifically for people in your situation. Check the \"What material is covered in the PAC Program?\" section in the link below to see what they expect an incoming master's student to know:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://cs.nyu.edu/webapps/content/academic/PAC/faq\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://cs.nyu.edu/webapps/content/academic/PAC/faq</a></p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17697",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12618/"
]
|
17,707 | <p>Do U.S. college accreditation agencies forbid teachers with only a bachelor's degree to be on the faculty of an accredited U.S. college?</p>
| [
{
"answer_id": 17709,
"author": "Layla",
"author_id": 6144,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6144",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Supposedly yes, but mostly they ask people with a master's degree minimum (depending of course of their publications in the field for both cases). If not they aim for PhD or post-docs.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17712,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>It depends on what you mean. If you are asking a theoretical question about whether there are rules that forbid it, then the answer is that it is theoretically possible, at least at some universities. For example, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_M._Gleason\">Andrew Gleason</a> was a tenured professor of mathematics at Harvard from 1953 through his retirement in 1992, without ever having attended graduate school. (Technically, Harvard awarded him an honorary master's degree when he became a faculty member, but he had no master's degree when he was hired and never received a Ph.D.) The rules vary between universities, but I do not believe Harvard's have changed since Gleason was there. For another example, if you <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee\">invent the World Wide Web</a>, you can become a professor with no master's degree.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, it is impossible in practice. Unless you have received some sort of major academic recognition (a big prize, universities specifically soliciting an application from you despite knowing you have no master's degree, etc.), it's not even worth thinking about, since the chances of being hired are almost indistinguishable from zero. If you are aiming for an academic career, choosing not to go to graduate school means giving up on that career.</p>\n\n<p>By the way, I'm assuming here that you are asking about fields in which there are very few famous practitioners without advanced degrees. I can imagine that in certain fields (perhaps art, business, or politics), there might be more people who would be attractive to universities despite having only a bachelor's degree. But even in those cases, it would require truly impressive achievements.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17729,
"author": "Jon Swanson",
"author_id": 12639,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12639",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, it is possible (at least for part-time appointments). I am part-time faculty at the University of Washington, and not only do I have just a bachelor's degree, my degree isn't even in the same field as my faculty appointment. My real world skills and knowledge combined with my mentoring/leadership experience are all that were required.</p>\n\n<p>However, it would be very rare for full-time faculty to not have at least a master's. UW policy requires the master's degree for full-time faculty and a PhD for professorships, and some departments are adopting rules requiring a PhD for any full-time position.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17730,
"author": "Emme",
"author_id": 12532,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12532",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Extensive and creative work experience can trump higher ed degrees in cases where the person has something exceptional to bring to the faculty. </p>\n\n<p>The idea behind attaining higher education degrees is that one becomes specialist of a discipline and that lends credence to teaching and research. Becoming a faculty member isn't instantaneous, there is a tenure track process which has its own requirements. </p>\n\n<p>There are several accreditation entities, you have to be more specific about which discipline and accreditation entity you are referring to.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17733,
"author": "keshlam",
"author_id": 10225,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10225",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is a category known as \"Professor of Practice\", which some schools use to explicitly recognize folks whose teaching authority comes from experience and demonstrated skill in the field rather than from academic credits.</p>\n\n<p>However, if you're talking about tenure track, most schools will ask even these folks to have (or quickly obtain) a \"terminal degree\" in their field. That may only be a Master's for some fields, but Bachelors generally won't cut it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 17737,
"author": "Jesus Ortiz",
"author_id": 12645,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12645",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is not forbidden. Accreditation is based on many factors and percentage of terminal degree holders is one of those statistics that is considered. Even the most prestigious colleges may have a number of MS/MA/MFA on their faculty. In rare instances, even people without degrees might be on a faculty. You may find these rare people on performing or creative arts faculties -- writers, actors, painters, filmmakers, etc. that have outstanding bodies of work or accomplishments.</p>\n"
}
]
| 2014/03/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17707",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9425/"
]
|
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