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45,556 |
<p>I am approaching the end of a PhD in experimental physics. My work involves building and operating experimental equipment, primarily optics, with some electronics. I also have a significant data analysis and theoretical component. I majored in physics at the same school (a pretty well known one) and graduated near the top of my class. </p>
<p>However, despite what might look like a solid set of credentials proving that I really want to build a quantum computer and the obvious next step being a post doc or industry position researching the same field, I have realized that my reasons for pursuing this line of research for so long were primarily to earn prestige and respect and not because I personally care about what I am doing (although it is wonderful that others do!). In doing this I have always enjoyed the process of science and the combination of thought and creativity with the practicality of lab work, however due to my lack of enthusiasm or motivation for the actual topic of research I have often been unhappy. </p>
<p>I am trying to remember what exactly it was that motivated me to be a scientist and what I used to enjoy. My undergraduate degree combined a broad span of sciences and I worked on lab biology projects during vacation. However, I am quite sure that my real lifelong passion lies somewhere in the direction of ecology, earth science or environmental science, with maybe a preference towards plant sciences or broader scale ecology. </p>
<p>I am really aware of how vague and naive that might sound. I grew up outdoors but I never took seriously the things I care about as a possible option I would be allowed to consider in my adult life. Following a few personal revelations I now know that this is the way to madness, and you are never going to be a successful researcher in a field you don't care about anyway!</p>
<p>There are many things I don't know right now, but I do know that I remain a scientist and I am very much not afraid of a great deal of hard work. </p>
<p>Given all this my questions are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How likely is it that I could make such a large career shift? </p></li>
<li><p>How do I go about finding out more about what research is out there and what I might like specifically, given the very large quantity of research that exists??</p></li>
<li><p>Does anyone know of any examples of people who have made similar shifts? (Partly just because right now I need the inspiration and belief I am not trapped!)</p></li>
<li><p>What sort of things might I do directly after my PhD to build experience/learn more? Is trying to get field experience a good idea? Should I start to consider Master's programs? </p></li>
<li><p>Am I completely as doomed as I think I could be?? :)</p></li>
</ol>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45559,
"author": "Aleksandr Blekh",
"author_id": 12391,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12391",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Let me offer you some advice. Please note that it is not too specific to physics-to-ecology transition, but it should be helpful as a <em>general approach</em>. Also, note that for the purpose of this answer, for <strong>brevity</strong>, I'm referring to <em>ecology, environmental science and earth science</em> simply to as <em>ecology</em>. First of all (and it seems that you plan to do that), I think that your <em>top priority</em> at this point should be to graduate from your program as best as you can, in terms of both <em>academic performance</em> (mainly, dissertation research) and <em>knowledge acquisition</em>.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol>\n <li>How likely is it that I could make such a large career shift?</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Nobody could answer this with <em>certainty</em>. This is because the outcome of the transition in question very much depends on a <strong>variety of factors</strong>, many of which include your <em>personal traits</em> as well as <em>external circumstances</em>, some of which you can control, but not all. All I can say is that is possible. Several examples that I'm providing below (answer to your question #3) illustrate / confirm that.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"2\">\n <li>How do I go about finding out more about what research is out there and what I might like specifically, given the very large quantity of\n research that exists??</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I'm surprised by this question, considering your background. An ability to find needed information, including an ability to find the large-scale sources (repositories, databases, journals, etc.) is IMHO a <strong>fundamental</strong> skill for any Ph.D. student. Yes, the amount of existing research is tremendous and is growing exponentially. This is why it is even more important for a researcher to be able to find what information do you need to find and how to do that. Basically, within academic context, I'm talking about a process of <em>systematic review of literature</em> aka <em>literature review</em>. I suspect (and hope) that you're aware of all that (then it's not clear to me why ask this question - perhaps, your formulation wasn't clear or I misunderstood it), but, just in case, please check <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/45290/12391\">my relevant answer</a>, which contains some advice as well as basic references.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"3\">\n <li>Does anyone know of any examples of people who have made similar shifts? (Partly just because right now I need the inspiration and\n belief I am not trapped!)</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Over the years, I've read about quite a number of people, who successfully transitioned not only from different academic fields, but even across completely different industries and occupations (which makes your potential transition look like child's play - just kidding). For example, I know about, at least, several people with mechanical engineering or business undergraduate education, who changed their career and became medical doctors(!). I also know about people with undergraduate and/or master's degrees in zoology and music (two different persons), who became successful executives (CEO/CTO) of software/IT companies. I'm sure that many people might provide many more similar examples. So, the point is that, since such career switches happen, your potential transition is <em>possible</em>. However, the big question is whether you can be among those, whose such transitions were successful, and how to increase the chances of that happening.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"4\">\n <li>What sort of things might I do directly after my PhD to build experience/learn more? Is trying to get field experience a good idea?\n Should I start to consider Master's programs?</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I would suggest you to avoid making drastic career changes, unless you have solid reasons to do so (for a hypothetical example, you realized that you absolutely hate physics and tremendously love ecology - I'm intentionally exaggerating here). What I suggest is a <strong>smooth transition</strong>, where you could <em>capitalize</em> on your existing skills and experience, which are <em>transferable</em> to the other domain. Considering your source and destination domains as well as other information in your question's background (\"significant data analysis and theoretical component\"), I would recommend you to focus within ecology domain on <em>research methodology</em> and <em>data analysis</em> areas as well as <em>statistical or other complex models</em>, which seems to be well aligned with your physics background. I would <strong>not</strong> consider master's programs in your situation. Perhaps, some specialized <em>certificate programs</em> or <em>several courses</em>, or, alternatively, some <em>MOOCs</em> in the target domain.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"5\">\n <li>Am I completely as doomed as I think I could be?? :)</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Not completely and, maybe and hopefully, even <strong>not at all</strong>, as shown above :-). Best of luck!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45610,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How likely is it that I could make such a large career shift?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It is very common for people who studied physics to end up doing something rather different. Studying physics is great preparation for many different endeavors.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>How do I go about finding out more about what research is out there and what I might like specifically, given the very large quantity of research that exists??</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Fun ways to do this are to attend seminars and take a look at journals in the target fields. At this point you're mainly getting your feet wet and getting a few ideas about what's out there, and what the culture of those other disciplines is like.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Does anyone know of any examples of people who have made similar shifts? (Partly just because right now I need the inspiration and belief I am not trapped!)</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>My advisor, Akira Okubo, is a good example. You might enjoy reading this tribute and overview of his life and work: <a href=\"http://www.yen.biology.gatech.edu/papers/Okubo%20tribute.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.yen.biology.gatech.edu/papers/Okubo%20tribute.pdf</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>What sort of things might I do directly after my PhD to build experience/learn more? Is trying to get field experience a good idea? Should I start to consider Master's programs?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Perhaps the shift would be less drastic if you started out by making a slight sideways move into environmental science. But that might not even be necessary.</p>\n\n<p>I think you can go straight into a two-year postdoc after you graduate. As long as you choose the right sort of person or group to do it with, I don't think you'll need to do another degree or more coursework first, because of your undergrad broad span of sciences and the lab biology projects. If you find you have some gaps, you can fill them on your own or by auditing some classes while you're in the postdoc.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Am I completely as doomed as I think I could be?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There are some interdisciplinary fields, such as mathematical ecology, that are new enough that many of the people in those fields originally trained in something else.</p>\n\n<p>Final comment: the tail end of a PhD can be a desolate time, and a stressful time. So please take this growing ennui with a grain of salt.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/17
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45556",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34635/"
] |
45,558 |
<p>I'm taking some time off between my undergraduate and graduate studies. I've definitely kept up the practice of my field during this time through self-study. My question relates to how I can show this to graduate admissions next year. Let's say I've been working through some very important books/papers of my field which prepare me for research. What's a good way to show this? Simply stating this on my statement of purpose isn't sufficient as I've seen first hand people mentioning or exaggerating the extent of their study/projects and there'd be no way to tell if what I'm doing is any different. Should I be typing up notes as I go along and uploading them somewhere? This to me seems like a tedious task which would take time away from the actual study. Or should I upload my hand-written notes? This on the other hand seems a bit unprofessional.</p>
<p>Edit: For clarification, I should mention that my field is theoretical physics.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45591,
"author": "Nicholas",
"author_id": 1424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1424",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Further to Aleksandr's comment regarding creating a blog comprising your notes to the literature, consider doing some small projects that are essentially, research projects. </p>\n\n<p>Any graduate admissions board will want to see evidence of your capacity for doing research. A good, digested, annotated literature review is a great start. You could show yourself in the best light if you attempt to pose a problem, and attempt to solve it. </p>\n\n<p>Note: you don't have to come up with an answer in these research topics that you set yourself. You want to demonstrate curiosity, self-determination, process. Blog about what you're doing. Ask questions on a relevant .se board, for instance, evaluate the responses, read further as a result, review your assumptions, recast a hypothesis, attempt an amended experiment, analyse your new results. Repeat. Show -- i.e. record -- the process that a research scientist would follow. Show that record in your application.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45596,
"author": "Kimball",
"author_id": 19607,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/19607",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, things like typing up notes, writing a \"learning/seminar blog\" and being active on SE sites are good ways to help indicate the level and seriousness of your studies. However, unless you are spectacular at this and manage to become well known this way, on most admissions committees, no one will have seen this stuff before they look at your application. This means that they can check out your blog, notes etc but probably will not unless they are interested anyway, or it gets hyped up by your letter writers. Consequently, this will be of some advantage in alleviating concerns of your time off, and is certainly worth doing for your own preparation, but it is better if you have something more reliable in your application.</p>\n\n<p>Here is one suggestion: if there is an appropriate professor from your undergrad, preferably one you were fairly close with, you can try contacting them to let you know what you're studying, with aims to go to grad school, and ask if they can spare a little time to (i) suggest reading materials/exercises/projects, and possibly (ii) answer occasional questions you may have. They may also be able to (iii) give feedback on your notes/blog, though it makes more sense to wait to ask about this until you have something in hand to show them.</p>\n\n<p>Professors are busy people, so someone may or may not have/make time to help you, but we enjoy working with good students, so at least you should be able to get some suggestions on reading materials. On the other hand, there's also the possibility the professor is willing to work rather closely with you.</p>\n\n<p>In addition to providing valuable guidance to your own studies, this will keep at least one professor abreast of your continued studies, which should then come through in your recommendation letter from this person.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45639,
"author": "Zarrax",
"author_id": 30688,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30688",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One thing you can do is audit one or more graduate-level classes at a local university, if this is feasible. Usually professors will let you sit in on classes and even grade your work. If your performance is at a high level this will make a positive impression on graduate admissions committees.. it shows you can do advanced work and also are highly self-motivated. You might also get a letter of recommendation from the professor in the class that way. And you might be able to pass a qualifying exam upon arrival.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/17
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45558",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/24542/"
] |
45,560 |
<p>Which one do you recommend and why? 1: Finish writing PhD dissertation and extract papers from your thesis. 2. Start writing papers and complete your thesis based on your papers?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45561,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There's no single right answer here. </p>\n\n<p>For instance, if your department allows you to submit a \"stapler thesis\" that consists of submitted and published manuscripts, then it makes all the sense in the world to write the papers and then submit them as your thesis. On the other hand, if you can't do a stapler thesis and have to submit your thesis in just a few months, there's no sense in pausing to write complete manuscripts.</p>\n\n<p>Similarly, if you're relatively early on in your career, there's no sense in waiting for the PhD to publish (in fact, this would be a spectacularly <em>bad</em> idea, since you'd give other people time to publish ahead of you).</p>\n\n<p>So, basically, you need to consider your relative progress in the PhD program, what is and isn't allowed in your thesis, and what the ramifications of not publishing immediately are before making that decision. Of course, you should also discuss this with your advisor, who may have some additional insight.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45565,
"author": "Patricia Shanahan",
"author_id": 10220,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10220",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree that there is no single right answer. This is just an additional issue to consider.</p>\n\n<p>There is some advantage to publishing at least one paper while still a graduate student. There is a process to matching up target venue and paper content, preparing a paper for submission, submitting it, and taking it through review and revisions. It varies depending on the field and type of research. Going through that process with access to an advisor who has done it many times for papers in your field and is familiar with your research may be the easiest way to learn it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45578,
"author": "DetlevCM",
"author_id": 33949,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33949",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the UK (at least at one university), apparently one of the \"boxes to tick\" on the examination form is \"is this publishable\" - hence having at least one paper is considered good practice to have that box ticked. - However there is no explicit requirement to publish papers to obtain a PhD and people have obtained PhDs without submitting papers.</p>\n\n<p>The reality is that most supervisors and universities will encourage PhD students to publish - or try to, on the one hand as it ticks the box on the other as it mean another publication to the supervisors name (despite being just a co-author).\nThe downside of this is that quantity over quantity is favoured - or you may end up writing papers you don't believe are finished or yet good enough... - but that's a different philosophical discussion.</p>\n\n<p>As to your question:\nYou should check the requirements for your degree with your university first. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>IF there is significant benefit to having published at least one paper (such as the UK \"ticks the box\"), you should possibly see that you publish one paper.</li>\n<li>In the UK your chapters should not be identical to a paper - they could be the paper plus extra stuff though. Nonetheless, excluding university regulations, having a chapter identical to a paper may be problematic if you wish to make your thesis publicly available (paper copyright) and also brings up the point of \"self plagiarism\" - so you need to reference your own paper.</li>\n<li>As a result you possibly don't want both documents to be identical. (Thesis and paper)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Some other points to consider:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>If you leave academia you may not have the time to publish the papers - even though you planned to publish them. (I believe someone else had this experience here on Academia Stackexchange).</p></li>\n<li><p>And lastly, your supervisors might not want you to submit before you have published a paper - obviously they can't force you but finishing a PhD in a fight isn't ideal (in fact this applies to me in a way... I have to wait until a paper with a colleague is in before I can or should submit... - but again, that's another discussion).</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/17
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45560",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34526/"
] |
45,572 |
<p><strong>Is there any view among academicians that an undergraduate degree is just a means to get to graduate school? Does it really matter that much where you finish your bachelor’s degree?</strong></p>
<p>College applicants don’t just choose their schools based on academic reputation and excellence. Financial consideration is perhaps the biggest factor in picking the right school, especially when one avoids serious debts. Sometimes, this factor leaves a student no other choice but to enroll in a lower-tier and non-ranking school. But this shouldn't discourage them from pursuing graduate studies, even when statistics show that most prestigious universities prefer applicants from an Ivy League school.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45573,
"author": "user6726",
"author_id": 28972,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/28972",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you are asking whether <em>any</em> academicians see the undergraduate degree as valuable only as a way to get into grad school, there are probably some (and if \"academicians\" includes undergraduate students, the number goes up). It would be a distinctly rare opinion amongst faculty.</p>\n\n<p>As to whether or not the institution \"really matters\", it would depends on the student (some students need lots of help) and the area of specialization (don't go to an arts-focused school to learn theoretical physics). In addition, undergraduates (in the US) who enter a university thinking they know what they will major in very often change their minds.</p>\n\n<p>I think that the correct way to understand the undergraduate degree is that it is basic intellectual training for life, where you learn how to reason and argue, and essentially learn how to learn. You do that by gaining some techical competence in a particular area; and then if you want to go on for a technically-focused masters in accounting or fisheries, you will be prepared.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45576,
"author": "Wolfgang Bangerth",
"author_id": 31149,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31149",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I must be understanding your question wrongly, but the way it is phrased it seems to ask whether academicians see the purpose of an undergraduate education only in terms of a student's ability to get into graduate school.</p>\n\n<p>This is of course patently wrong, and I would imagine the number of my colleagues who see it that way to be very small: the vast majority of students get their undergraduate degrees not because they want to get into graduate school, but to obtain the necessary knowledge and qualification to enter the workforce with a Bachelor degree. For almost all students, graduate school is not a consideration, and professors of course know this very well.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45579,
"author": "Massimo Ortolano",
"author_id": 20058,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20058",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is there any view among academicians that an undergraduate degree is just a means to get to graduate school?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The answer might be country-dependent, and from an Italian perspective the answer is: yes, absolutely.</p>\n\n<p>The reasons are the following (the reasons behind these reasons are somewhat more complex and depend on the relatively recent introduction of the division undergraduate/graduate education in Italy):</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>If you want to pursue a career in academia, you need a PhD, and to apply for a PhD you <em>must</em> have a Master's degree. </li>\n<li>If you want to pursue a career in industry, an undergraduate degree is not considered competitive with respect to a graduate one (in many industries here, applicants with an undergraduate degree are simply discarded).</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>So, here in Italy, the students who drop out of university just after their bachelor degree are typically those who: i) can't afford other two more years of university because of economical problems; ii) graduated with too low grades to enroll to a Master's program; and iii) have had enough of studying.</p>\n\n<p>Given the above, most if not all of the Italian academics consider undergraduate education just an intermediate step toward graduate education.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/17
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45572",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33677/"
] |
45,583 |
<p>As you may agree that most departments of most US university will have a number of Indian postdocs. But why very few Indian professors leave India to join US universities. I wonder why?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45585,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think the answer is likely to be much the same reason that you see many postdocs shifting between the US and Europe, but few faculty changing shifting between the US and Europe as well. Postdocs are in a transient period of their career and will readily move to follow opportunity. Faculty, especially once tenured, are likely to be settled and not particularly interested in moving, no matter where they started.</p>\n\n<p>Now, India is still different than the US academically, but as India continues to develop and Indian academia continues to expand, the difference is decreasing and one should expect the flow of scientific talent to continue to become more balanced, as is happening already.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45606,
"author": "user",
"author_id": 31973,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31973",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to jakebeal's answer, I would like to add some points of my own. India is a developing country with not much money to spend on funding. Thus only a handful research institutes can support good quality research and education. Talented students who don't find enough resources in India go to abroad to pursue their endeavours. The people who remain in the country are the ones' having a 'sense of patriotism' and are here to serve the country. Hence, they refrain from leaving.</p>\n\n<p>You will find most of the Nobel laureates and Turning award winners from India being non-residing Indians.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/17
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45583",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34652/"
] |
45,586 |
<p>It seems to me that the terms "Teaching Assistant" and "Instructor" refer to a variety of positions. At some places, a teaching assistant is responsible for things like helping the actual lecturer by handing out papers, grading homework, etc., and instructors hold recitation sessions.</p>
<p>At other places, I saw the term "instructor" referring to the lecturer giving the course, while a teaching assistant is the person doing anything else (recitations, grading etc.).</p>
<p>Is there some widely accepted definition of the two positions?</p>
<p>For context: The question arose because I wasn't sure whether I'm using the correct terms in my CV -- I am a math graduate student, and I would like to make a distinction between jobs in which I only graded course assignments/final exams, and courses in which I held recitation classes* (and also participated in grading the final exams). Is it OK to use "Instructor" for the latter? What should the former be referred to as?</p>
<p>*In the course I'm currently teaching, the recitations are planned and written by the ones giving them (without the professors' supervision). Also, the people giving the recitations are not necessarily grad students (some already hold a PhD). I'm elaborating on that because from what I've seen, some of it could be relevant for the definition of the job.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45587,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>No, there really is no universal definition of the terms; I have been a \"teaching assistant\" and an \"instructor\" at the same school for basically the same position.</p>\n\n<p>The only thing that I would say is that the term \"teaching assistant\" tends to imply a position that does not have <em>significant</em> lecturing responsibilities, although she may be responsible for nearly everything else in the course (creating and grading homework and exam problems, interacting with students, conducting recitations sections, and so on). Note that this does not mean that the TA might not carry out a \"spot lecture\" or two; but this is not an expectation of the position overall. </p>\n\n<p>In general, I would avoid this problem by doing two things:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Listing on my CV the \"job title\" that the school assigns to the role you carried out.</li>\n<li>Provide a short list of the duties your position entailed.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In this way, there is no ambiguity or misconception that can result, since you're providing all the information needed to understand the breadth of your teaching experience.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45589,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To me, \"teaching assistant\" strongly suggests working under some other specific person who has more primary teaching duties and/or more control of the course content, procedures and grading, while \"instructor\" suggests (though less strongly) the person who does have those primary responsibilities. When my colleagues and I want to hit that last point more strongly, we often say \"instructor of record\". This means that when you look up the course in various academic records, someone is listed as \"the instructor\", and that person [or persons, sometimes] is the one who has the power to admit, forbid or withdraw students from the course, assign grades and so forth. </p>\n\n<p>But in truth the terms are not used so unambiguously, even within one university. In my department (mathematics, UGA) we have an \"outstanding TA award\". This award is given for students for teaching responsibilities which are identical to my own as a tenure-track faculty member -- i.e., they write a syllabus, give all the lectures, choose all the homework, write and grade all the exams and assign the grades. (The only difference between what happens when I teach these courses and when a graduate student does it is that the graduate student gets more oversight than I do, in various ways: e.g. they should in principle be showing all of their exams to a faculty mentor beforehand.) I would be happier if this were called an \"outstanding instructor award\". In fact the issue of how much power and autonomy graduate student instructors should have is an active one in my department, and a minority of faculty members call graduate students \"TAs\" rather than instructors and use this as an argument for less autonomy in their teaching. So it's complicated!</p>\n\n<p>Let me end by saying that many universities feel pressured to call graduate students \"TAs\": the extent to which graduate students serve as \"instructors of record\" varies a lot from one department to another. Moreover, in some cases it seems like it would be inappropriate to have all but the most senior grad students as instructors of record whereas in other cases it could even improve the teaching experience. (I regularly teach the same second semester calculus class that I taught as a graduate student. My understanding of freshman calculus is deeper now than it was as a PhD student. This is accompanied by less empathy for the students than I had when I was only a few years away from having learned this material myself, with the effect that I think it is likely that a majority of students would have been happier to have the graduate-student-me as an instructor than the present-day-me.) </p>\n\n<p>I fear that at least in some cases universities call their graduate student instructors \"TAs\" so as to be able to report a larger percentage of courses taught by tenure-track faculty. Of course this is pure skullduggery, of which the graduate students are not the intended victims but rather collateral damage.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45592,
"author": "Brian Borchers",
"author_id": 4453,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4453",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Having read a lot of CV's this year, I can say that there's huge variation in what teaching assistants in mathematics do. I saw everything from TA's who just graded papers and held office hours all the way through a PhD program to students who had sole responsibility for teaching sophomore/junior level classes while they were in the PhD program.</p>\n\n<p>You should definitely use your official title (\"Teaching Assistant\", \"Graduate Teaching Assistant\", \"Graduate Teaching Fellow\", etc.) You should <em>also</em> explain exactly what you did for each course that you were involved in (grading, office hours, led recitation sections, lectured when the prof was out of town, ..., all the way up to \"sole responsibility for the course.\") </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45593,
"author": "Andreas Blass",
"author_id": 14506,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14506",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the departments that I'm familiar with, \"teaching assistant\" has always meant a student, usually a graduate student. The meaning of \"instructor\", however, varies a lot. At one time it was a job title for what would nowadays be a postdoctoral position. My first job at Michigan, as a new Ph.D., was \"T.H. Hildebrandt Instructor\"; other math departments had similar \"named\" instructorships, like the Gibbs Instructorship at Yale and the Peirce Instructorships at Harvard. Not long afterward, though, many universities tried to make the meanings of titles uniform across departments. The new, centrally mandated definitions of titles didn't always match what actually happened in the departments; I believe Harvard used (and perhaps still uses?) the title \"Benjamin Peirce assistant professor of and lecturer in mathematics\" to indicate that the job is something like an assistant professorship and something like a lecturership. Michigan has \"T.H. Hildebrandt assistant professor of mathematics\" as the official title for certain postdoc positions (with less teaching duties than some other postdoc positions). </p>\n\n<p>Having been removed from its previous faculty meaning, \"instructor\" became available for graduate students. Shortly after Michigan's teaching assistants unionized, their official title became \"graduate student instructor\". Apparently the union thought this title was more respectful, and the university administration was presumably happy to accept at least one union demand without any new costs. (Well, there was a small cost in the time of admissions officers like me having to explain to prospective graduate students that the graduate student instructorship we were offering them was essentially the same as what others called a teaching assistantship.) </p>\n\n<p>All of the preceding refers to \"instructor\" as part of someone's job title. The word is also used in the context of \"instructor of record\" for a class, which Pete Clark explained, so I won't write more about that. </p>\n\n<p>Another use of the word \"instructor\" is just as a general term for anyone teaching in the university, regardless of rank. For example, our end-of-semester teaching evaluation questionnaires ask students about their agreement or disagreement with statements like \"the instructor is an excellent teacher.\" This terminology is the same whether the instructor in question is a graduate student or the provost.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45842,
"author": "Michael Hardy",
"author_id": 7229,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7229",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my experience a teaching assistant is a student who is paid for services that may include teaching, grading, one-to-one tutoring, proctoring tests, and perhaps other things. \"Instructor\" can mean anyone who has the primary responsibility for teaching a course, and in some cases such an instructor is a teaching assistant. Teaching by teaching assistants is often done in a role subordinate to that of the \"instructor\", who may be a professor. Sometimes the \"instructor\" lectures before a classroom in which 100 or more students sit, and the students in the course also meet in smaller groups with teaching assistants.</p>\n\n<p>However, at many institutions the word \"instructor\" also denotes an academic rank, lower than \"assistant professor\", sometimes only given to persons who have completed a Ph.D., and may be given in disregard of whether actual teaching is required of the person bearing the title.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/17
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45586",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15928/"
] |
45,615 |
<p>What is the difference between an institution calling itself a "college" or a "university"? For example, take the "University College London". Is it a college? A university? Both? What does it mean?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45626,
"author": "410 gone",
"author_id": 96,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Some colleges are universities: The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London; University College London; these award degrees in their own right.</p>\n\n<p>Some colleges are listed bodies of collegiate universities: Merton College, University of Oxford; Churchill College, University of Cambridge. These do not award degrees in their own right; the parent university awards the degrees. Some teaching occurs in college. Some teaching and research staff are attached to a college, and to a university-wide department; others are attached only to a department. All undergraduates are members of a college, and of the parent university.</p>\n\n<p>Some colleges are residential bodies of collegiate universities, e.g. Bowland College, University of Lancaster; Halifax College, University of York. Teaching does not occur in college, and the parent university awards the degrees.</p>\n\n<p>Some colleges are independent and part of no university: Ruskin College, Oxford; Working Men's College, London. These tend to make awards other than traditional degrees.</p>\n\n<p>This is the situation for England. Other anglophone countries may have different arrangements.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45660,
"author": "Brian Borchers",
"author_id": 4453,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4453",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the US there really isn't a distinction any more. Traditionally, a university was a larger institution that typically offered graduate degrees (MA/MS/PhD) and had a multitude of colleges (e.g. a college of arts and sciences and a college of engineering) and professional schools (law, business, medicine, etc.) Now, lots of institutions that offer only bachelor's degrees have taken to calling themselves universities. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/18
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45615",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34671/"
] |
45,616 |
<p>Most people in research probably have first-hand experience regarding how difficult it is to get some people to reply to emails, e.g. (but not limited to) some reputed professors. It is also difficult to establish how to interpret a lack of response, because the person can be just busy and miss your email (i.e. "save for later" then forget about it) or might be purposely ignoring the email. I find the lack of response particularly annoying when contacting a listed "corresponding author" about their paper.</p>
<p>I have experienced several extremes: professors who reply within hours (or even minutes!); professors who failed to produce any response at all; even once I sent a job query and didn't get a response until after 2-3 months later, when the professor apologized about forgetting to reply and said he was very interested in my application.</p>
<p>The latter case almost cost me a job (luckily I had already secured a position elsewhere), and as it turned out later I could have resolved the situation by sending the professor a reminder that he had not replied to my earlier email. But how could I have interpreted his lack of response as either forgetfulness or disinterest?</p>
<p>The situation is usually better with postdocs and graduate students, who tend to reply, and when they do their replies tend to come faster.</p>
<p>Hence, my questions are:</p>
<ul>
<li>How to improve the chances of getting a reply to one's email besides the obvious "be brief and to the point"</li>
<li>How to interpret the lack of response</li>
<li>When is it appropriate to send a reminder and tips to avoid annoying the recipient with it</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Edit upon request:</strong></p>
<p>The typical content of the emails I'm referring to would be regarding the work done by the email's recipient or at their lab (questions about papers published by them, for instance). Non-spam job applications or surveying possible collaboration could also be included here.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45618,
"author": "Dr. Beeblebrox",
"author_id": 7934,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7934",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First, I never shy away from the brief polite reminder 2-7 days later, depending on the urgency of the issue. Being polite is important: introducing the email with \"Dear [title, name],\" and ending with \"Thank you, [your name]\". </p>\n\n<p>For example: \"Dear Professor Jabberwocky, I'm writing to follow up on the below email. Thank you, Lewis.\"</p>\n\n<p>You already wrote the professor once. No need to add details and make them read more than necessary.</p>\n\n<p>Second, if the issue is important and I do not get a response, I will ask a colleague or advisor who personally knows the person I've emailed to connect us. That has never failed. </p>\n\n<p>Third, if possible, a phone call or in-person meeting is always much more reliable than emailing, even if (or because) it takes a bit more physical and social effort on your part.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45621,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>If you want to know why you get faster responses from grad students than professors, just take a look at <a href=\"http://www.davidketcheson.info/2011/02/06/visualizing-your-inbox-load.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this comparison of email volume when transitioning from student to professor</a>. Afterward the load just continues to rise (the number of emails I get per month is now much greater than anything shown there).</p>\n<p>Many researchers -- particularly faculty -- have an email address that is publicly listed on the internet. That means that <strong>anyone in the entire world can contact them about anything at any time</strong>. Some well-known researchers get a huge amount of email, and could not possibly respond to it all even if they did nothing else. Even a fairly ordinary mid-career professor with some research funds gets a pretty high volume of email from total strangers. I'm not referring to outright spam but to things like applications for student/postdoc/researcher positions; requests for research assistance, or inquiries about research collaborations and so forth. Replying to such email cannot trump essential duties like research, student advising, and teaching, so the time for it is limited.</p>\n<h2>Initial message</h2>\n<p>Given a queue of tasks (emails) that perhaps cannot ever be completed in the available time, one must prioritize. If you are emailing a complete stranger, your email is not likely to be at the top of the queue. The best way to make sure your email stands out is to</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ensure that it does not look like a form letter. Currently, the only messages I don't reply to at all are those that look like the sender could have sent identical messages to everyone in my department (usually, they did).</li>\n<li>Show that you have done your homework. If you're applying for a job, do you have some research ideas that the professor would be interested in? What makes you especially qualified for the job? If you're looking for a collaboration, reference specific things in the contact's papers that are of interest to you.</li>\n<li>Along the same lines, don't email a stranger asking them to do (home)work for you (yes, it happens a lot) or requesting information that you could find for yourself on the internet.</li>\n<li>Be polite. Recognize that you are interrupting a complete stranger without having been invited to do so. You are not entitled to their time; you are requesting it.</li>\n<li>Write clearly and concisely. If it's a first contact and you want to ask questions, try to ask just one question.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Lost messages</h2>\n<p>It does happen that messages get lost, due to spam filters or by being buried under other newer messages. If you don't get a reply, there is no way to know whether the message was lost or just didn't make it to the top of the queue. If it was lost, a reminder may be appreciated by the recipient.</p>\n<h2>Reminders</h2>\n<p>Typically, I would wait at least a week before sending a reminder. I feel that a reminder to a total stranger after 2 days is not polite. In your reminder:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be extra polite.</li>\n<li>Do not blame the recipient. A good strategy is to say you are sending a follow-up in case your original message went to spam, or something similar.</li>\n<li>Remember that you have no idea what is going on in the professional or personal life of the recipient, and you are certainly in no position to judge their actions.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>If you are corresponding with a collaborator, the above rules still apply. Last month, a friend and collaborator suddenly stopped replying to emails just when we had nearly completed a manuscript. I waited two weeks, then sent a message just asking if she was okay. In fact, it turned out that a major personal issue had arisen that -- among other things -- prevented her from doing any work during that time.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 132422,
"author": "Buffy",
"author_id": 75368,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/75368",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to the excellent answer of <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/45621/75368\">David Ketcheson</a> I would add:</p>\n\n<p>Make a <em>specific</em> request in your mail. Ask for some bit of information or the answer to a question. Otherwise the mail may just be interpreted as a \"For Your Information\" note, not requiring a reply. Many busy people won't respond with just \"thank you for your note\" assuming that no thanks are necessary and not wanting to take the time to compose it. </p>\n\n<p>Make the request clear, such as at the very end, rather than burying it in the text. Make it simple (as the linked post suggests). </p>\n\n<p>Then, after a suitable delay, a follow up is warranted. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/18
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45616",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14695/"
] |
45,617 |
<p>I'm curious about the impact of geographical diversity of positions (postdoctoral or junior faculty) on career prospects in academia. In my current job search I see a small number of positions at universities outside the US that potentially fit my research interests and experience. I am wondering whether pursuing these positions would be beneficial to my current long-term goal of returning to an academic position in the US.</p>
<p><strong>What effect does international academic experience have on academic career prospects in the US?</strong></p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45662,
"author": "Kimball",
"author_id": 19607,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/19607",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>If you are just talking about the geographical role, rather than comparing things like great position at a world renowned foreign university versus a two-bit US institution, then it is true that it can be harder to get a US tenure-track position coming from foreign university. The main reasons are (i) smaller schools are often less willing to fly in overseas applicants for interviews and (ii) (for positions with teaching experience expectations) it's advantageous for candidates to have experience teaching in a system comparable to the American one. See also <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/45588/19607\">this recent answer from RoboKaren</a>. Another possible concern is that you get involved in some research niche which is popular, say only in Europe or Asia, but not the US, but this can also happen at US institutions.</p>\n\n<p>That said, you shouldn't take these concerns too seriously if you find a position that you like, and these concerns don't play too much of a role for research universities. However, consider the possibility that you may need to do another postdoc in the US/Canada to improve your chances of getting jobs at smaller schools where this may be an issue.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Addendum:</strong> The above was just in answer to the bold question, but not to the issue in the text about whether it is in some way <em>beneficial</em> to go abroad, say strictly for diversity reasons. Here there seems to be negligible benefit, all other factors being equal, as the US already has a diverse amount of resesarch, and one can still learn from and even collaborate with foreign colleagues (at least in many fields) thanks to travel and modern technology.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45977,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Well, there are a lot of countries (and educational systems and cultures) in the world. So what I am about to say could be completely wrong for some countries.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to end up doing research and teaching, watch out, as regards the teaching part. There are countries that use more of a sink-or-swim approach to university studies than we like to think we take here in the U.S. (I don't mean that to sound bitter -- there <em>are</em> a good number of professors in U.S. institutions who <em>do</em> have a real commitment to teaching.)</p>\n\n<p>For the research side of things, I don't think there is any advantage or disadvantage to post-doccing overseas. The important thing is that you be in a situation that is intellectually stimulating, emotionally supportive, and collaborative, so that you can get some good publications under your belt. So it all boils down to compatibility with the group.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/18
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45617",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12391/"
] |
45,625 |
<p>Some departments do an annual assessment of their PhD students' progress. It includes questions about topics such as: being independent, writing skills, analysis skills, time devoted, reliability, conscientiousness, punctuality, self-reliance, independence, intellectual curiosity, communication skills, etc. </p>
<p>It also includes a self-assessment done by the student as well as another one by his faculty research adviser. What I found interesting is that sometimes the assigned faculty meet the student before submitting the self evaluation form where he/she often tells the student to change some of the self evaluation responses. It is even indicated in the instruction of some universities' websites. </p>
<p>My questions are: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>How they are assessed, are they only to evaluate students or is it also to evaluate the faculty advising skills? </p></li>
<li><p>How do these reviews impact the student graduation timeline? Although they are important skills students should acquire, mostly they are not part of the fundamental milestone for student graduation like qualifying exam, proposal, etc. </p></li>
</ol>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45647,
"author": "semi-extrinsic",
"author_id": 27555,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27555",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't think your two questions can be answered in a very general way, different universities obviously practice this differently. What I can say is that I don't think these self-assessments have much of an impact on the graduation timeline, more that they're used to identify any problems as early as possible (when they can be more easily fixed). </p>\n\n<p>I'll instead comment on this almost-question:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>What I found interesting is that sometimes the assigned faculty meet the student before submitting the self evaluation form where he/she often tells the student to change some of the self evaluation responses.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There's at least two categories of things where this makes sense:</p>\n\n<p>1) PhD students (especially at around half to two-thirds in) will be overly-critical of their own performance. It's very easy to look at others and think they're doing much better than you are. Without being sexist, in my experience women in particular give themselves extremely harsh (informal) self-assesments even when they are very talented. In this case staff would correct this overly self-negative outlook.</p>\n\n<p>2) These assesments are not the proper avenue for everything. In particular, at my university it is particularly stressed in the guidelines for filling out the assesment that this is <strong>not</strong> the correct avenue to initially notify the university if you're having trouble/disagreements with your supervisor. There's probably more examples of this.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45663,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As a grad student, it is all too easy to get into a situation where you are coasting, perhaps not making any real progress. A good advisor ensures that such a state does not persist for long. In my experience, the main purpose of these assessments is to </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>serve as a reminder to less-conscientious advisors to check in with their students; and</li>\n<li>in extreme cases, serve as a mechanism to spur less-motivated students to get back to work (possibly by putting the student on probation or something similar).</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>When the student and advisor are taking their jobs seriously, the assessment is usually superfluous. But it can also be an opportunity to highlight great work to the program chair or dean.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45664,
"author": "user6726",
"author_id": 28972,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/28972",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Every department is different: I don't have any suggestion about how you actually answer the question. I know that faculty in a department will give different answers, and fellow students will give you different different answers. In my department, the assessment (a discussion in a faculty meeting behind closed doors) was nominally only about students, but it can turn into a gently scrutiny of the advisor if there is a problem. This is because it is organized around a cohorts; but earlier, it was more based on \"report by advisor\", which tended to encourage discussion of advisors (unpleasant!). The typical point of the review is to give fair notice to the student that their are not making satisfactory progress. A milestone is a requirement that a student do something by a particular time, and the assessment isn't something that the student does. But if your funding is cut off, as can be a consequence of a negative assessment, then that tends to have a consequence for progress to degree.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/18
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45625",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21517/"
] |
45,628 |
<p>My boyfriend, Mark, is pursuing his PhD in Aerospace Engineering at a prestigious school. He has just finished up his 2nd year and passed his qualifying exam last semester. His adviser is Chinese, and the two other students are Chinese as well. </p>
<p>My boyfriend, being the only American citizen, feels like he is more or less the designated "proof-reader," always writing and editing their papers, presentation, and even their post-doc's papers. On top of that, his adviser is a "paper-pusher" and is more interested in publishing papers than the actual research. There have been instances of "academic fraud" where data plot graphs depicting test results are shown with a perfect straight line. Research papers and perfect results seem to be the most important thing in which his adviser is interested. Mark is very unhappy with the lab group dynamic (it's very difficult being the only American student), and the research.</p>
<p>When Mark first visited the university during his senior year of undergrad, many professors had turned him down (he had a 3.0 GPA, which barely makes the cut-off), except for this adviser. Mark feels indebted to this one advisor who showed faith in Mark. Although nice, the advisor did leave Mark to believe that the research and studies would be focused on Thermal-Fluids and aircraft design. This adviser has a track record with the university being misleading and vague. The research that Mark has been doing for the past 2 years have strayed away further and further from what he actually wants to do.</p>
<p>Now being in graduate school for 2 years, Mark has maintained a 3.9 GPA. He has spoken to another professor about his research. This professor is interested in Mark and has the funding to provide to Mark, but is very concerned about poaching students, even though Mark was the one who approached this professor.</p>
<p>Mark has tried to convey to his current professor that he is unhappy with the research and the lab-group dynamic. He also mentioning about this other professor. Instead of "quitting" oh his current professor, he tried to compromise saying how he can have "co-advisers" still working with his current adviser, but getting funding with the other. He tried to meet in the middle, but instead his current adviser dismissed this idea and avoided the situation. </p>
<p>Mark then talked to the administration: the department head and another person who handles these cases. They agree with him, and come to understand the situation. Like mentioned, this adviser has a track record of being misleading, so they are aware of his intentions. When the four of them met, the adviser was very angry, calling this meeting unprofessional and unnecessary, talking about Mark like he wasn't in the room, and accusing the other professor (who was absent) of poaching. It became apparent during this meeting this adviser is more invested in the research (in fear of losing lab researchers), than Mark's academic future and his studies. </p>
<p>Two days after this meeting, the adviser sends Mark a very long email. It entails a very "guilt trip" paragraph claiming that he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him (how others turned him down for funding). He also seems to be playing the victim card saying he wished that Mark had talked to him about this. He also mentioned that he had talked to the other professor.</p>
<p>It appears that this is a very manipulating and toxic adviser. What Mark is concerned about is what his current adviser had talked to this new professor about. This new professor is VERY concerned about making it seem like he is poaching Mark away from his adviser. He is concerned that the new professor will back out of all of this, and he will be left going back to his old adviser since he's depending on funding.</p>
<p>What should he do in this specific situation? Any thoughts, suggestions, insight will be helpful.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45629,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The damage has already been done in this situation, and your boyfriend should move on with his future.</p>\n\n<p>Basically, at this point, I don't see any way in which the relationship with his current advisor can be mended. The name calling and guit tripping makes for an impossible working environment. Even if he were to stay, he would have to deal with the cloud of the previous attempt to leave hanging over his head. Therefore, it is in his best interests to find a new advising situation as quickly as possible. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45631,
"author": "Patricia Shanahan",
"author_id": 10220,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10220",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree that he needs to move on. Perhaps Mark could approach the administrators who were at the meeting, and ask them to talk with the potential adviser about Mark's need to change advisers ASAP. The meeting may have helped convince them of that need.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 165784,
"author": "Thomas Schwarz",
"author_id": 75315,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/75315",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Mark already talked to the department chair and the graduate chair (though he might be called differently). He needs to continue this conversation urgently. He should also invite them to solve the problem instead of asking them to support his solution (even if in the end, they amount to the same). I would advise to ask the chair to find a new advisor, which could be Professor A. This way, the idea of poaching is out of the room and it is made clearer that the initiative came from Mark, who felt stuck with his current advisor.</p>\n<p>Graduate students switch advisors and its hard for the previous advisor, as the previous advisor has invested time and money in him. Switching advisors is not a frequent, but a sufficiently common occurrence.</p>\n<p>Mark as a graduate student has no real power (other than just leaving the program) and a reasonably functioning department will offer some protection. (I am towards the end of a lifetime in academia and in general, departments do want to protect their students. Some departments are of course dysfunctional or toxic, and some situations are not handled with the care they deserve, but it is true as a general statement. Departments are measured also by graduation rate and by the success of their students.)</p>\n<p>Besides, the relationship between old advisor and Mark has reached a point where it makes no sense for Mark to continue with his current advisor, even if Mark would have to move to another school or look for a different career path. As a professor with graduate students, I would be foolish to insist on keeping a student who wants to leave.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/18
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45628",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34684/"
] |
45,632 |
<p>I'm preparing to submit a math paper to a good general-interest journal. The page asks for a cover letter. What should this include, beyond "here's a paper for consideration"? Should there be, for example, a brief summary? Claims about why I think it's interesting? Suggested reviewers? The first two of these of course appear in the article. The journal submission page gives no guidance.</p>
<p>This is a near-dupe of <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1286/cover-letter-when-publishing-in-a-journal">Are cover letters sent to referees and should you highlight the contribution of your paper in the cover letter?</a>. However, Googling around suggests that the answer is rather field-dependent, and this is not reflected in the answers there. I am looking for information relevant to pure math, for which a search hasn't turned up anything.</p>
<p>In my previous submissions I've basically blown this off, per my adviser's advice. It doesn't seem to have caused any problems, but I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to make the editor's life easier.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45633,
"author": "Wolfgang Bangerth",
"author_id": 31149,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31149",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Unless the journal asks for any specific pieces of information, then a \"Here it is for your consideration\" is all that's required. In the (math) journals I'm an editor of, that is essentially what the letters look like, and they almost never contain anything that is of importance to the editor or to reviewers.</p>\n\n<p>I believe that this is very different in other areas, but then the submission guidelines will say so.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45634,
"author": "Kimball",
"author_id": 19607,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/19607",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My impression is this often only gets asked because the submission system was set up for general journals. I agree with Wolfgang's answer that you do not need to include much in the way of content, but will add that one thing you can do is use this letter to suggest possible editors for your paper (sometimes there is no other place to put this). It of course makes things easier for the editor if they get papers in areas they know well.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/18
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45632",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/23399/"
] |
45,635 |
<p>Suppose, for instance, that a political science professor was tasked to design a curriculum for his quantitative methodology class. Generally, a quantitative methodology class covers the application of mathematical techniques in analyzing data. Can a professor, then, given his academic discretion, design a curriculum that focuses on the philosophy of quantitative analysis and not on the actual math? </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45636,
"author": "Corvus",
"author_id": 27900,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27900",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Answering for the R1 schools with which I am familiar: </p>\n\n<p>Of course a professor has this discretion. There is no universal standards board that decides what must be taught in what course -- nor would we want such a thing. Otherwise we might end up teaching intelligent design alongside evolutionary biology and the great flood alongside plate tectonics. </p>\n\n<p>The professor might be better off choosing a different course title, but there are a host of bureaucratic reasons why this doesn't always happen. So long as the syllabus accurately reflects the course material, I see no problem whatsoever. (And even if it doesn't, the professor still has the ultimate right to determine the course curriculum). </p>\n\n<p>In addition to the question of what a professor is permitted to do, there is a second question about what is a <em>reasonable</em> standard of conduct for the professor. This too offers quite a lot of latitude, particularly in higher level classes. </p>\n\n<p>Caveats: For certain large introductory classes or multi-selection courses, the academic department or a committee within the department may select a set of topics to be covered in order to standardize what the students learn -- but in this case the professor would not be tasked with developing the curriculum himself or herself. As we move from introductory classes toward advanced classes. Similarly there could potentially be a problem if a professor taught oceanography in an English literature class, or vice versa -- but decisions about where to fall on the philosophy / calculation spectrum within a given topic area are entirely up to the professor. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Addendum</strong> This whole thing may not seem like a big deal to those of us in STEM fields (with the possible exception of those fields that sometimes contradict big oil, big tobacco, or a narrow reading of the Book of Genesis). But faculty discretion over the contents of the curriculum is extremely important the humanities and social sciences where political agendas are more immediate and where the choice of a text may itself be an overtly political act. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45640,
"author": "user6726",
"author_id": 28972,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/28972",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think the answer is \"yes or no, depending on extent\". When a regular course is first proposed, there is usually a procedure for describing the content of the course, and that proposal generally has to be approved by the department (thought it might by by a single person with a relevant administrative function, such as \"director of graduate studies\"). The proposal is scrutinized and approved or rejected by some number of higher layers of bureaucracy, and ultimately approved by the trustees, regents or whatever they are called. That, in principle, puts a limit on individual discretion.</p>\n\n<p>To take an obvious extreme, if a course is described as \"Introductory Calculus\", then making the content actually be about GLBT theories of Dowland lute music, that would be a serious deviation from the official content of the course. Especially since other departments have an interest in the content of such a course which may be a requirement for some major, you can expect that such deviation would be nipped in the bud. On the other hand, if the official description names a particular calculus textbook that was predominant in the 40's, changing texts would not be considered a deviation from the described content.</p>\n\n<p>Whether or not the specific case you describe would be considered a sufficiently egregious deviation from described content would depend on the politics of the university and the role of the course in the overall structure of university offerings. Deviations would be dealt with in a post-hoc manner, such as by the chair having a talk with the offending faculty member, and possibly re-assigning the person to a different course. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45642,
"author": "Michael Hardy",
"author_id": 7229,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7229",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>How much discretion the professor has depends on the context. Suppose that course 1 is a prerequisite to one in which students are required to have learned certain methods taught only in course 1 and that is course 1's purpose according to official policy. Then omitting everything about those methods might reasonably be considered malpractice. However, suppose the professor reasonably thinks that students should be able to figure out the quantitative methods based on the conjunction of his material on "philosophy of quantitative analysis" and things they've learned in a math course that they also took. Then it might be reasonable. Things like this can depend on facts about the student's purposes and the course's purpose.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45645,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to the other answers given here, the answer also depends somewhat on the locale. For example, in Germany, a university professor has the right to set the curriculum for his course as she sees fit. The department may give him some hassles if the proposed curriculum too closely duplicates or overlaps with an existing course, but the right to teach as she chooses in principle remains.</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes it may also depend on if the course is part of an \"accredited\" degree program. For example, the instructor of an introductory thermodynamics course in an <a href=\"http://www.abet.org\">ABET-accredited</a> engineering program probably couldn't get away with not teaching the Second Law of Thermodynamics.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45656,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are many, many reasons why colleges and universities do not simply allow their faculty to teach any random stuff they choose as part of a course. They have to do this for accreditation. They have to do this for their students who want to transfer coursework to other schools. They have to do this so that students who take prerequisite courses are prepared for later work, which may be in other departments. Departments want to make sure that, e.g., if a student gets a degree in French, the student has actually learned certain things about French phonetics or literature.</p>\n\n<p>For these reasons, every accredited college or university in the US has some kind of formal curriculum process. At my school, for example, we have a curriculum committee and a computer database in which curriculum information is stored. Courses are required to be revised every 6 years, and can be revised more often if the department faculty wish. When a course is revised, it goes through multiple rounds of commentary and editing. For a class in physics, for example, the following would all get a chance to comment: the faculty member originating the new version; all other physics faculty; administrators; and a faculty committee including faculty from other departments.</p>\n\n<p>An example of the kind of thing that is hashed out in this process would be issues about class sizes. Professors would like to have small class sizes, but administrators have to balance this against fiscal concerns. So for example if I want my course to have a section size of 25, I need to demonstrate some need for that, e.g., because the class is a writing-intensive one.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 70847,
"author": "Mark Joshi",
"author_id": 29181,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/29181",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This varies tremendously from country to country. In the US, the professor has a lot of latitude. </p>\n\n<p>However, in the UK and Australia, this is not the case. At Oxford, you are presented with the examination statutes when you arrive and these contain very clear statements of the topics that will be covered in each exam. Plus the examiners are not the lecturer so if the lecturer gets creative and covers different things, everyone is going to be very unhappy. </p>\n\n<p>At Melbourne, there is a handbook that lists the content of every subject and how you will be assessed. The professor has to apply to change the contents well in advance, and students can successfully complain if the handbook is not followed. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 93219,
"author": "paul garrett",
"author_id": 980,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/980",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Mercifully, in the U.S., apparently unlike the U.K. in recent years, there is no central body whose purpose is determining or checking-up-on either the catalogue description of, or the specific syllabi of, or the actual on-the-ground-content-of mathematics courses.</p>\n\n<p>Sure, for lower-division courses, and for the \"core\" upper-division courses, there are compatibility issues with other math courses and other science courses, and the vast majority of math faculty do not do anything to wreck those relationships. (Even for the very few faculty who do not seem to be able to understand that part of their job is to meet the needs of other people, it seems easier to administratively \"work around\" them rather than rush to confrontation, ... in part, I think, because \"thinking outside the box\" is a good thing, although there will be mistakes and infelicities. That is, the principle should <em>not</em> be to chastise people for erring while trying to think deeply about what would be good for students (which is the almost universal story even in cases where the conclusion is dubious or naive).)</p>\n\n<p>Indeed, for upper-division undergrad math courses, and certainly for graduate-level math courses, it is my opinion/conceit that my (R1...) university <em>should</em> exactly expect (if not \"demand\") that I'd be regularly/endlessly updating the content of the courses I teach to reflect contemporary state-of-the-art. In math, it's not really that old things become \"wrong\", but that there are new things that may have higher priority, in the finite time-and-space of a course.</p>\n\n<p>Over the years, I have indeed been involved with official revision of the course catalogue and such. For graduate courses, especially, even if my colleagues and I have a rough consensus on what a year-long core course should include, it is obviously inconceivable that \"144 words or less, with minimal technical language\" could describe what the dang course is about. In the 1990s we did another round of this, and the constraints and demands were so ridiculous that it cured me of belief in catalogue descriptions of courses.</p>\n\n<p>Further, at my own Uni, despite the silliness of central administration and so on, the <em>virtue</em> of the situation is that, for example, \"introduction to modular forms and L-functions\" can be significantly different depending on which of several possible instructors take the course in a given year. Sure, there's a mock-up catalogue syllabus (which I made up 20+ years ago, because we ... had to), but no one worries about it, because they'll all exercise their own best professional judgement. Luckily!</p>\n\n<p>Maybe the potential volatility in math is less than in other subjects...</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/18
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45635",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33677/"
] |
45,651 |
<p>I'm writing an editorial and would like to use a figure that I published with a coauthor a few years ago.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://spie.org/Documents/Publications/ProcCopyrightForm.pdf">copyright agreement</a> (see #4) with the publisher allows the authors of the paper to reuse any of the work in any derivative work, as long as proper attribution is given, including a DOI.</p>
<p><em>Given the above, I would have permission from the publisher to include this figure in the editorial with proper attribution.</em></p>
<p>The coauthor and I, however, have had a falling out, and if I did ask permission he would almost certainly say no. He did not make the figure for the paper, I did, and I am first author.</p>
<p><strong>Given that I produced the figure, and the publisher would allow me to use my work in any derivative work, am I required (even ethically) to ask permission of my coauthor to publish this figure in an editorial that I'm writing?</strong></p>
<p>More generally, when copyright terms from the publisher are such that the author(s) may use their work in derivative works (with proper attribution), as is common in my field, <em>must authors always obtain permission from all coauthors to republish orginal or derivative works?</em></p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45652,
"author": "Aleksandr Blekh",
"author_id": 12391,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12391",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't think that it matters who created that figure or any particular <em>internal</em> to the paper <em>artifact</em>. The copyright AFAIK applies to the paper <strong>as a whole</strong> (would it be a data set, things might be a bit different). Since the paper is a <em>joint work</em> (legal term), even though you're a first author (academic term), from a legal standpoint, you are a <strong>co-author</strong> and, thus, IMHO your association to the specific artifact is <em>irrelevant</em>. Ethically, I think it would be OK to use a part, solely created by you, without the co-author's permission (not sure how helpful is that, considering the legal aspect).</p>\n\n<p>Having said that, perhaps, you can use the figure in question in an editorial, based on the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>fair use</strong></a> <em>legal doctrine</em>. I would recommend to consult with your institution's legal department in regard to assessing the <em>interpretation</em> and <em>applicability</em> of the fair use doctrine in/to your particular case.</p>\n\n<p><em>Disclaimer:</em> I'm not a lawyer and this answer does not represent a legal advice.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45653,
"author": "Nicholas",
"author_id": 1424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1424",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>You -- and your co-author -- have, most likely, assigned your copyright in the paper to the publisher. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Without knowing all the details of your copyright agreement</strong>, your copyright agreement seems to allow you, and your co-author, the right to re-use the work, and that right applies to each of you separately. The right to re-use the work requires you to reference the original paper and all its authors. </p>\n\n<p>I see no reason why you shouldn't use the figure, even without the permission of your co-author, as your copyright agreement with the original journal appears to allow this. I see no ethical argument against re-using the figure, either. </p>\n\n<p>P.S. I have a qualification in intellectual property law, but I am not a lawyer. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/18
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45651",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4572/"
] |
45,665 |
<p>My colleagues believe that if you submit your manuscript revisions quickly, reviewers will be impressed by your confidence about the issues raised. </p>
<p>However, I think that a quick response is not always the best option. If you consult with other people, you may submit better revisions which of course requires more time.</p>
<ul>
<li>Are there any benefits in responding quickly to a request to revise and resubmit a manuscript?</li>
<li>Are reviewers impressed by a quick response to a request to revise and resubmit?</li>
</ul>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45668,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Opinions might differ, but here is mine: as a regular reviewer for a bunch of journals, what impresses me is a resubmission that addresses whatever points I raise in my review in a thorough and convincing way, irrespective of whether the authors take one week or six months to write it up. The more seriously you take my review, the more seriously I will take your resubmission.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45670,
"author": "CrepusculeWithNellie",
"author_id": 34524,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34524",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It actually depends on the precise semantics of \"revise and re-submit\". In some journals i was involved with, three different responses were possible: a minor revision is of a mostly editorial nature and people expect that this can be done quickly. A major revision usually comes with a timeframe of four to six weeks and often requires more substantial changes (sometimes including addition of new results) but there is generally an expectation that these revisions are doable within this timeframe and the paper as such is broadly acceptable. A revise-and-resubmit suggests that the paper is not acceptable in its current form and needs substantial new content (new experiments, more comprehensive comparison to other work, etc). In particular, revise-and-resubmit is recommended when the editor (or the reviewers) is of the opinion that the revision requires more time than the four to six weeks timeframe for a major revision. In that case, a quick response will probably look odd. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45677,
"author": "Scott Seidman",
"author_id": 20457,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20457",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The other answers are very good. I'll add that a good referee should review what's submitted, and make recommendations about what's on the paper in front of them. Let the editors worry about everything else. I try not to let the timeliness of the resubmission impact any recommendation.</p>\n\n<p>That said, I appreciate it if the authors can turn it around while the manuscript is still recallable. I don't like it when a second review requires all the work of a first review because the authors waited until memories of the manuscript were vague for me. I don't care how fast it comes back, but I don't like it when it's coming up on a year (unless the original review called for more studies, which can take time). \"Don't like it\" of course doesn't mean that this would impact my review, just that it causes me more work. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45690,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>At least for the journals I've refereed for, the referees don't know how long it took the authors to resubmit. Since I don't know when the other referees submitted their reports, I don't know when the authors received the reports, so I don't know how long it took them to revise. Maybe the authors took three months to revise; maybe they spent 87 days waiting for the other referees to submit their reports and revised in three days. Who knows?</p>\n\n<p>Since the referees don't know how long it took the authors to resubmit, that can't have any influence.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/19
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45665",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34526/"
] |
45,674 |
<p>Nowadays I am a second year assistant professor (without tenure) in physics at a German university (rank W1, Juniorprofessor), advising 2 PhD students.</p>
<p>Today, it came to me the information about a permanent position abroad (in Europe) and I am strongly considering applying for it. </p>
<p>My problem is the following: the selection process had just started now, and I will not know the decision until middle july. The preference in the new institution is to start the new position is September 2015 (which means that between the decision and the start is less than 1,5 months).</p>
<p>My questions are the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>At which point should I say something about this to my present institution: of course I do not know if I will be selected for the position, but I also understand that it is very bad for my present institution now to say them: "Well, I will leave the institution in one month."</p></li>
<li><p>At which point should I explain my Phd students about this change: this is definitely my most important headache. How should I present this point to them, and more important - when? Do you think it is good that I tell them that I want to apply for this position?</p></li>
</ol>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45681,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would not tell anyone anything until you have accepted the position (ideally with a signed contract). Leaving a position on short notice leaves your colleagues in a bind to cover your teaching and leaves your graduate students (and possibly lab personnel) at risk. If you are given an offer, you may be able to negotiate solutions to these problems (or the offer may be made so late, that it is not an issue). It is not unheard of for graduate students to be allowed to transfer. Delaying the start date by a semester, even a year, is not uncommon. If the start date is not flexible, you may also be able to negotiate some sort of teaching buyout which will allow you to teach a reduced load at both universities for a semester/year with each university covering a portion of your salary.</p>\n\n<p>The reason not to tell people is two fold. If the position falls through, you do not want to upset your colleagues. Telling your students also seems premature. They really little to no control over the situation and it is likely going to make them anxious.</p>\n\n<p>In terms of control, the student can drop out immediately. By telling them early, you save them 2 months of \"wasted effort\". They can also work harder with the goal of graduating early. The 2 months additional warning time is not going to result in a significantly quicker graduation. Arranging alternative supervision is really out of the hands of the student and requires the current supervisor, the new supervisor, the department, and the funder all agreeing. They are not going to move quickly on the issue until the PI confirms he/she is leaving.</p>\n\n<p>Not telling the student is not the same thing as not preparing the student. Hopefully, when you took the student on, you created a safety net for them (e.g., a second supervisor and alternative research paths). You should reconsider this safety net, alternative supervision, the key resources they need, and the time lines of their current and future projects. It is probably worth discussing aspects of the safety net and steering them into now (e.g., increased collaborations with a potential second supervisor and reducing the resources needed).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45684,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I've been in more or less the same situation, though with a slightly less strict time constraint. Here is what I've learnt/done:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>The timing of the move is negotiable. If they really want you, they'll wait 6 months or even a year. 1 1/2 months is completely unrealistic, and they know this.</p></li>\n<li><p>You may be able to have a part time appointment at your original institution. This will enable you to manage your students and projects there and facilitate a smoother transition. Avoid committing to doing any teaching. (This commitment may eventually become a real hassle, especially if you have small children you can't be away from for too long).</p></li>\n<li><p>Don't tell your students or colleagues until you know something for sure. And do what you can to take care of the students, such as finding alternative supervisors, funding at your new location, or money for them to travel to visit you (or vice versa).</p></li>\n<li><p>Check your university's regulations. I had to give 6 months notice before I could leave, though this was negotiable.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/19
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45674",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34718/"
] |
45,675 |
<p>I have read several posts on the forum but there seems no good information hub for EU based postdoctoral/researcher funding opportunities. I will be grateful if someone can give me a start.</p>
<p>By the way, I have found this <a href="https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/newsletter/10-websites-you-need-know-european-funding-opportunities" rel="nofollow">list</a> myself.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45681,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would not tell anyone anything until you have accepted the position (ideally with a signed contract). Leaving a position on short notice leaves your colleagues in a bind to cover your teaching and leaves your graduate students (and possibly lab personnel) at risk. If you are given an offer, you may be able to negotiate solutions to these problems (or the offer may be made so late, that it is not an issue). It is not unheard of for graduate students to be allowed to transfer. Delaying the start date by a semester, even a year, is not uncommon. If the start date is not flexible, you may also be able to negotiate some sort of teaching buyout which will allow you to teach a reduced load at both universities for a semester/year with each university covering a portion of your salary.</p>\n\n<p>The reason not to tell people is two fold. If the position falls through, you do not want to upset your colleagues. Telling your students also seems premature. They really little to no control over the situation and it is likely going to make them anxious.</p>\n\n<p>In terms of control, the student can drop out immediately. By telling them early, you save them 2 months of \"wasted effort\". They can also work harder with the goal of graduating early. The 2 months additional warning time is not going to result in a significantly quicker graduation. Arranging alternative supervision is really out of the hands of the student and requires the current supervisor, the new supervisor, the department, and the funder all agreeing. They are not going to move quickly on the issue until the PI confirms he/she is leaving.</p>\n\n<p>Not telling the student is not the same thing as not preparing the student. Hopefully, when you took the student on, you created a safety net for them (e.g., a second supervisor and alternative research paths). You should reconsider this safety net, alternative supervision, the key resources they need, and the time lines of their current and future projects. It is probably worth discussing aspects of the safety net and steering them into now (e.g., increased collaborations with a potential second supervisor and reducing the resources needed).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45684,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I've been in more or less the same situation, though with a slightly less strict time constraint. Here is what I've learnt/done:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>The timing of the move is negotiable. If they really want you, they'll wait 6 months or even a year. 1 1/2 months is completely unrealistic, and they know this.</p></li>\n<li><p>You may be able to have a part time appointment at your original institution. This will enable you to manage your students and projects there and facilitate a smoother transition. Avoid committing to doing any teaching. (This commitment may eventually become a real hassle, especially if you have small children you can't be away from for too long).</p></li>\n<li><p>Don't tell your students or colleagues until you know something for sure. And do what you can to take care of the students, such as finding alternative supervisors, funding at your new location, or money for them to travel to visit you (or vice versa).</p></li>\n<li><p>Check your university's regulations. I had to give 6 months notice before I could leave, though this was negotiable.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/19
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45675",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20539/"
] |
45,678 |
<p>Basically, I have written a tutorial for a code which performs a specific type of electronic-structure calculation. The code has been developed by the group I belong to and writing this tutorial/manual is part of our efforts towards achieving greater visibility and getting people to use the code.</p>
<p>I have put in sections on the underlying theory, some technical details, usage guidelines, and some examples of actual calculations that can be done with the code. As such, there is no original scientific contribution, since we already published the new scientific bits pertaining to the implementation in another paper. However the document is a (rigorous) scientific and technical document.</p>
<p>I have seen manuals uploaded on the arXiv before, but I do not know if this fits the arXiv's purpose. Hence, I was wondering whether it is appropriate/a good idea to upload my tutorial to the arXiv.</p>
<p><em>(Note: I have been browsing the arXiv help but have not found anything on this. Let me know if I have missed any policies stated somewhere on their website.)</em></p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45680,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, this seems like a totally appropriate use of the arXiv. If you hope that other people will use your code, then the documentation has to be available online. While you will presumably have the documentation available alongside the code (wherever you are making the latter available), putting the documentation on the arXiv as well will certainly make more people aware of the tools you have created.</p>\n\n<p>As you say, the documentation for some scientific analysis programs are already available on the arXiv. These files form a very small subset of the total arXiv, but they are valuable. Once or twice I have looked at the documentation for analysis programs on the arXiv, even though I was not using (or even considering using) the software packages myself; I looked up the documentation because it helped me understand other people's papers that did use these tools.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45692,
"author": "semi-extrinsic",
"author_id": 27555,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27555",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to the arXiv, which I do believe would be appropriate for this purpose, there is a journal called Computer Physics Communications that you might even get this published in.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45697,
"author": "Aleksandr Blekh",
"author_id": 12391,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12391",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>If your manual is <strong>specific</strong> to your group's <em>environment</em> (software, lab, equipment, protocols, etc.), then I would consider posting such document on arXiv as not appropriate. A better place for such documents IMHO would be <a href=\"http://figshare.com\">figshare</a> or <a href=\"http://zenodo.org\">Zenodo</a>. Both services allow artifacts to be not only <em>citable</em>, but also <em>discoverable</em> (via DOI assignment). <em>Version control</em> is supported as well, but the advantage of Zenodo in this regard in comparison with figshare is Git and GitHub integration.</p>\n\n<p>If, on the other hand, the document is <strong>not</strong> specific to your group's or other particular environment (or, perhaps, you want to share this document as a <strong>model</strong> of how such documents should be <em>structured</em>, <em>presented</em> and what <em>content</em> should they contain), then I agree with other answers in that it is totally appropriate to post such document on arXiv.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/19
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45678",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14695/"
] |
45,688 |
<p>I ask this because from my experience, a TA and/or a Proctor moving around the testing room looking over my shoulder is distracting and breaks my concentration. I have been in both positions, TA and Proctor and I try to only move when a student needs something, such as a pencil or paper. My administrator seemed to get angry today because I was standing in one place too long. I also noticed that I have a better view of testers when I can see them all from a fixed point not turning my back on part of them throughout the test. Does anyone else see moving around the room as distracting to testers?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45698,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is not globally required: e.g. I do not move around the room unprompted when proctoring an exam. So it is probably a matter of local academic culture and/or preference of the (head) course instructor.</p>\n\n<p>In these kinds of fine points, academic culture differs so strongly from place to place as to make it clear that there are not always deep, well-thought out reasons for doing things one way or another: many institutions do things in a certain way because they \"always\" have done so. The academic culture shock that I experienced in moving from the US to Montreal was considerable. </p>\n\n<p>For instance, I believe that I first learned the word \"invigilator\" when someone introduced himself to me as an invigilator for my course. If you had told me before I arrived in Montreal that final exams there have <em>professional invigilators</em>, I might not have believed you. In the US, if you are teaching a course without a \"common final\" (I imagine that common finals occur only in a small minority of all courses taught, but I don't know for sure) then you, the instructor, are very likely the sole inviligator/proctor/administrator/TA in the room when an exam is taking place. (Not that having professional invigilators is a bad idea: if you have the infrastructure in place, why not? But I assume that they get paid at least a little bit, and this would never fly in the state university at which I currently reside.)</p>\n\n<p>So understand that when I say that I do not move around the room when giving a final exam, I mean <em>no one does</em>. It is not really clear to me what cheating I might be missing out on by only looking at the students from the front of the room. I should say that I am used to a classroom environment with stadium seating and small flip-up desks so I can see a lot from the front of the room. I also teach a subject -- math -- such that coming in with a cheat-sheet or something like that would not make things that much easier. Even consulting the internet on your cell phone while in the bathroom would not help that much -- one does need to show one's work, after all -- unless the student was unusually insightful and well-prepared about how to cheat in this way. In my local academic culture, cheaters are not insightful or well-prepared...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45700,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When I have proctored exams, I tended to move around the room for two reasons:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Answering questions: in a good-sized class, there's a lot of motion just from answering questions.</li>\n<li>When not answering questions, I would sometimes move around the class just because I was feeling rather bored and restless.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Looking for cheaters didn't actually enter into it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45715,
"author": "jvriesem",
"author_id": 32794,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32794",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Moving around is probably not required (to do so would be micromanaging on the institution's part), but as others have pointed out, it depends on the \"local academic culture\" and most importantly on the instructor or whoever is in charge of proctoring the exam. </p>\n\n<p>As a TA of various roles, when I've given or proctored an exam, I tend to move a lot. Here's why: </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Depending on the test and how much time is left for the students to finish, there can be a lot of questions, which makes me move a lot.</li>\n<li>I've found that moving around encourages students to ask a question. (Most of my questions are from people as I pass by them.) I think they'd rather not raise their hand if I'm in the front of the room or not paying attention because it would slow them down. If I'm near them, they can ask their question quickly and move on. This is my primary reason for moving around when not asking questions.</li>\n<li>Moving around tells my students that I'm eager to help them with their questions. It shows I'm interested and mindful of them. It's an accurate impression, but I want them to see it. </li>\n<li>I've caught a ton of wandering eyes by moving around. It's easier for me because I can't see the eyes of the students in the back rows well enough from the front of the classroom (15-25 m away). Surprisingly, watching students from behind can be useful because they are sometimes more careless, or don't see me watching their heads turn towards their neighbor's work. </li>\n<li>Moving around gives my students the impression that I'm watching them more closely, and I hope that this (if nothing else!) discourages them from cheating. </li>\n</ol>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/19
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45688",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34729/"
] |
45,704 |
<p>So I just finished my 2nd year as an undergrad majoring in mathematics. I plan to continue on to a Ph.D afterwards, but only recently did I realize how behind I was... I haven't done any research, completed any projects or summer programs. I haven't done any outside reading so I don't really know much about any particular subject. Everyone I know in my program has at least something, so I'm worried that I'm really late in preparing for grad school.</p>
<p>I know I should probably consult a professor or advisor, but school's ended already... and admittedly, I've been a little apprehensive when talking with professors since, well, I don't really know anything in the first place, and I know they're very busy, so I eventually just awkwardly ask some questions and leave ASAP having not understood much.</p>
<p>In short, I'm just very confused and don't know what to do from here on out... so any advice would be great. </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45714,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I haven't done any research, completed any projects or summer\n programs.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That's okay. You've only just finished your second year of <em>undergraduate</em> studies.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I haven't done any outside reading so I don't really know much about\n any particular subject.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That can be remedied! How about taking some summer classes in a community college, in a branch of science that intrigues you?</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I've been a little apprehensive when talking with professors.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You're going to need a bit more chutzpah in order to get your money's worth out of college and graduate studies! Perhaps you could transition into feeling more comfortable with professors' office hour visits by focusing primarily on visiting the office hours held by grad student teaching assistants for the time being.</p>\n\n<p>It is very common for second year students to be hit hard with an appreciation of how little they know. Try to ride this storm of self-doubt while reminding yourself of that fact.</p>\n\n<p>It would be great if you could find one or more mentors, either on your own or through a matching-up program. The mentor might be a faculty member who serves as your undergraduate advisor -- the person who checks your proposed schedule and advises you about what courses to take next year, etc.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Edit 5/20</p>\n\n<p>There are several ways to break the ice.</p>\n\n<p>Ask for some undergraduate advising -- s/he will check your unofficial transcript against your proposed schedule for next semester. Make sure you have this conversation in this person's office, not over email, because what we want to happen is for the professor's natural mentoring instincts to kick in, so that one thing leads to another.</p>\n\n<p>In the experimental sciences, one can ask for a tour of his/her lab. You might want to ask your question over at Mathematics Education as well.</p>\n\n<p>Spend some time reading the research descriptions of the faculty in your department, to see whose area intrigues you, then take a look at some of their papers. When you find one that gets you intellectually excited, make an appointment like this: Dear Professor So-and-so, I've been reading your \"title of paper\", and wonder if I could make an appointment to come in and talk with you about this area of research?\" Or something like that. Researchers love to talk with people about their work.</p>\n\n<p>To get matched up through a formal matching up program, you need to look closely at your department's website, or ask your department administration if there is such a thing. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>During the school year, attend lots of seminars. Be bold about chatting with grad students over cookies afterwards. If no one is bringing cookies, juice and paper cups, bring some!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45740,
"author": "BrianH",
"author_id": 6787,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6787",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If any of the other suggestions provided by excellent people here doesn't suit you, then a fallback option I would recommend is instead use the semester to plan your future strategies for next semester and prepare yourself to be more comfortable in implementing it come fall!</p>\n\n<p>I would suggest picking a class/subject in your major that you will preferably be taking next semester. Then don't wait - start now! If you don't know what the course is really about (I know I rarely do in advance!), you can try to meet with a professor who will teach the class, with a department chair, or with your adviser, or you can write a short email. Let them know you want to get a jump on the next semester to prepare yourself for advanced studies/research in the future. If a general class schedule or syllabus is available, even better!</p>\n\n<p>Then set yourself a nice schedule for the summer - giving yourself plenty of time to actually relax and recharge your batteries for the coming semester - and get cracking! Next semester you should be generally better prepared and be able to learn the subject deeper and more readily than others, rather than scrambling to learn what you need to keep up. You should hopefully be able to ask more insightful and interesting questions, participate in class, and maybe also go to office hours and ask even more advanced questions about the material to move towards mastery. With the extra prep you'll likely be able to also do better grade-wise.</p>\n\n<p>All this extra contact and work will not only improve your education, but if you have been shy this can be your first deeper connection with a professor. After you've had time to work with them and become more comfortable, and if things are going well and they are recognizing you are a good and dedicated student who wants more than just a degree and to move on, then you will be in a great position to ask them about research options in the future - or for recommendations/introduction to another professor who you might want to work with.</p>\n\n<p>You can also apply this same \"show up, participate, ask questions, go to some office hours/meetings\" strategy to other classes, and begin to make more contacts - naturally! It's much less stressful than it seems at first, and you might develop some valuable skills and meet some really cool people. You can then repeat all this strategy the following semester as well, and begin planning for doing research/independent study during a semester or over summer if that suits you.</p>\n\n<p>Finding people you work well with and have more advanced connection to you beyond just class will also conveniently be able to help you with getting research, work with you when you hit more advanced topics, and as a bonus can also be the source of future reference letters which are actually useful because they know you outside of class!</p>\n\n<p>Rather than panicking, I'd suggest you take a deep breath and instead work to prepare yourself so in the following semesters and next summer you will be ahead of the game rather than behind. And if you continue to follow through and put in the effort and use good strategy, you'll find yourself likely enjoying the process more, having better connections, being more prepared, and generally making the most of your education - and maybe even being in a better position for an advanced degree, too.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/20
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45704",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34733/"
] |
45,706 |
<p>I am a PhD student, working on Applied Math while my wife is a software engineer. I plan on going to academia after PhD and will start to job hunt soon.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago, I thought of an idea that hadn't been done before. I wrote a crude C++ code to implement the idea and it worked well. I believed that with my theoretical understanding of the problem and an expert coder, we could make something really impactful and incidentally, my wife knew how to. So, we spent some evenings together writing the code (she didn't know math, but I abstracted each step so she could help implement). The resulting code is fairly sophisticated and does an excellent job. I was wondering, now that I write a paper about it, would it look weird if my wife was listed as a co-author? Her contributions were definitely sufficient to warrant co-authorship by any definition.</p>
<p>Let's step aside the legalese of it (my advisor doesn't care and her company might but let's leave that aside). I am asking more from the standpoint of how it looks on one's CV, job application and possibly, tenure. </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45707,
"author": "user168715",
"author_id": 5596,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5596",
"pm_score": 9,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Nobody will notice or care, unless you share a last name with your wife, in which case the strongest reaction is likely to be, \"aw how cute, a husband and wife published a paper together.\"</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45708,
"author": "Kimball",
"author_id": 19607,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/19607",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I know several instances where spouses/couples are co-authors, though often it is not obvious to an outsider if the co-authors are spouses. (There are also many examples of parent-child and sibling co-authors, so it is not obvious even if the spouses have the same last name.) Thus it is not a strange thing to happen, particular if non-academic co-authors are common in your field. </p>\n\n<p>There is only one case where I even thought one spouse may possibly be going out of their way to bring up the research profile of the other (academic) spouse, but that is due to some specifics of the situation, and I don't regard them poorly because of this (which may not be true anyway), just am unclear on one of the spouse's contributions. In your case, presumably your wife has little to gain career-wise from coauthorship, so there is not even reason for people to think this.</p>\n\n<p>If you personally feel weird about it, you can always explain in the paper what each author's role was. (And, of course, you should never deny a deserving person co-authorship, especially someone you (hopefully) like.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45709,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In terms of relationship with the external world, it need not be any problem. If you begin collaborating scientifically on a regular basis, however, it is likely to affect your relationship, by making you colleagues as well as spouses.</p>\n\n<p>For some couples, this can be a good thing, as the shared interest and partnership can add a new dimension to the relationship.</p>\n\n<p>For other couples, the stresses of scientific collaboration outweigh the benefits. Some people also find that they lose a place of refuge from work, as their work life and home life become more entangled.</p>\n\n<p>Bottom line: have fun and publish together if you want, but make sure to have an explicit discussion about how you want to relate to collaboration <em>as a couple</em>, and revisit it from time to time if necessary.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45711,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I made a special appointment with a professor once to ask his advice about whether a proposed action would be ethical. He gave me an easy test: imagine a headline in a newspaper, reporting your action. Is there anything about that headline and story that would look questionable? If not, it's safe to go ahead with the proposed action.</p>\n\n<p>In this case, we'd have \"Woodward names wife as co-author of scientific paper.\" Sounds okay to me! If it were \"Woodward pays wife to ghost-write scientific paper,\" for example, that would be a problem. But there's no money changing hands in your case, so your co-authored paper is fine!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45712,
"author": "Miguel",
"author_id": 14695,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14695",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To add to the other answers, I think the fact that your wife does not work in academia makes it even less <em>questionable</em> (from my point of view this does not raise any ethical concerns since you say co-authorship is warranted by her contribution). Since she does not have an academic career, and this paper seems to be a \"once-off\" thing, I do not think anybody would think you are spuriously including her or, more importantly, she is spuriously including you as a coauthor to enhance your career.</p>\n\n<p>Now, if this becomes a recurrent thing then it will raise suspicion (academia is a competitive world). I know of at least a couple of cases of spouses systematically coauthoring <em>all</em> of their papers. And I know that at least in one of these cases one of the spouses is not doing enough.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45713,
"author": "sean",
"author_id": 15501,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15501",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Do you know that <a href=\"https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=3A34oCYAAAAJ&citation_for_view=3A34oCYAAAAJ:u5HHmVD_uO8C\">one of the most significant papers in Computer Science (nearly 6000 citations)</a> was written by the couple Patrick and Radhia Cousot, and they continued to co-author more than 50 papers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45763,
"author": "emory",
"author_id": 3849,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3849",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><a href=\"http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/joshuagoodman/files/goodmans.pdf\">Goodman, et al</a> wrote a paper on this very topic.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The first and\n most common type of such coauthorship is by married economists with the same surname. Prominent\n examples of this include Romer and Romer (2013) on monetary policy, Reinhart and Reinhart\n (2010) on macroeconomic crises, Summers and Summers (1989) on financial markets, Ostrom and\n Ostrom (1999) on public goods, Ramey and Ramey (2010) on parental time allocation, Ellison and\n Ellison (2009) on internet-based price elasticities and Friedman and Friedman (1990) on personal choice</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45794,
"author": "Coderaemon",
"author_id": 34008,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34008",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The 2014 <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May-Britt_Moser\">Nobel prize winners</a> are husband and wife, so it really doesn't sound strange</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45955,
"author": "einpoklum",
"author_id": 7319,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7319",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to other good answers, I'd advise:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>If you're a PhD candidate with very few papers - which is usually the case - try not to present this one as your most significant contribution, since that brings up the level of scrutiny/potential suspicion. Let it be another one of your publications. </li>\n<li>if there is a third guy/gal, that makes it look even less questionable; don't just add someone for this reason only, but if you add, say, your advisor, that wouldn't hurt I suppose. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Of course, I could just be over-fearful and it's fine regardless.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 62553,
"author": "Eric",
"author_id": 20424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20424",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'll go against the grain in this specific instance and say your wife should not be a co-author. You had the idea. You wrote a working prototype. You provided your wife with step-by-step, high level instructions on what needed to be implemented to flesh out the prototype. Your wife essentially played the role of scientific programmer. This type of role / contribution is generally mentioned / thanked in the Acknowledgements but is not a co-author.</p>\n\n<p>Those who actually read such a paper may think that your wife is only listed as a co-author because she is your wife. This may raise some eyebrows and may have some negative impact on your job search.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/20
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45706",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34734/"
] |
45,722 |
<p>As a computer science professor, I have told some talented students one-on-one that they show a real aptitude for computer science and that they should seriously consider taking more classes in it.</p>
<p>I'm questioning the wisdom of this now that I'm reading <em><a href="http://mindsetonline.com/">Mindset: The New Psychology of Success</a></em> by Carol Dweck, which cites extensive research on the benefits of having a "growth mindset" (the belief that intelligence can be grown) over a "fixed mindset" (that intelligence is unchanging).</p>
<p>Additionally, two of the students I recently told this to performed way below their ability in the second CS class. Of course, this is not statistically significant.</p>
<p>FWIW, I teach at a women's college with a large number of students who are the first in their families to attend college and/or from ethnic groups underrepresented in CS. Thus, all of my students are at risk of <a href="http://www.reducingstereotypethreat.org/definition.html">stereotype threat</a> for at least one category to which they belong. It was my hope that pointing out their aptitude would help counter this and encourage them to pursue an area of strength.</p>
<p>Is there any research on whether it is a good idea to let students know a professor believes them to have aptitude, or is promoting the idea of innate aptitude likely to backfire?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45725,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This fixed/growth mindset (~nature/nurture) dichotomy is a trap. For virtually every specialized activity both innate skill and effort are crucial.</p>\n\n<p>You can't change innate factors (by definition) but you can grow, so it's not surprising why it's good to focus on the later. Yet, in the very competitive world of academia, it's good to hint that someone may be a good fit - but as long as it will make working <em>more</em>, not <em>less</em>. (Otherwise, they may think that there are not a good fit, and focus on something different or resign.)</p>\n\n<p>That is - focusing on working according to one's own limits, rather being better than the majority of a class.</p>\n\n<p>See also:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://bookofhook.blogspot.de/2013/03/smart-guy-productivity-pitfalls.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Smart guy's productivity pitfails</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://slatestarcodex.com/2015/01/31/the-parable-of-the-talents/\" rel=\"nofollow\">The parable of the talents</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>And from my personal experience:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>praise made me working more,</li>\n<li>saying that \"I put a lot of effort, because I got nice results\" when I knew I put little effort made me working less.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45726,
"author": "299792458",
"author_id": 17534,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17534",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is praising students' aptitude harmful?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>A universal once-for-all answer to the question is impossible. There's a lot of subjectivity in here and a lot really depends on the particular student in question. In general, both praising and not-praising can potentially have their pros and cons:</p>\n\n<p><strong>Praise them</strong> - </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Positives - Given the kind of students you mention, with an undeniable possibility of <em>stereotype threat</em>, it is generally a good idea to have the \"growth mindset\" in mind, and make sure they stay interested. They may start putting in more from their side, when you praise their <em>potential</em>. </p></li>\n<li><p>Negatives - There is of course a possibility of '<em>I'm so good, I can get away with working less, and still sail through</em>' mindset creeping in. And if effort drops, the <em>I'm so good</em> part becomes useless. One of my teachers in grad school used to convey this sentiment by saying:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>A person with B grade intelligence and A grade effort, is always going to end up further than one with A grade intelligence and B grade effort.</p>\n</blockquote></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Don't Praise Them</strong> - </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Positives - The only positive seems to be that you are projecting yourself as being hard to win over. There could be an occasional person who may take this up as a challenge and work extra hard to <em>impress</em> you. But again, not every body would think in that manner, and there would be some other blokes who'll say - '<em>He almost never has anything good to say about anyone, let's just stop caring about what this tough nut says</em>'. So, again, it is not universally going to be positive. </p></li>\n<li><p>Negatives - <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45722/is-praising-students-aptitude-harmful#comment104417_45722\">Davidmh may disagree</a>, but it does put off some people (like the example right above). Especially when the the students are typically</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>... the first in their families to attend college and/or from underrepresented ethnic groups </p>\n</blockquote></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>It is easy to imagine that they could be fighting odds, and wouldn't be having a very high self-esteem. In that case, this attitude is unlikely to help them <em>come up</em>. Plus, if their performance suffers at any time, add low self-esteem and this attitude, and you'll most likely have them regretting their decision to join this program. Again, that's not universal - may work for some and not for others. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>The best policy is to remember that your entire batch is not a bunch of (<em>as we say in Physics</em>) identical, indistinguishable particles, and approach this one small step at a time. Focus on one, let's say A. Try praising A at an instance, and see how he/she responds. Accordingly modify the approach further, if they are getting more confident about themselves, and effort goes up, then good. If they are getting more cocky and casual about work, retract the approach - be less charitable in praising and show them there's still some way to go. And please remember, what works for A may not be the same for B. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45727,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Like so much else in academia, I think there's a false dichotomy here. </p>\n\n<p>It is certainly possible to give praise for students' aptitude for a given subject, but the reinforcement should be along the lines of: \"If you apply yourself and work hard, you'd make a great [whatever field the aptitude is in].\" </p>\n\n<p>That way, you make it clear that you think you've found talent, but you've also stressed that the way to make the most of it is by putting effort into it and working hard.</p>\n\n<p>One further point to consider: if you really see someone whom you believe has lots of aptitude for your particular area, and you'd like to see her career blossom, consider acting as a <strong>mentor</strong> to that student. Making sure that students have strong support networks is a critical component for later success, particularly in academia.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45728,
"author": "Robbie",
"author_id": 34748,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34748",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When I was a student, I was regularly told how smart I was, and I learned I did not need to work hard to do well. This came back to be a problem when I got to higher levels of college.</p>\n\n<p>I think that it is important to give well-rounded compliments. Rather than just saying,</p>\n\n<p>\"You're really great at that!\"</p>\n\n<p>which might breed indiscipline, and rather than saying,</p>\n\n<p>\"When you work hard to do your best, you do really well!\"</p>\n\n<p>which might give a negative feeling of, \"I'm not actually smart; I just have to work really hard\", instead why not say something like:</p>\n\n<p>\"You are naturally talented/really gifted at this; when you work hard and diligently put a lot of time into it your work is incredible!\"</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45796,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Note: this isn't really conclusive, and I think the other answers offer a more concrete suggestion. But this wasn't really something I could condense into a comment.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Given my experiences as a student, I suspect it really depends.</strong></p>\n\n<p>When I felt like the praise I got undeserved, things might have been a bit counterproductive. I doubt I worked less hard because of it -- I try to study because I want to be really good at things, but it made me more cynical about people's praise than I ever needed to be.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, I've been in a number of situations where I ended up with awful grades in subjects I cared about. It was encouraging when a professor told me that I was smart and that I could still thrive in academia if this was what I wanted to do, although the utility of this was limited by my specific circumstances. In another, similarly, when I had a teacher (admittedly in music) who I felt was very hard to please, it was actually helpful to hear that I had a knack for some of the things involved.</p>\n\n<p>In the end, I suppose what was helpful was that my progress wasn't simply reduced to \"you work hard enough\". Some of this might be related to my snobbery or specific interests (e.g. I would assume that one needs some creativity linked to aptitude to be able to formulate research questions) and the stereotype of \"many good students who work hard aren't actually smart\" (e.g. alluded to in <a href=\"http://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-assume-good-grades-means-the-student-is-intelligent-smart-while-you-only-need-good-memory-and-hard-work-to-achieve-them\" rel=\"nofollow\">this Quora post</a>), but I don't think it's entirely that. As has been mentioned in other posts, praising work ethic could have the unfortunate side-effect of \"so I'm getting good grades simply because I work hard; I'm not actually good at this.\"</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45818,
"author": "MealyPotatoes",
"author_id": 33922,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33922",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Praise tangibles, not intangibles. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Tangibles</strong><br>\nSay things like:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>I was impressed with the way you were <strong>dedicated to completing</strong> programming assignments, even when they are difficult. Other students gave up, or skipped requirements X, Y, and Z.</li>\n<li>You did a great job <strong>thinking through the logic</strong> on the Data Structures assignment. I'm assuming that you <strong>took the time to think it through</strong> on paper, or in pseudo-code first -- something that a lot of first year students never do.</li>\n<li>Your algorithms are elegant and show that you <strong>studied the coursework and theory</strong> behind them. In particular, on the travelling salesman problem, I could tell that you <strong>took the time to study the problem, and think through different solutions</strong>. Well done. </li>\n<li>You used parts of Java (or C#, C++, whatever) that I didn't teach. That gets me really excited, because it is the mark of a great programmer that they are <strong>inquisitive about better ways to do things</strong>, and to <strong>learn their tools without waiting to be spoon-fed</strong>. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Then you can follow with encouragement related to those tangibles, such as, \"based on the skills and work ethic you've demonstrated, along with your willingness to put in the effort to solve problems, I think that you could make a really talented programmer. If it interests you, I hope to see you in more CS classes in the future.\"</p>\n\n<p><strong>Intangibles</strong><br>\nAvoid generalities like:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>You'd make a great programmer! You should take more programming classes.</li>\n<li>You've got a great mind for CS. It's not for everyone, so it's fun to see talent in such a young student.</li>\n<li>If you stick to programming, I know you'll go far.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Intangibles can set people up for failure because they don't help them identify and grow their strengths. If a student earned an A in your class, it's because they worked hard, and were determined, and stuck to it. But if you tell them that they are \"good\" or \"talented\", without telling them why, it gives them the impression that their success is not because of their hard work, but is because of some unnamed virtue inside of them. This can lead to a variety of ills:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>They may have only taken that class to fulfill a requirement, and may have worked extra-hard because they were nervous about passing it. If you praise them by saying that they are a \"great programmer\", it risks pushing them to continue with a field that may not actually interest them. Worse, it can make them coast in the future.</li>\n<li>It can actually hamstring them, because they are afraid of letting you down, but don't know what it is about their work that pleased you.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Your intentions are good, and it's great that you want to encourage these young women to feel empowered to tackle a field traditionally dominated by men. But when you encourage them, be sure to give them tangible feedback, not just generalities.</p>\n\n<p>Hope that helped!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45824,
"author": "vsz",
"author_id": 6580,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6580",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Maybe <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_toward_the_mean\" rel=\"nofollow\">regression toward the mean</a> played a role here? </p>\n\n<p>Consider the following experiment: Start throwing six-sided dice, and when a six comes up, you should praise the die how well it rolled. Observe, that over 80% of the time, the next roll will be worse. Was it because of the praise?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45831,
"author": "NotaGoodProgrammer",
"author_id": 30731,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30731",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Speaking as a male student with a multitude of learning disabilities, I would much rather the instructor show me that they see value in me by providing additional instruction and acknowledge that this instruction is because they see a specific advantage that I have over the other students.</p>\n\n<p>Case in point, if your students whom you speak of have a superior aptitude for the computer sciences, then teach them something beyond what their peers are learning. This not only shows that you are more involved in their education, but it also demonstrates to these individuals that the effort they have put into learning their crafts has paid off and that they have been noticed in a positive light.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45837,
"author": "Aditi Arora",
"author_id": 34851,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34851",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I honestly believe that this really depends on the person in consideration,I can say that in my family...we are never praised at home for any achievements (except probably behind our backs), and get criticized if we mess up.While this helps my brother to do better..I on the other hand feel I can do nothing right.I honestly feel one must understand how the student responds to praise or criticism.\n<em>Some people fight harder when told they are not good enough while some fall weak to such comments,and some people work harder if told they are amazing at something.</em></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45852,
"author": "Anonymous",
"author_id": 34866,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34866",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to the answers above, you shouldn't put too much weight to psychological material. A lot of the research Dweck cites borders on pseudo-science and most of the rest is simple common sense.</p>\n\n<p>So let's use some common sense. For example, don't praise them in a way that is likely to make them put in less effort. If you tell someone they're already good at something, you put them in a frame of mind where they've already reached the goal, when in fact they're at the start.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, innate ability is a thing and it is important that talented pupils know what their options are.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45864,
"author": "WoJ",
"author_id": 15446,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15446",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This will depend on the person, its background, experience, how one was brought up etc. </p>\n\n<p>I had excellent marks in primary / high school, praised by many, and the love to learn was inoculated by my parents. Being relatively clever helped as well - but I did not know that.</p>\n\n<p>When I went to a top-tier university I saw people who were way better than I was. Some of them did not make it to the second semester (or second year) because they were so used to \"getting it\" on the spot (because high school aims for average pupils, at least in France). They were not used to working hard to understand things.</p>\n\n<p>I ended up with a PhD in Physics, again with many brilliant people who stayed in academia and are doing great. I see myself as being average, possibly average+ but with a love to learn, which helped a lot.</p>\n\n<p>What I am trying to say is that you might consider inoculating them this love to learn which, consolidated with their natural cleverness, is going to make magical sparkles.</p>\n\n<p>My son was tested for intellectual capacities (for many reasons irrelevant here - not because of an obsession of his parents :)). He had capacities of a 16 yo when he was 8. I made extra, extra, super sure he understands that he must love to learn (and work) and that his capacities are a booster <strong>if he does</strong>. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/20
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45722",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/269/"
] |
45,733 |
<p>Since last September I have been working hard on my applications, applied to multiple good CS departments yet none of them even wait-listed me, all rejected me, I have also got rejected informally by supervisors I approached.</p>
<p>Now I know I am not an established researcher in this field, I did not publish anything yet nor I have a concise experience with a certain topic but I know that I am not far off and I can pull my weight to reach the desired level by a number of the departments I applied to. The issue is that I almost all the time get unfriendly, cold treatment from professors, none of them is willing to take 5 minutes to discuss anything.</p>
<p>I am told that professors will always accept me even if I had average or below average marks because I am bringing my own fund for this degree yet this whole notion seems false.</p>
<p>My master's transcript does not look good, I have failed 2 courses and recovered but that 'F' will always look like a stain on my transcript. My bachelor's transcript is average (upper-second in UK scale).</p>
<p>How can I improve my chances to get into a PhD field that is not far off what I did in my master's?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45737,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You seem to be operating on the assumption that \"I have my own funding, therefore, I can go wherever I want\". That is simply not true. Taking on a graduate student is not only a matter of money, it is also a significant investment of time on the part of the advisor and believe me, at top departments, time is a more scarce and precious resource than money. If the professor does not see a reasonably good chance that this investment is going to result in a comparably good outcome (i.e., a student with high-profile publications and a strong thesis), then very likely they won't take you, even if you bring your own funding.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45739,
"author": "BrianH",
"author_id": 6787,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6787",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I am told that professors will always accept me even if I had average\n or below average marks because I am bringing my own fund for this\n degree yet this whole notion seems false.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I think you've hit the nail on the head right there. I have no personal knowledge of any PhD program in the world, outside of zero-reputation programs begging for students/diploma mills, where having mere funding will get you in. Now, maybe if you have the funding to have a new building built in your honor you could get the President/Chancellor to put in a good word for you, but I don't think that's the kind of funding we are talking about. Even then, though...</p>\n\n<p>Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but when I read over your question and responses I feel a sense of feeling entitled to other people's time and resources. I have funding, admit me; I have a question, answer me; I want to be admitted, work with me; I want to meet with you, make time for me.</p>\n\n<p>While we are all entitled to basic human dignity and respect, and I feel that's a very broad line, that's really it. Any good professor has many things they wish they had more time to do - work with existing students, do research, improve their program, improve their courses, reach out to the community, write a book, maybe spend more time with their kids and family or indulge in a hobby, consult, serve the University in another capacity, etc.</p>\n\n<p>If a professor you approach gets the sense that you think they are obligated to work with you for any reason, that you are entitled to their time and energy, the vast majority will shut you down cold with little hesitation; for them it will be a reminder that there are indeed people who deserve their time and they wish they had more time for those people, but you aren't one of those people so go kick rocks.</p>\n\n<p>So it might be time you seriously considered how you present yourself, and alter your strategy for how to approach a prospective degree program. While you feel that you can perform at the levels the department demands, they don't know that - so you need to consider how they might see you and feel, and how you can best present yourself as someone worth taking a risk on. There are a number of questions and answers on this site on how to approach prospective advisers, as well as general \"open letters\" from faculty around the world giving their advice on how to handle such interactions as well. I'd strongly recommend you make use of them, and I think you will have a lot more 'luck' if you take good advice to heart.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45744,
"author": "user3399516",
"author_id": 34764,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34764",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm in the same position: two fails in my MSc transcript, which makes things difficult.\nI chose the path of becoming a researcher before I apply for PhDs. I am now on a research internship that will hopefully lead to a publication; I am looking for more research experience; get introduced to people in the field so that they can formally and informally give you nice references.\nSo basically:\n- get research experience. At the beginning it's hard to get into, but the more stuff you have on your CV, the easier it is to get new positions;\n- do networking;\n- be VERY proactive, make yourself known;\n- try to get published, obviously.</p>\n\n<p>Hope it helps, good luck to both of us ;)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45748,
"author": "Thomas Bosman",
"author_id": 34767,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34767",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>What kind of field within computer science are you aiming at? </p>\n\n<p>I have no experience with UK universities but in the Netherlands supervisors are more concerned with your ability to do independent research than grades, although without publications this would be hard to prove. </p>\n\n<p>In any case, what really gets you kudos with supervisors is if you come up with research topics yourself. Look up the publications of your targeted faculty to find their interest, do some literature research in that direction to find open question and come up with an approach on how you going to make a contribution to that. Write that down in a convincing manner before you approach them. For me this has really helped to stand out after a disappointing bachelor that took me 5 instead of 3 years and a grade average that would imply an immediate rejection even for any type of honours or research master let alone PhD.</p>\n\n<p>I think this would be especially useful to you having already found funding, as coming up with research topics of appropriate level is really time consuming and somewhat of a scarce resource, professors will be reluctant to provide it to you if they don't think you worth it. Although you may get paid externally you still 'occupy' a topic that may have gone to a more promising student. The topic you come up with does not have to be something you will actually be studying eventually, but it provides some proof that you supervisors will not be constanty busy pampering you in the coming years.</p>\n\n<p>Also, if you got the coding skills and it is applicable to your field: one of the easiest ways to get publishable results is to implement an existing algorithm that has only been described theoretically, and get some experimental results. Just browse arxiv to get some recent papers which are more likely not to have been experimentally verified. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45789,
"author": "David Richerby",
"author_id": 10685,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10685",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>OK, it's elephant-in-the-room time.</p>\n\n<p>The problem is your grades. A 2.1 isn't a problem, especially if you were close to the grade boundary for a first, especially if it was from a high-ranked university. But it is the minimum level required for most UK PhD programmes. Given that, any admissions committee is going to want to see evidence of improvement through your master's but you seem to have gone backwards. That's a huge worry and makes your claim that you can \"pull your weight to reach the desired level\" sound hollow. Your master's was your second chance to actually reach that level; applying for a PhD is not a good way to ask for a third.</p>\n\n<p>You're competing against people whose grades are well above average and you don't mention anything in your post that compensates for that. If you have really good grades for courses in the area of your prospective PhD, it would help to emphasize that in your applications. Even then, there's the worry that the \"fascinated by subject X but bored and unmotivated by everything else\" candidate will find that research in subject X actually requires techniques from boring subject Y to make progress, so will lose motivation and quit. And you're still competing against candidates who found the other courses boring but got good grades in them anyway.</p>\n\n<p>Being able to self-fund shouldn't make a difference unless the department already wants to accept you on academic grounds. If the department wants you and it's a choice between you and a candidate who is roughly equal but can't get funding, you win. (Or, more likely, you both get offers but only you can take yours up.)</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/20
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45733",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34759/"
] |
45,742 |
<p>Some universities are called <em>Polytechnic</em> and some other contain <em>Technology</em> in their name, for example the Valencia Polytechnic University (UPV) vs. the Technical University of Berlin (TUB).</p>
<p>What are the differences between them?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45743,
"author": "Davidmh",
"author_id": 12587,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12587",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Nothing. Whichever the founders liked the most.</p>\n\n<p>In some cases, universities called \"technical\" even provide non technical degrees, but they keep the original name.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45749,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Wikipedia has a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_technology#Institutes_of_technology_versus_polytechnics\">nice summary of this distinction (or lack thereof)</a>. In essence: the term \"polytechnic\" comes from the French <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89cole_Polytechnique\"><em>École Polytechnique</em></a>. Thus, a university with 'Polytechnic' in its name is typically one that was influenced in its founding in some way by the French system. Today, however, there is generally no significant difference.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/20
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45742",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34763/"
] |
45,746 |
<p>Some candidates have the personal or family resources to self-fund their graduate studies, or already know that they are willing to take on debt for them (disregard whether this is a good idea, which has <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/29504/is-it-worth-self-funding-a-phd-to-attend-a-top-10-university">been</a> <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/31679/graduate-school-without-full-funding">addressed</a> <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/18755/implications-of-being-accepted-without-funding">before</a>). They still, however, need to actually be admitted to a graduate school, and having funding doesn't guarantee admission.</p>
<p>The ability to self-fund obviously makes it possible to take unfunded offers, but are there any other ways to actively leverage this funding situation during the application process? Should the applicant inform schools that they would take an unfunded offer, and, if so, when should they (e.g. when applying, after being put on a waitlist)? Are there specific strategies that a candidate might be able to use when choosing schools to apply to?</p>
<p>I suspect that answers to this question might be field-specific, so I won't necessarily specify a field. Answers discussing the differences between fields might also be interesting.</p>
<p><sup>Note that I am not in this situation, so I won't really be able to answer those kinds of clarifying questions. I just thought it was an interesting question that was inspired by but not directly addressed in <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45733/difficulty-being-admitted-to-good-phd-programs">this question</a>.</sup></p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45747,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I may have an unusual perspective on this, since many mathematics Ph.D. programs in the U.S. fund all their students (at least through teaching). In this context, I'd recommend against even mentioning the possibility of self-funding:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>It sounds unconfident, like you don't expect to receive funding, and this is not a positive impression to convey. You don't want to give the impression that you feel your own application is subpar, and that you're bargaining to try to turn a rejection into an unfunded acceptance. This might be a reasonable approach at the end of the process, if you're stuck on a waiting list, but it's a problematic way to begin.</p></li>\n<li><p>Letting Ph.D. students go into debt feels exploitative, especially in a program in which most or all of the other students are funded, and letting wealthy people buy their way into graduate school is also troubling.</p></li>\n<li><p>There will be worries about how sustainable your self-funding is. In a year or two, your money or willingness to go into debt may run out, and the department would have to choose whether to come up with money for you or kick you out. That's an unpleasant choice, and the admissions committee may even worry that you are deliberately aiming for this situation (in the hope that they won't be willing to kick you out once you've joined the department).</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>In the sort of programs I'm familiar with, announcing in advance that you would be willing to self-fund a Ph.D. won't increase your chances of admission. I've only seen this come up very rarely, and the admissions committee has simply ignored the offer of self-funding and made a decision of acceptance with funding or rejection. I can easily imagine that it could decrease the chances of admission a little, although I haven't seen a clear-cut case of that.</p>\n\n<p>By contrast, if you are awarded a prestigious fellowship with guaranteed funding for a certain number of years, you should certainly make sure admissions committees know about it. That doesn't have any of these disadvantages. However, it's not in your best interests to offer to pay your own way unless that's a common and respected approach in your field.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45777,
"author": "Kimball",
"author_id": 19607,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/19607",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To add to Anonymous Mathematician's answer (I'm also in math), if you get an external fellowship, this can certainly increase your chance of admission. When I applied, I initially got waitlisted by one top univerisity, then accepted when they heard I got an NSF Graduate Fellowship (in fact, the way I learned I got the NSF fellowship was from my acceptance letter from this university, which incidentally I didn't go to).</p>\n\n<p>In the cases of self-funding, sometimes it does help, if you're strong enough to warrant acceptance with funding, but the department is low on funding that year. However, in most cases, I agree it is not so helpful to advertise this up front, particularly with top programs, but if you get waitlisted and seem to be a borderline case, then letting the admissions committee know you would be interested in admission even without funding may help.</p>\n\n<p>Where I think it will be more helpful is, if you have trouble getting into a good PhD program, you can use self-funding to help get yourself into a masters program first (after which, if you do well, will have better chances for a good PhD program). Some departments will fund masters students, and some not. Ours typically does, but definitely accept some applicants we would not otherwise, just because the have self-funding. My guess is this may be rather common, as master's degrees are not as serious commitments as PhD's, and one worries less about the quality of grad students getting watered down in this way.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45813,
"author": "Eric",
"author_id": 20424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20424",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Given your position, I would suggest approaching professors directly that you would like to work with to discuss what possibilities there may be. A student who can fund themselves should have more freedom in terms of choosing what they want their research to focus on. This may be interesting for professors that have some ideas for projects they have no funding for but would like to investigate. It may also let you choose your own research program and get a professor to agree to supervise you with it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45819,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From the perspective of someone in public health, I would approach the idea of self-funding with caution, and likely not mention it at all. There are three real reasons for this:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Because there are very few external fellowships available, generally speaking whether or not you have been offered funding is a very strong signaling mechanism for the program's actual interest in you.</li>\n<li>The most common paradigm for graduate funding in the field, especially in later stages, is to take a research assistantship that's been written into someone's grant. This is often also the source of your dissertation. While not self-funded, I did have a funding source that institutional rather than tied to a person, and while that gave me somewhat more freedom, it was also considerably harder to get firmly on a project over the long term and to have a PI view me as \"theirs\".</li>\n<li>Keep in mind even if you can self-fund, assuming that money is fungible, there's other things you could do with that money. I wouldn't put forward spending it on tuition etc. unless you have to - and in my experience, if a department wants to admit you but can't assure funding they'll tell you that, rather than outright rejecting you.</li>\n</ul>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/20
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45746",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20375/"
] |
45,751 |
<p>Can a Ph.D. student who only knows how to speak English study in a European non-English speaking country (e.g., Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, etc.) without any problems?
Does applying to these universities require knowledge of that country's language?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45752,
"author": "Massimo Ortolano",
"author_id": 20058,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20058",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, they can, at least in technical fields (I speak mainly for Italy, but I'm pretty sure that this is possible in other countries around Europe as well).</p>\n\n<p>To give you an example, at my university (Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy), there are a lot of foreigner students enrolled in various kind of engineering PhD programs who don't speak, or barely speak, Italian. In fact, most of the graduate courses are delivered in English. However, I recommend learning Italian (or any other local language if in a different country) at a discrete level if one plans to further pursue here (or there) his or her career. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45817,
"author": "Patric Hartmann",
"author_id": 20449,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20449",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I can tell from my wife's experiences who, as a native bilingual speaker (Chinese-English), tried to be admitted to Swiss universities: It doesn't work. For bachelor's and master's courses the local language (German, French or Italian) is strictly required. There are a few exceptions, especially for natural sciences, finances and economics, etc. (e.g. ETH Zurich, EFPL Lausanne, HSG St. Gallen, et al.). But for most fields the local language is a requirement.</p>\n\n<p>However, this is totally different at PhD or Post-doc level. There you only need to find a professor willing to supervise you (which means that you must be able to communicate with him...), then anything's possible.</p>\n\n<p>Also note that the visa requirements for Swiss student visas sometimes explicitely state that the knowledge of a local language will be put to the test in an interview.</p>\n\n<p>Also note that there are often single modules taught in English sometimes even on Bachelor/Master level but they are normally an exception, so knowledge in the university's local language is still required.</p>\n\n<p>Further note that some Swiss universities even offer courses where explicitely TWO local languages (e.g. German and French) are required or at least expected. I personally have experienced that several times.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 56429,
"author": "Fábio Dias",
"author_id": 41208,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/41208",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My experience was in France, Université Paris-Est, to be precise, but the same applies, at least, for ESIEE, Marne-la-vallee, Ponts-Paristech, obspm and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris. I had direct contact with people from these places.</p>\n\n<p>Professors and students speak english when they have no other choice, usually a very accented english (They have real trouble pronouncing 'w'). Speaking to you, they will indeed try to speak english, but amongst them, with you 'nearby', they will, most likely, speak french.</p>\n\n<p>Most of the other employees will not speak english. In my university, the \"welcome\" session, presenting the university and the academic requirements and procedures, was held in french, even after I reminded them that one of the new phd candidates did not speak french at all. </p>\n\n<p>Same applies in all public offices (including immigration, tax services, etc). Don't expect any of them to speak english. You might find someone, but don't count on it.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, worse yet for random people in the street. My own landlady didn't speak english... Funny enough, all the cleaning ladies I found were either portuguese or brazilian, so that was easier :)</p>\n\n<p>IMHO, while it is indeed doable to get a PhD and live in france without speaking french (I know a guy who did, although I think he learned french by the end of it), it is <em>considerably</em> harder. The academic part is easier, you can always ask your advisor to intervene, but the rest is painfully complicated.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 57133,
"author": "Kakoli Majumder",
"author_id": 9920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9920",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When I had made an inquiry about 3 years ago, a b-level proficiency of German language was required for most undergrad and postgrad programs affiliated to German universities. However, I think for a PHD, most universities do not require this. Rather, they would probably ask for your TOEFL or ELTS score. However, some programs might still require a working knowledge of German. I found some details on this site: <a href=\"http://www.findaphd.com/study-abroad/europe/phd-study-in-germany.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.findaphd.com/study-abroad/europe/phd-study-in-germany.aspx</a>. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 57149,
"author": "Rondo",
"author_id": 43448,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43448",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I know PhD students in Germany and the Netherlands without knowledge in German and Dutch respectively. Most of the PhD programs in Germany do not require courses. At least in engineering, most universities allow an English thesis. But to live in a foreign country without proficient knowledge of the language can be hard. In my experience, most people in the Netherlands, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries can speak at least basic English. In France on the other hand it is problematic without knowledge of the French language.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 57154,
"author": "agold",
"author_id": 36623,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/36623",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am a Dutch PhD student, and I am doing my PhD in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. In The Netherlands knowing only English as a PhD student is no problem. In fact in my university in the Netherlands (<a href=\"http://www.rug.nl/\" rel=\"nofollow\">University of Groningen</a>) master classes where given in English if there was a student who did not understand Dutch well. Also in daily life English is sufficient, especially if you are in a city. </p>\n\n<p>In Spain the knowledge of English is worse, but at an academic level you normally can communicate in English. Also at my university (<a href=\"http://www.upc.edu/?set_language=en\" rel=\"nofollow\">Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech</a>) most classes are also given in English. Here however, especially in daily life, it is very useful to know the basics of the local language (Spanish/Catalan), also for talking with some of the supporting university staff for example.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Edit</strong>: \nSome extra resources:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Studyinholland.co.uk</a> <a href=\"http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/students.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">comments</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>In the Netherlands there are around 850 Masters programmes taught in English. You can search for degrees fully taught in English in our database of Dutch degrees.\n ...</p>\n \n <p>Knowledge of English is so good that it is possible to survive almost entirely in the English language (and watch BBC television without paying the licence fee). British students who have gone to study in Holland recently have found it to be a very welcoming and supportive study environment. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.studyinholland.nl/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Studyinholland.nl</a> about the <a href=\"https://www.studyinholland.nl/study-options/admission-requirements\" rel=\"nofollow\">language requirements</a> :</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>It is essential that you speak, read and write English well. You must have passed an English language test. IELTS and TOEFL are commonly accepted, but institutions may accept other tests as well, like like Cambridge English.</p>\n \n <p>The required scores are at least 550 (paper based) or 213 (computer based) for TOEFL. For IELTS a score of at least 6 is required.</p>\n \n <p>You can find language requirements for individual programmes or courses in the <a href=\"https://www.studyfinder.nl/\" rel=\"nofollow\">database of international study programmes</a>.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>An interesting <a href=\"https://www.nuffic.nl/en/library/education-system-the-netherlands.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">document about the Dutch education system</a>, also indicating that English is getting used more and more:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The language of education is Dutch, but under the influence of the Bologna process more and more study programmes are being offered in English. Education is compulsory in the Netherlands between the ages of 5 and 16.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Finally, a website where you can search for studies in English in Europe: <a href=\"http://www.studyineurope.eu/in-english\" rel=\"nofollow\">Study in Europe in English</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 57932,
"author": "Relaxed",
"author_id": 11596,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11596",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Summing up the other answers and adding some comments from my own personal experience:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Writing and defending a PhD thesis in English is possible in all the countries you mentioned. In some countries (e.g. the Netherlands), it's the rule and even the local students do it in English. In others (e.g. France and Germany), writing your PhD in the local language is still the rule and you might get strange looks if you choose to do it in English as a local (depends a bit on the field and on the institution as well). But PhD candidates from abroad can definitely do it.</p></li>\n<li><p>Teaching, attending courses and dealing with the bureaucracy will be more difficult, knowing the local language will make you much more useful and open up many options. That's true even in countries/institutions that are moving to English for master's level courses and even more so in those where teaching is almost exclusively in the local language.</p></li>\n<li><p>Life outside work will differ a lot. In France or Germany, you are expected to speak the local language for everything, taxes, shopping, etc. Most people will not feel confident speaking English. The Netherlands is a bit more English-friendly, films are not dubbed, people will spontaneously speak English when they hear a foreign accent, you can get some help in English even for official things like taxes (although not everything will be available in English), etc.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/20
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45751",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34763/"
] |
45,768 |
<p>I will be a freshman majoring in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign next fall, and I'm interested in their B.S.-M.S. 5-year program. I ultimately want to get a Ph.D. in Computer Science so I can teach at a university. On the webpage documenting the B.S.-M.S. program it says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Students are strongly advised to seek faculty counsel about the 5-yr program to be sure they understand the pros and cons of pursuing a Masters degree via the 5-yr program. <strong>If their intention is to ultimately pursue a Ph.D.</strong>, then it may be preferable to avoid the rapid pace of the 5-year program and instead invest time in research as an undergraduate. For admission to competitive Ph.D. programs, the expectation of publications and extensive research experience is higher for M.S. graduates. Therefore, as an alternative to the 5-year program, many top students may prefer to conduct research, possibly leading to a B.S. thesis, as a way to improve their admissions chances into top Ph.D. programs.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This paragraph left me confused, because the M.S. program requires a thesis to graduate. I was always under the impression that <strong>thesis ≈ research</strong>. Wouldn't it be better preparation to acquire experience in graduate coursework and produce a Master's thesis than to simply get a B.S. thesis? It seems to me that according to this paragraph, the only reason to get a B.S. thesis instead of an M.S. thesis is to increase admissions chances to Ph.D. programs, because more is expected of M.S. students.</p>
<p>So, my main question is, <strong>how is a thesis different than research experience?</strong> Why is it worse to obtain an M.S. thesis (through a 5-year program) rather than a B.S. thesis, given I will apply to Ph.D. programs?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45771,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A thesis is always research, but not all research is theses.</p>\n\n<p>In a five-year Masters program, one would definitely do a thesis, but these programs often have very stiff course requirements, which leave little time for research <em>except</em> the thesis. Given this, it is often the case that the <em>only</em> research that a student does is the thesis, and that only to the level of sufficiency to obtain the degree. Many 5-year Masters Theses are thus no better than 4-year Bachelor's theses, but will indeed be held to a higher standard (e.g., as though one had gone through a separate 2-years Masters program).</p>\n\n<p>Last-minute and \"merely sufficient\" research work of this sort will also be much less effective at building trust and relationships with a faculty member than a longer time working on research as an undergraduate, even at a \"lower\" level. This significantly impacts one's ability to get a good letter of recommendation, which is another key for PhD admission.</p>\n\n<p>I suspect this is why they recommend as they do, and think it's a good thing that they do so.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45772,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Many institutions now five-year programs that ultimately earn the participant a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. Sometimes these programs are split cleanly into a four-year-undergraduate program, followed by a one-year graduate program. Other times, the program is integrated over the full five years, making it more like a five-year undergraduate program (with the addition study that an extra year obviously entails).</p>\n\n<p>In either case, there is only about one extra year for the master's-level work. That's not a lot of time for graduate-level classes and a substantial research thesis. Sometimes these programs do not require a thesis at all; in engineering departments, these are often labeled as master of engineering (rather than master of science) degrees. Even when a thesis is part of the requirements, it may not entail much (if any) original research. The thesis may be more of a extended report on the current state of a field, without any new contributions from the writer. (Of course, new results would certainly be welcomed as part of a thesis in such a program, but it is not a requirement.)</p>\n\n<p>So if a student is planning to move on to a doctoral program, it may be advantageous to spend more time on research, rather than creating a thesis on the type I have described. I'm not convinced that one or the other plan is actually better. Either a one-year masters or significant undergraduate research experience would enhance a Ph.D. applicant's file. However, I can certainly imagine situations in which either one might end up being more advantageous than the other.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45774,
"author": "Whitebear",
"author_id": 34791,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34791",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The best people to speak to would be advisers at your university. \nGenerally speaking, there are two kinds of Master's courses - Master's by coursework, and Master's by research. </p>\n\n<p>In a Master's by coursework, you do classes in 3 semesters, and write your thesis in the fourth.\nBy comparison, a Master's by research, you do classes in 1 semester, and write your thesis in the remaining 3 semesters. </p>\n\n<p>The above timings will likely vary between courses, universities and countries, and is based on my own Master's experiences, but you can see there is a big difference in how much time and focus is placed on the thesis.</p>\n\n<p>A PhD program is all about research, and as part of the admission process, you need to show them your Master's thesis. Thus, if your thesis isn't that great because you didn't have much time to spend research, then you likely wouldn't get in.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/20
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45768",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
45,778 |
<p>I have a cummulative 3.5 GPA from a top 20 school but a 3.1 GPA in my math classes. In particular I got a BC in linear algebra and a C in abstract algebra. My goal was always to go to graduate school but I fear these two classes are going to crush that. Also my school doesn't allow for retaking of classes (BOO!). Any advice besides the obvious of trying to raise the GPA, ace the GRE, get great letters of recommendation or do research? Or will this be too much to overcome?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45779,
"author": "Anonymous",
"author_id": 11565,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11565",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Take the graduate version of abstract algebra. Do incredibly well in it, and ask the prof for a letter.</p>\n\n<p>Hopefully it will read something like the following: \"X's performance is extremely strong, and his (her?) homework assignments are flawless. I was astonished to learn that X had previously earned only a C in undergradate abstract algebra; whatever X's weakness was, he/she has left it completely beind him/her.\"</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45781,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Doing research and getting a strong reference letter from your research supervisor is your best bet. There's also the possibility of going to a lesser school for your MS, acing your classes there (and doing research) and switching to a better school for your doctorate.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/21
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45778",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34796/"
] |
45,780 |
<p>I read an algorithm that is patented, I was inspired in one part of it and applied something similar (not exact) to my algorithm (e.g one step they applied out of their 10 steps algorithm I used in my algorithm not exactly identical but similar notion). Will there be any issue?</p>
<p>Can I simply say, this step was inspired from [ ]</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45783,
"author": "silvado",
"author_id": 3890,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3890",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>If your question is whether you can cite the patent in a research paper, then yes, absolutely: <strong>patents are fully citable sources</strong>, and patents don't protect publication of related ideas.</p>\n\n<p>If, on the other hand, you want to use your related algorithm commercially, you'd better get legal advice on that...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45786,
"author": "MJeffryes",
"author_id": 31487,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31487",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Assuming you have correctly cited the patent, in many countries there is an exemption from patent infringement if the potentially infringing work is academic and/or non-commercial. So, in this case, even if your algorithm does potentially infringe on the patent, you don't need to worry about unless you ever try to commercialise it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45788,
"author": "einpoklum",
"author_id": 7319,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7319",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you have a look at </p>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/q/32482/63497\">Can an algorithm be patented?</a></strong> (Programmers.SX)</p>\n\n<p>You'll notice that:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>In many countries, algorithms, and even software, are simply not patentable.</li>\n<li>Even when software is patentable, it is <em>not</em> the case any abstract algorithm is patentable. See <a href=\"https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/a/32518/63497\">this answer</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So even in a commercial context you might still be safe. Also, person X might be inspired by a patent to publish an academic paper, then person Y could implement the paper by X, and that reduces liability even further if it's legit. I would think.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/21
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45780",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34798/"
] |
45,787 |
<p>I am writing a master's thesis (in Number Theory) and there are multiple places where I need to claim that something is <em>not</em> yet known. Since I am not an expert (and even if I were) I would like to reference some more authoritative source than myself or, say, Wikipedia.</p>
<p>For example, consider the following statement:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In 1980 Schmidt proved that [some property holds]. No other necessary or sufficient conditions are currently known, though.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For the first sentence I can cite Schmidt's original paper, but how can I substantiate the second claim?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45790,
"author": "Steve Heim",
"author_id": 21119,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21119",
"pm_score": 8,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>One way, especially since you are not an expert of the field (and even if you were), is to not make such an absolute claim: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>To the best of our knowledge, no other necessary or sufficient\n conditions are currently known.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>At least in my field (robotics), this is quite common and I think an appreciated amount of humility.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45802,
"author": "rumtscho",
"author_id": 103,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/103",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Lifesayko's answer is good, but it should not be the first way to address the problem. </p>\n\n<p>Scientists tend to be aware of the gaps in their knowledge. So they write about them. You will find such sources: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>In review articles and metastudies. They say things like \"We reviewed 8 cross sectional studies on the link between zugs and wugs. We found that the presence of zugs is a strong predictor of the subsequent appearance of wugs, but the exact mechanism behind this is not yet known\". </li>\n<li>In the \"future work\" sections of articles in the area. For example, \"In this paper, we found that, after 3 months of delay, we can measure a correlation of 0.8 between the presence of zugs and wugs. A next step would be to establish the mechanism by which zugs contribute to the appearance of wugs\". </li>\n<li>In other articles which work are based on the same theory as your work. \"We are exploring the link between zugs and wods. In the past, zugs have been linked to wugs, although the exact mechanism is unknown\". </li>\n<li>In articles which outline the challenges in a certain discipline for the coming years. Usually published by established professors in major journals, they explain what is missing in their area. \"One of the major unresolved problems in zug research is how they cause the appearance of wugs\". </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Of course, for all three of them, it is important that your source is fairly recent, because somebody can well have found out the missing information in the meantime. A defensive formulation is never out of place. But it does not absolve you from looking for sources first. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45812,
"author": "Count Iblis",
"author_id": 17479,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17479",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>What I usually do when I'm not sure, despite having put in a lot of effort trying to get to the bottom of the issue by doing extensive literature research, is to contact one or more experts in the field. You can just send an email to one or more leading experts in the field, likely they will be able to clear up the issue. Also they may point to some sources that you may have missed. You can then cite those sources, also you can cite the information in the communication as a \"private communication\" and, of course, in the acknowledgements, you should thank them for assistance. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45861,
"author": "Scott Seidman",
"author_id": 20457,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20457",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The answers that say there's no call to make absolute statements like that are very good, but its still embarrassing to make a temporizing statement like \"to the best of my knowledge\", and then have a referee show you that your knowledge isn't good enough.</p>\n\n<p>Your ability to assert that something is not known and be believed is related to your credibility. Master the literature, or work with a co-author or advisor that has, and cite it wisely and thoroughly. Make referees feel like you've done your due diligence.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45910,
"author": "ojo",
"author_id": 34911,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34911",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I can't speak specifically to the academic angle, as others already have, but language might help here - namely, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Prime\" rel=\"nofollow\">E-Prime</a> (simply implemented as the removal of all forms of the verb \"to be\").</p>\n\n<p>Restating your problem sentence:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>No other necessary or sufficient conditions are currently known,\n though.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>...without the \"are\" requires an actor; I presume you would use yourself and perhaps other contributors. Thus you could say:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The authors know of no other necessary or sufficient conditions.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This seems literally true and equivalent (less the implied but non-existent surety) to the original, but it thus has lost any force. To provide some content to the statement, perhaps then reference the resources used, date, and search terms, as in:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The authors found no other necessary or sufficient conditions. (JSTOR, 23 May, 2015: 'search term'; EBSCO discovery service, 23 May, 2015: 'search term')</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/21
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45787",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34806/"
] |
45,791 |
<p>I was looking for postdoctoral grants/fellowships for a potential post-doc opportunity in the US. It appears as the entire grant/fellowship system is geared towards US citizens, or permanent residents of the US. It is understandable with respect to use of federal resources, but slightly discouraging nevertheless.</p>
<p>Are there any funding opportunities available for non-US citizen? In terms of field I'm interested specifically in Biomedical and STEM fieds. </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45792,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>There is relatively little funding of the sort you are looking for--funding that non-U.S. residents can apply for directly to fund post-doctoral work inside the U.S. However, that is not really that important, since that is not how most post-doc positions are funded anyway.</p>\n\n<p>Most post-docs do not apply for their own funding. The funding comes from the institution that hires the post-doc (Very often--but not always--the money ultimately comes from a research grant from an outside agency, but the post-doc would not be involved in writing or administering the grant.) If an institution has funds for a post-doc, they will advertise a job opening and hire somebody. Generally, the search is global; they would be willing to hire somebody from anywhere in the world, provided they are a qualified. (There are some technical caveats about how this works, but they are of little import in practice; and--again--they are things that the hiring institution mostly needs to worry about, not the person they choose to hire.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 61307,
"author": "Deb",
"author_id": 47163,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/47163",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think in some fields, grants like <a href=\"http://www.hfsp.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Human Frontier Science Program</a> and <a href=\"http://www.lsrf.org/home\" rel=\"nofollow\">Life Sciences Research Foundation</a> are helpful especially biology.\nHowever, competition is very high in these and profile has to be in the top 5-10 of the applicants.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/21
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45791",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/5674/"
] |
45,797 |
<p>I'm thinking of starting doctoral studies at York University (USA). I found this on <a href="http://www.yorkuniversity.us/index.php/about-york/accreditation">the York University website information about accreditation</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>YORK UNIVERSITY IS NOT ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING AGENCY RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION</p>
</blockquote>
<p>After finishing this doctorate at York University in the USA, could I work as a lecturer at the University or at others in the USA?</p>
<p>What is the general difference in the Universities accredited by the United States Secretary of Education, and those which are not?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45798,
"author": "MJeffryes",
"author_id": 31487,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31487",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Accreditation is supposed to enforce standards of quality in higher education institutions. If an institution does not have accreditation, then it is extremely suspect, and any degree you obtain from it is likely to be completely worthless. This is from <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unaccredited_institutions_of_higher_education\">the Wikipedia page on unaccredited institutions</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>All fraudulent diploma mills are also unaccredited schools, although they may claim accreditation from an unrecognized agency. Accreditation from such organizations, known derisively as accreditation mills, is unrecognized by any government or reputable private entity, and any courses taken or degrees received from such a school are generally considered invalid.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>As you noted, the \"university\" claims to be accredited by the \"International Accreditation Organization\". This has the hallmarks of an accreditation mill as described in above.</p>\n\n<p>I would be extremely wary of this particular institution, and it is unlikely that any other academic institution would hire you on the basis of a degree from it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45803,
"author": "Moriarty",
"author_id": 8562,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8562",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>So, I had a few minutes' fun looking up on how much of a scam this \"university\" is. It is nothing more than a diploma mill. I hope these few tips may serve as useful warning signs for other dodgy institutions. From the university's website:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Duration of the Program</p>\n \n <p>The normal duration of the PhD program for full-time students is 6\n semesters (24 months). Course work of 18 semester hours may normally\n be completed in three semesters (12 months). The dissertation may be\n completed in the remaining 3 semesters (12 months).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>No PhD program is that short.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Additionally, any \"university\" whose website does not have a list of its departments and academic staff should be treated with great suspicion. I can find no information anywhere about its research departments or staff.</p>\n\n<p>This is what the address of the place looks like on Google Street View (401 Kamakee Street #312, Honolulu, used to be the home of the \"Apeautique medical spa\"):</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/cvYnG.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></p>\n\n<p><strong>This is a diploma mill.</strong> Any institution capable of awarding a bona fide PhD degree <em>must</em> have a proper campus with sufficiently qualified and reputable academic staff (especially when they claim to award PhDs in civil engineering). </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45804,
"author": "Ben Webster",
"author_id": 13,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The university you link to is pretty obviously a <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploma_mill\">diploma mill</a>, and you should run as far and as fast as you can in the other direction. Do not give them any money, and do not believe anything they say. </p>\n\n<p>Let me just say generally that an online Ph.D. program is a pretty dubious endeavor in any circumstance, even if the school is accredited. The chances that you can really get the deep immersion in the subject matter you need without meeting personally with faculty and fellow students are quite low. You should be very skeptical that one will really open doors for you.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45835,
"author": "argybargy",
"author_id": 34850,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34850",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Recently, the New York Times did an expose on Axact's large scale diploma mill operation (<a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/18/world/asia/fake-diplomas-real-cash-pakistani-company-axact-reaps-millions-columbiana-barkley.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">link</a>). It looks like IAO (the accrediting agency) <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/world/asia/tracking-axacts-websites.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">has connections with this company</a></p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/21
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45797",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34813/"
] |
45,801 |
<p>I want to create a fairly long survey for my doctoral research. The target audience is teachers in the area. I have the option of using the software my institution provides (Qualtrics), Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, or perhaps something different. I'm leaning toward my university's software because the URL has my university's domain and might seem more trustworthy or legit than SurveyMonkey. Google Forms is pretty slick, though, too.</p>
<p>My one requirement is that I need to be able to branch based on answers.</p>
<p>What are some pros/cons of using one software over the other for academic work? Is it okay to do a survey with software not provided by my institution?</p>
<p>(PS--This is actually on behalf of my wife. :-) )</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45807,
"author": "user114905",
"author_id": 34822,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34822",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would go with Qualtrics, for the reasons you cite. </p>\n\n<p>However, make sure that when you pull the data out you export the questions all the possible ways, especially the .qsf version. Otherwise, when you leave the institution, you'll have lost the survey (because you can't log in to get it). This is especially important if you, or anyone else, wants to use the survey again.</p>\n\n<p>Since my institution uses surveymonkey, and I find the idea of asking people to go to a monkey site abhorrent, I will probably install <a href=\"https://www.limesurvey.org/en/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Limesurvey</a>, but my proclivity to do things myself the hardest way possible is a personal problem. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45809,
"author": "Aleksandr Blekh",
"author_id": 12391,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12391",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I don't think that survey URL's domain plays a significant role in <em>trustworthiness</em> of a doctoral survey request. What is far more important IMHO are the <em>contents</em> and <em>writing style</em> of the <strong>invitation letter</strong> as well as having solid <em>professional</em> or <em>academic</em> <strong>online profiles</strong> (as most likely most people will be looking you up anyway).</p>\n\n<p>In regard to the <strong>software</strong> selection aspect, my advice is to check the following resources: <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_survey_software\" rel=\"nofollow\">this Wikipedia page</a>, <a href=\"http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-survey-software\" rel=\"nofollow\">this Quora wiki page</a> and <a href=\"http://www.quora.com/Whats-the-best-survey-software-that-allows-branching-logic-based-on-answers\" rel=\"nofollow\">this Quora thread</a>. Just keep in mind that some answers are posted by people, affiliated with firms - creators of some survey software. Finally, I would like to emphasize that, when selecting survey software, it is important to consider its <em>features</em> and <em>format flexibility</em> in <strong>exporting</strong> the results for further <em>data analysis</em> (I assume such analysis is planned).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45820,
"author": "cbeleites unhappy with SX",
"author_id": 725,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/725",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p> Is it okay to do a survey with software not provided by my institution?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This in itself should be OK. But if you put you survey somewhere online on your own make sure you carefully read the terms of use of that service and think hsard what rights to the survey data you're signing over to the form provider. </p>\n\n<p>And double-check that this is OK with all the data privacy and ethics stuff the study needs to comply with. </p>\n\n<p>I haven't used it but heard of <a href=\"http://www.project-redcap.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">REDCap</a> in a lecture and got the impression that those developers put a lot of emphasis on getting the privacy and ethics issues right.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/21
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45801",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32794/"
] |
45,825 |
<p>My husband has accepted a postdoc position in a city in Australia with two great institutions where I think I'll have a good shot at securing a postdoc for myself. I have some great connections to researchers there through my advisor and committee members. I'm now doing the groundwork to get my foot in the door as I've not met any of these researchers in person. </p>
<p>How/should I get around mentioning that I'm moving there as a trailing spouse? It will be pretty obvious, correct? Why else would I be moving there? Should I just be upfront about it? </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45826,
"author": "Nicholas",
"author_id": 1424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1424",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There's no point in disguising the reason for you moving to Australia. If you give some kind of prevaricating answer to the question of why you're moving, then this will look unprofessional at best. The people with whom you're going to chat about possible postdoc positions for yourself will of course know about the academic two-body problem. </p>\n\n<p>The fact that there are two institutions where you might be able to find work is in your favour. Cultivate your contacts and opportunities with both institutions, at the same time. Don't be coy about the fact you're shopping around for positions. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45827,
"author": "user49483",
"author_id": 30768,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30768",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I don't think it is relevant to mention why you are in Australia nor do I think people would automatically assume you are a trailing spouse. Unless I am misinterpreting 'great institutions' then the city you have moved to is high on the list of places many people want to live, so there could be plenty of reasons why you are looking for a job there. Are you an Australian or a permanent resident? If not, the <a href=\"https://internationaleducation.gov.au/endeavour%20program/scholarships-and-fellowships/applications/pages/applications.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow\">Endeavour Scholarships</a> are open right now and provide a postdoc fellowship for 4-6 months. It's usually a lot easier to contact a prospective supervisor by proposing that you apply for funding to work in their lab. Even if the application doesn't work out, applying for a fellowship could indirectly lead to a postdoc if the lab has spare money and is sufficiently impressed by your ideas. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/21
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45825",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34838/"
] |
45,829 |
<p>Not much literature can be found on what I'm working on and it's all by the people I work with. Am I able to reference their work/text in my thesis or I should just stick to referencing material published in journals and conferences, however remote they might be and just get away with whatever's not published and not back them up?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45830,
"author": "CrepusculeWithNellie",
"author_id": 34524,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34524",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Yes, you are able to reference their work in your text, as long as you make clear in the bibliography what type of document (master thesis, PhD thesis, Institution) it is.</p>\n\n<p>However, i would not consider it to be ideal if your work <em>critically</em> depends on such references in the sense that a central assumption or starting point in your thesis breaks down if the reference provides false or incomplete results. Particularly in the case of master theses / dissertations it is not generally clear whether and to which extent they are peer-reviewed and what their overall trustworthiness is. With (accepted!) PhD theses things are better, as these normally go through a review process. Furthermore, for PhD theses i would expect that their main points have been published somewhere (conference or journal) and then you clearly should prefer these publications.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45832,
"author": "J Homan",
"author_id": 34843,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34843",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If others have completed theses or dissertations related to the topic you are studying, I would definitely cite them. While writing my MA thesis, there were very few peer-reviewed publications available in the particular region I was working in but there were a number of recently completed theses and dissertations. Some of these were excellent and provided great data to support my own arguments, while others were of lower quality and were not cited. As long as you're critical of the content and argument of these documents you should be fine.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45834,
"author": "299792458",
"author_id": 17534,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17534",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>This is really an addendum to the two previous answers, but nevertheless it is still answer-worthy IMO</em>.</p>\n\n<p>It is mostly true that with PhD theses, the crux of the stuff is generally published in journals etc. so that those count as more reliable sources (I dare say <em>primary</em> sources). However, it is not necessarily true that this will always be so. For instance, I am aware that at least <a href=\"http://www2.physik.uni-bielefeld.de/\" rel=\"nofollow\">in Theoretical Physics, University of Bielefeld</a> is an example of an institution where it is not mandatory to have the stuff written in the thesis published. Theses are judged for what they contain and whether or not that represents an original contribution to the subject. I am using this only as an example, the general statement is - it is possible for a PhD thesis to contain original stuff which is otherwise unpublished. And at any rate, it is possible to have stuff written more elaborately than in the published papers (mine is an example). (Occasionally, this might also be because some letters journals have stringent limits on word counts and/or pages, so people shrink stuff there and feed out many more details in the thesis). </p>\n\n<p>Thus, there is no harm in citing a PhD thesis, provided you mention that it is what it is. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45847,
"author": "Chris H",
"author_id": 8494,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8494",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As with most referencing questions, you have to consider what you're depending on them for. If it's a matter of \"further details on the previous experiment\", a thesis is likely to go into much more depth than a paper and is the best you're likely to get. If it's \"so-and-so proved that...\" you should <em>really</em> be looking for something peer-reviewed. Most cases will fall in between, and then you need to use your judgement and be clear what you're citing.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 80042,
"author": "user65021",
"author_id": 65021,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65021",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>you shouldn't quote a master's Thesis because they are typically not published. only published work should be cited in a research work. If it hasn't been published no one is responsible for the Content</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/22
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45829",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4217/"
] |
45,836 |
<p>I'm currently trying to apply for a PhD position, but am unable to meet the entry requirements. My (potential) supervisor has advised me to undertake an honours year to meet the requirements.</p>
<p><strong>I completed my bachelors degree in 2010</strong> at a completely different university and everybody I've known has done their honours year as a part of their undergraduate degree before graduation.</p>
<p>My degree was titled "Bachelors of Computer and Mathematical Sciences" and shortened to BCM. So I would be</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mr. LegoStormtrooper BCM</p>
</blockquote>
<p>while my friends who have completed their honours would be</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mr. Other Guy BCM(Hons)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For me, I can't just add on "Hons" because it would be in a different field at a different university.</p>
<p>So I am very confused about this. I've heard of Bachelors, Masters, Doctorates, Graduate Certificates, but never an "Honours degree" as an independent thing.</p>
<p>Can any one explain how this works?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45843,
"author": "CrepusculeWithNellie",
"author_id": 34524,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34524",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am familiar with the situation in NZ. Since Australia and NZ share many commonalities in higher education, i suspect that things are similar.</p>\n\n<p>A normal bachelors degree is a three-year degree and by itself not sufficient for getting into a PhD program. An honours degree adds a fourth year to the bachelor degree and is normally open to very good students (there are GPA criteria for entry). In particular, an honours degree often involves a research project and is deemed sufficient for PhD admission. Most if not all people do the honours degree immediately after their bachelor. Generally, you need a four-years degree to get into the PhD, which can either be an honours or a master degree.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46646,
"author": "gentlerainsky",
"author_id": 35480,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35480",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think that you are asking about an Honours degree in Aus/NZ.\nThe Honours degree is an additional year(or two depend on the university) of specialized course or research for those who have completed their bachelor degree.</p>\n\n<p>Academic routes of AUS/NZ are different from USA. Their bachelor degrees are usually 3 years, then for some student who want to do research, they study more for an honours degree. In USA, normally their undergraduate degree study already study for 4 years. (Which means it may already included the \"Honours Degree\"(a.k.a. doing research project), but it depend on whether what each university names their own degree.)</p>\n\n<p>for example, in <a href=\"http://www.anu.edu.au/study/study-options/honours-year\" rel=\"nofollow\">Honours Year Australian National University</a></p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/22
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45836",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
45,855 |
<p>I am finishing my first year of Masters and have always thought of going for a PhD in North America. I and my girlfriend are going to have a baby which is totally unexpected. The due day will be somewhere this december which I am still half year away from finishing my Masters degree. </p>
<p>I don't know under this circumstance should I still, or am I able to, apply for PhD positions overseas. This would mean I will have to leave them or bringing them together for my study. I am not super rich to afford a family personally and would need to rely on studentships, but I don't think graduate studentships are sufficient to afford the living expense and future education fees of my coming baby.</p>
<p>Taking on a PhD and a research career are definitely my dream and situation seems very difficult for these to come true. Anyone knowing someone carrying kids along grad school, or any suggestion to me? I just don't have a clue how to take care of everything.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45862,
"author": "A.S",
"author_id": 22447,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22447",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Children are the purpose of life for millions if not billions of people. They are wonderful. A PhD degree is also a wonderful privilege, available to less than 1% of the population (at least in the US). However, a combination of these two experiences is a very significant challenge, both for the family (your relationship with your wife and child) and for the PhD study, or the chances of having a satisfying, engaging, and overall positive experience in the program. </p>\n\n<p>I do not have kids yet but will share what I do know. I am aware of several peers in grad school who had to manage graduate study and a small child. Even with an older (say, school-age) child it is a difficult task. But with a baby the time commitment, unexpected as well as everyday expenses (diapers, food, clothes, medical care) present substantial added 'overhead' for a family. Perhaps the greatest demand a baby will impose is the demand for constant attention and time, which must be provided NOW, and cannot be postponed for a time and day that works best with your class schedule. </p>\n\n<p>I don't know if you have a working spouse whose income can sustain a baby (including babysitting), or if you are thinking of studying and sustaining a family on a graduate assistantship (formally a 20hr/wk commitment, which in reality is often a 30-60hr/wk commitment, if done right). Add to that a 24/7 commitment to a baby...</p>\n\n<p>Bottom line, yes, it probably can be done. But the odds are going to be against you. It will require immense time management, discipline, flexibility, lots of sleepless nights (both for the baby and for writing papers for classes), constant stress, and non-existent time for yourself and thus declining physical and mental health. </p>\n\n<p>How is this different from having a baby with a regular job? A couple things. </p>\n\n<p>First, the time commitment is different. Many jobs allow a fairly predictable 8-5 schedule. When you walk out of the building, you are DONE for the day. Not so with grad school. When you get home from the university, homework awaits! Budget 4-6 hours daily just on catching up on reading and writing for class, and either grading and preparing for lectures (if you are a TA) or doing research-related analysis/writing (if you are an RA). During my first 3-4 years of PhD study I rarely recall a less than 12-hr workday.</p>\n\n<p>Second, finances. A full-time job that pays at least $50K a year, plus additional income from the spouse, can allow to raise a baby. It will not be a smooth process and will require sacrifices and trade-offs, but at least it is feasible, and the money can be stretched to cover some basic expenses for a baby (with frequent trips to the Dollar Store, Goodwill, and Salvation Army stores).</p>\n\n<p>If you end up in a large university in a large city with high cost of living, you might make around $1400-2000/month for a 20hr/wk assistantship. The exact amount often depends on discipline (engineering/medical vs. business vs. social sciences vs. humanities). This is just around the official subsistence level (i.e. poverty line) income for a household in the U.S.</p>\n\n<p>If you do something relatively unrelated to your program (e.g. an assistantship in a Writing Center or Career Center, etc.) then count on standard university assistantship. In a high cost of living large city, count on around $1500/mo. The figure is much lower if you end up in the middle-of-nowhere, small college town - think not much over $1000/mo. Usually, graduate students struggle throughout their time in school. I mean, carefully budget food and clothes, not to even dream of living in decent, clean, apartments with no roommates or having cars (insurance? gas?) or even considering pricey entertainment or travel. Those who afford these things usually have savings or rely on some other financial assistance (\"free money\" like scholarships/fellowships) or regular financial support from the parents. </p>\n\n<p>Unless your wife plans to work and bring in substantial income (in the U.S., I would say at least $50-60K/yr), it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible and destructive to family financial situation, to try to raise a baby on a single graduate stipend. I strongly advise against even considering this as an option. A small medical emergency that is not covered by graduate insurance (which is often seriously lacking for dependent care) can put you in debt for years if not decades. This is before mentioning all the human cost of living below subsistence level. If you think the loving, caring, gentle relationship with a spouse will be unaffected by persistent financial hardship, this perception is incorrect. </p>\n\n<p>I already mentioned the high demand on time and attention associated with raising a child. Well, graduate school by itself is like having a child. Your thesis, if you will 'survive' through the preliminary exams and enter the dissertation stage, will be just like another child that needs constant nurture and attention. It will be on your mind day and night, it will cause some stress and it will cause late nights. Many late nights.</p>\n\n<p>Bottom line. Babies are wonderful. Doctoral study is wonderful. But in combination, they will require trade-offs and impose a substantially higher level of stress, and reduced quality of life, than if attended to separately. Since a baby is guaranteed for you at this point, my personal advice would be to focus on raising your child at least until school age (5-6), and revisiting the idea of PhD at that point. You will have a much more pleasant life as a parent with a baby, rather than a baby PLUS a thesis, to come home to every day. The PhD will be there and you can do it later in life, no problem. So, enjoy your baby, it's a wonderful gift. The rest is trivial in comparison. If an academic career is in your future, you will find a way to pursue it sooner or later. AT the end of your life, you will not wish you had spent more time in the lab or submitting grant proposals or conference papers. You will wish you had spent more time with your family. And I hope you do. Good luck!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45865,
"author": "Kimball",
"author_id": 19607,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/19607",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Well, certainly you are <em>able</em> to apply for PhD programs (which typically start in the Fall in the US). As for what you decide to do, that will require a long thoughtful conversation with your girlfriend, but if both of you are open to the possibility, then you may as well send out a few applications and see what kind of offers you get.</p>\n\n<p>It seems like your main question is about financial aspects. Both as a grad student and faculty member in the US, I knew many people with kids during their PhD. With international students, it can be harder when your significant other does not have a work visa, as indeed you will not be making a lot of money. However, people get by, and if you want to come to the US with your girlfriend and baby and support them on a graduate stipend, you can too if you are frugal. There are often opportunities for extra teaching/tutoring, particularly in the summer, to get a little extra money, and this is something you can ask about when you check out PhD programs.</p>\n\n<p>Another aspect, which you may or may not be concerned about is that it may be harder to get family to help out with the baby if all of you are overseas.</p>\n\n<p>By the way, if you start considering this, you should look into visa issues for your girlfriend, which will likely be more complicated than if you were married. Oh, and congratulations!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45880,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Anecdotes are not usually the right kind of answer on stackexchange, but you have specifically asked for them, so here goes...</p>\n\n<h3>My experience</h3>\n\n<p>I had two children in graduate school. The first was born during my second year, and the second was born during my fourth year. Most of my fellow students thought I was crazy. I graduated (obtaining both a MS and PhD) in five years, with no debt and certainly no regrets. Surprisingly, I found that graduate school allowed me to be more involved in my children's life than if I'd had a regular job.</p>\n\n<h3>Advantages</h3>\n\n<p>Some important and perhaps unusual factors worked in my favor. First, and most importantly, my wife had already decided that after we had children she wanted to be a full-time homemaker. Her support allowed me to focus on my studies, although I did change hundreds of diapers, stay up a lot of nights, and after the birth of the first I didn't get any research done for about three months (I did continue passing my courses).</p>\n\n<p>The second important advantage I had was generous funding from the US DOE's computational science graduate fellowship (CSGF). It is (or at least was) the highest-paid government fellowship in the US, at about $33K/year. That was still officially below the poverty line for a family of four where I lived, and half my income went to rent, but by careful budgeting we had no problem getting by on only that income. Could I have done it with less income? Yes, though I would possibly have needed student loans, and the added load of being a teaching assistant would have been a challenge.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, I found that I could get a lot of high-quality research done by focusing intensely for a few hours per day. For me, that was (and is) a more productive strategy than trying to focus on research 24/7. This made it possible to complete my thesis and care for my family simultaneously. I was home by 5-6 p.m. almost every evening and spent most of my weekend time with my wife and children. I did often do research for an hour or two after my kids were in bed. I know that many grad students tend to spend a lot more time each day on research, which might make things more difficult.</p>\n\n<h3>Assessment</h3>\n\n<p>Having children during graduate school was a good decision for me. The time I was able to spend with them as babies and then toddlers is precious to me. After I graduated and became an assistant professor, I found that the time I could spend with my children was much more limited, due to the added demands of teaching, advising, service, and administration. Indeed, with my third child (born 2 years after I got a permanent position) I changed a lot fewer diapers and really spent a lot less time with her early on. I've reached a better balance since then, but it took years.</p>\n\n<p>In short: with the right setup, having kids in grad school can work out very well.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45937,
"author": "sean",
"author_id": 15501,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15501",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Having children while at graduate school is not very common, but is not very rare either (in particular for Asians like me). </p>\n\n<h2>My experience</h2>\n\n<p>I'm a CS student in the UK, and my baby was born at the beginning of my third (and final) year of PhD. This did not affect the progress of my PhD at all. </p>\n\n<p>Now, at the middle of my 4th year, I'm waiting for my viva in a couple of weeks, and the delay is just due to my internship in Silicon Valley (when I brought both my wife and my baby to the US with me). I will go there again soon for a post doc. </p>\n\n<p>Sure, my working time has been significantly shortened. However, the pressure also makes me much more motivated. Thinking that my family are waiting for me at home has helped me to eliminate (nearly) all the procrastinations.</p>\n\n<p>I'm also much much happier. Just by holding my baby in my arms, I can forget all the depressions, paper rejections, disappointments.</p>\n\n<p>I'm in London, so everything is expensive, and my scholarship is only less than 16k per year. However, heath service is totally free in the UK, so we still can manage it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 51837,
"author": "qsp",
"author_id": 38831,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/38831",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If the job climate is anti-pregnancy for women, whether that's fair or not, it's your advisor's job to let you know that's the case. I don't think any woman at any time should be punished in any way for the decision to have a baby, but that's not going to change the job climate overnight either. \nDifferent women react different to pregnancy too -- lack of sleep may leave them mentally unable to study for six months to a year or more. My wife didn't sleep for more than 2.5 hours or so at a time from about the seventh month of pregnancy to about the baby's fourth or fifth month. Yeah, she had a real hard time focusing. Two other female grad students who had a baby while in coursework had similar problems -- one left the water running in her kitchen sink and caused $400 worth of damage to the downstairs apartment, while the other said she couldn't even read a page of a magazine and stay focused (and this was a very high performing woman). \nHow the advice is framed makes a big difference -- the infantilizing and the feeling that you need \"permission\" to have a baby is ridiculous. But at the same time, giving someone realistic advice is not the same as telling them what to do. - See more at: <a href=\"https://chroniclevitae.com/news/549-should-you-have-a-baby-in-graduate-school#sthash.4zJlCYwe.dpuf\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://chroniclevitae.com/news/549-should-you-have-a-baby-in-graduate-school#sthash.4zJlCYwe.dpuf</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 51841,
"author": "ewormuth",
"author_id": 37649,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/37649",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>After having been in an infertility program for three years, I found out I was pregnant two weeks before I started my doctoral program. I had to take some time off during the first year, but I came back starting in summer session and managed to graduate in five years. My son went to daycare on campus and so was near me at all times. It was a real challenge, especially being the mom of an infant (dads are a little bit off the hook at that age). But I made it through, and when I graduated he was four, and they read both our names and we walked across the stage together. Good luck no matter what you decide -- </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 51850,
"author": "DLS3141",
"author_id": 38753,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/38753",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Since you asked for personal experience, I'll share mine.</p>\n\n<p>I did the majority of the work for my Master's degree as a part time student while working full time. During that time, my wife and I had two kids. During the first pregnancy, there were some problems and my wife was put on bed rest. I had to withdraw from my classes to care for her over 9 weeks. Then, there was this totally helpless human baby that I had to do my part to care for. I didn't get back to school for a few years. I spent all the time I would have spent on education being a parent instead. When I did get back to classes, it was so much harder to block out the time for classes, studying and doing research. Then we had our second child and time for school was even more scarce. I finally completed my Master's when I was laid off during the financial crisis and no one was hiring. I finally graduated, 9 years after I started. I absolutely don't regret taking the time to focus on my family. </p>\n\n<p>As to the idea that the PhD will always be there, it's true in a sense, but I think you will find that as you live your life and acquire other responsibilities, that your education will move down the priority list and going back will become less and less likely. </p>\n\n<p>I think you should discuss the situation with your girlfriend. How does she feel about you leaving her behind to come to the U.S. for school? How does she feel about coming along? You should also look at what support any school you're considering has for grad students with families. I know that many have on campus apartments, daycare facilities, preschools and other types of support. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 65916,
"author": "PhD Incoming",
"author_id": 51486,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/51486",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I found a program that offers PhD coursework during the summer, so I will only be away from my family for 2 months for the next 3 summers (with a week vacation when I'll return home). I'll be doing my clinical internship, reserach, and disseration at home. I wonder if that's an option for your career field? I'm in social work, and Smith College only has graduate work during the summer. I have been thinking about what to do while I'm away from her and I wrote a post about it: <a href=\"https://phdincoming.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/how-to-be-away-from-your-kid-while-in-grad-school/\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://phdincoming.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/how-to-be-away-from-your-kid-while-in-grad-school/</a>\nMake the best decision for you and your family :)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 68254,
"author": "Maarten Buis",
"author_id": 14471,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14471",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is no right moment for getting children. You will always have to deal with sleep deprivation, extra costs, less time , etc. The financial costs are easier to handle when you have a \"real\" job, but when you are younger the sleep deprivation tends to bite less, and gradschool can be more flexible than a real job. An important aspect is how family friendly your institution is. So, depending on your circumstances, gradschool could actually be the right moment for getting children, rather then a problem. Since the child is already on its way, viewing the situation from this perspectives, is probably the most productive way of dealing with the situation. </p>\n\n<p>I would start with looking at what is offered by your new institution, e.g. childcare, flexible working hours, flexible childcare in case of illness or conference visits, etc. If a lot is offered and your adviser is supportive then you will be fine. If not, you can as a last resort consider looking at different institutions.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 68256,
"author": "user53700",
"author_id": 53700,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53700",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have been the same situation and here is my suggestion:</p>\n\n<p>Yes you can do it and do your PHD now. But plan to be on yourself for the first year (a year is the most – it can be somewhere from three to eight months). Bring your family after that, because by that time, you will have all the information. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/22
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45855",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34872/"
] |
45,868 |
<p>I really like doing research, but I've heard that all the fights for funding can be a major headache. So I am wondering, how can I enjoy my work without worrying about grant applications? Are there specific fields or positions that don't require this?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45869,
"author": "Brian Borchers",
"author_id": 4453,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4453",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The need for grant funding depends a lot on the type of research that you do. The more that your research requires laboratory facilities and equipment, graduate student research assistants to run the equipment, or travel for field work than the more that you're going to need grant funding. In the other direction, grant funding is less important if you do more theoretical research by yourself or with collaborators at other institutions. </p>\n\n<p>No matter what type of research you do, you're going to need time to work on the research and some money to travel to conferences and present your research. </p>\n\n<p>One of the few ways in which this can be done is to hold a faculty position at an undergraduate liberal arts college. Some of these positions have reasonably light teaching loads (although typically higher than at research universities) and funds to send faculty to conferences. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45871,
"author": "Stephanie",
"author_id": 32695,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32695",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The key point is that the money for your job needs to come from somewhere and as such grant finding is a massive deal for the majority of academics.\nIn my experience in the UK and understanding of the general nature of academia you will struggle to be defined as an 'academic' without partaking in the perpetual search for funding. Academics are not simply employees of a university or other institute, finding funding to do their research is an absolutely key part of the job. Even as an undergraduate researcher I had applied for funding for various summer projects, its quickly something that becomes relevant but it sounds like you haven't yet experienced it?</p>\n\n<p>Finding funding is also fundamental in supervisory positions where you employ other academics, it would be your job as a PI/group leader to build the group and apply for funding to do that. Are you just interested in research and not in the wider nature of academia such as supervising other research scientists, coming up with new ideas for research and presenting at conferences? If you are just interested in the practical research aspect you could work in industry or as an employee at a university/institute (via teaching positions, research assistant etc) but you are unlikely to have the same freedom of research ideas or same long term career prospects as a typical academic, for example you would not reach group leader/PI without writing grants but you could reach a lead scientist role in an industry job.</p>\n\n<p>It is also worth considering that the time you would have spent applying for grants would likely be exchanged for time required for teaching or other tasks that earn you the paycheck. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45881,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is definitely possible, because I know people who do. Now it may definitely <em>limit</em> your career options, but there are a number of careers within my corner of academia that don't require writing grant applications. Do however note that nearly all of them involve <em>someone</em> writing grant applications:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Lab managers - usually Master's or PhD level folks who aren't interested in running their own lab, but who are good at keeping things going, managing students, etc.</li>\n<li>Programmers or technicians - specialists who aren't students or faculty, but rather employees.</li>\n<li>\"Staff scientists\" - these positions exist in some institutions, often as part of centers or other large grant funded groups, and don't necessarily require you to bring in your own grants.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>None of these positions <em>necessarily</em> involve writing grants, though they can involve helping with grants, and if the grant goes away, so does your employment. But these folks also often have their own research agendas as part of either a larger project, or as unfunded side projects.</p>\n\n<p>There's also research positions within industry or the government that may not involve competing for funding, though all of these have other aspects that may be equally as annoying.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45887,
"author": "Aaron",
"author_id": 1228,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1228",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>At a research university in the United States, the extent to which you need to write grants depends on what your field is. As a general rule of thumb, if you are in an engineering school, you will be expected to bring in funding. You will need this both because this is how you will pay your graduate students (and yourself during summer months), and because it is used as an evaluation criterion -- at tenure review, your promotion committee will care that you have shown that you can bring in grants. This is also true for physical sciences that have lab expenses. </p>\n\n<p>However, in other fields, like Math and Economics, graduate students are typically funded by the department (sometimes via teaching assignments) rather than faculty grants. In these areas, bringing in grants is much less important, and since expenses are less, there is less need (or expectation) for you to bring in large grants. </p>\n\n<p>Finally, grant writing isn't all bad! It is time consuming (and so annoying when a grant is rejected), but it is useful to be forced, every several years, to think about your research agenda and put your plans down on paper. The act of doing this often clarifies your thinking about where your work should be going. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/22
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45868",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8353/"
] |
45,874 |
<p>Would it be illegal/ against most university policies to ask a professor if you could teach their classes in exchange for food, shelter, and some access to their brain? A lot of professors don't like teaching or want to get their research done for tenure, so I feel it would be a win-win. It would be a good way to advance myself if i found a professor I wanted to work with. </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45876,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Yes</strong>, in all parts of academic culture that I am familiar with, it would be either explicitly illegal (i.e., against the rules of the university) or prohibitively frowned upon for an instructor to subcontract courses in the way you're suggesting. Bottom line: virtually every faculty member would immediately and thoroughly turn down the request, and those that would not could get themselves in real trouble, up to and including being dismissed from a tenure-track -- or tenured -- position.</p>\n\n<p>One could go into more detail about why this is such a non-starter as well as discuss certain acceptable academic practices which are somewhat related -- e.g. course buyouts, guest lectures, teaching assistants. Perhaps other answers will explore this.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45878,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There's no possibility whatsoever that this could work. To elaborate on Pete L. Clark's answer, here are some reasons:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>The purpose of a teaching requirement is to have courses taught by the professor, not to have the professor arrange for some random person to teach instead. The administration and other faculty members would be exceedingly unhappy if they found out this was going on. Note that there are certain circumstances (called a course buyout) under which grant funding can be used to hire a replacement lecturer so the PI can focus on research, but this can only be done with university approval in advance. The replacement would be hired through the usual university hiring process.</p></li>\n<li><p>I suppose this depends on the laws in your country, but I can't imagine labor laws permit hiring someone informally in exchange for food, shelter, and conversation. No university would tolerate this, since the legal risks are enormous.</p></li>\n<li><p>Even if it were legal, it's obviously exploitation. Universities sometimes exploit people, but I've never heard of any university going so far as this.</p></li>\n<li><p>What if you do a terrible job, or stop showing up, or assign bizarre grades, or harass the students, or try to blackmail the professor? No university is going to let a random person teach a course without at least some minimal screening or oversight, and no sane professor would accept an unknown stranger's offer to teach their course instead of them. Even if you just want to be an informal teaching assistant, there's still way too much potential for things to go wrong.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>You could offer to give a guest lecture as a volunteer, but I doubt anyone would take you up on that offer unless they knew you well enough to be confident you'd do an acceptable job. Aside from one-off possibilities like this, you don't have any options outside of the regular process. You could try to become a graduate teaching assistant or adjunct (depending on your background), but working under the table is not an option.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45889,
"author": "emory",
"author_id": 3849,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3849",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are two ways to go about this.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Apply to graduate school.</li>\n<li>Apply for an adjunct faculty position.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Good Luck!</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/22
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45874",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33456/"
] |
45,890 |
<p>In the universities in the UK, Australia, NZ etc., the salaries of university faculty members increases automatically year-by-year in two ways: 1 to 1.5% increment for inflation correction, and by climbing in the salary level (e.g., lecturer level 5 to level 6, etc.: <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/34493/what-is-the-average-salary-of-assistant-professor-in-new-zealand">What is the average salary of assistant professor in New Zealand?</a>).
Is the US salary system similar? Say, someone is hired at a university in the US as a tenure-track faculty member. Does this person get some annual salary increase till he\she gets the tenured? Or they have to wait till obtaining the tenure to get some pay raise?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45876,
"author": "Pete L. Clark",
"author_id": 938,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/938",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Yes</strong>, in all parts of academic culture that I am familiar with, it would be either explicitly illegal (i.e., against the rules of the university) or prohibitively frowned upon for an instructor to subcontract courses in the way you're suggesting. Bottom line: virtually every faculty member would immediately and thoroughly turn down the request, and those that would not could get themselves in real trouble, up to and including being dismissed from a tenure-track -- or tenured -- position.</p>\n\n<p>One could go into more detail about why this is such a non-starter as well as discuss certain acceptable academic practices which are somewhat related -- e.g. course buyouts, guest lectures, teaching assistants. Perhaps other answers will explore this.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45878,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There's no possibility whatsoever that this could work. To elaborate on Pete L. Clark's answer, here are some reasons:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>The purpose of a teaching requirement is to have courses taught by the professor, not to have the professor arrange for some random person to teach instead. The administration and other faculty members would be exceedingly unhappy if they found out this was going on. Note that there are certain circumstances (called a course buyout) under which grant funding can be used to hire a replacement lecturer so the PI can focus on research, but this can only be done with university approval in advance. The replacement would be hired through the usual university hiring process.</p></li>\n<li><p>I suppose this depends on the laws in your country, but I can't imagine labor laws permit hiring someone informally in exchange for food, shelter, and conversation. No university would tolerate this, since the legal risks are enormous.</p></li>\n<li><p>Even if it were legal, it's obviously exploitation. Universities sometimes exploit people, but I've never heard of any university going so far as this.</p></li>\n<li><p>What if you do a terrible job, or stop showing up, or assign bizarre grades, or harass the students, or try to blackmail the professor? No university is going to let a random person teach a course without at least some minimal screening or oversight, and no sane professor would accept an unknown stranger's offer to teach their course instead of them. Even if you just want to be an informal teaching assistant, there's still way too much potential for things to go wrong.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>You could offer to give a guest lecture as a volunteer, but I doubt anyone would take you up on that offer unless they knew you well enough to be confident you'd do an acceptable job. Aside from one-off possibilities like this, you don't have any options outside of the regular process. You could try to become a graduate teaching assistant or adjunct (depending on your background), but working under the table is not an option.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45889,
"author": "emory",
"author_id": 3849,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3849",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are two ways to go about this.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Apply to graduate school.</li>\n<li>Apply for an adjunct faculty position.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Good Luck!</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/22
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45890",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30606/"
] |
45,898 |
<p>Tuition can easily get in the tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars for a 4-year degree. This is unarguably many times over what the university needs to cover the costs of offering their services. Why is this the case if they are usually run under a non-profit architecture?</p>
<p>Where is all this money going?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45899,
"author": "Aleksandr Blekh",
"author_id": 12391,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12391",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think that education in US, even in non-profit institutions, is expensive, <strong>because colleges and universities can</strong> charge basically whatever amounts they want, a practice, to a significant degree, IMHO prompted by trying to stay competitive by <strong>overspending</strong> on <em>amenities</em>, many of which are very remote to the nature of education and learning. Of course, there are significant <em>costs</em>, <strong>some</strong> of which are <em>appropriate</em>, such as salaries for faculty and staff, equipment for labs, some research programs and other reasonable expenses. Having said that, I believe that some of the expenses are over-inflated, such as (too) nice and fancy campuses and buildings, top administrative and executive compensation, research labs and programs that don't produce significant enough output, sports and other over-spending sources. That is not to say that tuition and fees cover all those expenses - universities traditionally rely on various financial sources in addition to tuition and fees (see the last link below). Of course, the above is just my somewhat naive (but, hopefully, not so far from reality) interpretation or, rather, impression of the <em>complex ecosystem of higher education</em>.</p>\n\n<p>More <em>details</em> on the topic can be found on Wikipedia (i.e., see <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education_in_the_United_States#Cost_and_finances\">this section</a> and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_tuition_in_the_United_States\">this article</a>) and other resources (i.e., <a href=\"http://debtandsociety.org/publication/borrowing_against_the_future\">this article</a>). In the <em>popular press</em>, there is no shortage of <em>opinions</em>, both <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/opinion/sunday/the-real-reason-college-tuition-costs-so-much.html\">blaming</a> colleges and universities for exponential increase of the cost of education as well as <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-a-olson/how-to-understand-the-high-cost-of-college_b_7064796.html\">defending</a> their actions and situation. Those interested in a more comprehensive <em>economic analysis</em> of the subject, can be referred to a significant amount of existing academic research, such as <a href=\"http://www.stern.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/con_042986.pdf\">this thesis</a>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45900,
"author": "David Ketcheson",
"author_id": 81,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/81",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Tuition rates have grown much faster than inflation over the past decades; most estimates show that they've more than doubled -- after adjusting for inflation! -- in the past 30 years.</p>\n\n<p>There seems to be a large body of evidence and broad consensus supporting the idea that <strong>a disproportionate increase in the number and/or salaries of university administrators is responsible for this growth</strong>. A quick Google search turns up hundreds of articles, many of which link to the primary data. This trend seems to be global. A few examples, of which I suggest reading at least the first:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/opinion/sunday/the-real-reason-college-tuition-costs-so-much.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0\">The Real Reason College Tuition Costs so Much</a>, from the New York Times (April 2015)</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-fall-of-the-faculty-9780199782444?cc=sa&lang=en&\">The Fall of the Faculty</a>, an entire book devoted to this thesis</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://reclaimuc.blogspot.com/2013/01/uc-administration-continues-to-grow.html\">Growth of administration in the University of California system</a>: The number of FTE administrators was equal to faculty in 1991; now it is more than double.</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://bjoern.brembs.net/2015/01/booming-university-administrations/\">Booming university administrations</a>, in which Bjorn Brembs points out that the German university system has more than 2 administrators for each professor.</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323316804578161490716042814\">Article in the Wall Street Journal</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlindsay/2015/01/24/university-of-texas-looks-to-limit-metastasizing-administrative-bloat/\">Forbes article about the U. Texas system</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>This list could go on for a long time, but you get the idea. There are other theories; <a href=\"https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/05/05/report-says-administrative-bloat-construction-booms-not-largely-responsible-tuition\">here is one opposing point of view</a>.</p>\n\n<p>I was happily surprised to see that my own institution's budget for next year adds about 15% to research and education (we are growing), while <strong>decreasing</strong> the budget for administration and finance by about 8%! But we have an unusual President, whose priorities are in the right place. And we don't charge tuition.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45901,
"author": "mrodent",
"author_id": 34908,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34908",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Haha! Market economics and myths about degrees and particular institutions, and crucially the value of networking in professional life after university. </p>\n\n<p>In reality much smaller, flatter structures than universities could provide the same (or better) standard of tertiary education. A lot of the seminars could possibly be done by skyping or hiring a cheap room locally. Lectures (if indeed they are ever genuinely needed) could be delivered by YouTube. This wouldn't prevent the possibility of social interaction with other students.</p>\n\n<p>For most subjects these days, most learning is self-learning, done by reading books (and of course use of the Net).</p>\n\n<p>What you are paying for is NOT quality of education, NOT face-time with your teachers and NOT lectures (you could get that info more efficiently by reading). Contrary to myth, the value of university is not even about \"having a good time\"/\"so much more than education\".</p>\n\n<p>In reality you are paying for a piece of paper which says \"Yale\" or \"London University\" or whatever, and the value of that piece of paper is that potential employers regard it as a badge of seriousness, not of education.</p>\n\n<p>The other thing you're paying for is to make friends. The idea is that subsequently they and/or you become moderately successful and help one another out.</p>\n\n<p>And the level of the fees? They charge whatever they can get away with. Everything is now \"marketised\" (already in the Anglo-Saxon world, and the rest of the world will have to follow suite). Even if they didn't spend the money on staff salaries they would find ways: advertising and branding, preposterously expensive research facilities, Hadron coliders, sabbaticals... the list is endless: university managers are creative people in one way at least.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45913,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is a long list of possible answers to the question, and different answers will apply to different schools. Cal State LA is not the same as USC, although neither is a for-profit entity. Not all universities in the US are expensive. Some have big endowments and some do not. Some nonprofit universities are private, and some are public. For the public ones, the level at which the cost is set is based on how willing the voters are to pay for the system. Here are some general answers:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>The more expensive schools are competing against each other to provide the best amenities, such as rock-climbing walls. This is described in more detail in Aleksandr Blekh's answer.</p></li>\n<li><p>As described in David Ketcheson's answer, many schools are topheavy with administrators.</p></li>\n<li><p>Being cheap can, counterintuitively, be a competitive disadvantage in attracting students. Affluent parents may figure that if school A costs $50,000 a year, and B costs $25,000, then B must not be as good.</p></li>\n<li><p>At many private schools, there is an expectation that nobody will actually pay full tuition. What you actually pay is based on your ability to pay.</p></li>\n<li><p>Students have opinions about where they want to go to school, but the bills may be paid by the parents, not the students. Or if the students are paying, they may be using loans, so the money doesn't seem real to them.</p></li>\n<li><p>Education is seen as a public good, and therefore there is a tendency for government to subsidize it in various ways, such as tax-advantaging college savings funds or Pell grants. These subsidies distort the market and raise prices. Although the question is about nonprofits, the extreme examples of this are for-profit schools such as the scandal-ridden <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everest_College\" rel=\"nofollow\">Everest College</a>, which had an absurd cost-to-value ratio.</p></li>\n<li><p>In fields like science and education, research activities act as a subsidy to the school, since the school charges funding agencies an overhead as part of grant funding. However, research in some other fields may be a net loss for the school.</p></li>\n<li><p>Similarly, some sports programs may produce net revenue for the school, while others are a net loss. This is controversial and hard to measure. E.g., you can't tell whether USC's football program causes alumni to feel connected to the school and therefore donate money.</p></li>\n<li><p>Some subjects are just expensive to teach. For example, undergraduate physics labs are expensive to run, but they're needed as a service to other departments such as engineering.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/23
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45898",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34906/"
] |
45,903 |
<p>So your student is becoming overweight: does this negatively impact your research group in some way? Should an advisor care?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45915,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Becoming overweight is not an issue per se. Major physical changes, however, are often a sign of an major ongoing mental or physical health event. Rapid weight gain, for example, is often associated with depression or thyroid problems, both of which <em>can</em> have a major impact on the student's ability to learn and work.\nAs such, I would definitely be concerned if a student was visibly gaining a large amount of weight---not because of attractiveness or disapproval of weight, but because of what else it might indicate.</p>\n\n<p>I would find it highly inappropriate, however, to bring this up with the student by saying something like \"I've noticed you've gained a lot of weight\" because there are also a lot of more benign reasons somebody might gain weight, including <em>recovering</em> from mental or physical health problems that would also be none of my business. </p>\n\n<p>I would, however, notice it as a possible red flag, and start to keep a more careful eye out for other signs of distress, which might legitimately trigger a conversation about, for example, mental health.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 51299,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It would help to know what motivates the question, to make sure I'm getting at what you are trying to find out, but here goes:</p>\n\n<p>The advisors I have known would wait for the student to bring up a health situation before talking about it.</p>\n\n<p>They would consider the overweight in conjunction with other aspects of the student's well-being. Being overweight by itself wouldn't be a concern. If it were accompanied by symptoms of pre-diabetes, heart disease, OCD, depression, etc., then the advisor would be concerned about the big picture (including, but not limited to, the weight problem).</p>\n\n<p>The concern would be about the student, not about the group.</p>\n\n<p>The gender of the student would be irrelevant.</p>\n\n<p>This is my assessment, regarding the advisors I have personally known.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 51301,
"author": "Phil",
"author_id": 21815,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21815",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The supervisor should supervise students about their research work and not judge students based on their appearance or their private life. It would not have any impact on my research group. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/23
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45903",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34910/"
] |
45,905 |
<p>How do I deal with two parents who don't see the utility of science and mathematics while pursuing an education in science and math (while depending on their income to fund my tuition?). They come from a blue-collar background and don't think learning arcane symbols has anything to do with innovation or make big bucks in today's world.</p>
<p>My parents wish for me to go off to the industry ASAP or do some freelance or make an app that get them rich quick. I want to pursuit further education beyond that of a bachelor degree.</p>
<p>In the summertime I am preparing for some course work for next semester, but they keep on telling me that I should sign up for some fitness class or make money. I appreciate their viewpoint, but I can't bring myself to balance between studying and concentrating on course work while doing things that are a waste of time.</p>
<p>What should I do?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45906,
"author": "Nox",
"author_id": 34771,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34771",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is one thing you should actually do: listen to them, even if just a bit.</p>\n\n<p>Your parents are funding your education and are not entirely happy with what you do. They are also proposing to you to get a job during your breaks.\nTry to do just that. To elaborate: I think there is a high chance that your parents will not be willing to help you later on (i.e. at M.Sc. level), thus you will need money.</p>\n\n<p>Also, speaking from experience, the sports part is not to be underestimated. You do not have to be a pro-whatever, but going to the gym and keeping fit is certainly <em>not</em> going to hurt your brain.</p>\n\n<p>Beyond this it is up to you to educate them. Look for statistics etc. which\nshow that having higher education is beneficial for a job and then make it understandable for your parents (basically it should be easy to imagine for them). The latter part is actually the hard part. It seems to me that your parents may have a warped understanding of how difficult it is to actually \"get rich quick\".</p>\n\n<p>Do not think that trying to educate your parents will be a waste of your time. You might lose some study-time now, but if you are successful you stand to gain much more in the long run (i.e. tuition for masters) – <em>do not underestimate this</em>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45909,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>If the goal of your parents for you really is that you become the next Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, or Mark Zuckerberg, then letting you go to graduate studies and letting you hang with all the other smart people is certainly more useful than telling you to \"start getting rich now\". This is akin to wanting to raise an Olympian athlete, and, rather than making him train, shouting at him that he needs to run faster <em>right now</em>. Of course the assumption that any specific person will break through and get super-rich is unrealistic to the point of being ridiculous, but obviously it will be hard to convince your parents of that (at least short-term), so you may need to work with what you got.</p>\n\n<p>While the idea of Nox is generally useful (find statistics and show them), it sounds like your parents may be the type for which statistics are too abstract and would probably not work very well. Rather, you can try convincing them with anecdotes of well-educated people who \"made it\" (became rich, to use the terminology of the question). Of those there are many - opposite to popular opinion, most startup founders etc. are not random people off the streets who were selling sandwiches before breaking through. Rather, most greatly successful ideas and companies have been developed by people with degrees from top universities in, yes, math and science. There is a reason why Silicon Valley is in the Bay Area, and it's likely not the weather.</p>\n\n<p>Concrete examples include:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The company Google sprung out of a research project by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, two Stanford graduate students. Sergey is now the 18th-richest person in the world.</li>\n<li>Facebook was not a research project, but (at least so the story goes) the original ideas have been developed by Mark Zuckerberg in a dormitory in Harvard in discussion with other students in breaks between computer science classes.</li>\n<li>Bill Gates never finished, but even the founder and long-time CEO of Microsoft was in Harvard for some time. Incidentally, there he met Steve Ballmer, who became CEO of Microsoft after Gates - another case of a very wealthy and important person who happens to have great education.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45917,
"author": "Alex",
"author_id": 34914,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34914",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>So some advice and a personal story. TL;DR: Take advice tactfully, and make your own decisions.</p>\n\n<p>I feel a connection between your brief explanation and my own life story. I went off for business school and studied economics, only to get very depressed and decide to drop out to travel a bit. I eventually went back to school, graduated with a double bachelors in Spanish and sociology and am working on a masters degree right now. But let's focus in on the middle of the story.</p>\n\n<p>My parents were very convinced that this 'travelling' would only be a setback, that I might die, and even if I didn't I would regret the wasted time for the rest of my life. I heard them and accepted their comments, but knowing that only I could know what was going on inside of me, I left anyway. I rediscovered what interested me, and in two years I was back in school.</p>\n\n<p>How does this relate to you? <strong>Your parents are different people than you, but they are still people.</strong> This means they have opinions and views about everything, just like you do. They will freely offer all the advice you can put up with, but in the end it's you that has to make the decision for your life. Having them pay for your education can complicate things, and some of the other answers have some advice about that, but perhaps try talking to them. Explain to them that a) you do hear them, b) you have some of your own ideas, and c) you have a plan that will incorporate what you feel is the best of all the advice you have received, from them, from yourself, and from others.</p>\n\n<p>Parents have opinions, and often, money. But your life is yours, and you have to make the decisions for you. Listen to your parents, and even ask them to go deeper into the whys of their advice. But in the end, <strong>make your own choices</strong>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45918,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As long as your parents are in control of your tuition, you need to deal with the question of whether they approve of your choices. If you want to make an argument to them that getting a higher education is worth it then here is a really useful chart:</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZZSV.gif\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></p>\n\n<p>STEM education in particular is even more valuable than general higher education (a good summary may be found in <a href=\"http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/stemfinalyjuly14_1.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this report</a>), though the percent benefit is less for higher degrees, where non-STEM folks tend to make good money and have very low unemployment as well. Your STEM undergraduate degree, for example, is worth an expected 25% gain in salary vs. a non-STEM degree.</p>\n\n<p>Now it's also possible that your parents aren't <em>actually</em> concerned about your ability to make money in the future, and so you won't be able to make an argument to them in this way. For example, what they might <em>really</em> be concerned about is their own current debt (e.g., if they are on the brink of bankruptcy or foreclosure and hiding from you) or about non-monetary issues (e.g., if they are religious fundamentalists or anti-government conspiracy theorists). </p>\n\n<p>If something like this is the case, and they aren't receptive to a respectful presentation of your case for STEM and higher education, then you're going to need to think about going along them <em>as part of obtaining your STEM education,</em> i.e., a price you have to pay, not unlike putting up with annoying dorm-mates, in order to remain at college.</p>\n\n<p>Once you finish your undergraduate and move on to a graduate program, any good graduate program will give you a sufficient stipend to live on, and you need not be dependent on your parents finances or approval any more in any way.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45919,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjVDqfUhXOY\" rel=\"nofollow\">this recent Numberphile video</a>, James Simons (who, incidentally, build his billion-dollar fortune in large part by being really good at math) comments that in the United States, if you know enough math to teach it well at the high school level, you can probably get a job with Google, Microsoft, or some other big tech company. That is a pretty good career prospect, if you ask me. Depending on the type of science your other major is on, the same applies (for example, if you are studying Chemistry and get good grades, you can possibly get into a MSc program in Chemical Engineering, which will also open the door to a number of good careers in industry).</p>\n\n<p>As xLeitix mentions, your parents have to understand that higher education is a long-term investment. You may not get rich straight away (very few people do, and they will be the first to admit that a lot depends on being in the right place at the right time), but you will be reaping tangible benefits for the rest of your life.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/23
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45905",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34910/"
] |
45,912 |
<p>I would be very happy if you can help me, I really need help!
One year ago I started my PhD, I was the only PhD student (still am) who was (and still) not paid by the supervisor, and I have to work elsewhere as the personal assistant of another professor!</p>
<p>For the first 3 months, my supervisor gave me no topic, I was just sitting in the office and reading on my own! In the end, as he had no new ideas, I went with my own idea, which he pretends to like! The topic that I suggested (I provided a lot of literature background and methods) is really cool, published in very good journal. I started my job with no help from my supervisor! And till now I was successful with good results and I got a lot of knowledge and learned a lot of techniques. I spoke last week with my supervisor, he said he does not have any grant money to pay me (I know he has, he is going to get one postdoc and one PhD student very soon) and he spoke with me in a way that suggests he will never pay me! He also mentioned a lot in his speech about "failure of my experiments in the future", also that is impossible that I got very nice results, and it seems he likes it that I fail! He also told me I am a free person and I can change my group whenever I like!</p>
<p>I am very much afraid I will not be able to finish my PhD with him, and I thought of changing my group as he said "I am free to do that". I do not know what is the problem with him? I only attempted to get a good result and make him happy! What will you do in my case? What should I do?</p>
<p>Need to say he is just a normal professor not a HUGE face!
Please help me and let me know about your ideas.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45916,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am concerned that you say the purpose of your research was to make your professor happy.</p>\n\n<p>Your research, ultimately, is not for your advisor's benefit, but for yours. You are in graduate school for some reason and making your advisor happy is only part of serving that reason, whatever it is. From what you have written, it sounds like there is no reason, either financial or emotional or ethical, for you to stay with this advisor. </p>\n\n<p>So: why haven't you left already?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46036,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Congratulations on the exciting work you have been doing. With the in vivo test you're planning, perhaps this would not be a good time to have it out with this guy. However, there is nothing to keep you from starting to look around for a possible new advisor.</p>\n\n<p>Once you have a person in mind, then you can start to think about how to approach that person. You can use the standard graceful \"not a good fit\" description, of course, but in your case you can also talk about your hope of getting financial support.</p>\n\n<p>If you find someone who would be interested in taking you on as a student, that person will probably want to guide you in how to handle the switch.</p>\n\n<p>Another thing you might want to do is to talk with the head of the deparment, or the dean of graduate students.</p>\n\n<p>Just make sure that you don't sound like a whiner or complainer. Just outline the facts, leaving feelings out of it.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/23
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45912",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34912/"
] |
45,921 |
<p><em>DISCLAIMER: the following story does not necessarily correspond to the facts in reality. In particular, it does not necessarily correspond to the author of this post and his/her supervisor.</em></p>
<p>I joined my advisor's lab as a PhD student. I developed my own new direction for my lab, which is recognized by the community. We have presented papers at the top conference in my area. My advisor had never presented their before.</p>
<p><strong>Professor: little scientific contribution</strong></p>
<p>In the publications we have written together, I have been the first author and can claim 98% of the scientific contributions. The other 2% is for my advisor's very minor suggestions. Most of the time, after the paper is accepted, the finalization process is 100% on me.</p>
<p>When we have other co-authors, my advisor tries to appear to input more and implies that I have been told to do something (for example, "as we discussed earlier"). My advisor often implies to me that the others are unhelpful to my work, and seems to prefer working in isolation with me.</p>
<p>My advisor has recognized my contribution, saying "your work" as in "sorry for talking about your work" in internal meetings. However, my advisor also seemed to insinuate that I am the one being overly protective about my originality, saying on several occasions in a jocular tone "No problem. I can be the first author."</p>
<p><strong>Professor: little scientific discipline</strong></p>
<p>My advisor asked me once to add someone who did not contribute at all as a coauthor. On several occasions, he/she suggested me to submit the same paper to multiple conferences, and to spam low-quality conferences with my publications. Now that he has seen the benefits of my way of quality-thresholding, he started to educate me to have a high standard.</p>
<p><strong>Professor: the good side</strong></p>
<p>My advisor has a pleasant personality, enjoys a good reputation among certain communities in our university, and has encouraged me when I fail. Our working relationship is a really, really patient one, and my advisor can leave me alone for several months without pushing. This is not sarcasm but the biggest help that I was given. I have been able to take a larger-than-usual number of vacation days, and have found that my advisor never crosses the line in communication.</p>
<p><strong>Student: helpless</strong></p>
<p>I have been very exhausted writing papers and am suffering mental problems from having to fight on the frontiers of science with little help. I am just always stressed. I find it difficult to smile or even to concentrate, and have nightmares every few days.</p>
<p>At the graduation stage, my advisor continues to talking about the "next paper", and talks about doing post-docs, without agreeing on my graduation date. He/she intentionally delayed some of these administrative procedures. Frankly I feel too disgusted to continue this "co-authorship".</p>
<p>I feel less confident about complaining to the university, because (1) I do not speak the local language; (2) I find it difficult to be sociable because of my health issues; (3) I am from a third-world country, which could bias people's judgement; (4) I rely on him/her to organizing the defense; and (5) what should I complain about?</p>
<p><strong>Questions</strong></p>
<p>Generally, how does a Ph.D. student. who has progressed well, safely and permanently leave an unhelpful and undisciplined professor, to avoid being intentionally delayed in the graduation process, and to roll on with the rest of his/her life?</p>
<p>What are the general limits of a student's rights in the process of getting his/her Ph.D.? Can he/she submit the thesis and demand to defend, without respecting his/her advisor's suggestions to stay longer as a Ph.D. student or a post-doc?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45941,
"author": "Huitzilo",
"author_id": 34268,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34268",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The short answer is: Graduate and look for your next lab/job.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, due to the circumstances this is challenging. From my own experience, your situation is not at all uncommon to emerge during a PhD. Feeling like your supervisor takes credit, when all the work is done by you, feeling neglected in terms of supervision. I'd say this rings a bell with many, many PhD students out there. It seems like situations like this are just part of growing up in the academic sense. </p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, you sound like you have already been quite successful on the scientific side, with some high-profile output. Your publications in first-tier locations should help you get you a postdoc relatively easily (in case you want to stay in academia, that is). </p>\n\n<p>Moreover, your supervisor seems willing to give you more financial support. If he keeps talking about the \"next paper\", this means that he approves of your work. After all, he benefits a lot from it, too. You have some leverage there.</p>\n\n<p>My suggestion is: graduate and get out of there. To do so, you need a plan. You need to 1) get clear picture of what will go into your thesis, and set up a concrete schedule for writing it, 2) make up your mind what kind of career you want to pursue (academia, industry, something else), 3) start networking for your next job NOW. 1) is definitely the highest priority, but 2 and 3 shouldn't be neglected either. </p>\n\n<p>Once you made up your mind, talk to your supervisor about how and when you're planning to graduate, and how much financial support you need to complete. I'm sure he will be supportive of your plans. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46033,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>My friend, I would suggest that you start by seeing a medical professional, and the dean of students in your department or university. If it is difficult for you to describe your situation in a conversation, then write a short statement and start the conversation by giving the statement to the person. There are multiple aspects to your situation, but I want to make sure you understand that a university has a responsibility to support its students, and the job of a medical professional is to care for patients. If your university has an office for students with disabilities, you could talk to them as well. I think that your level of distress is making it more difficult for you to deal with your academic stress.</p>\n<p>Now, about your academic situation. Your advisor is not everything you would have liked to have as an advisor. But please try to focus on the positives about him and your relationship for now, and postpone processing the negatives until later. Supporting your parents is your top priority right now, and you will start to feel better when you are able to begin helping them. Wanting to care for elderly, infirm parents is a basic human drive.</p>\n<p>Here is a proposed text for when you go see the dean of students. If\nnecessary, you can have this translated to the local language.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I am\ngiving you a written statement about my situation because it is\ndifficult for me to begin a conversation about my problem.</p>\n<p>My parents\nare alone and in poor health, and I feel an urgent need to finish my\nPhD and leave [name of city or country where you are] to go care for\nthem.</p>\n<p>This worry is making me so distressed that life has become very\ndifficult for me here.</p>\n<p>I believe that I am ready to graduate, having\ncompleted my PhD research and published several papers about my work.\nI don't know how to convince my advisor that it is time for him to\nschedule my defense.</p>\n<p>Is there someone in the university who can help\nme communicate my situation to my advisor? I am finding it\nincreasingly difficult to carry on ordinary conversations because of the high level of distress I feel.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is a simplification of everything that's going on with you at present -- but that's okay.</p>\n<p>For the medical professional, you can also list your symptoms, for example: thoughts of suicide, frequent nightmares, difficulty concentrating, difficulty smiling or talking to people -- and anything else that may be going on.</p>\n<p>For these conversations, you must set aside the feelings of despair, while you are having the conversation. It should be as though you were there negotiating for a friend or acquaintance, not about yourself. Make sure that you don't get discouraged if the first person you speak with does nothing to help you -- just try someone else.</p>\n<p>If you need to show your statement to a receptionist or secretary, that's okay. You owe it to your parents to get the help you need.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/23
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45921",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34835/"
] |
45,924 |
<p>This is a follow-up from my question <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45149/dealing-with-intern-supervisor-who-underestimates-my-abilities">here</a> on my atrocious relationship with my internship/assistance as an undergraduate at a teaching lab. </p>
<p>Since I only have some weeks left to end this awful experience, I am planning to visit the department's head(who is also my professor) at his office to explain how unproductive and pointless my "training" was and how I was being exploited by my supervisor.</p>
<p>The problem is that the president is also my professor(teaching courses I'm interested in), and I wonder if anything I say against my supervisor or my experience will worsen my future studies (and relationship) with my professor until I graduate.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45945,
"author": "Atsby",
"author_id": 32816,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32816",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Since I only have some weeks left to end this awful experience, I am planning to visit the department's president (who is also a professor) at his office to explain how unproductive and pointless my \"training\" was and how I was being exploited by my supervisor.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Newsflash: Slavery has been abolished. If you were \"exploited\", it's because you didn't do your due diligence to find out what you were getting into. You should've asked \"what exactly will I be doing?\" and, if you were not satisfied with the answer \"delivering mail\", you should've looked for a different position.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The problem is that the president is also my professor(teaching courses I'm interested in), and I wonder if anything I say against my supervisor or my experience will worsen my future studies (and relationship) with my professor until I graduate.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It might very well have this effect, since nobody likes a whiner. I'd recommend just dropping the issue, forgetting about the past and focusing on what you can do in the future to further your career. I forget the saying exactly, but there's a saying that goes something like \"pushing other people down won't float you up\".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45949,
"author": "Steve Heim",
"author_id": 21119,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21119",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I wonder if anything I say against my supervisor or my experience will worsen my future studies (and relationship) with my professor until I graduate.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It could, and this depends on many factors (including the character of this professor, his relationship with your supervisor, your character and how you explain things etc...), I don't think anyone can predict whether or not it actually will.</p>\n\n<p>I recommend first considering what you hope to achieve in discussing this with the head of the department (aka president/professor). I can imagine a couple of possibilities: </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>You feel the need to unload and feel some sympathy.</li>\n<li>You care about the system and hope this can be avoided for future students.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>If it is mainly the first, I strongly suggest talking to a friend over a beer instead. You'll avoid the risk, and also won't essentially waste your professor's time (which would probably negatively affect his impression of you).</p>\n\n<p>If your motivation is the second, I think this is quite a noble and selfless thing to do, showing high integrity, but it does put yourself at quite a bit of risk with essentially no gain (it helps future students, but if I understand correctly, not you). If this is your goal, I urge you to first consider whether you think this professor would actually care about the advice of an undergrad (I have known professors who would appreciate it, but also some who would simply consider the student to be complaining, in which case relations with that professor would indeed worsen). If you think he will, then I suggest the following:<br>\nBefore speaking to your professor, make sure you can present the situation clearly, as objectively as possible and concisely (the longer you speak, the more it sounds like a rant and you lose interest - also professors tend to be very busy, and thus have low attention spans for issues that don't seem important). Be very clear straight off the bat that you understand and agree that what has already happened has happened and nothing can/will be done for you, and your intent is solely to raise awareness of the issue so that it can be avoided in the future. Possibly put this intent in writing when contacting the professor for the meeting (again, as short as possible).</p>\n\n<p>In the end, taking action here will involve risk, regardless of your intentions. You will have to weigh how much you care about the issue, and what chances you think you have.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46035,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I see this question as a duplicate of the other one, but I don't know how to make that official.</p>\n\n<p>Here is what I said in my answer to the other question:</p>\n\n<p>\"Try to get out of there as gracefully as possible.\"</p>\n\n<p>\"Q: Should I talk to a professor about this topic?</p>\n\n<p>\"A: Yes, that would be fine, as long as you can avoid whining or complaining.\"</p>\n\n<p>Perhaps it would be easier for you to avoid whining or complaining if you waited some time before sharing your constructively critical comments.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/23
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45924",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32563/"
] |
45,929 |
<p>Earlier this year, I received a paper to referee for the top journal in my field of research. I know both of the authors. The first recently completed a Ph.D. working with a friend of mine. My faculty friend is the best-known person working in our area; he is an extremely careful and conscientious researcher, and working under him, the student produced some very good work. The other author of the manuscript I'm refereeing is the new post-doctoral supervisor of that recent Ph.D. grad. He is a very senior but not terribly distinguished scientist, and I think that some of his work is rather slipshod.</p>
<p>The first manuscript draft I got from this pair of authors had a glaring problem. There may have been a fundamental error in how they interpreted their results. There are two different ways that the system they are studying could behave, and they assume that it goes one way, apparently without even noticing the other. They might well be right about how the system behaves, but I sent back a report saying that the work would be publishable if they either explained why they only considered one of the two possibilities or expanded their analysis to cover both. The final conclusion is likely to unchanged whichever way the system behaves, but it is important to verify this; moreover, it is interesting in its own right to know which way things go.</p>
<p>After a rather brief period, I got a revised manuscript back from the journal. The authors had made a number of other minor corrections that I asked for, but they basically ignored my main point. At this point, I'm not sure what to do. I still feel like the paper contains a significant amount of interesting material, and it could be fixed without that much effort. However, I am upset that the authors made not effort to fix the actual problem I pointed out. They don't even really acknowledge the problem in their resubmission letter.</p>
<p>I was the only referee who turned in a report on the first draft, so what I say will almost certainly determine whether the paper is published. Should I send it back one more time, insisting that the changes I called for actually be made this time? Or should I recommend rejection, since the authors are apparently unwilling to make reasonable adjustments.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45930,
"author": "Bill Barth",
"author_id": 11600,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11600",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You should encourage the editor to get a second opinion. If you feel strongly, you should reject the paper again citing or repeating your comment about the alternate explanation. Based on what you've said here, it seems likely to be important. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45931,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>It's totally reasonable to be upset that the authors ignored your comments, but for the purposes of reviewing the paper, I think you should set that aside. I would let the editor make the decision as to whether the authors are \"unwilling to make reasonable adjustments\". Send him/her a note saying something like:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I mentioned in my initial report that it was essential for the revisions to address the issue of XXXX, but this has not been done, nor mentioned in the authors' comments. This paper has many good qualities, but I do not think the paper is suitable for publication if this issue is not addressed. If you feel it is worth the time to ask the authors for a further revision addressing this issue, I would be happy to read it and give my opinion.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I think it's up to the editor to judge between \"this is a paper I really want in my journal, so I'm willing to put up with a little bit of crap\" or \"the authors are wasting our time, to hell with them\".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45932,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If it is indeed the case that:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>The potential flaw really could fundamentally change the conclusion of the paper, and</li>\n<li>The authors didn't even address your issue at all even in their response letter</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>then I would recommend rejection.</p>\n\n<p>When doing a major revision, it is imperative that the authors at least speak to every point raised by the reviewers in the response letter, even if it is just to say: \"No, we will not do this.\"</p>\n\n<p>If an author blatantly fails to address a critical issue, then I feel that it is reasonable to conclude that they are avoiding the issue and recommend rejection. If the issue is important but not critical, or if you disagree with how the authors address it, then I think it is better instead to recommend major revision.</p>\n\n<p>Even though you recommend rejection, if the editor wants to give them another chance, they can certainly do so. Similarly, even if they are rejected, they can amend their ways (or not) and go to another lower-level journal. So: vote your scientific conscience.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45936,
"author": "user6726",
"author_id": 28972,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/28972",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It seems to me that you should write a brief review which starts by saying something like \"I recommend rejecting the submission X, on the grounds that the paper fails to even consider a plausible alternative interpretation of the experimental results, and thus the theoretical significance of the paper is indeterminate\". In my review, I would reiterate the essential points about the alternative made in the earlier review, and I would also state this as an \"I already mentioned this\" summary. It is scientifically not acceptable to claim or imply that a specific conclusion has been established based on some evidence, when in fact multiple conclusions are consistent with that evidence.</p>\n\n<p>It is not clear whether your previous recommendation was \"revise and resubmit\" or \"reject\" -- I assume it was \"revise and resubmit\", otherwise it would be strange for the paper to have been revised and resubmitted. I think therefore that it would be useful to explain to the authors and the editor the rationale for a more strongly negative recommendation, when the paper has not (apparently) gotten worse. A number of journals use the \"one round of revision\" standard, where you judge that after one revision, the paper is likely to be acceptable. Under that standard, if you judge that a paper is likely to be acceptable after one revision, it should be rejected. A corollary is that if a paper turns out to not be acceptable after a single revision, it should be rejected. Now, I do know of journals where 4 rounds of revisions are tolerated, so you may not be able to contextualize the \"reject\" decision based on announced journal policy, but you can certainly adopt such a standard, implicitly or explicitly, as your own quality standard for acceptance.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45939,
"author": "Blaisorblade",
"author_id": 8966,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8966",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Should I send it back one more time, insisting that the changes I called for actually be made this time? Or should I recommend rejection, since the authors are apparently unwilling to make reasonable adjustments.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>As long as they don't even react to the remark, the polite move would be to assume a good faith communication problem, especially given the amount of involved people. So I'd just ask for another revision and point out the remark was not addressed anyhow.</p>\n\n<p>Personally, I'd avoid being subtle once they missed the point, so I'd just spell out that the authors should address the remark (in the paper), convince you they shouldn't in the resubmission letter, or you will recommend rejection. To avoid being too negative or aggressive, I'd also put in positive comments — say, you expect the point to be easily addressed.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/24
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45929",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515/"
] |
45,935 |
<p>For any professors out there, do you feel that there are any differences in how you selected and recruited students from the time when you were newly hired, to a well-established stage (i.e. after getting tenure)? I'm asking this out of curiosity. There are oftentimes questions about whether students should choose a new/old advisor, but I haven't seen any that asked about this from the prof's perspective.</p>
<p>I would assume there are since the challenges and priorities for the two groups are normally somewhat different, but I'm not sure exactly how it would differ. For instance, it might be more difficult for the new PI to recruit students (especially good ones) when they have to "compete" with older, better funded peers. This would lead one to think that new PIs might be more likely to take on students they might not necessarily love, but just need bodies in the lab. However, on the other hand, new PIs are more likely to have limited funding, and if they are on the tenure-track, would need their few students to succeed in order to establish a name for themselves in the industry. In this case, it would be detrimental if they chose the wrong student(s) in the beginning, especially if they are limited to the number of students they can afford due to funding issues. I realize that this is field and situation specific, but I'm looking to hear stories/insights from people who have gone through/know about the process.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45938,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This will indeed be highly dependent on field. For instance, in pure mathematics, there's a rather dramatic difference: most faculty don't take on any graduate students at all until after tenure.</p>\n\n<p>The American Mathematical Society has written one of their <a href=\"http://www.ams.org/profession/leaders/culture/CultureStatement05.pdf\">culture statements</a> about this issue. Generally, (pure) mathematicians have no labs and hence no need for bodies to fill them. And in math, on the time scale of a tenure clock, advising grad students is felt to have a net negative effect on research productivity (in the longer run there can be dividends). So the clear incentive is to wait until after tenure, and departments are usually fine with this.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45948,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>By contrast to Nate Eldredge's answer about mathematics faculty, for faculty in engineering/science fields at some institutions, graduating Ph.D. students is actually one of the key <em>requirements</em> for obtaining tenure. The theory is that successfully supervising Ph.D. students is one of the primary tasks of research-oriented faculty. As a result, selecting a graduate student is likely to be much higher stakes for such faculty, and they may be either more conservative (i.e., \"Can't risk a bad one\") or more risky (i.e., \"Gotta make sure at least some graduate!\") depending on their personality and funding.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45950,
"author": "Brian Borchers",
"author_id": 4453,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4453",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In deciding whether or not to take on a graduate student advisee, the main factors are</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Funding. The student will either need their own or departmental funding (by e.g. a fellowship or teaching assistantship) or the advisor will have to provide it. Conversely, if the advisor has a funded research assistantship position it is often necessary to find someone to fill the position. </p></li>\n<li><p>Fit. Broadly, the student and advisor have to agree on the topic of the student's thesis and if the student will be working on a research assistantship then that topic has to fit with the grant. The project might also require special skills (e.g. knowledge of a particular programming language.) </p></li>\n<li><p>Aptitude or ability. Some students are more capable than others. </p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>For the first two points I don't think there is much difference depending on whether the advisor is tenured or not. With respect to the third point, advisors who are tenured can afford to be more careful in selecting only students that they think will do well. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/24
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45935",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33881/"
] |
45,946 |
<p>I'm writing up my physics PhD thesis, and am wondering whether to include the derivation of a formula that I worked out myself. I've recently found that this work isn't actually a novel contribution to the field, as the formula (though not a detailed derivation) appears in the appendix of a 10 year old paper.</p>
<p>Is there any sense in including it? And, if so, how would one describe the contribution?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45947,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is usually no reason not to include something in a thesis. Your thesis is a place for you to give a coherent account of all your work on a topic. There are (usually) no page restrictions, and it should serve as a reference document for future readers.</p>\n\n<p>Many theses include a lot of review material, beyond just what might be contained in a literature survey. A thesis has to contain new material, of course, but it does not all need to be novel. There can be a lot of merit in giving detailed explanations of known results, if the reader is not necessarily going to be familiar with them in detail. A derivation that has not previously appeared in the literature (even if the final result is known) is clearly suitable for inclusion.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45952,
"author": "DetlevCM",
"author_id": 33949,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33949",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is one of these case which very from country to country - from University to University. For example a German PhD is very different to a UK PhD, in how it is handled, evaluated etc.</p>\n\n<p>For the UK, obtaining a PhD is easiest if:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>You have made a novel contribution to research</li>\n<li>That contribution is publishable/has been published</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>However, sometimes things go awry, you cannot afford equipment, your institution lacks the ability to do research etc. so you can also obtain a PhD on the basis of</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>a systematic in depth investigation of your research topic with a sufficient amount of sufficiently high quality work</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Now coming back to the contents:</p>\n\n<p>As a most simple description, a PhD Thesis should be a scientific document that is on its own understandable to an averagely educated person.\nSo non specialist school level knowledge may be assumed as a priori known while specialist concepts should best be introduced in greater detail.\nThen again, some people do not include a large literature review or large background review while others do, this varies from country to country, from institution to institution.</p>\n\n<p>The best advice I would give you is:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>IF the information is of direct relevance to your work and required for an understanding of your work and is not trivia it would be better to include it in the thesis as background to aid the reader.</li>\n<li>IF the information is trivia in another field but not yours, it would again be beneficial for readers to have that information as opposed to having to seek it out.</li>\n<li>Check with how your institution likes its theses, do people generally write an extensive literature/methods review (in which case you should possibly include it) or do they just tend to write a rather plain presentation of results (in which case the benefit may be debatable).</li>\n</ul>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/24
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45946",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34939/"
] |
45,953 |
<p>Do faculty members get bonuses similar to industry such as cash bonus, stock bonus, profit sharing, commission sharing, and tips? Or only for teaching more courses? </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45954,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Since most faculty members are employed by non-profit institutions, there is little in the realm of corporate benefits that directly carries over for all faculty members.</p>\n\n<p>However, there can be some carryover if faculty have intellectual property which has been licensed through the university to a corporation. In such cases, they usually share in whatever revenues the university receives from the corporation. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45962,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In general no. Faculty are salaried employees with no bonus structure. Faculty often can work \"overtime\" where a department may allow a staff members to commit 110% or even 120% of their time by teaching additional classes, taking on additional administrative work, or conducting additional research. In some cases universities offer bonuses for jobs well done. These are tiny (e.g., 100 USD) compared to most industry bonuses.</p>\n\n<p>There are also bonuses that are not directly paid to the staff member. Teaching releases and additional discretionary funds are often provided as a reward for a job well done (generally large amounts of grant capture).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45966,
"author": "Bill Barth",
"author_id": 11600,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11600",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In addition to the other good answers, it is also possible to make additional money by consulting and other activities. In the US, faculty are often hired for 9 months out of the year. They can make up their salary for the other three months in a variety of ways. New faculty often receive some sort of startup package which they can spend in a variety of ways including hiring students and postdocs or paying their own summer salary. Grant funds won from a government agency like the NSF or industry can also be used to pay summer salary (though the NSF limits you to 2 months on their dime without special permission). Faculty can also sign up to teach more classes in order to pay themselves in the summer.</p>\n\n<p>If the faculty member chooses to take their 9-month base salary in 12 monthly payments over the year, which is pretty common, then any additional summer salary payments they receive might look like a bonus in some sense. </p>\n\n<p>Now, any awards that are made to the institution or extra classes that are picked up, do not generally allow the faculty member to increase their annual/monthly salary, just to fill in the months between 9 and 12. However, under many 9-month contracts, your summer months are effectively your own. A professor might take on an industry consulting gig for 3 months over the summer completely separate from their university appointment. Depending on the field, this might come at a substantially higher monthly rate, thereby allowing the prof to pad their salary.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/24
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45953",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/24823/"
] |
45,957 |
<p>My paper has not been published because none of the authors presented the paper. My supervisor (my co-author) was at the conference, but he did not show up to present. I can only assume he was tired that day (he is an old man), although he did manage to present two other papers. He also failed to inform the conference committee of his inability to present.</p>
<p>This is an IEEE conference. The paper was not published in IEEE Xplore, but even worse, it is not even mentioned in the proceedings. </p>
<p>What is really annoying is that they still want me to have their permission to submit it to another conference. This is what is written in their email:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Your previously-submitted IEEE Copyright form transferred ownership of this paper to IEEE. However, if you would like to resubmit this paper to another conference, please request permission to do so by sending an email message to [email protected].</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They also did not reimburse us for the hefty registration fees.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>How should someone in my position proceed?</strong> </li>
<li><strong>Shouldn't the conference at least mention the title of the paper in the proceedings?</strong> </li>
</ol>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45959,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm afraid you're out of luck here. </p>\n\n<p>The paper was accepted and submitted, and someone should have presented the paper. Since no one withdrew the paper from the conference, and no one presented it, you're stuck at the mercy of the rules of the conference organizers. </p>\n\n<p>Basically, the program organizers need <strong>not</strong> mention the paper in the proceedings, nor are they required to release the copyright claim on the paper. You will have to go through whatever procedures the conference organizers (in this case, IEEE) expect you to do if you want to resubmit the paper elsewhere.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45961,
"author": "Alexandros",
"author_id": 10042,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10042",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>A conference has a number of limited slots for presentations. When your paper is accepted for a conference, someone else's paper got rejected, because it was slightly worse than yours and slots were limited. In this sense, if you are not going to present your accepted paper, this a huge disservice to the conference (and the related community). As I already said in my comment that annoyed you, if everyone did the same thing (did not show up in the conference to present his paper) there would simply be no conference and this will be a huge waste of everyone's time (reviewers, PC comittees etc..). So, the first step is to understand that such a thing would normally never happen.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand we are still human and life emergencies happen. You may become sick before travelling to a conference and therefore not beeing able to present there. In this case, this is what emails are for. You should have notified the PC chairs that you were not going to make it and ask for leniency. On the other hand, what you describe is even more far-stretched. Your co-author did go to the conference, was probably paid his expenses from his institution and did not bother to show up at the time to present the paper. Imagine the similar example of some PHD student of going to a conference, partying the night before the presentation and not bothering waking up the next time to present. Have you considered the embarassment of the PC member responsible for your session, when they call out your name and noone shows up to present? And nobody even later this day or even two days later, bothers to send an email to apologize for this? Instead you think the conference organizers are in the wrong, because they are actually doing what they told you they would do (contrary to you). Not publish your paper if you do not show up.</p>\n\n<p>A war with them would only hurt you and not them. Apologize sincerely, ask for permission to publish somewhere else and try to be as nice as possible. Do not upload to arxiv before settling things out. And in the next case, understand that in Academia your word is your currency. Make sure you do not break it for whatever reason and if you do (due to some inevitable emergency) make sure you apologize promptly.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45963,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The IEEE has a rather clear policy on failure to present: in general, a paper that is not presented at a conference will be withdrawn from the proceedings. I have recently been publications chair for an IEEE conference, and in that role you are explicitly asked after the conference to identify any papers that were not presented and thus need to be withdrawn from the proceedings.</p>\n\n<p>The person who has caused this, really, is your co-author. Even if they had some emergency occur that prevented them from presenting (e.g., becoming ill), it is their responsibility to make a good-faith effort to inform the conference organizers so that some sort of alternate arrangement may be made. For example, I have seen papers presented remotely, or by a non-author serving as proxy, or shifted to a different day or time. Conference organizers are generally reasonable about such things. If your co-author was at the conference, capable of communicating, and failed to do so, then that is a real problem, and it is entirely reasonable of the organizers to treat it as a \"no-show\" and withdraw your paper. If they were hit by a bus or something like that so that they were completely unable to communicate, then that's a different problem, and a lost paper is not a big deal compared to such a health impact.</p>\n\n<p>As for copyright and republication, though: I'd be surprised if you have any difficulty getting permission; the IEEE isn't likely to try to hold onto something they aren't publishing.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45967,
"author": "sean",
"author_id": 15501,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15501",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I just want to add two points to Alexandros' excellent answer:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Registration fee is paid for attending the conference, not for publishing the paper. It may cover social events, banquet etc. Your supervisor did attend the conference, so it is unreasonable to ask for a reimburse.</li>\n<li>This is not PC chairs' fault, and you only leave a bad impression by arguing with them. They are surely senior in your field, and are likely to be PC members, reviewers in your next conference. Having a bad impression about you may make your paper less likely to be accepted.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46060,
"author": "starsplusplus",
"author_id": 12012,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12012",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You tell us</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Your supervisor and co-author was meant to present your paper</li>\n<li>He didn't and you don't know why</li>\n<li>He presented two other papers, but not yours</li>\n<li>He never communicated with you that he would be unable to present your paper</li>\n<li>He did not inform the conference committee that he would be unable to present the paper, he just didn't turn up</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>What should you do next? <strong>Speak to your supervisor.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Even were he not to blame, he would have a certain amount of responsibility to helping you fix this, by merit of being your supervisor.</p>\n\n<p>You are well within your rights to ask, \"So, what happened at the IEEE conference? I thought you were going to be presenting our paper.\" Do this in a neutral tone of voice, and listen to what he has to say. It's entirely possible he has a legitimate reason for this unusual behaviour, but being kept in the dark isn't doing you any favours.</p>\n\n<p>Next, have a clear and honest conversation about what to do now. Don't blame him for the screw-up; your main focus is how to move forwards. Explain the problems you are facing and ask for his help in how to fix them. The conference organisers were entirely within their rights to keep your registration fee and not mention the paper in the proceedings, so focus on the copyright issue and how to move forwards from there.</p>\n\n<p>If he does his duty as a supervisor he will help you move onwards and sort out the mess that was largely of his creating. Even if he doesn't, you will learn more about the situation (such as why he didn't turn up to present the paper), which will help you in your communications with IEEE should you have to forge ahead without his help.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46067,
"author": "bvanlew",
"author_id": 35021,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35021",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The situation shows some parallels with the legal concept \"force majeure\". The following site gives a practical explanation of this (you can also refer to Wikipedia): </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Generally, death or illness of one of the parties to a contract is not considered a force majeure. However, under general contract principles of contract, if death or illness renders it impossible for that party to perform their side of the bargain, they are excused - See more at: <a href=\"http://actofgod.uslegal.com/what-constitutes-force-of-nature/illness-or-death/#sthash.W5aJqpRd.dpuf\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://actofgod.uslegal.com/what-constitutes-force-of-nature/illness-or-death/#sthash.W5aJqpRd.dpuf</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Give that precedent, it would seem only fair in this case if IEEE were to release from your contract, and consequently release the copyright ownership, given that the co-author's inability to present was apparently due to health reasons. In your circumstances I would try to see if they are open to this line of reasoning.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/24
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45957",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4472/"
] |
45,958 |
<p>How long is this allowed for even after the student has completed graduation requirements?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45964,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>In the United States, there is a lot of opportunity for flexibility in scheduling graduation, assuming the faculty member has sufficient funding and motivation to keep the student around. </p>\n\n<p>In most cases, however, the student would likely be served better not by delaying their graduation but instead by arranging for a transitional period as a postdoc with their same advisor. In many cases, the cost of a postdoc is often not terribly different than a graduate student (higher salary is offset by lack of tuition), and there is typically little difficulty converting grant money from one to the other.</p>\n\n<p>As a postdoc, however, there is no longer a question of graduation and thesis hanging over the former student's head, and they can be more free to focus instead on publication, networking, giving talks, and other things that will help to better position them for applying for academic positions.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45965,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In general, what you are asking about is <strong>not</strong> possible, at least not in the manner in which you have written it.</p>\n\n<p>At most schools in the US, once you have completed your graduate degree requirements, which include the defense, you are considered to have \"graduated,\" at least as far as your \"employment\" with the university is concerned. Your contract typically terminates on the day you are said to have finished the graduation requirements. Therefore, postponing your graduation means delaying your defense.</p>\n\n<p>What may instead be possible is to transition from a graduate student position into a temporary postdoctoral position within the group. It is often understood that this is simply a direct extension for the purposes of maintaining employment, rather than as a \"new\" position. </p>\n\n<p>In Europe, the situation is quite different, as the model for \"hiring\" graduate students is typically contract-based. The willingness of your advisor to continue to employ you is then dependent on the availability of resources sufficient to extend the contract.</p>\n\n<p>The <strong>advisability</strong> of such a move, as jakebeal indicates in his answer, is questionable, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure an academic position without experience beyond the graduate student level. That said, you're probably better off looking for a postdoctoral position and excelling there, rather than trying to just continue on your PhD work for an extended period of time.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45973,
"author": "Hobbes",
"author_id": 34957,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34957",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The question is difficult, as it is likely to depend on your institution; however, rule of thumb (I have found) is that academic departments typically have a cap on the maximum number of years (~7yrs) you can be registered as a \"graduate student,\" so if in principle, so long as you are below this max. years rule, you are allowed to extend your graduate education. </p>\n\n<p>That being said, if you have already been studying for 5+ years, it is likely that if the department feels you've been successful they may begin to pressure your adviser to \"get you out the door.\" </p>\n\n<p>As for if it would provide better chances for an academic job, likely no. There are exceptions, one being on pursuing one of the NIH's new early-investigator awards. These awards are granted only to new graduates, and are designed to allow the recipient to \"Skip\" the post-doc phase of their career, and help set you up to apply to RO1 grants at an earlier age. </p>\n\n<p>Another good reason to stick around is if you feel your work could be expanded on, and you don't see any post-doctoral advisers willing to allow you to do this. Some (though not all) post-doc advisers will treat you as laboratory equipment, and will stifle your independence (although slightly unethical, at least according to the journal Science, this does indeed happen) by prohibiting you from exploring your own research interests. This carries the risk; however, of looking like you are not independent from your current adviser.</p>\n\n<p>The best advice I've ever received concerning a similar situation is to discuss staying on as a post-doc for a short time at your current institution and apply for grant-funding of your own with your current adviser as a co-PI. If you are successful, you maybe able to leverage the department to list you as research faculty which would help you stick out from the crowd (including myself) of post-docs.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45997,
"author": "pqoew",
"author_id": 34978,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34978",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Here is the situation in mathematics in the states (at least for top 50 schools). The typical graduation time is 5 years. A student who is having a hard time, and doesn't have enough material to graduate (or get a post-doc) can stay for a sixth year, but this sometimes comes at a cost of having to teach more on the sixth year. Another way to proceed (for strong students) is to apply for post-doc in their fourth year, and then graduate in four years if the application is sucessful, or stay for the fifth year if the application is not sucessful. \nIt is very rare to stay beyond the sixth year. Typically at this point, the student is allowed to stay affiliated with the university, but has found a job somewhere else, and is just hanging around to finish his thesis (but at this point it is clear that the student will not be applying for post-docs and just wants to have a thesis at the end of the phd journey). </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/24
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45958",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/29303/"
] |
45,972 |
<p>I'm going to apply for PhD at a top university in US. I have two peer reviewed papers already published and 2 unpublished papers. </p>
<p>The last two are ready, but I do not have time to submit them to be reviewed as I want to mention them in my CV in my application and can't wait for notification of acceptance/rejection, so I'm planning to put them on arXiv.</p>
<p>Is there any difference between arXiv papers and refereed ones in admission committee evaluation? Does it make a huge difference if I submit them to a conference/journal instead of arXiv?
(My field is Computer Science-Data Mining)</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45974,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Having any research done will be a huge help as you are applying for a doctoral program. Two published papers in respected peer-reviewed venues is fairly impressive. I would not suggest doing anything differently for your next round of papers than you did for the first ones; that should mean submiting them where they are likely to have the most impact.</p>\n\n<p>As part of your graduate application, you can list where your manuscripts have been submitted to, and for most institutions, you should be able to submit copies of the submitted manuscripts as supplemental material for your graduate application. That will let the admissions committee look over your work. If they see that you already have two things published and two more reasonable-looking manuscripts under review, they are likely to be impressed.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45976,
"author": "Kimball",
"author_id": 19607,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/19607",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The end of your question makes it sound like you are confused about something: arXiv and conference/journal submissions are not alternatives. The arXiv is a preprint server, and posting there is like posting to on a personal webpage in that arXiv postings are not counted as publications and do not preclude you from submitting to a peer-reviewed venue.</p>\n\n<p>As for how a committee would evaluate published verus unpublished papers differently, one gets a preliminary sense of the quality/significance of a published (or accepted) paper from the venue it was accepted to. For unpublished papers, there is no immediate indicator of this (it could be great, mediocre, or seriously flawed), but they certainly signal you're research active, and since you already have a couple of published papers, assuming they are in reasonable journals, chances are your unpublished papers will be assumed to be of reasonable quality. </p>\n\n<p>But, for both published and unpublished papers, an assessment of the quality should come from your letter writers, who should be able to give more insight than just the reputation of the journals you have published in.</p>\n\n<p>In addition, there is no reason to delay your submission. On your CV, just list the title of the paper, with the word \"submitted.\" (If you want, you can make a separate preprint section, but this seems unnecessary with only 4 papers.) If it is on the arXiv, you can give an arXiv link. Even for papers not submitted, you can still list them as preprints (though submitted or at least being posted online is better).</p>\n\n<p>Note: I disagree with the other answer about saying what journal you submit to--saying where you submit to gives no indication of the quality of the paper (maybe just your biased perception of its quality), and it leave me personally with a slightly desperate impression, though this may depend on the field. (In mine, some people do this, but most do not.)</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/24
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45972",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32385/"
] |
45,979 |
<p>I am a Masters student, and I think this is the only place in the whole internet that do not hold stereotyped negative attitude towards PhD recipients. From time to time,however, these sort of quotes scare me:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Having a Ph.D can close some doors for you. The general attitude and stereotypes about Ph.D holders are that they're uber academics/nerds who can't really function in the real world--this is an especially pertinent attitude to pay attention to in technical fields like engineering and science. So it closes some doors. You've also got less jobs to choose from, since you're vastly overqualified for many and you probably won't be able to find any good entry level positions because people will just assume you'll get bored and leave as soon as you find something better, so there is a cost to having everyone think you're a genius. <a href="http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-main-differences-between-a-Masters-and-a-PhD-in-computer-science" rel="nofollow">Quora</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Well I study for fun and advancing my knowledge -- and the last thing I want is these sort of stereotypes. I know if I pursue for a PhD I will have little to no experience about working for a corporation, so how worried should I be? Can I have the same level of experience compared to my peer who might have chosen industry instead of pursuing PhD? </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 45981,
"author": "Koldito",
"author_id": 12314,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12314",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>you probably won't be able to find any good entry level positions because people will just assume you'll get bored and leave as soon as you find something better</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I feel like this is a non-argument, if only because people <em>without</em> a PhD are also likely to leave a low-level industry job if they get a better offer elsewhere. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I know if I pursue for a PhD I will have little to no experience about working for a corporation, so how worried should I be.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Not a lot, I would say. Again, the same applies: people <em>without</em> a PhD also start out without any experience about working for a corporation (with the exception of older students who go back to school after several years of Real World work).</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Can I have the same level of experience compared to my peer who might have chosen industry instead of pursuing PhD. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is probably field-dependent, but I can't see why not. The best answer I can give without knowing what field you are planning to do your PhD in is that, while you might end up having a <em>different</em> type of experience than your un-PhD-ed peer, it doesn't have to be <em>less</em> experience. Keep in mind that, in order to get a PhD, you need an ability to think outside the box and come up with ideas that solve problems in interesting ways. Sometimes, employers value this ability more than <em>n</em> years of experience doing standard white collar work.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45987,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p><em>First things first</em> - this question is very region- and field-specific, as cultural norms and views of academia differ a lot in different places. Further, this will naturally also be highly employer-specific, as not every recruiter or employer has the same sort of requirements, views and prejudices. Everybody who tells you that there is a hard and fast rule is lying.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, there are a few observations that I think are pretty general w.r.t. the PhD job market:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Nobody hires you or pays you more <em>just because you have a degree</em>. It's a pretty common misconception that having an advanced degree somehow magically entitles you to higher pay even if you do the same job in the same quality than somebody without a degree. This is particularly pronounced in computer science, where there are a bunch of <em>excellent</em> programmers / software devs out there without degree. Don't expect to make more than them just because you got your training in an university rather than through participation in open source projects.</li>\n<li>At least in central Europe, no smart person does <em>not</em> hire you just because you have an advanced degree. I am confident to say that in Switzerland, the sentiment expressed in your quote is entirely wrong. A PhD certainly does not close any doors. There are a lot of jobs where it will be useless, but I have not yet seen cases where it was actively <em>bad</em> for the applicant to hold a PhD.</li>\n<li>There are a bunch of jobs out there where holding a PhD <em>is</em> in fact very good for you, even outside academia and research. Here in Switzerland and IT, consulting is one of those fields. Consultants with PhD look smarter on paper, and hence their time is easier to \"sell\" for horrendous amounts of money to customers. It is pretty well-established that in this case just holding a PhD will in fact give you better starting salary and better career opportunities in many companies.</li>\n<li>Generally speaking, as a PhD holder, you <em>will</em> have less experience than somebody who worked in the industry for 5 years. Contrary, you should (at least hopefully) have a higher level of formal knowledge and understanding of underlying principles. What you need is either (a) a job that requires the latter rather than the former (various \"evangelist\" or innovation jobs come to mind), or (b) and employer that has a time horizon large enough to allow you to get experience and who has problems complex enough that they <em>need</em> somebody with deep fundamental knowledge. This is the reason that big tech companies such as Google, IBM, or MS, often also pretty aggressively recruit IT and math PhDs, rather than going for cheaper and more experienced professional software devs.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45989,
"author": "Davidmh",
"author_id": 12587,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12587",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>That attitude may be common, but it is definitely not everywhere. In my former group, one of the PhD students went on to industry after graduating, and the hiring committee was very impressed by the fact he had a research record.</p>\n\n<p>All in all, how desirable you are in industry depends on what kind of research you do, and what skills you pick up along the way. My colleague went on from applying statistics to Biotechnology data, to customer behaviour data. Other people can directly apply their research into industry (say, Intel may be interested in incorporating your cutting edge compiler technology into ICC). Lastly, there are people that don't do anything remotely useful or applicable outside the academic world (say, string theory), but their research may show their capabilities and versatility, and private companies are willing to pay hefty salaries in their research branches. Of course, there is another group of PhD holders that have not found a good or fitting industry job.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45992,
"author": "starsplusplus",
"author_id": 12012,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12012",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm just going to address this part of your question since I have direct experience with it:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>You've also got less jobs to choose from, since you're vastly overqualified for many and you probably won't be able to find any good entry level positions because people will just assume you'll get bored and leave as soon as you find something better</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It depends how in demand you are.</p>\n\n<p>I think there are three sorts of jobs you can get after your degree. The first type are jobs where you directly use your degree. In this case, your degree is an asset: you would be unlikely to get the job without it and you have a strong advantage against another candidate who doesn't have your degree.</p>\n\n<p>In the second case, your degree is either neutral, a bonus, or a small minus compared to someone with equivalent experience. The specifics will depend on the actual job description, the actual experience of your hypothetical counterpart, and the specifics of your degree and field.</p>\n\n<p>The third case are jobs for which you are vastly overqualified. Let's say you have a PhD in chemistry and you're applying for a job as a lab assistant, or you have a master's in English and you're applying for a job as a shop assistant. These are the jobs where someone is likely to believe you are going to leave as soon as you get the opportunity.</p>\n\n<p>I have a couple of friends with PhDs who struggled to get work in the recession, and were turned down for Type 3 jobs (in the UK) because they were overqualified. The irony is that yes they <em>would</em> have preferred something better <em>if</em> they had been able to get it, but in reality they wouldn't have had anything better to leave for, so they were not in fact the flight risk that the potential employers thought they were.</p>\n\n<p>So type three jobs may turn you down. But if you're in demand enough, you won't need to apply for type three jobs, so it won't matter. It really depends on your field.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 45996,
"author": "Cornyvita",
"author_id": 33881,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33881",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm not sure if I'm qualified to answer this question since I'm only an undergrad right now (starting phD soon), but I'm going to try since I have some experience with it having worked in industry for the past few years in an (bit higher than) entry-level position. From what I've seen, yes unfortunately these stereotypes are correct. To the point that I have been told by multiple managers/directors at work to not pursue graduate school since I will only make myself overqualified like every other phD out there if I can't find a job at the end of it. People in academia will tell you that this doesn't have to be the case, but I wouldn't count on it. Of course there are exceptions to the rule and I also know people who were successful in obtaining employment after their phD, but the fact remains that the vast majority of phDs without other types of work experience will not have much luck in having people simply hand them a job because of their degree. Keep in mind though that I'm in biology, so this might be different if you are in say computer sciences, in which case I'm sure the situation is a lot more different.</p>\n\n<p>Having said that, there is a solution to this problem, which is to make yourself into more than just the average phD graduate, which is actually not that difficult to do. For instance, most people with a phD go from their bachelor's degree to a masters to a phD, having done nothing but school for a really really long time. If you want to find a job outside academia, don't do this... The reason a lot of people don't want to hire phD's in my field is because they think phDs are overqualified in the knowledge area, but way under-qualified in experiences. For instance, people will ask why if you wanted to go into industry, did you choose to do a phD that is not a requirement of the job you are seeking. This then shows poor planning skills and judgement. What employers what to see are people who are PROACTIVE, no matter if they have a bachelor's or phD. So turn yourself into that person. Pick up experiences through your degree to make yourself stand out from the 10 other phDs applying for the job, this is why I kept a job through my undergrad, so that at least I'll have a back-up plan. If your grad school work is way too heavy for that, at the very least NETWORK with people in industry, if you are even considering a job outside academia. This is one of the only ways to get around people who view your phD as a negative. If they already know you as a person before you seek a job from them, or if you are introduced by someone they know, you being overqualified will seem less like a problem since they want to help you. Employers are not evil, they want to help people, just give them a reason to. This also leads back to the point of being proactive though, since networking requires years of work before you get a job at the end of it. It is a crucial skill if you wish to be successful outside of academia. So in summary, yes unfortunately the stereotypes are normally correct if you are a typical phD graduate. However, it's not hard to escape that stereotype if you plan ahead and work hard to set yourself apart from the \"competition\".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46001,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Aside from what the PhD was in, having a PhD in the first place demonstrates some very desirable qualities from an employer's perspective. These include:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The ability to work independently without supervision</li>\n<li>Heavy refinement of one's own learning processes</li>\n<li>Organisational and time-management skills</li>\n<li>The ability to work on the same thing for a long time whilst still being able to keep focused</li>\n<li>Communication skills and the ability to negotiate and exchange ideas.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>If an employer is looking for someone to coordinate a project or carry out general research, as long as you can emphasise these qualities and how your PhD benefited you greatly with these skills, then I don't imagine there would be much of a problem. It's also another reason why maybe rather than taking a contrived approach towards a PhD, that maybe graduate students should try to engage with as many opportunities as they can during their PhD to make sure their experience is very well-rounded (although they may be less inclined to do this if they're absolutely adamant that they want to go into academia in the future or if they feel they're not cut out for anything else.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46002,
"author": "Greg",
"author_id": 14755,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14755",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First, let us distinguish two situations; jobs opportunities, which directly related to your field of research and prefer a PhD, and jobs which not. My understanding you are asking about the later ones, therefore stories that there are industries where PhDs are preferred do not answer your question. </p>\n\n<p>Off course, it is really depend on countries/continents, but I have seen so far about two main types of situations where you PhD can be a negative:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Let's assume you are looking for a research job in an industry closely related to your research topic. Nice. Sure, you have good chances. However you should be careful about overspecialisation. Academic research topics (ie topics of your PhD) may or may not be useful in industry. When an industry guy looks for a researcher with PhD, generally he is looking for someone with very specific skill set, not just some smart guy. If a chemical company is looking for someone, they do not just look for a Chemist. So you can end up in a situation where you may be well employable, but there are only a handful of companies in the whole country who have position for you.</p></li>\n<li><p>The other problem in one word: agism.\nMost company are looking for young people with experience. And you will be an old person without experience. If your PhD takes a few of years, maybe have a post-doc, a maternity leave, etc you easily find yourself to be rather old for the position. Bigger companies, who wants to keep you as a researcher maybe ok with that but most company sees you as a potential manager later in your career.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46041,
"author": "Chan-Ho Suh",
"author_id": 10340,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10340",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Although the accepted answer starts with a disclaimer, it ends up painting a rosy picture. That's certainly not my experience in the US job market, as someone who studied a very pure field of mathematics and then sought jobs in finance. There are indeed some hardships faced by PhDs that can make it harder for the reasons exactly stated in the Quora snippet. The reasons are somewhat valid in that a PhD program isn't really about training you to accomplish things in the quickest way possible, which in the Real World is often what is desired. </p>\n\n<p>However, having a PhD will open doors too, generally by companies/managers who have enough experience with academics to know the pros and cons. It's a mixed bag, like a lot of things.</p>\n\n<p>I think the warning for the number of jobs being limited is true. There are many jobs where they will immediately assume you applied accidentally and throw out your resume. On the other hand, same is true for having a Master's too for some jobs.</p>\n\n<p>Believe it or not, the hiring managers dismissing your application may actually know more than you. You may be desperate and really, really want that job doing glorified paperwork, but that hiring manager has dealt with someone just like you before, who left shortly after getting a much more interesting job. </p>\n\n<p>As a word of final encouragement, things aren't as bad as they seem, but often they seem worse to PhD graduates, who lack the training and experience to seek jobs in industry. I think the most important thing for any PhD wanting to go into industry is, <strong>have a plan</strong> as soon as possible, at least a few years before you graduate. It doesn't take much in the early stages of your grad school to take steps that will end up moving you a lot closer toward that industry job. One that comes to mind is summer internships. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46104,
"author": "Doc",
"author_id": 35053,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35053",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you are short on time you can skip to the summary. </p>\n\n<p>The very first thing you need to do is ask yourself, why do I want a PhD. The goal of a PhD is to enhance the scientific body of knowledge in their field, by doing research. All throughout the PhD process your focus will be on understanding what others have done and what tiny little problem can you work on, that will bring some type of enlightenment to your field. So for example, my PhD is in Computer Science (CS). I spent the first few years in course work but my final 2 years I took 0 courses and spend all of my time reading scientific papers trying to understand my chosen field and how I might contribute. Ultimately, my dissertation research explored the question of what affect does a multimodal interface have on the ability of an operator to control multiple robots. Thus, my contribution to the field of Human Robot Interaction was on understanding the cons/benefits to adding speech and other modalities to operator user interfaces. </p>\n\n<p>I say this to say that you need to understand the goal of a PhD so that you can understand future career opportunities. A PhD should be trying to push the scientific boundaries by looking for unanswered problems or applying research to address problems, e.g. Psychologist, Public Policy. Now there are plenty of people who get a PhD but have no wish to do research or apply research in novel ways. This to me does not make much sense because the purpose of a PhD is to do research, thus the reason every PhD has a dissertation.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, to your question of opportunities. A PhD will close opportunities and at the same time open new ones. Your goal, if you so choose to get a PhD, is not to look for a leg-up on entry level positions (if this is your goal than stop at a Master’s degree). Your goal is to secure a position that allows you to do/apply research. So using my field of CS as an example. I interviewed at a number of locations e.g. Microsoft, Dow, a research lab at Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and a number of other places. In some of these places they were more interested in my ability to program (they thought a PhD meant I would be a great programmer) and in others they were interested in my ability to do research (find unsolved problems and solve them). Without a PhD I would not have been interviewed for research positions at locations such as the Naval Research Lab, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, NASA. However, I was not a good fit for Dow, Boeing and others because they wanted software development and not research.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, as for pay. You can get paid a lot for doing research. My starting salary, as a PhD, working in an Industry lab doing research was 6 figures. The Taulbee survey gives the salary for research faculty and in CS the current average starting salary for junior faculty at public universities is around 95k for 9 months or 127k for 12 months. This is for CS and other Engineering disciplines. Similarly, a master’s degree and similar years of experience could put you in the same range so don’t let salary be your deciding factor.</p>\n\n<p>SUMMARY: A PhD will close doors, but to careers that are not of interest if your goal is to do research. A PhD will open new opportunities to companies interested who do research e.g. Oil companies, Tech Companies, Government Research Labs, Defense Industry etc. Ultimately you need to decide what your goals are - if it is to learn or master a craft than stop at a Master’s and learn on your own; If however, you like to explore the unknown, are unafraid of failure, don’t mind occasionally being ridiculed by your peers, all for the sake of generating knowledge than PhD may be for you.</p>\n\n<p>Here are some links on why get a PhD (or why not). Many of these links point toward becoming a professor since that is often a place where you can do research, however it is not the only place.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/education/jlemke/guidephd.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/education/jlemke/guidephd.htm</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://shouldigetaphd.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://shouldigetaphd.com/</a></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46123,
"author": "Alfonso F R",
"author_id": 35071,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35071",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>IMHO there is no such thing as \"overqualification\". There are only incompetent people managers who cannot figure out what to do with talented individuals or how to put their skills to work.\nI hope that the (popularly memetic) picture below illustrates the issue<img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/uNaEk.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\">.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/25
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45979",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10851/"
] |
45,995 |
<p>In case of multiple job offers, should candidates reveal schools names or show offer letters?</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Some say <a href="http://theprofessorisin.com/2011/08/10/negotiating-your-tenure-track-offers/">do not name the competing institutions in either of these initial emails</a></p></li>
<li><p>Others say <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/The-Best-Problem-Dealing-With/138957/#comment-888051888">"there are too many crazies in departments--you never know what someone might do to interfere with the other institution's perspective. I've seen it happen, and it ain't pretty. On the other hand, it made the choice easier."</a></p></li>
<li><p>Some say do: <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/The-Best-Problem-Dealing-With/138957/">"Just to let you know, I do have another offer that came in from Midwest State U. They have initially set my salary at ... "</a></p></li>
</ul>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46000,
"author": "Stephanie",
"author_id": 32695,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32695",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I received several competitive PhD offers and would suggest that you do not reveal unless asked, you have a right to privacy and I believe its best to hold back information like that as you can make the point that you have another competitive offer without being specific,the name adds nothing to the discussion.</p>\n\n<p>I believe the principle still applies with faculty offers because it again adds nothing to the conversation, there is no need to mention another offer unless it is required for leverage for a certain benefit or if they wanted to know later on why you turned them down.</p>\n\n<p>Furthermore, including the name brings in the personal opinions of the people who made the offer, removing aspects of your control. All they need to know (and only when negotiating your offer) is that you are considering another offer and why, you are already being taken seriously by the fact you have an offer. Talking about other offers in too much detail (or when not necessary) brings in doubt and extra questions when they have already offered to hire you. </p>\n\n<p>I employ the policy of keeping communication to the necessities in the rest of my life too. Its an efficiency and control thing. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46006,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I do not see any reason to show the offer letter. If the school you are negotiating with does not believe you, then that is not a good sign. As for mentioning the other university, it depends on if you can pitch it as a selling point that makes the other offer better. While you should always tell the truth, you can be somewhat selective and play both sides of the coin.</p>\n\n<p>For example, if you get offers from both Stanford and Harvard and you grew up on in the Bay area, but are currently doing a post doc at MIT, you could tell Stanford that you have an offer from Harvard and that you are really happy in Boston, so they will have to beat Harvard's offer. Similarly, you can tell Harvard that you have an offer from Stanford and that your family is in the area so Harvard will have to beat Stanford's offer.</p>\n\n<p>Alternatively, if you have offers from both Stanford and Bunker Hill Community College and you grew up, were educated, and are currently in the Bay area, you would not want to mention the name (bunker Hill) when talking to Stanford, unless you can explain to Stanford what benefits Bunker Hill uniquely provides. You probably want to specifically mention Stanford when talking to Bunker Hill. </p>\n\n<p>If, however, you grew up, were educated, and are currently in the Boston area, then you are in a gray area and may want to mention Bunker Hill to Stanford. Given the difference in the ranking of the two universities, it might be a hard sell to convince Stanford that the Bunker Hill offer is really competitive to the Stanford offer.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/25
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45995",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/24823/"
] |
46,008 |
<p>I recently saw in an ad that an Italian university invites applications to "Senior researchers (RTD-b, tenure track)." What are RTD-b positions? Since they are said to be tenure track, I guess they correspond to assistant professors in the US system? Are RTD-b position holders expected to do independent research and advise PhD students as assistant professors do? How much teaching load do they usually have? What is their career path after getting tenured?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46009,
"author": "Federico Poloni",
"author_id": 958,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/958",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Exactly, they are tenure-track assistant positions. After 3 years, if you pass a successful evaluation based on your research activity (<em>abilitazione scientifica nazionale</em>), you become an associate professor. The guidelines for this evaluation include an indicative target number of papers and citations, which is field-dependent. This is only indicative, there is a national committee in charge of the evaluation, and they are supposed to always check case-by-case. </p>\n\n<p>The teaching load is quite low: 60-80 hours of frontal teaching per year, plus exams (warning: there is <em>a lot</em> of exams in the Italian system). As far as I know there aren't other obligations, apart from maintaining a good research output to get the <em>abilitazione</em>. Supervising PhD students is not required.</p>\n\n<p>(The teaching load becomes 120 hours after you become an associate professor.)</p>\n\n<p>The system for the final evaluation is still provisional and has to undergo a new reform in the next months. These positions were introduced in 2010, and things are still new and bleeding-edge. But in any case they are worth pursuing, there are not many other chances to get a permanent associate professor position in Italy.</p>\n\n<p>To be eligible, you need at least 3 years of post-doctoral experience (comparable to an Italian \"rtd-a\" position).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 82767,
"author": "famargar",
"author_id": 63518,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/63518",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>RTD-B is an acronym for Ricercatore a Tempo Determinato tipo B. That is to say, fixed-term researcher of type B. The term is three-years, by the end of it you are supposed to have passed a national habilitation based on a few key metrics, and then become Associate Professor (Professore Associato). Type A on the other hand, is simply a postdoc position. </p>\n\n<p>The \"Ricercatore\" title is the italian nominal equivalent of a USA Assistant Professor. I specify nominal because, contrarily to USA positions, you are not expected to start a group of your own, your are not given any research money to do so, you are not expected to supervise BS, MS, or PhD students. You do are expected to perform high-class research; the independence of your research will largely depend on the ability to attract funds on your own. \nIn that regard, your moral standing is more like a Research Scientist in USA, unless you are capable of attracting large national grants, or large AND prestigious European grants. With those funds, you will be able to gather all resources you would need for fully independent research.</p>\n\n<p>You will be expected to teach, and the teaching load will vary a bit depending on the institution that hires you. Typically one course per year, that amounts to 50 to 80 hours of formal lectures, to a typically a large number of students, grading exams scattered throughout the year. </p>\n\n<p>One thing to keep in mind is the selection process. In the USA, an institution will receive several applications, make a short list, and invite the shortlisted candidates for one or two full-days interview. In Italy, institutions nowadays use shortlisting as well, but interviews last only 20 minutes or so. Also, recommendation letters are not needed in Italy, although some places are starting to ask them. </p>\n\n<p>After getting tenured, the next path in your career would be to become Professore Ordinario, the equivalent of a USA Full Professor. And then, just as in the USA, you might take other paths as to become Dean.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/25
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46008",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12956/"
] |
46,010 |
<p>Normally I teach a single section with 10-15 students, and a single copy is sufficient. This class will have 3 sections of about 20 students each. FWIW, I am in the United States.</p>
<p>I am considering changing textbooks for an introductory class. A problem is that none of the TAs and tutors already have this textbook, and our department funds are limited. </p>
<p>How many free desk copies is a publisher usually willing to provide? </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46012,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have never pushed to see how many desk copies of a book I could get, but I've gotten three with no problem whatsoever. I suspect that you could get more, although it might be best to space out the requests over the course of a few months.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46014,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the mid-2000's ago I was responsible for requesting the desk copies for a course similar in size and scope as the one you were teaching, and was able to secure two copies for the new TA's (that is, for myself and one other grad student). Given how the publishing market has \"evolved\" in the last few years, I'm not sure if it would still be possible to push for multiple desk copies. </p>\n\n<p>However, if you're planning on acquiring a number of copies, you may want to ask the publisher if they're willing to provide a discount on a direct \"bulk\" sale. Given that many publishers offer substantial discounts in the case of trade fairs and scientific meetings, they may be willing to work with you in such cases.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46017,
"author": "Corvus",
"author_id": 27900,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27900",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You have to understand that in the undergraduate textbook market, the publishers are competing intensely for textbook adoptions and will do what it takes to make the sale. (This is not so much the case for e.g. the monographs that might be used in graduate courses). The marginal cost of production of an additional book is very low, people who get desk copies were quite unlikely to purchase for their own use, and so it costs the publisher very little to give out desk copies ad libitum. </p>\n\n<p>At my large R1 school we have different TAs for our intro classes every quarter; sometimes ten or more of them. We have <strong>no problem</strong> getting desk copies for each TA. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46026,
"author": "guest",
"author_id": 34997,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34997",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I personally consider textbook publishers to be somewhere between an unethical business and organized crime.</p>\n\n<p>They rip off your students, so don't feel bad about getting as many copies as you can squeeze out of them, and then some more to give to your students.</p>\n\n<p>Most books are printed overseas anyway, at a cost of ~$5 each. \nYou can imagine how much they make on a single book.\nElsevier has roughly 7 billion EUR revenue and a profit margin close to 40%</p>\n\n<p>If there is any alternative, I try to go for books that are cheaply available to the students, and for books that don't randomly change the enumeration of homework assignments to make older editions useless.</p>\n\n<p>I think it is time for us to push back in the interest of our students. Our department decided not to go with books that needs to be 'registered' online to be usable. That was a good first step.</p>\n\n<p>I wish university libraries would provide textbooks. They have a much larger buying power, and would end the textbook scam very quickly.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 49683,
"author": "Ellen Spertus",
"author_id": 269,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/269",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'm the OP and want to give an update/answer, several months later.</p>\n\n<p>The publisher (Pearson) rep was happy to give 3 electronic copies of the book to my TAs and expressed a willingness to provide them for additional TAs. On the other hand, I have yet to get my desk copy, since they only give those out if our college bookstore orders 25 or more new copies of the book, and our bookstore hasn't placed orders yet. (This is the first class of more than 25 students that I've taught in 15 years of teaching.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 74888,
"author": "John Gilmore",
"author_id": 60111,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/60111",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Former Pearson rep here. This is how it works:</p>\n\n<p>Pearson (and likely others) clamped down hard on reps over-sampling desk copies a couple years ago so any faculty paying attention will have noticed a dramatic shift from 2010-now. Specifically, when I was a rep I had a \"budget\" for physical books that was merely theoretical, and set at about 4,000 copies for my territory. The year after I left it got cut in half to 2000. If reps go over, they pay out of commissions for the overage. So Pearson finally (wisely) incentivized reps not to send these out willy nilly. </p>\n\n<p>If you're getting lots of service from a publisher rep, it's not always because the class in question is large. It might be because you're married to the woman who makes the big decision for the intro Chem course across campus, or because you do teach that large intro bio course every 18 months. The opposite holds-- getting poor service != your class must be small. If you have a bookstore that never orders in high quantities, you're not actually a customer of that rep as much as you think you are. The used market will take the whole cake. So in the case spelled out in a comment above (no copies till the store orders), the rep is likely trying to put the hurt on the bookstore by getting faculty set against them. It's a risky strategy imo because the rep's relationship with the bookstore is so crucial. But I'd have done it at one school where the relationship with the bookstore was beyond salvageable the day I first came in. But all in all, your best bet for getting a desk copy is really quite simple. for those having Trouble:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Half the time when I didn't send a desk copy it was on accident. I have a post grad degree and have done a little in the world of academia. Was on my grad program's \"big\" fellowship and also taught some courses etc. I was insanely busy. I was busier as a Pearson rep. Just ask again and again. The software is crap and it's a nightmare for reps to handle this logistically, but the sales teams don't want it automated as they want to intercept the BIG requests as a local rep so they have knowledge of where the large adoptions in their territory are happening. I dropped the ball all the time for small clients (who truly do not matter from a sales goal perspective, but toward whom I didn't have any intention of being a poor rep--they just come in below the line). An email a week later would really seal the deal, or a text message or phone call for sure. There is a 100% chance a rep doesn't get all the things done every day they need to get done. In my territory anything under 50 books never really got done but I had three huge-course schools (and two small schools I never Even visited). My calculation tells me to spend 88% of my time at 2 campuses, 12% at a third, and 0% at four and five. Which also means I have a Bad relationship with the bookstores at 4 and 5. If you teach at four and five, you have to have a class with like 400 kids in it for me to really wake up biting my nails over forgetting to follow up with you (agh the pain I recall from biting my nails all the time during these years at Pearson! But not from schools four and five)</p></li>\n<li><p>If they want you to take a digital copy and you want physical, same policy applies. Just keep asking. </p></li>\n<li><p>If you get blacklisted for suspicion of selling copies on to the used industry it will be tough to get copies. There is a way to see this in the reps system but it's going to still be at their discretion to send or not (you have a flag on you called \"bookgrabber\" at Pearson if you're suspected of this). But this is pretty rare. </p></li>\n<li><p>If you can't get what you need, you could have your chair request by phone. That would work for me with a small course. </p></li>\n<li><p>Last resort, email the editor. Don't talk shit on the rep; the editor will surely know what's up--they won't tell you but they will know immediately whether it's a case of \"agh that terrible new rep in Oklahoma is killing my adoptions!\" Or \"yeah that's totally reasonable that the rep skipped this one\" but all editors are basically nice people, young, but smart, more academic in their pursuasion, and they care more about small courses because the individuals they need to Court are the influentials in any field, which means that while no rep gives a shit about Vassar or Swarthmore or your R-1 upper division physics course, the editor is genuinely incentivized to care. They also maintain solid relationships with reps and will manage the politics of you going behind the reps back pretty well. Edit to add: to find editors, check the copyright page of your old edition. Or used linked in. Or find the authors email online and ask who they worked with. Authors are quite accessible and friendly (most make zilch and really do believe their book can help you and your students -- many, even top names, include their email in an intro and literally invite students and faculty to send questions to them.) current editor is always incentivized to get X $ in business in the fiscal year and also to cultivate long term relationships with future contributors, authors, reviewers. Tell them you like to review in their field and you'll get your desk copies -- even if they just mail them personally off their desks. </p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Maybe this is helpful. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/25
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46010",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/269/"
] |
46,020 |
<p>I'm working as a student research assistant (HiWi) at a research group in a German university. My job is based on hours and it's mainly programming. In my contract I have to work 20 hours a month. Since I can work anywhere, then I usually work at home. Also things are so flexible, so some days I work 5 hours a day and other times 2 hours a day. My supervisor trusts me, so basically I just tell him how many hours I worked a month or so. Because sometimes I work less hours in one month but then I have to compensate for it in the next month.</p>
<p>However, when I'm counting my working hours I usually don't count the days where we have vacations. If you divide 20 hours by the days of the month then I would usually need to work 1 hour everyday. So if I was working in a normal job, then I would have that day off. But because of the flexible way of the job, then I'm not sure if I should subtract that time-per-day vacation time from my official working hours.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if HiWis in Germany are subject to vacations? Or should we work the full working hours mentioned in our contracts regardless of how many vacations are there in the contract?!</p>
<p>Edit: yeah I know that I can ask my supervisor, but I don't want to open such a dialogue now with him. I know that HiWi contracts are standard in Germany so I guess any professor or postdoc in a German Uni here can answer this :)</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46021,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Student research assistants in Germany (<em>studentische Hilfskraft</em>, or HiWis) are paid according to a fixed number of hours per week worked throughout the semester. They are therefore expected to complete a set number of hours over the course of the semester.</p>\n\n<p>In principle, HiWis should work the same number of hours every week. However, at many universities, the contract only says that HiWis are paid the same amount each month, with no further subdivision demanded. The factor (at my university) is 4.348 weeks per month. So the number of hours expected to be worked in principle does not depend on the presence of holidays. </p>\n\n<p>With respect to vacations, HiWis are allowed the fraction of time proportional to what a full-time employee would earn. If you worked 8 hours per week, you would be entitled to one-fifth of what a full-time employee earned in vacation time per year (roughly 3 hours per month).</p>\n\n<p>(It should be noted that there has also been discussion that HiWis should not try to concentrate their workload too much, as there is the possibility that by doing so, they may work too many hours in too short a period, in which case in principle their income would become taxable under German law.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46054,
"author": "henning",
"author_id": 31917,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31917",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>On your first question: <strong>Yes</strong>, research assistants (<em>studentische Hilfskräfte</em>) in Germany are legally entitled to vacation. The number of vacation days varies by region, in particular it depends on whether or not they are covered by a collective labour agreement (<em>Tarifvertrag</em>). Thus, in Berlin, there are 31 days, whereas in the remaining states (<em>Länder</em>) the legal minimum of 24 days per year applies. Have a look at your contract!</p>\n\n<p>On your second, implicit question: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I'm not sure if I should subtract that time-per-day vacation time from my official working hours.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The fact that you are entitled to holiday does not mean that you can take a week off whenever you like. Typically, you have to hand in a formal <strong>application</strong> for leave. That means you can't simply deduce the vacation form your working hours without prior notice. The procedure depends on your local administration. If you don't want to bother your supervisor, ask her secretary.</p>\n\n<p>You may also ask your local student board (<em>AStA</em>) for more information.</p>\n\n<p>If you speak German, have a look at this trade union brochure: <a href=\"https://www.gew.de/studium/studium-und-job/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.gew.de/studium/studium-und-job/</a></p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/25
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46020",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10497/"
] |
46,022 |
<p>I have recently completed a dissertation and have been encouraged to publish the work.</p>
<p>My dilemma is that I find it quite difficult (and painfully tedious) to rewrite the same thing couched in new language. Whereas I don't plan to copy and paste the whole thing verbatim, it would be nice to take chunks of the original text here and there, and proceed to break-apart, edit, and reassemble the bits and pieces to create a newly condensed version of the dissertation. </p>
<p>How does one go about this whilst avoiding self-plagiarising?</p>
<p>It would seem sensible to make generous reference to the fact that the paper is derived from the dissertation. However, does one really have to effectively rewrite everything and reference every last page and figure from the original text?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46024,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The dissertation is not a published work in the same sense as a journal or conference paper. It is normal for a recent graduate to take large chunks of their thesis, with minimal or no modification, and use the excerpts in more formal publications. You do not need to worry about self plagiarism in this context.</p>\n\n<p>The copying often goes the other way as well. If you already have published papers when it's time to write your dissertation, you may take large chunks of the published papers and reuse them in the dissertation. In some fields (mathematics or theoretical physics, for example), this is quite commonplace. People talk about \"stapling your papers together\" to make a thesis. In reality, there is more to it than that. Introductory and concluding material are needed, but many theses have chapters that are based on published manuscripts, with relatively little editing.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46028,
"author": "Stefano",
"author_id": 22533,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22533",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>That's completely normal, as others have noted. In older papers you often see a footnote: \"Parts of this work have been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for [degree], at [institution]\". Perhaps you can add that for full disclosure.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46029,
"author": "peter",
"author_id": 17246,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17246",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Plagiarism (n): the practice of taking <strong>someone else's</strong> work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.</p>\n\n<p>By definition, you cannot plagarise your own content. Make one reference to your dissertation and don't worry about it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 51243,
"author": "Philippe Aubertin",
"author_id": 27237,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27237",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As others have stated, don't worry about it. It is an accepted practice to re-use as-is significant portions of your dissertation in a published paper, as long as it has not been published previously.</p>\n\n<p>A somewhat extreme case of this is the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thesis_by_publication\" rel=\"nofollow\">thesis by publication</a> format, whereby the core of a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation is made of one (for master's thesis) or more (for doctoral dissertation) papers either already published or submitted for publication. Some universities and thesis supervisors actually encourage this as it increases the publication count without too much added effort.</p>\n\n<p>As an example of this, see <a href=\"http://publications.polymtl.ca/379/1/2010_PhilippeAubertin.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">my own master's thesis</a>. Chapter 4 of this thesis is a paper which, at the time the thesis was written, had been submitted for publication but had not yet been accepted (since <a href=\"http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=6062664\" rel=\"nofollow\">published</a>). Even though the rest of the thesis is in French, the paper chapter itself is in English, which is the language in which the paper was submitted for publication. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/25
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46022",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34992/"
] |
46,025 |
<p>Albeit arXiv offers <a href="http://arxiv.org/help/rss">RSS news feeds for subject areas updates</a>, it is also possible to track an individual paper for updates (such as if it was submitted and/or accepted to a journal)?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 47051,
"author": "Gaurav",
"author_id": 60,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/60",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>This is a pretty silly solution, but you can <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=email+when+page+changes&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">use a page tracking service</a> to see when the page changes; this should detect both changes in the paper as well as in the journal its submitted to.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Edited as per <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1605/jaap-eldering\">Jaap Eldering</a>'s suggestions in the comments:</strong> you can use arXiv's OAI-PMH protocol to programmatically access version history! For example, if you want to look up <a href=\"http://arxiv.org/abs/1206.0094\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">arXiv #1206.0094</a>, you can look up <a href=\"http://export.arxiv.org/oai2?verb=GetRecord&identifier=oai:arXiv.org:1206.0094&metadataPrefix=arXivRaw\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://export.arxiv.org/oai2?verb=GetRecord&identifier=oai:arXiv.org:1206.0094&metadataPrefix=arXivRaw</a> for its version history.</p>\n\n<p>Furthermore, arXiv <strong>does</strong> have an <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom_%28standard%29\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Atom</a> feed for individual articles: you can access it at <a href=\"http://export.arxiv.org/api/query?id_list=1206.0094\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://export.arxiv.org/api/query?id_list=1206.0094</a> -- the link it includes is to the latest version of the article, so I presume it will change if the article is updated.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 47067,
"author": "Gregory J. Puleo",
"author_id": 23504,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/23504",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>These updates get announced in the <a href=\"http://arxiv.org/help/subscribe\" rel=\"nofollow\">email digest</a>, don't they? So, you could subscribe to the appropriate email digest and filter for messages that contain the URLs of the papers you're interested in.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/25
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46025",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12627/"
] |
46,027 |
<p>I applied for a position with the application deadline of April 30 and was contacted for an interview last week. My interview is in mid-July. Can they reasonably expect a candidate to start in September if they make a decision quickly? If so, would it be appropriate to ask for teaching release for the fall semester? Not sure if asking for a january 2016 start-date would be a deal-breaker from their perspective when they are moving so quickly. Thanks in advance. </p>
<p>Edit: this is in Canada.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46031,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>This may depend to some extent on hiring norms in your field/country.</p>\n\n<p>I would assume that if they are interviewing people in July, it is because they really need someone to start teaching in the fall. (Otherwise they would wait another year and hire for next fall, when there would be more candidates available; I would assume that by this time of year, many people are off the market.) As such, I wouldn't think they'd be likely to go for a deferred start date, or a complete release from fall teaching. A modest teaching reduction is conceivable; you may be able to tell during the interview whether this would seem to be in line with their needs (e.g. if there is one particular class that they really need someone to teach). </p>\n\n<p>The size of the department may also give some indication - a large department is more likely to have some flexibility than a small one.</p>\n\n<p>You might be able to negotiate for classes that require less advance preparation (e.g. introductory courses instead of advanced). You might also be able to get more money for relocation, on the grounds that you're moving on short notice.</p>\n\n<p>But my gut feeling is that you should be prepared to show up and start teaching in September.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46043,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It might, it might not. It might mean they are desperate to find someone to teach, but it might also mean they are desperate to fill the position before the university takes it away. For example, the current thinking is that my university is going to impose a hiring freeze any day now. We are currently running a number of searches. As long as candidates are willing to sign a contract, we don't care when they start. In some ways, it would be better if they delayed the start date.</p>\n\n<p>After you have an offer. Then you can ask when they want you to start. At that point asking for a delayed start and/or teaching release is reasonable (at least for US tenure track positions at R1 universities).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46049,
"author": "Wolfgang Bangerth",
"author_id": 31149,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31149",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If they have interviews in mid-July, they will make decisions in late July at the earliest. Give a week or two to negotiate the details and sign a contract. You're then in a position where a candidate doesn't even have sufficient time to give their two-weeks' notice as is common in the US (with much more time required in other countries if you want to quit your job). You also have to find a place to live and actually move.</p>\n\n<p>This will be no news to your new department. They understand these timeline issues, and I cannot see anything wrong in asking them for their timelines. In particular, I cannot come up with any reason why such a question could possibly be construed in any negative way: after all, it shows that you are serious and are thinking through the practicalities of making the commitment to move. This is better than having a candidate who never seems to care about these issues, possibly because they have no intention of accepting the offer anyway and only wants to use it for negotiations at home.</p>\n\n<p>In other words: Ask whatever questions you have when you're there. They invited you, so they at least think about wanting you to come. They will be more than happy to talk you through the things that aren't clear to you, and they will likely also listen to issues that will present hurdles to you (such as giving your current employer the legally required minimal time for terminating your employment, moving in time, getting ready for classes while moving, etc). None of these questions should catch them off guard.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46027",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34998/"
] |
46,052 |
<p>I am in the process of leaving a funded PhD position and apply elsewhere. There was a lot of competition for the position, and the benefits were good (being employed by the university), but things didn't work out (mainly I want to pursue research that is not being done in my first university).</p>
<p>Could it be useful to brag about how I got a competetive PhD position in my application to other places? My first university is not famous, but I did come in the top 5% of over hundred applicants.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46103,
"author": "Calchas",
"author_id": 31491,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31491",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is just an opinion:</p>\n\n<p>You will need to be very clear why you left, and you cannot leave room for the suggestion that it was just because things got a bit uninteresting. The way you have described it in your question leaves me with that presumption, and on that basis I would feel uncomfortable with working with you on a fixed term (or fixed goal) project such as a PhD.</p>\n\n<p><em>i.e.</em>, the obvious question in the mind of the reader of your CV will be, \"How do I know you won't disappear on me as soon as things get a bit boring or difficult?\"</p>\n\n<p>Frankly, I think you have more to lose than you have to gain by discussing it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 61664,
"author": "Captain Emacs",
"author_id": 45857,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/45857",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Research interests can sharpen or crystallise during a PhD, so it is definitively possible to realign interest. However, the case for a switch needs to be absolutely compelling. </p>\n\n<p>Usually supervisors avoid taking on someone who started a PhD somewhere else, unless the case is very strong - and coming out on the top 5% is, at that stage, not anymore a very strong reason to accept a student; the main reason has now become \"is the student really interested in doing what I am interested in\"?</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46052",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35014/"
] |
46,053 |
<p>I am in the process of changing PhD programs, and my previous supervisor cannot write a letter that is purely positive. The main difficulty is that she wants to include details about what happened at my previous university; however, we do not agree on all these details, and she seems to be unwilling to debate the past. She believes that I should (or I may have to) explain myself and that I can't justify everything I have done in my previous institution.</p>
<p>Other faculty members I have talked to are of the opinion that if I have to explain myself like this then it is not a recommendation letter anymore and recommend not asking her for a reference. This is difficult because I can get other letters, but the strongest letter that I got was from my first supervisor, and I expect the other ones to be good but not stellar.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46059,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Not all cases are equivalent. Unfortunately, switching PhD programs is something that is not often done. This is such an exceptional case, that I think it's one of the few instances in which a purely positive letter from a supervisor is <strong>not</strong> called for. </p>\n\n<p>The basic issue here is that the people reviewing your application need to understand why you left the previous program, and be able to judge whether the issues were environmental (over which you had no control, and therefore would be unlikely to be repeated) or structural (likely to reoccur, and thus reducing the likelihood you'll finish the new program). </p>\n\n<p>Consequently, I would find a recommendation letter from the previous advisor that is <em>only</em> positive highly suspicious. If everything is positive, <strong>why are you leaving?</strong> Someone needs to explain the situation clearly, and we need to hear from both you and the advisor what each of you believes happened, and why a \"fresh start\" is needed. If somebody was applying for admission to my PhD program after having started one elsewhere, and if I were at all interested in the candidate, the first thing I would be doing is contact the old advisor to understand why she wrote such a strong letter. Because otherwise the pieces wouldn't \"add up\" correctly.</p>\n\n<p>Moreover, I don't think you can submit an application for admission to a new PhD program without a statement of support from your old supervisor. If you don't provide a statement from her, it will again look suspicious, and damage your chances of admission. (The person reviewing your application will think: <em>what is this candidate trying to hide?</em>)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46082,
"author": "Scott Seidman",
"author_id": 20457,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20457",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Without knowing the details of this situation, I think its best to assume that any admissions committee might well seek out information from your previous adviser or head of graduate studies before you're offered admission, whether you list those folks as recommenders or not. It would be irresponsible not to do so. </p>\n\n<p>If there have been some problems with your previous situation, and you don't think that your previous adviser can provide a fair letter, my recommendation would be to seek out the chair of graduate studies in your previous program and solicit a letter from that person. Have the conversation about what will go in the letter in advance. You should show that person that you've learned something about yourself from your previous experiences, and that you can look at the experience introspectively and use it to launch a better next experience.</p>\n\n<p>You will be an \"atypical\" applicant. You need to convince a new program with your application package that you can finish what you start. </p>\n\n<p>My advice is that you might have better luck getting into a large program that typically loses students in the qualification stage. If a program accepts students with the idea that they will lose a third of them at some stage, they may me more willing to take a risk on accepting them if you're willing to take the risk that you might not pass qualifiers.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46126,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This \"answer\" isn't an answer, because Scott already gave a great answer. But I have some additional explanation to offer.</p>\n\n<p>If a letter contains a lot of highly positive material, but also some negative material -- it's better not to submit it. The positives will be diluted (trumped) by the negatives.</p>\n\n<p>Let the new people know that you have not included her in your references because it wasn't a good fit. If they push you for details, you might say she has a strong character. Leave it at that, without getting into any details of any disagreements you may have had with her, i.e. take the moral high ground.</p>\n\n<p>By the way, a recommendation letter is the wrong place for her to be continuing her conflict with you. If she has any doubts about the suitability of the match between you and the new program, she should simply tell you that she would not be the best person to write a recommendation letter for that situation. This is code language for \"But I would not be able to write a strongly supportive letter, and you would be better off not submitting what I would write.\"</p>\n\n<p>She should be supporting your decision to look for a better fit elsewhere, and sending you on your way with a letter that speaks only to the positives, and wishes you well in your future endeavors. This would be analogous to an amicable divorce.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46053",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35016/"
] |
46,057 |
<p>My paper has been accepted for a conference, I have chosen the ACM "License to Publish" and the publishers are happy with the camera-ready copy. According to the ACM license I may </p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Post the Accepted Version of the Work on (1) the Author’s home page,
(2) the Owner’s institutional repository, or (3) any repository
legally mandated by an agency funding the research on which the Work
is based."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It doesn't say anything about the timing. My question is: may I put it online on my own website <em>before</em> the conference? And if yes, is that considered bad style?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46058,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>It doesn't say anything about the timing. My question is: may I put it online on my own website before the conference? And if yes, is that considered bad style?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>As long as it does not say otherwise I would assume timing to not be an issue. That is, you are free to put the paper online before the conference, and indeed (at least in computer science) this is commonly done. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46068,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Whether or not it's technically legally acceptable, I would find it extremely gauche to post a publication online before it has been made available by the venue where it is scheduled for appear. Thus, for conferences I wait until the date of the conference, and for journals I wait until the \"online early\" copy appears.</p>\n\n<p>Now, if your publication is also compatible with an alternate means of publication, like arXiv or a tech report at your institution, I would find it completely reasonable to post a version up that way, citing that, and then later update the links and citation information when the \"official\" version comes out.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46057",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17630/"
] |
46,061 |
<p>It is common practice in computer science to have papers peer-reviewed, however this is often not made public and after the paper has been published it is hard to find ANY reviews on the paper. There will always be mistakes in scientific papers and if someone points out the flaws in a simple manner in a review it could save everyone a great deal of time. Some things are of course too complex or subjective, to be put into a single paragraph, but there are plenty of things that can be pointed out.</p>
<p>My question is why are there no reviews included on sites like ACM or IEEE? Papers sometimes have thousands of citations, but not a single comment or review has been linked. Or are there simply no reviews and comments available? Does the conversation and discussion take place somewhere else?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46063,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Usually the issues pointed out in a review have been corrected by the time the manuscript has been published, so old reviews wouldn't really be relevant to the online version. </p>\n\n<p>Critiques of published articles are sometimes prepared, if one thinks the issue is significant enough; they're usually published as \"Comments\" or \"Responses\" to the article in question. However, since they're normally <em>also</em> peer-reviewed, they won't simply be appended to the article, but instead have their own independent status.</p>\n\n<p>As for the reason why more articles don't have reviews and commentary associated with them—it takes a lot of time to do so, and that's time that can be used to make progress in one's own research. And there isn't much incentive right now for such efforts.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 77672,
"author": "Angry Academia",
"author_id": 62682,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62682",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My personal experience is that the review comments should be accessible to the reader. </p>\n\n<p>I do not think preparing such a document is time consuming for the editorials because the review process is a back and fourth process between the author and reviewers. And their could be few rounds of re-submissions before the paper is accepted (for example in IEEE journals). Therefore, it is meaningful to make it public all the previous submissions (together with review comments and author replies). And these documents can be appended on top of each other based on their time of submissions. </p>\n\n<p>The other simple approach of providing more information about the paper is by revealing quantifiable review results. For instance, again in IEEE there is a question to rate the novelty, appropriateness, timeliness etc.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46061",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35018/"
] |
46,062 |
<p>I am leaving my current department in the next few weeks. We are currently in the mist of our hiring season and have 12 job talks and campus visits schedule before I leave. None of the positions we are currently trying to fill are explicitly the replacement position to mine and the areas of expertise of the candidates are pretty far removed from mine. We are a large enough department, that there will still be a reasonable sized audience and enough people for the candidates to talk to. Is it inappropriate to skip the job talks and not meet the candidates, unless they specifically ask to meet with me?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46066,
"author": "tom",
"author_id": 35019,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35019",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Impossible to answer well without knowing more and I don't think it is appropirate to post more on a public forum! </p>\n\n<p>I think it really depends on your relationships with your colleagues who you are leaving behind. In some situations it is better to absent yourself from situations where people are looking forward to the future of your old department. In other situations your experience may be helpful and it may be supportive to your colleagues who you will leave, but I guess who you want to stay on good terms with and continue to support. (I have not exactly been in this situation before, but similarish ones)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46112,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>You do not need to attend all 12! If anyone questions your absences -- which I doubt they will (people may well not even notice) -- you can say you are up against some deadlines, and also mention needing time for packing and such.</p>\n\n<p>Perhaps you could pick out a small handful of talks that you are sincerely interested in attending.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46062",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929/"
] |
46,065 |
<p>I am looking for software that will automatically assess the output of student assignments, or at least the numerical parts of them. This is for a large class of >100 students and multiple assignments. As part of a scheme to avoid plagiarism each student obtains different correct numerical answers to their problems. Thus if student A should get 2.56342 for question 1, student B should get 3.42975 and no two students should obtain answers that are identical. The method of calculation is the same in each case, but students have different input parameters that change the solution. (I should add at this point that the numbers <strong>cannot be obtained with simple or complex formulae from the input parameters</strong>: a significant amount of work is required to generate each answer; I have written a piece of software that generates these answers.)</p>
<p>I am wondering if it would be possible to use an existing software package that could handle the submission of student answers/assignments and also mark/grade the results for at least the numerical parts of the assignments. So far I have looked at Moodle, Hot Potatoes and Question Mark, but none of them seem suitable because I cannot see a way of the same question having different answers for different students. It maybe that I need to try to develop a custom built system for this, but before putting that effort in I would be very grateful to hear of any suggestions of existing systems that might be able to handle this task.</p>
<p>I have tried to check if this question has been asked before and looked at <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/20578/use-of-automated-assessment-of-programming-assignments">this question on use of automated assessment of programming assignments</a>, for example, but I could not find a previous question that covers the question I pose here.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 49350,
"author": "MikeV",
"author_id": 37538,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/37538",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is WebAssign, started at North Carolina State many years ago and now an independent company )<a href=\"http://webassign.com/corporate/about-us/\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://webassign.com/corporate/about-us/</a>), which provided \nversions of problems from standard textbooks in physics and other fields with random inputs so that each student would have individual numerical inputs\n(I had some experience with these in the early days -- the inputs were generated from Perl scripts with input constrained to be physically reasonable).</p>\n\n<p>I have not been involved with courses that used these for ten years or so, but one issue that arose then was the appearance of spreadsheets that had the algorithms for solving the problems coded into the spreadsheet, so that students could simply plug their numbers into the spreadsheet and come up with the answers.</p>\n\n<p>Your question suggests that you are using more complicated problems than those in elementary science courses, but perhaps you could use scripts (using Python, Perl or whatever) to generate unique inputs for each student.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 49351,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Along similar lines to MikeV's answer is <a href=\"http://webwork.maa.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">WeBWork</a>, a free open-source online homework system. Students interact directly with the software's web interface to see their assigned problems and submit their solutions. Each problem on the assignment has a Perl script that is run for each student to generate the question and validate the result, so that each student can get their own random numerical values, and you can do arbitrary computations to check whether it is right. It also saves a random seed per student, so that a single student can (if you decide to allow it) attempt their own version of the problem repeatedly.</p>\n\n<p>Most users of this software just draw from a pre-written bank of questions, but if you know some Perl you can certainly make your own (there may be a learning curve, of course). Depending on how involved your validation code is, you can either rewrite it in Perl or use some mechanism to let Perl call your code in its native language.</p>\n\n<p>WeBWork has a fairly specific paradigm for scoring, student records, etc, so it may or may not fit neatly into what you have in mind for your course, but maybe it is worth a look.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46065",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35019/"
] |
46,069 |
<p>I work as an administrator at a university and will soon be resigning from my position (the job has already been posted). A student who I formerly supervised is applying for my position and has asked if I would serve as a reference. Is there a conflict of interest in doing so? I am not part of the hiring committee and, while I don't think this student has enough experience to be called in for an interview, I would gladly speak to my experience as her former employer if she was offered the job.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46072,
"author": "Bill Barth",
"author_id": 11600,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11600",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There's no conflict in my mind, and given how hard hiring can be, I would value your input if I were on the hiring committee.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46073,
"author": "Kimball",
"author_id": 19607,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/19607",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If there were to be a conflict of interest for anything, that she was your (PhD?) student would be the first concern. (Your title indicates your main concern is otherwise.) </p>\n\n<p>Indeed, advisors are not often allowed as reviewers for things like grants and tenure applications, but it looks more strange than not for an advisor (at least for recent PhDs) not to be a reference for job applications. That you have held this position makes you even more natural for a reference.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46075,
"author": "AliceD",
"author_id": 23423,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/23423",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would say that when your student applies he or she should have sufficient <em>external</em> references and add you in addition to that. Your opinion, as an insider will be <em>much</em> valued by the hiring committee as indicated by others, but you may be biased. I think a conflict of interest may be a bit exaggerated, it's just a possible bias. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46114,
"author": "aparente001",
"author_id": 32436,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32436",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I don't think this student has enough experience to be called in for an interview</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You would be doing the student a disservice by not gently communicating this to her. There's no point in setting her up for disappointment.</p>\n\n<p>If she wishes to apply, in order to gain more experience with interviewing -- yes, please supply a polite recommendation.</p>\n\n<p>Make sure you offer (to the student) to write recommendation letters for any other positions she may apply to.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46116,
"author": "Steve Jessop",
"author_id": 11440,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11440",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I think there is a slight conflict of interest to the disadvantage of the applicant. You might be more negative in a reference addressed to your own employer (to whom you may feel a duty to help as much as possible with their hiring process), than you would be in a reference addressed to a perfect stranger (to whom you only owe a general duty not to defraud them).</p>\n\n<p>People recommend other people to their employers all the time, so this is something the hiring committee should be able to deal with. However, if you plan to actually say anything negative about the candidate in your reference (\"I don't think this candidate has the experience to be interviewed for the role, let alone hired\"), then you should make sure that the <em>candidate</em> fully understands the situation before choosing to use you as a reference. They might have other referees they'd prefer to use in that case.</p>\n\n<p>As Kimball says in a comment, the existence of this conflict of interest isn't an ethical problem provided all parties understand it. The hiring committee knows your job and expects to take account of your relationship to the applicant when considering a reference, so no problem there. The student knows your job, so the only risk is if they don't appreciate the implications of that. After that, if either of them thinks you're too conflicted to use as a reference then they won't ask you for one, you don't need to recuse yourself.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46124,
"author": "WoJ",
"author_id": 15446,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15446",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This problem is not specific to Academia. This is quite typical in Industry as well.</p>\n\n<p>The hiring committee has</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>on the one hand detailed information about the capacities of one applicant (your ex-student) - initially to her disadvantage (not enough experience)</li>\n<li>on the other hand a bunch of candidates with more or less boosted CVs.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I said <em>initially to her disadvantage</em> because if the hiring committee is not experienced in such positions (and they may not be), some hand-waving candidate with better experience (on the paper) will win.</p>\n\n<p>Now, if all candidates are the same she will definitely have an <em>advantage</em> because both her weaknesses and strengths are tangible.</p>\n\n<p>I would talk to her about her experience to prepare her for disappointment if she is not chosen. I would also send a recommendation letter to the committee (not via her) to explain her strengths and weaknesses. It will certainly be a candidate which will stand out (this is the bit about \"conflict of interest\") but having hired a lot I always valued inside information from someone who has actually worked with a candidate.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46069",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35025/"
] |
46,081 |
<p>I work outside academia, but am working on a project with a master's student. During data collection, we had some skip-logic errors pop up while administering the survey online and it resulted in some superfluous data. She and her adviser decided to throw out all affected data and only analyze open-field text, and outlined these mistakes in great detail on her master's paper. While writing our joint manuscript for publication, is it appropriate to outline these programming errors? </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46085,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the Methods section we detail the process of obtaining data to analysis. Errors resulting in loss of data is a deviation from the said protocol and hence should be reported. The details need not be excruciating fine; a sentence to explain the skip logic pattern and that affected subsections were not analyzed should be sufficient. This is by no means an uncommon practice: there are generic missing, loss of data storage media, biological samples expired, or even contamination in lab. If any of these activities can potentially bias your end result or lower your statistical power, then they should be reported.</p>\n\n<p>Judging from what you said that the student and the supervisor had to throw away all multiple choices and only kept open-ended question, I am guessing the skip pattern problem was extensive? If that's the case, you should try to gain full understanding of the error and carefully decide if any of the data are actually salvageable. For instance, if the skip pattern problem had made the survey questions appear to be illogical, would you still expect the respondents to be in their right mind when filling in the open-ended questions?</p>\n\n<p>The master's paper needs to happen probably because the student has done the due diligence and finished a project, despite with technical errors. But data mishap that is sufficient for a master's thesis does not imply the data are fit for publication. As your name will be on it, if you feel uncomfortable, request to be removed from the author list. You may opt for acknowledgement or even no relationship.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46086,
"author": "derelict",
"author_id": 14547,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14547",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It would be inappropriate not mention the mishaps in my opinion. But there is no need to document this in great detail, as you mentioned. I would comment during the revision process that you feel the description of the \"skip-logic section\" is too wordy, and it should be trimmed to be more concise. </p>\n\n<p>Keep the focus on the positive findings as opposed to mishaps. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46088,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would also mention significant failures in the methodology because it can serve as an important warning for future researchers. For instance, needing to change the number of samples or the testing period because of experimental (or computational) difficulties may be necessary, and it would be helpful for others to know <em>why</em> you needed to change the protocol. In addition, reporting such issues is important for purposes of reproducibility. </p>\n\n<p>However, as the others have posted, there is absolutely no need to spend huge amounts of space discussing such issues, unless your paper is attempting to correct the methodological mistakes of others in the literature.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46081",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35033/"
] |
46,097 |
<p>I've googled this question a few times and I've seen multiple different answers. I read that you can raise your undergrad gpa using a post bacc and I also read that post baccs provide a separate gpa. So, I'd really appreciate if I could get a definitive answer, preferably with a source. Thank you.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46100,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Courses taken through different programs generate separate GPAs. When somebody (like a graduate admissions committee member) is looking at your undergraduate-level grades, they are going to pay primary attention to the grades for courses you took at your primary undergraduate institution (or institutions, if you transferred during your regular undergrad career). They are probably not going to average your grades from different places, particularly if it is obvious that you took additional courses (through an easier program) after you finished a normal undergraduate degree.</p>\n\n<p>However, at many institutions, faculty members may change grades after a course has been completed. The rules for how long they have to make changes are highly variable; it could be limited to within two years, or five years, or subject to no time limit at all. This is probably not going to be very helpful to you though. Grade changes are rare, and faculty are very unlikely to raise your grades for courses you took in the past. It would take a lot more than just convincing them that you are better student now than you were then (which would be difficult in itself).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46101,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Yes, it is possible.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Faculty at my university have the right to change their course grades up to five years after the course ends. I have a standing offer that if any student publishes a research paper as a result of work in my class, I will retroactively change their grade in that class to an A+. I have actually done this a few times, in one case two full years after the course ended.</p>\n\n<p>(All the students involved in those changes already had A's, and my university counts both A and A+ as 4.0 in its GPA calculations, so the change did not actually change their GPA. But in principle, it could have.)</p>\n\n<p>But this is the only way I can imagine a student at my university changing their GPA after graduating. In particular, I believe the university maintains separate GPAs for different degree programs, so taking any post-bacc or graduate courses would <strong>not</strong> effect their bachelor GPA.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/26
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46097",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35046/"
] |
46,107 |
<p>Okay, I'll try to explain what I mean quickly. My research on a topic kind of strayed from its original purpose, and for some reason (bad choice, lack of experience, lack of guidance, etc) I stayed with it way too long. That was my mistake. It's done now. The question is where to go from here.</p>
<p>I don't think what I produced is <em>worthless</em>, but it's certainly not something the scientific world is sitting on the edge of their chairs for. I think it should be put out there but I'm under no delusions that it should be in Science or something.</p>
<p>I submitted it to one mid-level journal and it got rejected, but it was also because it was in kind of bad shape from a writing (i.e., not science) standpoint.</p>
<p>So I have two options: I could submit it to another mid-level journal, but that would require a decent bit of work. They tend to be a little pickier and of course there's a much higher chance it would get rejected again, meaning more work to submit to yet another.</p>
<p>Or, I could submit it to a lower tier journal that has a much higher chance of getting accepted. As the tone of my question probably implies, I want to do this one. I made a mistake staying with the research this long and I want to be pursuing this new direction, and submitting to a mid-tier journal will mean sticking with it even longer. Aside from the fact that I want to pursue this new direction, I absolutely hate pouring more time into this old thing.</p>
<p>So my question is, how bad is it to have a paper in a lower tier journal? (I don't mean an open-access, pay to be published one, but the next level above that.) Is it possibly so bad that it'd be worth it to put in the extra work and aim for the mid-level journals, even if it'd take a few tries?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46119,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From my point of view, there is nothing wrong <em>per se</em> with submitting to a low-tier, non-spam journal. I have always maintained the position that if you find out mid-way that your work isn't what you want / should be doing, it's better to submit what you have to whatever is achievable at this point than to either stick it out or throw the work away entirely.</p>\n\n<p><strong>However</strong>, in your case it actually sounds like you may want to go for another iteration at the mid-tier anyway, because you don't think your work is that bad, it's just the write-up - and this can be fixed with a modicum of effort, in the worst case re-writing the paper. Also, assuming you are an early-stage researcher, getting more writing practice is basically never wasted effort. In the end, we are not talking about investing a year more into this project - it's a few more weeks for re-writing, and then some on-and-off effort for revisions. Finally, would it not be annoying to you to \"waste\" your work to a low-class venue just because you did not want to <em>write it down properly</em>?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46120,
"author": "Kakoli Majumder",
"author_id": 9920,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9920",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think the scientific community is overly obsessed with publishing in top-tier journals. What counts is the quality of your work. If you had not explained your situation in such detail, I might have suggested that you put in that extra bit of work and submit to another mid-level journal. Under your current circumstances, I think you can go ahead and submit to a low-tier journal. For one, publishing in a low-tier journal is better than not publishing the paper at all. Additionally, it does not hurt to publish one paper in a a low-tier journal. Try to confirm that it is not a really obscure journal or a predatory one. Having several publications in very obscure journals, that nobody in your field has ever heard of, might be damaging for your career as this indicates that you care more about quantity than quality. However, publishing one paper in a respectable low-tier journal should be fine. It's about time you just get over with this paper and focus your energies on your topic of interest. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46129,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think the answer has to depend somewhat on what stage of your career you're at.</p>\n\n<p>If you're just beginning your career, and this is one of your very first papers to come out, I would definitely try to get it into as high-profile a journal as you can manage, and would try to avoid putting it in a journal that is known to be very low-impact. </p>\n\n<p>The reason for this is how it will look to people reviewing your CV when you're looking for your next position. If you only have a handful of publications, and none of them are published in decent journals, you're going to have people who assume that your research work is weak overall. That's not the impression you want to convey.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, if you're well into your career, a few papers in minor journals will have little impact on your career overall. Then there's really no problem in \"dropping off\" a paper that you think might be useful, but not strong enough to get into a more impactful journal.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46130,
"author": "Wrzlprmft",
"author_id": 7734,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7734",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my field (which seems to be the same as yours), the high-ranking journals mainly distinguish themselves from low-ranking journals by:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Requirements on relevance, novelty or impact on the respective work.</li>\n<li>Length restrictions.</li>\n<li>Requiring the paper to be written for a larger audience.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>If you do not want to perform additional research (as I assume you do), e.g., to make more general, better substatiated claims or require less assumptions for your results, you cannot change the first point. You probably cannot do much about the second point. As for the third point: That’s usually not that much work and very much related to good writing – which is helpful independent of the journal rank.</p>\n\n<p>In contrast, more time is required (on average) for meeting requirements that all journals/reviewers have such as doing no nonsense, proper scientific writing, proper literature embedding and so on.</p>\n\n<p>So, if you think that you already meet the relevance and length criteria of a mid-tier journal, it is not that much more work to publish there – except for the higher chance of a desk reject, which at worst would require you to adapt your manuscript to a different journal’s style, which usually can be done within an hour.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, a mid-tier journal might reject your paper only after reviews. If the rejection is due to scientific flaws, you would have to address those anyway and the rejection was as likely to happen with a lower-tier journal. If the rejection is due to relevance (point 1), you can use this as a bonus when switching to a lower tier afterwards, in particular, if there are lower-tier journals by the same publisher (e.g., if your paper was rejected by PRL or PRX only due to lack of relevance, a resubmission to PRA–PRE or similar is in general easier than a regular resubmission).</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Another consequence of the above criteria is that it’s no shame not to meet them. Not every research has a highly relevant outcome and often you cannot tell beforehand (otherwise you would not need to research in the first place) and not every research can be reasonably presented on five pages in a way that is understandable by a general audience from your field.</p>\n\n<p>I once looked for a particular low-tier journal for a paper of mine, because it was in a total niche subfield (only a dozen publication in the last forty years) and was not very relevant. (It then got rejected by two journals for being out of scope, but that’s another story and due to the field being a total niche.) At the end, I put roughly a week’s work into writing and publishing this paper, but it’s still a publication I can be proud of.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Finally, as to whether the surplus work it takes to publish in a mid-tier journal (whatever its amount is) is worth it, depends on how you value your time against the rank’s impact on your career. And the latter is something only you can decide about as it depends on a lot of factors.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46133,
"author": "Huitzilo",
"author_id": 34268,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34268",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my opinion there's nothing wrong with going for a lower tier journal if you think that you will have a hard time getting into a mid-level venue. After all, it's better than not publishing at all. </p>\n\n<p>However, if your manuscript has issues with the writing, this poses a problem that is independent of journal rank. Even if you get it accepted, a badly written manuscript will backfire on your reputation a lot more than the rank of the journal it's published in. On the other hand, a well written manuscript tends to get read and cited more often, regardless of the journal's rank. </p>\n\n<p>My suggestion is to fix the writing, taking into account the comments that you got from the previous version, and then send it to the journal where you think it fits best topic-wise. Your readers will appreciate the effort.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46134,
"author": "babou",
"author_id": 13487,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13487",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>What may really hurt you is publishing a badly written paper in any journal.\nSomeone may always bring it up in a hiring committee and say: \"We do\nnot want anyone who will publish so carelessly.\"</p>\n\n<p>If your paper is not well written, and you are admitting as much, it\nis very possible that the best you should hope is that it will be\nfully ignored (unless it has fantastic ideas that a courageous reader\nmay unearth someday). Publishers and committees who reject a poorly written paper are\nactually doing you a service. If they were more lax about it, you\nmight later pay for it with stricter people.</p>\n\n<p>So your major risk with low tier journal is they they may let you hang\nyourself, rather than protect you. I had the opportunity to publish\ninvited papers, and, though it is flattering, I hated it because no\none would check for me whether I was going astray.</p>\n\n<p>People may be surprised if you publish only in low tier journals. But\nif you are a beginner, they may also consider that you may not have\nbeen well advised on it, or possibly that you lack self-confidence (which is no scientific crime). This is much less to be feared than their\nestimating the paper worthless or careless after reading it.</p>\n\n<p>Journala matter. Your work matters a lot more. Do not publish\nanything you are not satisfied with. Do not publish anything you would not think worth spending time on if you were not yourself. One thing people will not forgive\nis wasting time because your results are not worth reading (so do not\nhype the abstract - just be clear and objective), or because the paper is badly\nwritten and requires more time reading than should be necessary.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/27
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46107",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13312/"
] |
46,132 |
<p>This is for a master's level, if a department decides to publish students' dissertations, does that qualify to be named as a published paper? or does it have to be a journal with certain impact factor?</p>
<p><strong>Edit</strong>: if online publications are considered ok, can they be added to a resume in 'publication' sections?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46142,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The exact meaning of the word \"publication\" is dependent on context. In some contexts, it might be understood to include only articles accepted in peer-reviewed journals or conference proceedings. (Impact factor is not usually a consideration here.) In other contexts, it might also include books, dissertations, lecture notes, arXiv preprints, and other documents that have been made publicly available.</p>\n\n<p>So whether a dissertation should be \"named as a published paper\" depends on your audience.</p>\n\n<p>For academic CVs, people often create two sections: one that lists peer-reviewed publications, and another that lists non-peer-reviewed writings. This removes any ambiguity. A master's dissertation would go in the non-peer-reviewed section.</p>\n\n<p>If you are writing a resume for the business world, standards might be different. <a href=\"http://workplace.stackexchange.com\">http://workplace.stackexchange.com</a> might be a better place to ask about that situation.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46159,
"author": "Bill Barth",
"author_id": 11600,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11600",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is published according to the usual, dictionary definition of \"publish\", but that is the wrong question. A better question, is \"Does this publication count towards my list of requirements for X?\" where X might be:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>tenure</li>\n<li>promotion</li>\n<li>hiring for research-only positions</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In the academic tenure context, there will be a list of publication types that count towards your tenure case. These often include peer-reviewed journal articles, peer-reviewed conference papers, and books. The requirements might be more strict like first-author papers in one of a small list of conferences. </p>\n\n<p>A master's thesis usually wouldn't count for much in this context. It might have been helpful to your hiring case as a tenure-track professor, but even that is unlikely. It is certainly an interesting piece of a PhD admissions package for someone who decided to get a master's and PhD at different institutions.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/27
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46132",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11307/"
] |
46,138 |
<p>So I wanted to ask a question about the benefits of attending a conference and then found this: <a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/12680/advantages-of-attending-a-conference">Advantages of attending a conference</a></p>
<p>I realized from the answers that there are two advantages of attending a conference:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Making connections.</p></li>
<li><p>Learning.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>While I believe that for the second point, by not attending one can just grab a copy of the proceedings and then he will have a pretty good idea of what happened and learn better (because you really can't learn much from presentations), the first point was harder to compensate for.</p>
<p>Suppose one made connections from a conference, then what are the potential benefits of making those connections? i.e. how to make value out of them?! Because I personally believe that a lot of people make connections but they just end up knowing each other without any collaborations or a value that I can see. Also the majority of the connections would be with researchers and students, not hiring managers so I wonder if there are any value for job search after graduating 4 years from the PhD.</p>
<p>Edit: I've never been to a conference, but I hear what my friends say and also I see couple online videos.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46139,
"author": "Alexandros",
"author_id": 10042,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10042",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First of all, in certain disciplines (CS) conferences are the main publishing venue. Publishing in conferences also means that you must attend the respective conference to present, as shown <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45957/my-paper-has-not-been-published-because-i-did-not-show-up-for-the-conference-pre/45961#45961\">here</a>. Therefore in such disciplines you have no other choice but to submit to and attend conferences.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, networking is much more than what you believe. The people you meet there are also your competitors and your future reviewers at the same time. Making a connection on a personal level and making a convincing presentation and answer related questions with affirmative authority, shows the conference attenders (including your future reviewers) that you really know what you are talking about. Also, showing that you are not an arrogant \"newcomer\" that wants to push them out of their \"territory\" but instead you know, respect and admire their previous work, makes your acceptance from their community easier. This in turn, will make your future papers more easily accepted and bring you more reviews to do, which in turn helps you shape the direction of your small scientific area. It also notifies you early on what everyone else is doing. Also, many times even without being co-authors on any paper, you may collaborate with those people on your next paper when they might provide their datasets or binaries or their src code, which might be needed to compare your work with theirs. Again, this informal type of collaboration is easier to be done when you have met those people in person and perhaps shared a beer in the conference banquet or reception.</p>\n\n<p>Also, as stated in my previous answer <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/21072/10042\">here</a>, you also totally miss the other social aspect of conferences. You will get to see a new place (you would not see otherwise) for only 20 minutes of work and all expenses paid. This is in most times a wonderful experience and you should probably not miss it. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46140,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Suppose one made connections from a conference, then what are the potential benefits of making those connections? i.e. how to make value out of them?!</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>For most people, new connections found through conferences at a later stage become either</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Potential references</li>\n<li>Potential collaborators</li>\n<li>Friends or at least acquaintances </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>(or, in the optimal case, a combination thereof)</p>\n\n<p>For all of those, it is hard to put a numerical \"value\" on them, but as you progress with your academic career, you will find that it is hard to be successful in academia without a healthy set of all of the three. Without references that vouch for your scientific merit, it is hard to get any advanced academic positions. Without collaborators, it is hard to write strong papers and grant proposals. Without friends in the community, future conferences become a chore and it is very easy to lose track of where the community is heading as a whole (also, the third item quite naturally leads to the former two items).</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Also the majority of the connections would be with researchers and students, not hiring managers so I wonder if there are any value for job search after graduating 4 years from the PhD.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In academia, the notion of \"hiring managers\" is somewhat suspect. You can definitely meet senior professors at conferences, and those are the ones that decide whether you get a faculty position down the road. Further, never make the mistake of assuming that the \"researchers and students\" you connect to don't matter, and you shouldn't talk to them - the PhD students from today are the people that review your papers and grant proposals tomorrow (hence the name \"peer review\").</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46151,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When I look at a conference that I have attended, two main metrics emerge to describe what benefits I obtained there:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>What is the <em>longest</em> time afterwards that I am thinking about something learned at the conference?</li>\n<li>What fraction of the time was I unable to attend the talks because I was taking care of business networking?</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The first metric was something I learned from my advisor, and it served me very well as a graduate student. This you can sometimes learn from papers, but the best talks of a conference are often either keynotes (which typically aren't in the proceedings) or else go above and beyond their papers to offer insight, context, and motivation that often doesn't formalize well or may not be present on the page at all.</p>\n\n<p>The second metric has emerged for me over time as I have matured as a researcher, because there is so much to do and so little time at a conference. Among the important types of things one does while networking at a conference:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Get insight into how others in the field outside your intellectual bubble are thinking about things</li>\n<li>Float ideas and get them critiqued</li>\n<li>Meet potential new collaborators, negotiate potential collaborations</li>\n<li>Get to know colleagues better both as fellow scientists and as people</li>\n<li>Arrange for invited lectures or other visits, both as host and guest</li>\n<li>Organize plans for future workshops, special symposia, special issues, etc.</li>\n<li>Make plans for sabbaticals, hiring, student placement</li>\n<li>Meet program managers, plan grant-writing</li>\n<li>Actually work on collaborations with otherwise-remote collaborators</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Some of these don't apply quite as much as a graduate student, but it's never too early to start getting to know your field and your colleagues at a more informal level, and much of the rest can emerge organically from that as you find likeminded individuals who share interests.</p>\n\n<p>In short: learning is great and useful, but networking is the biggest reason for and benefit of conferences, so far as I'm concerned these days.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46153,
"author": "Joe Corneli",
"author_id": 32387,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32387",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First off: one clever trick is to take notes at the conference and use them as part of the survey or literature review for your next paper. This isn't quite the same as social connections but it's food for thought.</p>\n\n<p>Back to your question: Often people go to conferences to chat about things that aren't going to turn into research papers, but you never know when you might meet a future collaborator at a conference, or a friend-of-a-future-collaborator. In my current job, I work with/for someone whom I was indirectly introduced to in this way. Another key collaborator is someone who I met at a conference, and then bumped into again online. Sometimes it happens the other way around. </p>\n\n<p>In short, networking is \"necessary but not sufficient\" and conferences are one good place to do it. Another is to get invited to give a talk in a local seminar series (often the next step after the conference).</p>\n\n<p>It's important to realise that nine out of ten possible \"connections\" don't take off, at least not right away. Still, even the ones that are dormant can be helpful later, since you'll know more about who's who, and what they are up to. And you get to know more about the sort of people you would and <em>wouldn't</em> want to work with.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/27
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46138",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10497/"
] |
46,141 |
<p>Checking the data from some public universities, I noticed that the variability in faculty salaries between STEM fields can be extremely large, even within the same university and for the same position. </p>
<p>For example, at the University of Michigan assistant professors in mechanical engineering generally make <a href="http://www.umsalary.info/deptsearch.php?Dept=Mechanical%20Engineering&Year=0&Campus=1">around $95k a year</a>, while for Math the same position pays <a href="http://www.umsalary.info/deptsearch.php?Dept=LSA%20mathematics&Year=0&Campus=0">around $55k</a>.</p>
<p>Why is this range so large?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46143,
"author": "Brian Borchers",
"author_id": 4453,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4453",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Because universities in the U.S. Operate independently of each other, there is no nationwide schedule of salaries and each college or university (or multi campus university system) can have its own policies on salaries. At some institutions the faculty are unionized and have a union contract with the institution that typically sets policies that determine the salary of individual faculty members. Most universities are not unionized and thus individual factor members try to negotiate the best deal that they can. Under this system there is typically a lot of variation between departments (e.g. Computer science professors can get a lot more salary then mathematicians or English professors.) There can also be significant variation within an individual department, even for faculty at the same rank.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46158,
"author": "BrianH",
"author_id": 6787,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6787",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Every job position is it's own little economy, and to understand it fully we basically need a wide-ranging understanding of economics. But we can at least hit the most obvious and easily understandable points, so long as we are clear that each position is distinct and unique in it's own right.</p>\n\n<p>Let's say you need to hire a Professor of Basket-Weave Engineering. How much do you pay them? Well, I say we offer to pay them a $1. Ah, but that would be below minimum wage requirements generally, so that'd be illegal...ok, let's pay them $20,000 a year then.</p>\n\n<p>Why pay them any more? Well, in short, we have a number of problems:</p>\n\n<p>1) Quality of candidates - the best in the field just aren't willing to work for so little, they likely won't even apply even if they were rich because such a low salary indicates a lack of respect and seriousness of the position. So you likely won't get your desired quality of candidate.</p>\n\n<p>2) Quantity of candidates - with such little pay you probably just won't get enough qualified candidates to seriously interview.</p>\n\n<p>3) Actual acceptance - even if you get enough good candidates and make an offer, there is a good chance they won't accept at all because they have better offers.</p>\n\n<p>4) Perception - national rankings and general public perception can be involved. Do you want to become known as the institution with McProfessors who are paid in beans? </p>\n\n<p>5) Turn over - even if you get good people to join, they will likely leave when they get a drastically better offer. Even the most die-hard of loyalists will have trouble turning down an offer that's 4-10 times the salary they get now.</p>\n\n<h2>But why are similar positions paid so differently?</h2>\n\n<p>Each of the simple 5 conditions I outlined above vary by individual position. A Computer Engineering professor is just not the same as a Chemical Engineer - they are both engineers, but they have very different market factors involved.</p>\n\n<p>Let's say they start off the same though, and you are able to hire and retain both at the same rate of $50,000 a year.</p>\n\n<p>Now let's say IBM wants to put someone in charge of a next-generation computing research lab - will they want a Computer Engineer or a Chemical Engineer? I think it's pretty clear that they may very well have a preference for one particular type of engineer. The research produced could earn them billions, so they'd be happy to pay easily $500,000 a year for the right candidate. Not to be outdone, Intel, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and a dozen other big-name computer companies also want the same kind of candidate, and all are willing to pay the same.</p>\n\n<p>Now you have a problem. If you want to hire a Chemical Engineer, nothing has changed - $50k seems to get people just fine. But if you want to hire a Computer Engineer, you are now effectively competing with dozens of companies willing to pay 10 times what you pay.</p>\n\n<p>One method of dealing with this is to ignore it. Sure, you'll lose the most money-motivated or even the best candidates to companies, but you'll still be able to get what you want. But what if more and more companies want computer engineers? What if it gets to be that there's a shortage of above-average candidates, and so industry will throw stupid amounts of money at any computer engineer who seems even vaguely above-average? You'll be left with only below-average engineers or ones who are outright hostile towards industry. If you expect to get grant money and support from industry partners, you are going to be in trouble either way.</p>\n\n<p>So it might turn out that it easily makes sense to pay $200,000 a year to get a Computer Engineer (because, frankly, you have no real other choice anymore), but why would you pay any more for a Chemical Engineer? Their market hasn't changed any, so why waste money?</p>\n\n<h2><a href=\"http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/StrategyLetterV.html\">Complements and Substitutes</a></h2>\n\n<p>But now we also realize something interesting. While the tech companies prefer computer engineers, they realize that IT engineers have similar knowledge and work almost just as well. They might still prefer computer engineers, but with less demand or less pay they will make use of them too (even if they were still working slightly outside their field!).</p>\n\n<p>Now you will find, thanks to the concept of substitutes, that other fields are being effected by the tech bidding wars. Pretty soon you'll be paying $150,000 for IT engineers. But what if tech companies realize that, sure they prefer the specialized knowledge of computing and IT people, but research is research - why not identity suitably brilliant Chemical Engineering PhDs and hire them? Sure it might take them a little longer to get up to speed in the field, but whatever - they may still prefer other fields, but they'll take what they can get. </p>\n\n<p>Next thing you know within a few years you went from paying everyone $50k to having to pay no less than $200k for a Computer Engineer, $150k for an IT Engineer, and $100k for a Chemical Engineer - minimum! Any less and all the really desirable candidates pass your institution over with ease as the other offers they get are just too high. Meanwhile professors whose primary role is teaching CS101 still command little more than that $50k, because industry just isn't super excited about people who can teach entry-level courses.</p>\n\n<p>And what if other institutions start competing for top candidates, just like the industry has been doing? As Artelius points out, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baumol%27s_cost_disease\">Baumol's Cost Disease</a> is a hypothesis that seeks to explain increases in salaries when productivity of the job itself hasn't changed, if you are interested in further reading.</p>\n\n<p>This little fictional story isn't far off exactly what has happened not only in Engineering fields, but all fields. My own adviser once pointed out to me that even people who do the same job, in the same field, get paid differently based upon what program they earned their final degree in - Psychology faculty just get paid less than Business or Engineering folks, even if they both work in the same exact applied research field.</p>\n\n<h2>People Are Different, Want Different Things, and Value Things Differently</h2>\n\n<p>Ultimately this is the bottom-line - people with similar titles are not paid the same because our system is based upon relative values of individuals, groups, and the economy as a whole. People are different, want different things, and don't assign the same universal value to all things. One agent might not be willing to buy something for more than $10, while another agent considers it a steal to get that thing for less than ten times the price!</p>\n\n<p>Even more importantly, no one really wants to pay more than they have to to get something they want. It is almost universally true that if someone pays X for something, it's because they didn't think they could get an equivalent thing for much less.</p>\n\n<p>And we got to this wide variance in salaries even while ignoring concepts like price-based value perceptions (national rankings that weight faculty pay as part of their rankings, for instance), vanity/political capital (deans or department heads who believe larger pay and budgets means more esteem and rank), paying a premium up-front to reduce turn over due to cost considerations (don't want someone in charge of a big funded research lab to leave every few years, so you make sure they are considered extra-well-paid so they don't jump ship), or even differential income value of a position! Not all positions bring in the same amount of community support or grant money, nor do all departments get the same support from higher-level administration (MIT just might not care that much about their history department but considers their robotics department mission-critical, for instance).</p>\n\n<p>But even if we ignore all these factors, the simple 5 factors at the beginning of this answer are more than sufficient to explain a difference in faculty pay, to say nothing of differential industry valuations/competition. The true reason faculty salaries differ so much is due to a combination of all these factors and more.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46164,
"author": "Anonymous",
"author_id": 11565,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11565",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One reason is that titles can be ambiguous. The \"assistant professors\" in the Michigan math department making ~$50k are all in fact postdocs with temporary appointments. The tenure-track assistant professors, per the table you linked to, are all making in the 80s or higher.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/27
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46141",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/24823/"
] |
46,144 |
<p>There have been a few circumstances where I've had to email an authority at my school and didn't know whether they had a PhD (e.g. An instructor of mine who I knew had been a PhD candidate a few years earlier, but perhaps graduated since then). In these cases, should I address the person as Dr.? </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46146,
"author": "RoboKaren",
"author_id": 14885,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14885",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I always use Dr. ______ whenever I am e-mailing someone at a university and do not know if they have a doctorate.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>If they do have a doctorate, I haven't insulted them.</p></li>\n<li><p>If they don't, they chuckle and are pleased.</p></li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46157,
"author": "Logan",
"author_id": 35095,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35095",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you don't know who the person is then there is no point of insult in normal greeting; however if you try this with non-phd person it may appear that you are trying to butter the person or show you in lesser light; as a person of lower intellectual capability; as everybody appears to be a dr to you.</p>\n\n<p>Lastly even if you know a person has the phd; it shouldn't insult him/her if they are your coworkers or boss; remember mgmnt in software cos usually encourage usage of first name and encourage casual informal relationships so as to foster stronger working ties (you don't want your coworker to be afraid or in awe of you so that they don't use their brains or agree blindly to whatever you say); as in a professional situation you all have the same goal and job; while in academics phd's ,post-doctoral guys are the knowledge searchers creators and you are the learners; it may insult them if they are your teachers/professors as that relationship is much different than a Professional relationship.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46163,
"author": "Patric Hartmann",
"author_id": 20449,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20449",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In my opinion it strongly depends on the culture. In Switzerland we use solely \"Herr\"/\"Frau\" (Mr/Mrs) to address even professors. If you have a look at the history of the country you get an idea why titles of any kind are somewhat frowned upon. However, in Germany the situation is already different and at least under certain circumstances the title is to be used in the address. In Austria it's even sort of a must as I got to hear. At least some people were somewhat sulky when I failed to do so :)</p>\n\n<p>I do not know what role titles play in other places of the world.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46173,
"author": "Eric",
"author_id": 20424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20424",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Address the person by her academic role if she has one. For example, if she is a a professor, say \"Dear Professor\" or \"Hi Professor\". If she is an instructor but not a professor try \"Dear Instructor\".</p>\n\n<p>I did this with my daily supervisor who was a professor but did not have a PhD in my early correspondence with him and it worked fine.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46175,
"author": "GreenAsJade",
"author_id": 11468,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11468",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is not a secret who has a PhD. You should ideally do your research and find out.</p>\n\n<p>If you don't do that you run a risk either way. If they don't have a PhD it's very unlikely to offend, but as Logan says, you aren't doing yourself any favours in creating an impression...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46180,
"author": "Sweatha Amarnath",
"author_id": 35115,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35115",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It is better you inquire their background before mailing them. No confusions could arise then.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46184,
"author": "user35119",
"author_id": 35119,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35119",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Well, I have a letter envelope from <em>the</em> D. E. Knuth addressing me as \"Professor\". Which is several steps above what I could actually be claiming. He (or his secretary) probably preferred erring on the safe side over guessing whether my lack of using titles was due to modesty.</p>\n\n<p>Now putting suspected titles on the envelope and leaving them off in the communication itself may actually be not a bad idea since then any possible embarrassment does not accumulate with multiple mentions but you still bring across that you consider the recipient capable/likely to have some degree.</p>\n\n<p>At any rate: if you cannot find any titles in material you are able to find of the person in question, chances are that he/she is not all that obsessive about having his titles attached to his name whenever possible even in case he <em>may</em> have claim to them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46766,
"author": "James Madison",
"author_id": 35558,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35558",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>No, just put Mr. if a man or Ms. if a woman.\nPhd are not doctors.\nPhd is a research degree and its not a professional title to call them doctors.\nOnly doctors to be called doctors.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 49092,
"author": "Lucas",
"author_id": 37454,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/37454",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In the UK, it is common to simply address academics by their name, without a title. \"Dear Firstname\" if you know them personally, or \"Dear Firstname Lastname\" to be slightly more formal or if e-mailing someone outside of your department. I would use however \"professor\" or \"Dr\" in more formal correspondence (such as appeals or anything by post) assuming I was certain of their title, but there is no harm in omitting it. </p>\n\n<p>So to answer your question: I would in most circumstances omit the title even if I knew it, and it is common in the UK to do so, though there is no harm in using it. If you don't know, \"Dear Name Name\" will suffice.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/27
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46144",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9263/"
] |
46,150 |
<p>I am reviewing a paper on a topic on which I have published some work previously as an author. While going through this current paper as a reviewer, I felt I could recommend my paper on the similar topic, which addresses a particular point better than in the paper I am reviewing. My question in this regard is whether in such conditions it's a common practice for a reviewer to recommend their own paper?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46154,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is a delicate issue. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>On the one hand, a reviewer is most familiar with their own work, and will certainly know if their work is relevant to the paper that they are reviewing.</li>\n<li>On the other hand, it can feel like a crass \"citation for publication\" trade.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The way that I typically approach it is to only recommend citation of my own work if I am also finding it appropriate to recommend citation of other related work at the same time. </p>\n\n<p>Put another way: if the hole in their literature review is \"me,\" then I find it likely that I'm wishing they cited me because of personal bias and my own ego. If the hole in their literature review is \"me and a whole bunch of other things like me,\" then I find it likely that it's a legitimate gap and it's OK to recommend my work as part of the set of things to fill said gap.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46155,
"author": "Mad Jack",
"author_id": 11192,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11192",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is it a common practice for reviewers to recommend their own papers in the review?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>While this is likely to vary by discipline, in my field/subfield (electrical engineering/circuits and signal processing), reviewers recommending that one of their papers be cited in the revised manuscript is fairly common. </p>\n\n<p>Now, this does not mean that the authors are obligated to include the reference in their revised manuscript. But, as a reviewer, if you have authored a paper that is highly relevant to the paper under review, I think it's helpful to the field if these links to other relevant works are established. </p>\n\n<p>Coincidentally, I have found out about other related works in closely-related fields (but not exactly the same as my \"little corner of the world\") by reviewers suggesting that I cite certain papers in my manuscripts (of which, some of the suggested papers are the reviewer's own papers [because, let's face it, sometimes you can tell]). And, of course, I will take a look at these suggested works and make sure they are a good fit for my paper before I comply with the request to cite them.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46172,
"author": "jm-rives",
"author_id": 35107,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35107",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes. One of the jurors for my and a colleague's paper referenced his own work in refutation of our own. Our paper was rejected by that journal, but later accepted for publication in a journal with a higher impact score. I am uncertain whether this practice is ethical or not.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46174,
"author": "Scott Seidman",
"author_id": 20457,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20457",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The metric I use is the same as for everything else I do when refereeing a manuscript: Would I make the suggestion to the authors face as a non-anonymous referee? How would the authors feel if they knew it came from me? Would they think I was trolling for citation, or would they think they missed an important paper for discussion?</p>\n\n<p>Probably, if the manuscript tells a complete story and has a fair picture of the state of the literature without it, I probably would not bring up my own paper in a review. If my paper were seminal in the field, and the authors missed it, then I'd probably bring it up. Oddly enough, papers I tend to recommend during review are not my own, usually.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46186,
"author": "user35124",
"author_id": 35124,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35124",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I find that the existing answers do <em>not</em> address the actual question. The question was not whether a reviewer should ask for his work to be <em>cited</em> but whether he should point out his work regarding the relevance to suggested fixes to the <em>content</em> of the reviewed paper.</p>\n\n<p>The reviewer here appears to me more interested in changes to the <em>text</em> rather than the bibliography.</p>\n\n<p>And that's where I'd actually be drawing my personal line: trying to get your work <em>cited</em> feels distasteful to me. Trying to get your work <em>heeded</em> where doing so would substantially improve the paper's relation to the status quo of research seems appropriate to me.</p>\n\n<p>Now this heeding can be done by taking the results of that paper, removing the appropriate section in the paper itself and obviously putting in a bibliographical reference. It can be done by reworking that passage, possibly just throwing out material that seems no longer motivateable in light of your work even when the act of throwing the material out does not actually warrant a separate documentation and citation.</p>\n\n<p>In contrast, if the work remains unchanged but the bibliography is amended, this amounts to a do-it-yourself science kit for the reader. That makes no sense. The bibliography is not supposed to be a field survey but rather contain references actually supporting the article. Dumping unrelated or contradicting references into it does not improve the article when the article does not actually work out its relation to the reference.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46191,
"author": "Relaxed",
"author_id": 11596,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11596",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You are really asking several distinct but related questions.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Is it common to ask people to cite your own work?</strong> Yes, it's reasonably common, it has happened to me and to others. On the other hand, I am not aware of any statistics on the practice and it's certainly not something everybody is doing.</li>\n<li><strong>Is it appropriate/ethical to do it?</strong> It's delicate, others have already provided excellent answers on this point but do realise that it's extremely difficult to be perfectly honest with yourself in this context. We might be dead certain we are making a reasonable, neutral assessment of our work's relevance to the paper's topic but the psychological literature suggests we humans are usually not very good judges of that.</li>\n<li><strong>How will it be perceived?</strong> You did not ask about this but it seems to me that it's likely to look bad. At the very least, follow Jake's and user35124's advice and only mention your own papers if you are doing more than merely asking for a citation. Even if you do it in good faith and you are right about your paper's relevance, only suggesting publications from one author will look odd.</li>\n<li><strong>Should you do it?</strong> Anecdotal evidence suggests that some people in my field have been doing it for some time in a rather heavy-handed way. They probably suffered a bit of damage to their reputation with authors and possibly editors but it's definitely not something that's universally frowned upon and could get you in deep trouble like fraud or plagiarism. So it's up to you to assess the ethics and decide if you want to do it or not.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 96317,
"author": "Philip Warrick",
"author_id": 80160,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/80160",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If you feel strongly that your paper is more than peripherally relevant, that you have addressed the issue in a particularly relevant way, why not make the suggestion to the editors rather than directly to the authors and let the editor assess it as a third party in a perhaps more objective way?</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/27
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46150",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
46,156 |
<p>I want to learn more about a specific part of a narrow, fledgling field. I want to have a 30 minute conversation with a the burgeoning experts in this area of study -- they are all researchers at universities. </p>
<p>I have completed my undergrad in a related field, but at a different institution, and without formal training in the specialized area I'm investigating. But I have read up enough to be able to ask informed questions.</p>
<p>How can I get these busy people to give me a half an hour (or more) of their life when I don't know anyone in their network and am an outsider? What can I offer them in exchange for their time? What is a good way to make contact and avoid a totally "cold call"?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46160,
"author": "A Jack",
"author_id": 15616,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15616",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You are right that it is difficult to make contact with a busy expert when you have no network contacts to draw upon. One of the best ways to make contact is to attend a conference that covers your area of interest; this can be pricey, but in my field the major conference even has \"Meet the Experts\" lunches for student attendees. At the conference, register for pre-meeting, student, and/or special interest group events that may have a either a career development focus or are likely to have a more specialized attendance and thus more opportunities to approach individuals with whom you'd like to talk.</p>\n\n<p>While some experts may, in fact, respond to a \"cold call\" (or cold email, as the case may be), the fact is that most are probably putting out fires and dealing with higher-level responsibilities, and may simply be too busy. In that case you may want to try moving down the ladder a bit...a graduate student or postdoc in their lab may be a bit more available to chat, and may actually have good advice for you about the next step in your career, as well as information about the nitty-gritty of the specialized area their lab works on. </p>\n\n<p>My best advice is just go out there and make your best effort to get in touch, provided you convey respect for their time and withdraw gracefully if they aren't able to make time for you. Some investigators may respond very favorably--you might be surprised! Nothing ventured, nothing gained...</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46170,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Start with just sending a friendly \"hey, I'd love to meet with you for just a few minutes\" email. You'd be surprised that a few people will actually respond and respond well to that sort of initiative. Anecdotally, I got quite a few interesting meetings with people just with that.</p>\n\n<p>If they don't reply to your email, you can decide how you want to go. I'd recommend the following, but really, any of these can be done in any order.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Send a follow-up email. I'd do this a maximum of two times. At that point, if he's ignoring you, he's ignoring you.</p></li>\n<li><p>Try to talk to an administrative assistant, see if there's a better way to get in touch/get on his schedule.</p></li>\n<li><p>Drop by his office sometime, see if he's willing to talk to you unannounced. I would recommend asking his graduate students before you do this, as he may not appreciate it.</p></li>\n<li><p>Find someone else to talk to. Some people just don't like talking.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46182,
"author": "D.W.",
"author_id": 705,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/705",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Your starting point for how to think about this should be the same as with any social interaction: empathize. Put yourself in their shoes. Start by trying to imagine what their motivations might be and what they might get out of spending 30 minutes with you answering your questions. Many social interactions involve some kind of exchange; what is exchanged might vary (it might be information, or emotional support, or entertainment, or a sense of connection, or any of a number of other motivations), but try to understand what the professor might get out of it, and then tailor your approach accordingly. What value can you offer? What's the benefit to them?</p>\n\n<p>Realistically, in many cases, there might be nothing you have to offer that would make it worthwhile for the professor to spend 30 minutes of their limited time answering your questions. Professors are often busy and have many responsibilities and obligations of their own, and so they simply might not be available to be a free resource for you, as much as you wish it were so. In this sense, professors are much like any other domain expert. For instance, if you needed advice from a legal expert (a lawyer), what could you offer them to make it worth their while to spend 30 minutes of their time answering your legal questions for free? Usually, you can't. Instead, you have to hire their services.</p>\n\n<p>Now in some cases you might get lucky and be able to find an expert who knows the subject area and is willing to give you free advice. The motivation might vary, but here are some samples of why someone might be willing to help you out like this:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Maybe the professor/expert gets some satisfaction out of seeing their ideas used in practice, as well as some boost to their professional reputation. (This might be applicable if you're going to build a widely deployed product, and the professor's research provides specialized knowledge that will improve the product, but it probably won't be if you're an amateur who is tooling about with this stuff for curiosity's sake.)</p></li>\n<li><p>Maybe the professor/expert gets some satisfaction out of serving the public. (This might be more applicable if you work for a non-profit that is working to serve the public, or if answering your question will help not only you but others -- such as if the answer is documented on a public site like StackExchange.)</p></li>\n<li><p>Maybe the professor/expert is doing a favor for someone else they know, who they owe a favor or want to oblige. (This might be applicable if you know someone who has a strong relationship with the expert and who is willing to ask a favor and whom the expert might want to oblige.)</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So, if you're asking for free advice from the professor, start by knowing which of those motivations you might fit into, and tailor your approach closely.</p>\n\n<p>But realize that most professors/experts will likely be too busy to give you this much of their time for free, if they're not getting anything out of it. You're not entitled to any of their time; if they give you any time, you should be grateful for it and consider yourself fortunate. So your traditional options are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Hire the professor/expert as a consultant.</p></li>\n<li><p>Read the professor's published papers. Read the research literature in the area. Study the field as much as possible. If you've spent weeks or months doing so, then typically you'll get a good idea of the answers to many of your questions -- and if there are one or two that remain unanswered, you might be able to frame an email that asks a well-crafted, focused, non-trivial question about their research. When you've put in a ton of effort on your own and are able to ask a narrowly-focused intelligent question about the professor's research, and you're not wasting their time, it's more likely you'll get an answer. But in this model, you're not asking for 30 minutes of their time. You're sending an email with a single, well-crafted question.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46210,
"author": "Alexander",
"author_id": 35136,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35136",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Just this week, I got a call set up with a professor. I have no connection with him or the university he teaches at. As a disclaimer, I have no idea how busy he is or whether he is an expert in my field. Here's how I did it:</p>\n\n<p>For background, I am interested in learning about student engagement, more specifically using popular media in the classroom. One of the presentations on the professor's department website discussed this topic in some form, and it really captured my interest.</p>\n\n<p>First off, I created an email subject that would probably capture his interest. Since he is a professor, he is probably interested in education. And since he has a presentation on popular media, he is probably interested in that as well. So combining the two, my subject line was: \"Using Popular Culture to Educate Students.\" Note that I didn't use the word \"media\" because he does not use that specific terminology in his presentation.</p>\n\n<p>I started out the body of my email by linking to the presentation and thanking him for creating such a valuable resource. I expressed genuine appreciation for the presentation that he (or someone else in his department) created. I then mentioned that I am exploring the topic of the presentation and \"would love to learn more about [his] work.\" Finally, I ended the email by asking to chat briefly on the phone. I then went further and suggested a <strong>specific day and time to chat</strong>. The bolded part is what most people don't include in their emails. This significantly reduces the work for the person you are trying to \"sell\" to and makes them more likely to respond. And sure enough, I got a response.</p>\n\n<p>To recap, here's how I approached the situation:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Create a subject line that will be likely to capture their interest.</li>\n<li>Link to a specific work of theirs that you found interesting and/or valuable. People appreciate it when you acknowledge their work.</li>\n<li>Show that you are working within the scope of their work, and indicate that you are trying to learn more about that subject.</li>\n<li>Ask for a quick chat on the phone, and indicate why you want to speak with them.</li>\n<li>Suggest a specific date/time to chat.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I believe the above steps made me successful in gaining the attention of the professor. There's also a little luck involved, so it's possible that I could have just gotten lucky.</p>\n\n<p>I hope this helps!</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/27
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46156",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31141/"
] |
46,166 |
<p>Is it possible for a young assistant professor to receive a higher salary than an associate professor in the same department with many more papers, citations, etc?</p>
<p>Why would this happen?</p>
<p>What determines the salary of a faculty member, if not papers and citations?</p>
<hr>
<h2>UPDATE</h2>
<p>Although there is overlap, my question is not duplicate. The (realistic but maybe erroneous) example is edited away, so it changes the context of my question. In the situation I want to ask, the associate professor not only stays longer, but also has much more reputation than the assistant professor.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46167,
"author": "Thomas Lee",
"author_id": 24823,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/24823",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I can think of some reasons such as</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>It is not uncommon that new hires get higher salaries, even in industry. </li>\n<li>Faculty A could have more grants than B. Publications and citations don't matter much if a faculty doesn't bring money to the school.</li>\n<li>Faculty A could graduated from a top school.</li>\n<li>For new hires, their salary could include summer salary for first few years.</li>\n</ol>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46168,
"author": "user6726",
"author_id": 28972,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/28972",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There are very many reasons. For starters, some faculty have 12 month appointments, others have 9 month, and some have less than 100% for however many months. Some specializations within a department are very competitive and faculty in that area can get high salaries compared to areas that are less in-demand. Some faculty get university awards which translate into a salary bump. Som faculty are very research productive and some are not; and some deans have a policy requiring e.g. 75% of the raise money to go to 25% of the faculty (i.e. prohibitiving splitting the pot evenly).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46169,
"author": "Corvus",
"author_id": 27900,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27900",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The phenomenon you describe is known as <em>compression</em> and, in the case where salaries are actually reversed, <em>inversion</em>. Unfortunately these are very common especially at state universities. The principal cause is that faculty get hired as assistant professors at market rates, but the university salary structure fails to keep up with inflation and any other sources of increases. Given the severe funding cuts, salary freezes, and so forth that have plagued public higher education over the past few decades, this situation has been almost inevitable. The result is a salary structure such as you describe. </p>\n\n<p>The only ways to fix this are either explicit allocation of funds to correct compression, or for individual faculty to obtain raises via retention packages to fight off outside offers. </p>\n\n<p>In general, salaries are basically set by market rate at hiring (which for assistant professors is largely independent of citations and papers, <em>conditional on getting the job in the first place</em>) and by outside offers received later during the career. Both the availability of outside offers and their magnitude will depend on stature in the field. Even if one does not actually take an outside offer, receiving one or more such offers can prompt the home institution to put together a retention package. The willingness of the home institution to put together a top package will also depend on stature, and similarly the magnitude of the retention package depends on the outside offer and is thus also based on stature. </p>\n\n<p>In principle, regular merit raises could also reward faculty in accordance with their productivity and impact. But for whatever reason (I blame self-governance, but that's another discussion), merit raises and such tend to be allocated in relatively egalitarian form, rather than proportional to differential merit and productivity. </p>\n\n<p>Other answers provide additional important information. Some salaries are 9 month, some 12 month. Some faculty on 9 month appointments can cover summer salary off of grants; others spread 9 months salary across 12 months. Public databases often list total salary received rather than 9 month salary; this considerably increases the variation among faculty. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/27
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46166",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/15501/"
] |
46,193 |
<p>I've seen many academic CVs list the conferences the individual participated in, and I can't help but wonder how is this information useful? I can understand citing journal articles because this gives information as to the type of research the individual is doing, but I have no clue as to why listing conferences adds anything.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46194,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I typically have seen conferences appear in CVs in three ways:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Peer-reviewed conference publications, which in some fields (e.g., computer science) can be as important as journal articles</li>\n<li>Talks given at conferences, whether based on peer reviewed papers, non-reviewed abstracts, or invitations, which give evidence that the person has experience with scientific speaking.</li>\n<li>Service to the community, whether as an organizer, a reviewer, or a student volunteer.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Beyond that, just saying \"I paid $600 to register for this conference and all I got was this lousy tote bag\" seems rather pointless.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46214,
"author": "Gaurav",
"author_id": 60,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/60",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Going to a conference without a publication, poster or talk still shows (at least in theory) that you know people in that research field, who you might be able to tap into for advice, collaboration or when looking for new students, all of which could benefit a potential employer. It also shows interest in that research area, although I imagine most potential employers will look at your publications to gauge that.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46233,
"author": "derelict",
"author_id": 14547,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14547",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If nothing else it shows that the individual is engaged in it's particular field. </p>\n\n<p>Edit: In Europe, CVs are typically shorter (about 2 pages) compared to the US, which can include anything that shows engagement, professional development, achievements, positions, etc. </p>\n\n<p>I personally have 2 CVs. A comprehensive CV, which is typical for academic applications, that includes any and everything I've done related to my professional career, including workshops, conference presentations, etc. The second CV is more concise (2 pages), and is more like a resume - which is what is often wanted by industry. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/28
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46193",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/18330/"
] |
46,197 |
<p>I'm a graduate student in mathematics but I've done a lot of open source software projects, some of which have even won hackathons. My question is should I put them on my CV? I've seen academic CVs only contain publications, conferences etc. But, I feel that these projects are very valuable to mention.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46199,
"author": "Stephanie",
"author_id": 32695,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32695",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You're correct to want to mention them, CVs often probably only lack them because the writer hasn't done them or it isn't relevant to their career (perhaps they do not need to mention them any longer to prove particular skills). My CV included my programming/computing experience and was well received as the programming I had done was relevant; I was applying for computationally demanding PhD programmes.</p>\n\n<p>Relevance is key so when including the projects, make sure the skills you gained from completing the open source projects are clear to the reader. Make sure it is also clear how these same skills are relevant to your application.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46216,
"author": "Gaurav",
"author_id": 60,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/60",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>On my CV, I try to list software twice: once as part of a scientific project (\"I studied ... and wrote a software tool to allow other scientists to ...\") and once as a software project (\"SequenceMatrix is a Java application to ... that I developed while working on ...\"). The first includes scientific outputs, such as publications, findings and point to research interests, while the second includes development tools, software design and engineering practice. Which one I emphasize -- and whether I drop one entirely -- depends on what I'm applying for.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46249,
"author": "Brian Borchers",
"author_id": 4453,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4453",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I am a mathematics professor and I served on a hiring committee this spring so I've been reading a lot of CVs recently. If the software projects that you have been working on are completely unrelated to your research or mathematics in general, then I would leave them off. If he projects are directly related to your research or even just mathematical in nature (e.g. Work on the Sage computer algebra system), then I would include them. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/28
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46197",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/18330/"
] |
46,198 |
<p>A postdoc joins a group with a good idea to work on, while no specific project was given to him by the PI. After recognising the potential of the idea, the PI decides to take PhD students to work on it. When the postdoc asks, the PI says that the postdoc is going to be on this position only for a short time and the project (work) may not be finished before his contract expires. The contract is funded by the PI.</p>
<p>What should the postdoc do? Is it right for the postdoc to give his ideas in the first instance and should he be recognised when the work gets completed? If so, what about authorship?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46208,
"author": "Stephanie",
"author_id": 32695,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32695",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The supervisor is unlikely to reassign project ideas carelessly that weren't their own. It is also worth attempting to use this idea to try and obtain more funding/a longer contract if it is possible at the location.</p>\n\n<p>If the postdoc is not worried about completing all the work themselves then they can follow the PI's plan but should clarify at the start of this process that they want to be involved in working on it for a time and to be recognised at publication for their practical and intellectual contributions.</p>\n\n<p>If, for example, the postdoc could take this new idea to a position in the near future and work on it there themselves and do the main work and publications, then they would understandably have reservations upon sharing it in the first place.</p>\n\n<p>It is basically important to make ones intentions clear at the get go when sharing an idea, and to understand the scope of the idea, appreciate how novel it actually is and what is needed to follow it through. I would make it clear that you want as big a part as possible in the idea because you believe in it and then share it or not depending on whether the current position/group/lab/PI is essential for completing the work or whether there would be other more independent possibilities in the near future. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46211,
"author": "Tim",
"author_id": 12703,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12703",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Stephanie's answer addresses a good practical course of action, but I want to add one point. In many fields (definitely in the social sciences and engineering, and also most fields outside academia) the resources required to implement an idea are much greater than those required to conceive it. For this reason, achievement is measured in terms of successful implementations rather than successful conceptions. Therefore, ideas are not currency to be saved up, guarded, or traded away but intellectual bonds to be freely shared. Rather than all sitting in locked rooms with our 5 or 6 best ideas, we offer them during the Q&A of a talk, we publish them in the future work sections of our manuscripts, and we chat about them with fellow researchers over coffee. In this way, we all have hundreds or thousands of good ideas within reach when we actually have the resources to do some work.</p>\n\n<p>So, this is a long-winded way of saying that you could ask for or demand authorship on any subsequent publications, or you could just be happy that your idea will be implemented and continue searching for the project that you have the right amount of resources to perform.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46213,
"author": "A.S",
"author_id": 22447,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22447",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To address the question:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>What should the postdoc do?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Short answer: The postdoc should come up with evidence-backed rationale why they should be listened to in this situation at all. Since the cat (idea) is already out of the bag, it's too late to think about whether it's right or not to share the idea, or for the PI to take and run with it. It's a judgment call and it's up to the PI at this point. From this point, it makes sense to adopt a future-oriented perspective. </p>\n\n<p>Should the postdoc meet and directly address the issue of getting credit for the idea, specifically in the form of authorship on future publications? Yes, that makes sense. But I would do so only after taking some steps to increase the likelihood of reaching a resolution in the postdoc's favor. In this regard, my answer centers on the notion of negotiating leverage. </p>\n\n<p>Worst case, the PI could completely usurp the idea and leave the postdoc hanging after the contract is up. Best case, the postdoc would get an extension and co-authorship invitation for major publications emerging from the project based on her idea. </p>\n\n<p>To increase the likelihood of best-case scenario, the negotiator needs leverage, i.e. other options or resources to bring to the table. </p>\n\n<p>From the description it seems the postdoc does not have leverage in negotiations in this case. Such leverage could include solid leads for other positions with favorable terms for developing this line of research. </p>\n\n<p>Lets imagine the PI suspects you might have solid options or offers on the table to leave the job for another position that will give you more resources to build out the program of your research (employment at will allows you to do just that, unless you care about a good recommendation from this PI). If so, they will either (a) not care and let you go your way, or (b) recognize your value and be more willing to negotiate an arrangement where they would try to make an offer that competes with the offer you have from somewhere else, thus creating conditions in your favor. </p>\n\n<p>It's a gamble, but if push comes to shove, it is better to find yourself in a stronger negotiating position that truly does give you a feasible Plan B if a compromise is unlikely. Good luck!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46217,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>When I was a graduate student, my advisor told me something that has stuck with me ever since:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I never worry about giving my ideas away. I always have more ideas than I can work on, so I give them away as fast as I can. The only people who worry about somebody stealing their ideas away are people who are afraid they won't have any more.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I have taken that to heart in my career: I give (most) ideas away as fast as I can, and it has served me well. Having ideas is not an art or a mystical experience, it is the exercise of a skill at creative thinking that can be developed and strengthened just like any other skill. Over time, giving ideas away thus doesn't diminish your stock of ideas, but instead actually increases it.</p>\n\n<p>The real question, as alluded to by others, is what you do with an idea once you have it. As I see it, there are basically three honorable actions that you can take (hoarding it away not being one of them):</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Pursue the work following from the idea strongly yourself, heavily investing your own time. In this case, if the work is fruitful, you most certainly should get a lot of credit. These are the only ideas I might not give away, in certain restricted circumstances---usually I'll share these as well, since more people caring about my problem area is generally better for me.</li>\n<li>Give the idea away for somebody else to work on, but continue contributing to the work in an advisory or other accessory manner. This is the typical mode of operation for many professors, and can certainly be for a postdoc as well, even after you move on to another institution. If you continue to contribute in a minor way to the work, you should receive minor credit (e.g., Nth authorship). </li>\n<li>Give the idea away for somebody else to work on, but don't contribute to the work beyond that. This is great because you don't burden yourself with the extra work, but you should probably expect an acknowledgement at most, not authorship.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>In short: in most cases, it's not the idea, but the work following the idea that counts. We only think otherwise because we are scared or because our <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Kekul%C3%A9#The_ouroboros_dream\">myths of science</a> frequently mischaracterize the <em>result</em> of work as the idea.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46256,
"author": "JeopardyLeyton",
"author_id": 35171,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35171",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think that the PI has not behaved very well. Postdocs need all the help they can get with establishing themselves in order to secure further positions and develop their careers. The PI, as the postdoc's superior/mentor, should be involved in helping to develop and promote a good postdoc wherever possible. If a postdoc has a great idea and one that would result in a long project, a good academic would help the postdoc find ways of funding the project in such a way that the postdoc could stay working on the project. The PI would likely remain as PI, but the postdoc would do most of the work and perhaps supervise some PhD students. That way, the institution has the chance to attract further funding, the PI still has their name on a project and the postdoc is given the opportunity to see their idea through and develop many more skills and experience that will help to further their career.</p>\n\n<p>For the PI to take the idea away from the postdoc and tell them that they're not going to be around long enough to see it through seems very short-sighted to me. If I were the postdoc, I would have a look for possible funding opportunities that could fund the project, such as an early career fellowship, and then suggest to the PI and perhaps the Head of Department that I'd like to try and apply for additional funding for the project to extend my contract and have a role working on it. There are benefits there for the Department and for the PI - the PI can be on the project as a mentor/advisor which looks good for them without demanding much extra work, the department would get extra funding, and perhaps even a PhD studentship or two, depending on the scope of the project. </p>\n\n<p>It may be that the field matters in this instance, as different disciplines have different ways of doing things. Computer Science, for example, is very different to Psychology, which is different to Physics, etc., in terms of how these issues are handled. In my experience, when starting out in academia, you need every drop of experience and every demonstration of merit you can get. It would be wonderful if academia was only about freely sharing ideas and working towards the common goal of enhancing collective knowledge, and everybody giving credit where credit is due, but in reality there are many who will not act that way and will actually give no further thought to quashing your career before it's even started just to get themselves some extra kudos in the eyes of their peers. </p>\n\n<p>My advice would be to share ideas by all means, show your value by providing useful input to discussions etc, but if you have an idea for a project when you are just starting out, take ownership of that idea and bring it to your superiors with the stated goal in mind of securing funding for the project that you will work on. A good department will be eager to demonstrate that they make an effort to support their postdocs in securing a position beyond the postdoc, and will particularly be keen to keep hold of a good researcher while attracting additional funding.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/28
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46198",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35132/"
] |
46,200 |
<p>Since public universities are nonprofit organizations, do their employees including faculty pay less taxes than those who work in industry? </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46201,
"author": "Bill Barth",
"author_id": 11600,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11600",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Not in the US. There's no special tax breaks for non-profit or government employees here. They probably pay less in an absolute sense because their salaries are somewhat lower, but they don't get special rates.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46202,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In America, employees of governmental or nonprofit organizations are taxed the same way as employees of for-profits. The non-profit itself is generally exempt from taxation, but its employees are not. So there are no obvious tax advantages to working at a public or nonprofit university versus working for a for-profit corporation.</p>\n\n<p>(I assume this will be much the same throughout the developed world.)</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46204,
"author": "MJeffryes",
"author_id": 31487,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31487",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>While I don't think this is true for any universities, the employees of certain non-profit international scientific organisations, including CERN, EMBL and ESA are exempted from national taxation. They are instead required to pay an internal tax which returns a percentage of their income to the employing organisation, with a tax band structure similar to conventional income taxes. In some cases this might result in an employee paying less than if they were under their national tax regime, but it might also result in them paying more.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46205,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Here is one case in which this is sort of true.</p>\n\n<p>I work for a public university in the US state of Colorado. Colorado has decided that its public employees shall not participate in the federal Social Security system (states have the right to do this, under US law, though not all actually do so). As such, employees of public universities in Colorado do not pay Social Security tax. However, this means we also do not earn credits toward receiving Social Security retirement benefits. (The state used to offer its own pension system to state employees, but this is now being phased out in favor of a third party-managed defined contribution scheme.)</p>\n\n<p>(We do still pay state and federal income tax at the normal rates.)</p>\n\n<p>So this is one case in which university employees are exempt from a certain tax. But it is not related to non-profit status (private nonprofit universities in the state do not have this exemption) and it comes with a corresponding loss of government benefits.</p>\n\n<p>Perhaps more directly related: I believe that at all US universities (all states, both public and private), <em>student</em> employees are exempt from paying Social Security tax (and from earning credits). But this does not universally apply to full-time employees.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46212,
"author": "GEdgar",
"author_id": 4484,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4484",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Another \"partial\" case. In some states, when a teacher buys supplies for the classroom paying from her own pocket, she can be exempted from paying the sales tax on those items. </p>\n\n<p>50 years ago I had a summer job at a federal lab. One of the old-timers there once joked about a time (even then it was \"long ago\") when federal employees were exempt from federal income tax.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46227,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>On an international note, in Germany, university professors are considered to be in a special class of public employees known as <em>Beamter</em>, and are exempted from all federal payroll taxes except ordinary income taxes and the reunification tax. This also means, as indicated by Nate Eldredge in his answer, that they are not able to participate in the federal social insurance scheme. Instead, they receive a pension paid for by the individual state governments in which they work.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/28
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46200",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/24823/"
] |
46,206 |
<p>I recently attended an editiorial panel at a conference where editors of several journals in my field advertised their journals and to this purpose listed, amongst others, the time difference between editorial acceptance and online publication. </p>
<p>While the averages they gave were about one month, I cannot recall any paper of mine or my colleagues in this field for which this took longer than two weeks. We get the proofs within a week, send our corrections within one or two days and the paper is published a few days later. Add two days for the rare case that another round of proofs is required.</p>
<p>I can guess several reasons for this discrepancy myself such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>authors not returning the proofs in time</li>
<li>bad figures that require reworking</li>
<li>bad English that requires a lot of copy editing</li>
<li>a strongly skewed distribution of acceptance-to-publication times (but then journals would probably use the median and not the average for this statistics)</li>
</ul>
<p>However, I am interested in something <strong>more substantiated than a guess</strong> and thus in any statistics or hands-on experiences from a copy editor or similar as to what usually makes up for the time between acceptance and online publication, which in turn could explain these discrepancies.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46209,
"author": "Corvus",
"author_id": 27900,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27900",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The most obvious explanation is that if the \"one month\" estimate reported is a mean rather than a median, it could be heavily influenced by a few large values. In other words, it seems quite reasonable that there would be a skewed distribution of times to publication: most around 2 weeks, a few that because of various problems take 6 months. As a result, you'd see a mean time of around a month even though in your experience the large majority of your observations would be around 2 weeks. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46215,
"author": "Buzz",
"author_id": 27515,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/27515",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>From personal experience, I can say that while the usual time from acceptance to online publication may be quite short (for a good journal), there are occasionally situations where the process takes a lot longer. This probably pushes the mean time interval up quite a bit.</p>\n\n<p>Over the last five years, I have published a couple dozen papers, and for most of them, the time lag between their acceptance and their appearance online was just two or three weeks. However, for three of those papers, the time was quite a bit longer--a matter of months instead.</p>\n\n<p>The reasons for this varied. In one case, the copy editor raised some questions about my wording, and the paper passed back and forth between me and the journal several times before both sides were satisfied with the way the terminology was used. For the second paper, the proof contained a serious error in one of the equations, which took three more rounds of proofing to get corrected. (Every time I explained what needed to be changed, they messed up something else; it was frustrating.) In each of these cases, it would take a couple weeks for the editorial staff to make the changes, generate a new proof, and send it to me. When you need to go through four proofs, that can stretch the process to two months.</p>\n\n<p>I don't know why the third paper took three or four times as long as usual; it just did. Presumably there was some difficulty at the editorial office, but I never pressed them to find out what it was.</p>\n\n<p>I try very hard to submit very carefully composed and edited manuscripts, and I encountered a few slow-moving manuscripts. I know there are a fair number of people whose manuscripts routinely need quite a bit more editing work than mine. Mostly, I think this is because the authors are not native English speakers. However, whatever the reason, there are going to be a nontrivial number of papers that need to be sent back and forth between the authors and the editorial office multiple times. These give the distribution of time delays a long tail and probably stretch the mean waiting time out significantly.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 91149,
"author": "SA Currie",
"author_id": 75058,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/75058",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I have been a copy editor for several academic journals at two different publishers. In my experience, things that affect the time from accept to publication include:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Editors asking for additional data (e.g., tables, figures) to be supplied at the author proof stage, which then need to be incorporated into the accepted paper.</p></li>\n<li><p>Editors asking for substantive edits and reorganization of a paper post-accept by the copy editor because they don’t want to go through another round of revisions with the author, as it will affect the time from submission to accept (basically, they want to shift blame for the delay from pre- to post-accept).</p></li>\n<li><p>Papers being “batched” for issues by the editorial office, leading to an uneven and unpredictable workflow for the copy editors and typesetters</p></li>\n<li><p>The publication model (e.g., continuous publication, ePub ahead of print, number of issues in a volume).</p></li>\n<li><p>The length and complexity of the paper (e.g., systematic reviews and meta-analyses, in my experience, can take a couple of days to copy-edit, particularly if one is also responsible for editing/formatting the tables and forest plots, whereas a narrative review or technical note may take an afternoon).</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/28
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46206",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7734/"
] |
46,220 |
<p>I an currently finishing my first year in a Masters program in Computer Science / Mathematics and thinking about getting a Ph.D. I'm not really sure, however, that I want to make my Ph.D. with the same thesis with which I'm getting my Masters degree. </p>
<p>I heard the opinion about Ph.D. as "doing interesting (for you) stuff, development your skills and even getting paid for it". But it seems too unrealistic for me, especially in my city/country (Russia). Probably I can think about getting a Ph.D. in another country, but how can I manage to do it without a proper Ph.D. advisor? Probably, I can determine an area of my interests, but how can I determine if it is suitable for a Ph.D. or not? And how can I find the person who can guide/help me with it?</p>
<p>I'm feeling a little bit nervous when thinking about writing to a complete stranger in another country "I want to do PhD under your supervision" or something like this. </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46741,
"author": "Dilworth",
"author_id": 8760,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8760",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It depends on your credentials and references. But having good record enables you to apply to many good schools (e.g., Princeton, MIT etc.) in the US/Europe, via dedicated online application sites. So you do not need to personally contact anyone. </p>\n\n<p>The other option is to use <a href=\"http://www.findaphd.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">Findaphd.com</a>, and other dedicated mailing lists who solicit PhD applications.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, sending emails to professors, without knowing in advance whether they have the money to support a PhD student, is possible but has quite a low chance of success. </p>\n\n<p>You might also use your existing professional connections within your local academia to seek potential PhD opportunities.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46752,
"author": "Ellen Spertus",
"author_id": 269,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/269",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You may misunderstand how one gets a PhD advisor in a CS department at American universities. Typically you apply to the program, then either get assigned an advisor or select one after arriving. Often, students enter one program expecting to work with a certain advisor but end up working with someone else.</p>\n\n<p>Also, PhD theses usually are different topics from Master's theses. There is no assumption that they will be on the same topic, as your question seems to imply.</p>\n\n<p>Most departments are broad enough to satisfy a variety of interests, although, at this stage of your career, you should at least have one or more general areas of interest, such as AI, systems, theory, HCI, etc. You would be expected to specify areas of interest and experience in your application essays, although it's okay for you to change directions later on.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/28
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46220",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35147/"
] |
46,222 |
<p>Subsequent publications rely on the exact same set of funding agencies. In total, that is an alphabet soup containing no less than 35 acronyms.</p>
<p>I'm using the exact same paragraph in the acknowledgements.</p>
<p>Would that be (self-)plagiarism?</p>
<p>It does seem to fit the definition, but... it seems silly to rewrite or to add a citation...</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46223,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>If it is truly an ordered list of funders and grant numbers, then there is no original idea that you are plagiarising. It is like reusing a list of affiliations in the author list. If you are describing how each person/funder/agency contributed, then there might be some originality in the statements and the exact contribution potentially changed between studies.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46226,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Nobody should care if the acknowledgments section of a paper is reused from a previous paper you have written. There is no proprietary \"intellectual content\" in an acknowledgments section, so you are not stealing anybody else's work.</p>\n\n<p>It would be inappropriate (and very odd), however, to use <em>someone else's</em> acknowledgments as your own. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/28
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46222",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1033/"
] |
46,228 |
<p>Currently, on all of my projects, I do my data analysis, create my figures, put them into a word document, and then I start writing. I say things like "We saw a 35% reduction in the effectiveness of..."</p>
<p>100% of the time, these numbers change. We reach the discussion section and a co-author requests we change the analysis this or that way, or finds an error in my thinking.</p>
<p>Then, I need to go back and re-do the analysis. Then, I'll need to find every point of data that was potentially affected and manually change it in a word document. Occasionally, this back-and-forth leads to the introduction of errors.</p>
<p>I would love a writing platform that would allow me to integrate my data into the writing process. Instead of writing </p>
<p>"We saw a 35% reduction in ..." </p>
<p>I would say:</p>
<p>"We saw a <% print(reduction.round()) %>% reduction in.."</p>
<p>Of course I could do this from scratch on my own computer, but I then lose the ability to collaborate. </p>
<p>I'm wondering if anyone has had this problem, and how they have solved it?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46229,
"author": "Orion",
"author_id": 4018,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4018",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>One possible workflow is using <a href=\"http://www.r-project.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">R</a> for producing the results, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX\" rel=\"nofollow\">LaTeX</a> for writing the report, and <a href=\"http://www.statistik.lmu.de/~leisch/Sweave/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Sweave</a> to integrate both. With either <a href=\"http://texstudio.sourceforge.net/\" rel=\"nofollow\">TexStudio</a> or <a href=\"http://www.lyx.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">LyX</a> (or any text editor that supports track changes) as writing environments and Dropbox, you can set up some sort of \"collaboration\".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46230,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Take a look at <a href=\"http://rmarkdown.rstudio.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">R Markdown</a>. It allows to generate files (Markdown, HTML, LaTeX, PDF or even some interactive Shiny slides) based on text, LaTeX formulae and code (not only in <a href=\"http://www.r-project.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">R</a> - you can use other languages as well!). For a smooth start you can try using a real-time editor <a href=\"https://github.com/swarm-lab/editR\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">editR</a>.</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/7GRH4.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></p>\n\n<p>Alternatively, you can use <a href=\"http://ipython.org/notebook.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">IPython Notebook</a>, it is <a href=\"https://github.com/blog/1995-github-jupyter-notebooks-3\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">easy to share</a>, but harder to collaborate on or convert into a nice LaTeX.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46232,
"author": "henning",
"author_id": 31917,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31917",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Almost everyone who has written a quantitative paper has been confronted with the problem of reading an old draft containing results or figures that need to be revisited or reproduced (as a result of peer-review, say) but which lack any information about the circumstances of their creation.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://kieranhealy.org/files/misc/workflow-apps.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">Kieran Healy</a> describes a workflow that uses R, Sweave and Emacs org-mode or Knitr to tackle this problem. Dropbox or github can be used to track versions and collaborate with co-authors.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46236,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>While other answers have given some very good suggestions, I wish to focus on the part \"if anyone has had this problem, and how they have solved it?\" of the question.</p>\n\n<p>I use Sweave and can only speak for this particular method. My general thoughts are that:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Yes, it's awesome.</li>\n<li>However, the time to make the two sets of code to work may not necessarily be shorter or less miserable than revising the statistics and tables by hand. It has some learning curve. So, I'd suggest considering using this method if you have i) some documents that need to be repeatedly created or the data are repeatedly being appended, like periodic reports, or ii) some analysis that involves a large amount of repetitions.</li>\n<li>The benefit really shines for tables and graphs. Yet I found that embedded text can be troublesome. For instance, weird sentence like \"the mean energy intake increased by <em>-1357</em> kcal at the end of the study.\"</li>\n<li>As an extension of the above, sometimes the restructuring of the analysis can be so drastic that the codes will need to be revised extensively. And you'll have two sets of code to revise and two sets of bug to catch.</li>\n<li>In my own circle of colleagues, it's hard enough to have them keep the statistical syntax in a standardized format. I will not even ask if they use LaTeX, not to even mention Sweave.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Having said that, it is indeed very satisfying to see a 100-page PDF analysis report being revised with one click. I'd suggest at least find a suitable environment to try once. By the way, Sweave can also work with Stata and SAS (statweave), quite versatile.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Now, back to the root cause. I'd like to share with you how I minimize this Sisyphean situation.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Remember, if you do no take charge, coworkers will take charge for you. Some statements to express firm decisions about leaving and entering a certain stage in the analysis process can be forceful and yield productive results. This is <em>also true if you are just a student and they are your supervisors</em>. Some reasonable assertiveness goes a long way.</li>\n<li>Put all the data set details, variables, research questions, proposed analyses, and some reasonable amount of \"plan B's\" on what I call a DMAP (Data management and analysis plan.) Pay particular attentions to: i) how missing values will be handled, ii) how outliers are defined in the key variables of interest, and iii) recoding scheme if any categorization is to be done. Gather input from all of them. Once finalized, carry out the analysis.</li>\n<li>In the next meeting, share analysis report (but NOT write up). Prepare a descriptive statistics package. And then according to the research questions, lay out the main findings in the same sequence. After each summary output, state 1-3 main \"talking points\" that will be the foundation (or topic sentences) of the Discussion. Show only necessary output and make sure to make them reader-friendly. Highlight or bold the parts that you want them to focus on. Have the group contribute their thoughts on revision or sub-analysis. Revise the DMAP. Have the previous DMAPs handy to avoid the \"you said, I said\" situation.</li>\n<li>Repeat steps 2 and 3 until no more input was given. Be very clear that \"you are going to finalize this analysis and start writing the Discussion.\" Are there anyone not replying your e-mail and can potentially disrupt this finalization? Deal with them individually before moving on.</li>\n<li>Go on to craft the Discussion based on the talking points that have been previously agreed upon.</li>\n<li>Along the process, keep clear documentation. Keep your syntax files and analysis report files clear and dated. Include section numbers corresponding to the research question, page number, and line number. Date and sign (provide name and e-mail) all your reports and syntax files.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The main point is: do not write the Results and Discussion and distribute them before the analysis is finalized. You may draft them in private, but never circulate them while the analysis is still actively being evaluated/revised. Doing so provides too many distractions to the group, and it's just going to end up with a hot mess.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>In my own experience 75% or more of the so-called sub-analyses are what I call \"brain farts.\" They are a healthy sign that the brain is working, but not pleasant if happening too frequently. Most of them are \"what if's\" and they can be out of control especially if the results do not go with how they want the world to work.</p>\n\n<p>Yet, 1 out of 8-10 times the suggestions can be good. I usually will take the pain to revise the analysis plan and restart the process. Leave the writing, and come back to deal with it with the new analysis is finalized.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, some catch phrases.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>\"That is a great suggestion, however it's seriously deviated from our\noriginal research questions. For the sake of being succinct, I'd\nwrite this idea down and we can pursue it in another setting.\"</p></li>\n<li><p>\"Sub-group analysis? Yes, but be prepared that it's going to be\nunderpowered and please don't keep you hope too high.\"</p></li>\n<li><p>\"Sub-group analysis? But the interaction terms are not even\nsignificant and I can tell you to rest assure that the two groups\nwill not show any difference.\"</p></li>\n<li><p>\"Another parameter? Another scenario? Sure, let's get this done with, once and for all. Let me know all possible parameters you want to try now. I will just loop through them.\"</p></li>\n<li><p>\"No, it's not related to our hypothesis.\"</p></li>\n<li><p>\"Would you like to follow up with that\nsuggestion? I can send you the codes.\"</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46240,
"author": "Phil Miller",
"author_id": 21987,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21987",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My understanding is that IPython and Mathematica can be used to prepare interactive 'notebooks' that can be dynamically updated based on arbitrary computation.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46248,
"author": "Aleksandr Blekh",
"author_id": 12391,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12391",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First of all, let's set the <em>terminology</em> straight. The approach that you're planning to use and seeking applications and workflows for is usually referred to as <strong>reproducible research</strong>, which, in turn, is based on the <em>literate programming</em> paradigm (introduced by Professor Donald Knuth).</p>\n\n<p>The previous answers are nice and to the point, however, they cover only a <strong>limited range</strong> of tools. In particular, if you're not interested in having fine control of generated data-driven document in LaTeX format, it might be more feasible to use much <em>simpler</em> <code>RMarkdown</code> (or other <code>Markdown</code> variants) instead of <code>Sweave</code> or <code>knitr</code> (for converting generated documents between different formats, <code>pandoc</code> is very helpful and is pretty much the golden standard for such tasks). Also, there exist more <em>comprehensive</em> (but, not necessarily, more convenient) software that attempts to help in automating and managing the whole process of producing data-based written artifacts (reports, manuscripts, etc.). To learn more about such tools as well as other reproducible research aspects and related tools, please see <a href=\"https://datascience.stackexchange.com/a/759/2452\">my relevant answer</a> on <em>Data Science SE</em> site.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 75775,
"author": "ikashnitsky",
"author_id": 38524,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/38524",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>RStudio (I highly recommend to follow their <a href=\"https://blog.rstudio.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">blog</a>) does amazing job redefining the R workflow with a particular emphasis on reproducibility (see <a href=\"http://rmarkdown.rstudio.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\"><code>rmarkdown</code></a>).<br>\nQuite recently they added notebooks, much like those in Jupyter (formerly IPython). The newest features are always available in the <a href=\"https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/download/preview/\" rel=\"nofollow\">preview release</a>.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 137936,
"author": "Andrew Jackson",
"author_id": 45272,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/45272",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This is an old question, and the answer largely depends on the tools you are using for analysis and writing, but I recently came across a new program to satisfy the need for reproducible research. In the past I have used RStudio and RMarkdown files for analysis, but I'd still end up copying and pasting numbers into Microsoft Word files - for those using LaTeX with collaborators this might not have been as much of an issue (by using Sweave or knitr), but I am predominantly writing with others in Word.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://sites.northwestern.edu/stattag/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">StatTag</a> is a new Microsoft Word plugin that enables you to connect statistical analysis files with Word documents so that the analysis can stay up-to-date. StatTag works with Stata, SAS, or R (or Rmarkdown) analysis files. I have found the introduction and documentation pretty clear. There is also an overview and demonstration from one of the creators at the recent useR conference <a href=\"https://youtu.be/vvU645Oyxx8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>. I'm hoping to use it in future projects to lead to more reproducible research.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/28
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46228",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35148/"
] |
46,234 |
<p>I've received several one-year extensions on my graduation deadline, granted by the PhD progress committee. I've used them all up and am running into the hard deadlines set by the university. I completed my courses and oral exam already, it's just the dissertation and user studies I have left.</p>
<p>Please don't write me off as lazy. The PhD progress committee, my thesis committee, and my adviser all agree me my work is extremely ambitious, and everyone is satisfied I am making good progress towards it. I encountered some setbacks, the most major being my adviser making the tough call that much of my previous work couldn't be used because its age. I work 80+ hour work weeks like any other PhD student and have been forgoing writing papers in the interest of time. </p>
<p>Bottom line, I'm doing everything I possibly can to hurry, but there's not enough time left. Giving up is not an option I'm willing to take, and the technology to clone myself doesn't exist (yet). </p>
<p>What are my options?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46235,
"author": "Nicholas",
"author_id": 1424,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1424",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>From the details of your situation it sounds as though your thesis committee and your advisor are all well-acquainted with your situation. They will not want you to fail your PhD candidature and will be working to make sure you have all the opportunities available to complete.</p>\n\n<p>You mention that your support networks are satisfied that you are making good progress. You feel that you don't have enough time to complete. </p>\n\n<p>Perhaps you ought to discuss with your progress committee, advisor, whoever, what would be a satisfactory conclusion to your work. Make sure that everyone has the same end goals in mind.</p>\n\n<p>If everyone agrees on what would be the satisfactory conclusion to your work, and everyone agrees that you don't have enough time to complete, and if you have everyone on your side ready to attest to your progress, then you should ask for an exceptional extension of time. This would be backed up by letters from your various sources of support. I suspect that this request could only come from your Dean (or equivalent).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46237,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This type of question can only be answered by your advisor and thesis committee. They know what caused your delay, and they can likely advise you as to what should be your only—not your top, your <em>only</em>—priority at this point. Once you graduate, all your other projects can resume, but at this point you have one task, and that is to graduate. Only the gatekeepers to graduation (your thesis committee) can really tell you how to do that.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46269,
"author": "iayork",
"author_id": 26671,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/26671",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The typical solution to this problem is, with the permission of your advisor and committee, to reduce the scope of your thesis. I have known of people who successfully defended a thesis after 7 or 8 years even though exactly the same thesis would have been considered far too slight to be acceptable for the same person after 4-5 years. Committees and supervisors are generally sympathetic to this situation and look for a way out.</p>\n\n<p>In particular, though you say <em>much of my previous work couldn't be used because its age</em>, you should probably revisit that thought. If you did the work, and it was meaningful at the time, it is potentially something you could include in your thesis. The vast majority of theses are today obsolete, but that doesn't mean the degrees should be revoked. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/28
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46234",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
46,239 |
<p>Russia and Israel have good histories of science and technology.</p>
<p>But, I never saw any Russian and Israeli university in the top 50 list.</p>
<p>Currently, the top Russian university, according to QS World Ranking is, Lomonosov Moscow State University. <a href="http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014#sorting=rank+region=+country=193+faculty=+stars=false+search=">Its position is 114</a>. This is far worse than China. The top Chinese university <a href="http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014#sorting=rank+region=+country=87+faculty=+stars=false+search=">Tsinghua has a position of 47</a>. The same problem can be seen in <a href="http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014#sorting=rank+region=+country=74+faculty=+stars=false+search=">Israeli universities</a>.</p>
<p>Why do Russian and Israeli universities score low in various world rankings?</p>
<p>What is the problem? And, why aren't they trying to improve the situation?</p>
<pre><code> |--------|-----------|--------------|-----------------|-----------
|QS(2015)|Times(2015)|Shanghai(2014)|Webometrics(2014)|CWUR(2014)
----------|--------|-----------|--------------|-----------------|-----------
Russia | 114 | 196 | 84 | 129 | 48**
----------|--------|-----------|--------------|-----------------|-----------
Israel | 138 | 188 | 70 | 207 | 22**
----------|--------|-----------|--------------|-----------------|-----------
</code></pre>
<p>** this ranking is an exception.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46241,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Why do Russian and Israeli universities score low in various world rankings?\n What is the problem? And, why aren't they trying to improve the situation?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>As a researcher originally from a country in a similar situation (Austria - historically great, Nobel prize winning researchers - now all universities ranked in the far 3-digit range in most rankings), I can try to speculate. Note that, of course, reasons may differ between Russia and Israel, or between institutions, so there may easily just not be <em>the</em> reason for this phenomenon.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Most rankings are perceived as garbage. Not scoring highly is not perceived as a big deal that needs changing.</strong> Unlike in the US and other places, students generally don't care about rankings, and neither do employers. Hence, historically, the universities simply did not care whether they were top-something or not. I think this was the big reason historically in Austria, but it is slowly beginning to change due to top-down pressure from the government. Note that, even today, local students and employers <em>still</em> don't care about rankings, but foreign students and funding sources do, so there is at least some incentive to do something about it.</li>\n<li><strong>Most rankings <em>are</em> actually kind of garbage. Many universities outside of the US simply are not as bad as their ranking suggests.</strong> Most rankings are either extremely top-heavy in their criteria and hence not very good at distinguishing the 50-best university from the 200-best in a field (e.g., counting Nobel prize winners), or implicitly assume that universities loosely follow the US way of organisation and naming. For instance, my alma mater has historically lost many <em>points</em> in some rankings due to an insanely bad faculty/student ratio. However, this was really mainly due to in Austria only chaired full professors being considered \"real\" faculty (called \"Professorenkollegium\"). Hence, the way of counting underestimated the real number of teachers available to students by a factor of 4 or 5. This has, afaik, been fixed by now, but an implicit bias for an US style of organization is still prevalent in many rankings. Further, unlike US universities, there are very little efforts in Austrian universities to <em>tune</em> their numbers for specific rankings. Generally, close to nobody at your average Austrian university has any idea what even the big rankings are looking at.</li>\n<li><strong>Being historically good does not mean that the universities are <em>still</em> good. Decades of underfunding for research have severely reduced the quality of research that is being produced.</strong> Both things above considered, one has to assert that all the \"historically great\" universities in Austria aren't actually great anymore. Decades of underfunding, neglect by politicians, and questionable hiring practices for professors have certainly led to big, fundamentally detrimental changes to the university culture. At this point, Austrian universities are still pretty good at teaching students, and there is still reasonable research going on, but it would be wrong to assume that any university actually <em>deserves</em> to be considered on the same (research) tier with top English or US schools. I am pretty sure that at least in Russia, long-lasting underfunding will also be a big reason why the schools don't show up more prominently in rankings.</li>\n</ul>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46242,
"author": "Aleksandr Blekh",
"author_id": 12391,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12391",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Firstly, it has to be noted that <em>overall rankings</em>, by definition, paint a very rough picture due to averaging universities' <em>key performance indicators (KPIs)</em> across a variety of disciplines and fields of study. Since both Russia and Israel have a rich history of scientific achievements mostly in hard sciences (mathematics, physics, etc.), the <strong>overall nature</strong> of world rankings introduces a significant <strong>bias</strong> due to considering the above-mentioned <em>whole spectrum</em> of disciplines and fields of study. If you would consider a ranking in a particular discipline or research area, where Russia and Israel traditionally have powerful positions (i.e., computer science), the situation would be significantly different, confirming those positions (as have been already mentioned in some comments above).</p>\n\n<p>Secondly, if you would pay attention to <strong>methodology</strong> used in, for example, QS, Times and CWUR rankings (see <a href=\"http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings-articles/world-university-rankings/qs-world-university-rankings-methodology\">this page</a>, <a href=\"https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2014-15/world-ranking/methodology\">this page</a> and <a href=\"http://cwur.org/methodology\">this page</a>, correspondingly), and compare QS and Times indicators with CWUR indicators, you would notice that the former assign a high weight on some factors, which IMHO are quite <em>subjective</em> and <em>biased</em>, whereas the latter represent a much <em>more balanced</em> set of indicators. In particular, I'm talking about assigning 40 percent to academic reputation (QS) and 24 percent to academic reputation and research income (Times), where reputation is determined by surveys (thus, subjective) and research income is unadjusted for geo-economic differences (thus, biased; even the methodology itself labels that indicator \"controversial\"). On the other hand, the CWUR ranking contains a balanced set of indicators, <strong>all</strong> of which are <em>objective</em> measures. Therefore, while you call CWUR ranking \"an exception\", I would argue that it much more fully represents real life situation, whereas QS and Times do not.</p>\n\n<p>Thirdly, there are other <strong>country-specific factors</strong>, which existing methodologies do not include or adjust for, which bias the results of rankings, which represent the situation very approximately in the first place. I mean such factors, as underfunding (as noted by @xLeitix), administrative issues (i.e., bureaucracy), economical issues (i.e., corruption) and political situation in Russia, which generates more than usual \"brain drain\" (thus, introducing additional bias) as well as [public] underfunding and geo-political situation in Israel (I'm less familiar with this country's research environment, so this is just my best guess, based on what I know and some common sense/logic).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46264,
"author": "David Mulder",
"author_id": 11353,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11353",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Despite the absolutely excellent answers already written one huge issue goes unmentioned: Language. Let's examine the different factors accounting the QS ranking for example:</p>\n<h1>QS Ranking methodology</h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Academic reputation</strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Determined by a world wide survey, but even in a modern non-Russian eastern European country a researcher is more likely to know English (1200 million speakers) than Russian (260 million, but declining), and for that reason is more likely to read English research coming from US and UK based institutions.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>Employer reputation</strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Same story, though to a lesser extent.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>Faculty/student ratio</strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Objective.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>Citations per faculty</strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Same story, the more accessible a piece of research is, the more likely others will read and cite it.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>International student ratio</strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>If the spoken language is known by more people, then it's more likely those people will come to study at your place.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>International staff ratio</strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Same story.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<h1>Some case studies</h1>\n<p>A case worth looking at is how the Dutch rank in the top 100. The Netherlands only has a population of 16 million, however of those 16 million, 15 million speak English. Additionally - and more importantly - a lot of masters are taught in English, most research (depending on field) is written in English and even in Bachelors English lecturers are accepted (though a lot of institutions have rules limiting the percentage of English classes a student is allowed to have in his bachelor). Result: Six Dutch universities are ranked in the top 100. Compare that to France, a country <a href=\"http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/jul/21/france.internationalnews\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">famous</a> <a href=\"http://www.globalization101.org/protecting-languages/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">for its</a> <a href=\"http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/30/france-bids-adieu-to-the-word-hashtag/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">protectiveness</a> regarding their language, with a population of 66 million and only two universities in the top 100 (and four in the top 200).</p>\n<p>And the same applies when you scroll throughout the entire list: the more people speak the language that is predominant in the institution, the higher it is ranked. Of course this is only a factor and it isn't absolute, because if it were, Chinese (1350 million speakers) institutions would be ranked number 1 (though they have been climbing at a ridiculous speed) and Indian and South American institutions would do significantly better, however even as just a single factor of many, its importance should be underrated.</p>\n<h2>Russia and Israel</h2>\n<p>To finish off with the two countries you mentioned: considering Russia has 260 million speakers, I would still expect them to do better, but they have quite a closed off academic culture (I have met Russian researchers that were barely able to speak and read English at all... something I can not even imagine in western Europe even including France). Israel on the other hand I have no idea about (never met any Israeli researchers), but 85% of the 8 million population speaks English and they have three universities in the top 200, which sounds quite reasonable.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46285,
"author": "Michaël Le Barbier",
"author_id": 34066,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34066",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>What is the problem? And, why aren't they trying to improve the situation?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The plain answer is that it is not a problem and there is no point trying to “improve” the situation.</p>\n\n<p>Each ranking has its purpose and methodology. For instance the well-known Shangai ranking was introduced by China as this country started a cycle of reforms of their educational and research system, taking inspiration on the corresponding systems and USA, esp. taking Harvard as a model of what the best Chinese universities should look like at the end of that cycle of reforms. As a consequence Harvard is consistently first in Shangai ranking – which just means that Harvard remains Harvard – and <a href=\"http://www.shanghairanking.com/World-University-Rankings/Peking-University.html\">Chinese universities progress</a> in that ranking – which just means that reforms are accomplishing their purpose. I do not know the details and purposes or other rankings, but I assume they are similar.</p>\n\n<p>There is actually a subtle problem bound to rankings. In countries enjoying a well-developed and healthy academic system but having a poor ranking, it is tempting for some politic responsible to reorganise the academic life to win some places in a ranking. This will produce the desired effect because good material is already here, and the responsible can advertise its good results. However, it is likely that this reorganisation of academic life broke an organisation that used to work well. It is not clear that the, mostly, perceived advantage of a good ranking, is worth the trouble.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46298,
"author": "user908",
"author_id": 908,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/908",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Most answers here are good, but theoretical. I will try to complement them from the practical side, in particular tell about Russian universities. </p>\n\n<p>Undoubtedly, all rankings are biased. However, I do not think they are complete junk: the positions correlate with the quality of research and education undergoing within universities. </p>\n\n<p>In fact, it is not true that the government does not care or does not try to improve positions in the ranking. There is an initiative generously funded from budget <a href=\"http://5top100.ru/\">to have 5 Russian universities in Top100 of world rankings</a> (you can switch to English). Victor Sadovnichy, rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) repeatedly condemned world rankings for their biases. As a result, in 2011, a formally independent analytical agency from Russia built a ranking where <a href=\"http://www.strf.ru/material.aspx?CatalogId=221&d_no=17866#.VWlXumRViko\">MSU ended up on 5th place surpassing Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge</a> (an article in Russian; the website of the rating itself has been discontinued), which was laughed at.</p>\n\n<p>I will try to decouple the reasons of poor performance in ratings to subjective and objective ones. The former may be characterised as biases, while the latter actually explain the lower quality of research/education.</p>\n\n<h2>Subjective</h2>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>The large weight in the rating is often given to research visibility. Universities in Russia are mostly for teaching, while a lot of research is done at non-teaching institutions (most notably, Russian Academy of Sciences institutes). Even at top universities, many professors are quite unproductive by Western standards. There is no external motivation to conduct quality research and publish, so they just resort to teaching. Many professors work both at a university and a research institution, and specify the latter as an affiliation in their papers, so they don’t count to success of their university.</p></li>\n<li><p>Indeed, many researches publish only in Russian journals, which are not indexed by Scopus and similar bases; thus the papers/citations are not counted. This is partly objective, since the community is smaller, thus the standards of quality are lower. But it is understandable: a lot of researchers matured behind the Iron Curtain. During the second half of XX century the interactions with the Western colleagues were discouraged and often impossible. Now, some of those professors pass this culture to their students. See also @David Mulder’s answer on how language affects rankings.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h2>Objective</h2>\n\n<ul>\n<li>As @Aleksandr Blekh noted, most successes of Russian science are connected to hard sciences, while ratings average over subjects. Humanities and social sciences are traditionally weak. This is also understandable given the history of the country: do you need research in market economy or political science if you do not have markets nor working democracy?</li>\n<li>The science was indeed underfunded for 20 years, thus the brain drain. Even now, when the funding is greater, it is still lower than in the West, and is poorly managed. For example, PhD students generally do not receive a salary (just a stipend around $100 / month), so most bright graduates choose a “real job” (internal brain drain).</li>\n<li>The universities are state-funded; students generally do not pay for education. The interaction with industry is rare: in the natural-resource based economy, companies do not struggle to innovate. The low demand on quality research from the economy also hurts performance of universities.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Source: recently graduated from MSU.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46384,
"author": "Zarrax",
"author_id": 30688,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30688",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The earlier answers were pretty thorough, but I'd like to give an example to illustrate why these surveys have major issues. In my field, mathematics, the Shanghai survey ranks King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia #10, right above MIT which is ranked #11 and well above the University of Chicago at #23. Rest assured, this does not resemble reality; King Abdulaziz University simply does not have a top-notch math department.</p>\n\n<p>Interestingly though this survey rates Moscow State and the Hebrew University #26 and #27 respectively in math. So Israel and Russia aren't being underrated in this particular case.</p>\n\n<p>At any rate, these are pretty good examples of why these rankings should just be considered entertainment and not to be taken too seriously.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 91844,
"author": "Eduardo Costa",
"author_id": 75741,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/75741",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>My Alma Mater is Cornell, a university that is in the top 20 in most rankings. Then I worked for many years in USP, a Brazilian University. I also worked in a few Danish and French universities. Finally, I visited many universities from the top 100. I cannot believe that Lomonosov Moscow State University or Bauman University could be behind USP. In fact, I cannot understand how these Russian universities could be behind Cornell. However, I will advance two tentative explanations. The first one is that when a Russian publish a paper, it is a very good one, something like a new element in the periodical table, or the properties of graphene. Researchers from Cornell and USP are not so careful with the quality of their publications. The other explanation is language. Russian and French researchers do have a tendency to publish in their languages, and consequently are ignored by the rankings. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 112194,
"author": "timob256",
"author_id": 94669,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/94669",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>All very simple (answer is in Russia) :3 </p>\n\n<p>first: all publicaton on russian language</p>\n\n<p>two: In my University there is a Department \" Russian school of Economics \". \nHave any of you heard the name of such an economist \"Yablochnikov\" ?</p>\n\n<p>But all of you, knows \"Adam Smith\".</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/29
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46239",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
46,243 |
<p>I'm thinking about pursue my studies and doing a PhD in information technology.
My problem is that I would like to create something new (== write code), and focus my thesis on how this new technology works (each component and global interactions), what it can do, and how it can evolves / be improved.<br>
I'm not against doing research, reading books and work on theory - but I want to be more practical than theoretical.</p>
<p>I'm starting to think that a PhD is not a valid option if my goal is to develop something new instead of conducting pure research. Am I wrong ?</p>
<p><em>About my cursus: I will receive my master degree soon (~= 3 months). I come from a highly technical background, with 5 years of programming and project management.</em></p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Edit & more information</strong><br>
My university doesn't offers PhD courses, thus my supervisor don't care about my choices. Another consequence is that I have no other choices than to go to another university.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46244,
"author": "410 gone",
"author_id": 96,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>What you've described doesn't sound like what my institution would consider a PhD. Or even research. And a PhD is a research degree. As is an EngD, so it's not that either. There are some doctorates that are given for a portfolio of original work, such as the DSci : a decade or two or world-class work in your portfolio might get you that.</p>\n\n<p>If you're deadly serious about developing the theoretical grounding of how it works, what it can do, how it can be extended, then that make up a doctorate.</p>\n\n<p>But it's probably worth stepping back and asking why you want a further degree at all. From what you've written, it sounds more like you just want to write code and document it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46245,
"author": "Moriarty",
"author_id": 8562,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8562",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Yes, a PhD can in principle be based upon practical work. For example, some people study laboratory-based chemistry. However, it's all stuff that <em>no one has tried before</em>, and there is usually some significant work to do in order to model and understand what we see. That is the crux of a PhD: <em>do new stuff</em>. Whether your PhD is just crunching equations, or throwing stuff into a vacuum and then figuring out what on earth just happened, it doesn't really matter.</p>\n\n<p>Your idea sounds (at least to a complete non-expert) to be far too broad, and I'm not sure it's very novel. <a href=\"http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/\" rel=\"nofollow\">This is what a PhD is like</a>. If you think you can do that, start by talking to a few professors in your department. You may not end up working for them -- and it's often a <em>good</em> idea to do your PhD at a different university -- but you know them, they know you, and you should get some solid advice.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46253,
"author": "Landric",
"author_id": 9586,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9586",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>To be awarded a Phd, you can't <em>just</em> build something: there has to be some sort of novel research component. PhD's are all about asking (and answering!) questions, not just engineering solutions to a problem.</p>\n\n<p><strong>However,</strong> there is absolutely nothing wrong with creating something new as a part of your PhD, so long as it helps you answer a research question. For example:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><em>Does this algorithm improve the speed/reliability/accuracy with which this data can be proccessed compared to existing techniques?</em></p></li>\n<li><p><em>Does this new collaborative learning tool improve a student's ability to learn a language compared to working individually?</em></p></li>\n<li><p><em>Does this new system for visualising a data structure affect the way in which users perceive/engage with it?</em></p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Note that these are far too broad to be used in practice, but they might give you an idea of the types of questions that can be asked.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/29
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46243",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35161/"
] |
46,246 |
<p>The reviewers comments are so simple that I can correct them and send them immediately. But the editor says cannot accept the manuscript. Is there any chance that if we justify the comments, there can be acceptance? Can we write to the editor in return?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46259,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is there any chance that if we justify the comments, there can be acceptance? Can we write to the editor in return?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You can always try, and if you truly feel treated unfairly, you probably <em>should</em> write the editor. However, keep in mind that (contrary to popular believe) it is the handling editor, <em>not</em> the reviewers, that decide whether a paper is accepted or rejected. So from a formal perspective, it is OK to reject a paper even if the reviewers all voted to accept. Of course, from a practical perspective, this behaviour, especially if it is a common occurrence, raises all kinds of questions (such as why the editor bothered the reviewers in the first place).</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46260,
"author": "Peter Jansson",
"author_id": 4394,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4394",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You can certainly contact the editor and ask for a clarification for the reasons behind the rejection if that is not clear to you. I think any reason for rejection should be made clear to authors so that they can, if possible, still salvage the manuscript and publish it somewhere later (assuming it is in some way salvageable). </p>\n\n<p>The editor has the responsibility to make decisions and usually does so based on scientific grounds and what is best for the journal, reviewers and authors. It is not uncommon that authors disagree with a rejection decision and as an editor, I have seen more than one angry rebuttal to the decision from frustrated authors. </p>\n\n<p>Whether or not you wish to take up a discussion about the decision is entirely up to you. I can only urge you to be civil and provide facts rather than emotions as arguments. Editors are humans and are just as prone to errors as others. So there is always a chance the decision is questionable, at least until you know its basis. The number of decisions I have had to change over my five year \"career\" as Editor-in-Chief is in the single digit percent, bordering on permille.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46265,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>First things first, you should check and see whether the editor has <em>actually</em> rejected the manuscript, or whether you just received a very awkwardly worded request for revisions.</p>\n\n<p>The reason I say this is because the specific phrasing about \"cannot accept\" you use reminds me of some <em>terrible</em> editorial communications I have received that begin: \"We cannot accept your manuscript in its current form ...\" but are actually a request for revisions. I've nearly been fooled into thinking a request for minor revision was a rejection this way, and only realized I was wrong when I noticed a date for submitting the new version at the bottom of the email.</p>\n\n<p>My advice then:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Reread the email and see if you've really been rejected. You might not be.</li>\n<li>If yes, or if you can't tell, get in touch with the editor, express confusion and ask for help understanding the reasons. A good explanation is appropriate.</li>\n<li>Be prepared to take the paper elsewhere, because an editor once decided rarely changes their mind.</li>\n</ol>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/29
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46246",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35163/"
] |
46,250 |
<p>I supervise a student who is working on her bachelor's thesis. The problem is that she has not delivered anything, never asks for any help, and when I offer her some help she claims that she understands and she will work on it. But nothing really happens afterwards. We (me and my supervisor) talked to her multiple times in different 'intervention'-like sessions, with no success. Now it is the end of the semester and she has done no more than 10% of her assigned tasks. </p>
<p>Also, she never delivers what I ask for, even the most basic of things. For example, all students are supposed to hand in their time plan within two weeks of their work, but she has never handed it in, despite my (and my supervisor's) repeated requests. Not only does handing in a time plan help to keep track of one's work, it is also part of our grading scheme. And she knows about that, since we are very transparent about how grading of the thesis works, by giving the students our grading excel sheet before they even sign up for a thesis with us. Nevertheless, she didn't bother handing a time plan in.</p>
<p>All the other students in our institute have their final presentations next week, and even though she knew of it, she was asking for an extension. When I refused that via email (I saw no reason to give her an extension), she just dropped in, claimed that she is not prepared for a final presentation, and that I have to give her an extension and so on. I eventually gave her an extension, because she was extremely stressed and not in normal conditions, was almost breaking into tears, and most importantly made a scene in the institute hall. I played a little tough though, by asking her to give me an exact delivery date within two days.</p>
<p>I have even asked my colleagues and fellow PhD students multiple times if they think there is something wrong with my supervision of her, but they always assured me that there is nothing wrong with that and it's about her personality/character (we have a very transparent culture in our group, so we criticize each other openly). Also, my former students gave positive feedback to my adviser regarding my supervision. I even made my supervisor ask her privately about quality of my supervision, and she gave him positive feedback!</p>
<p>Moreover, she also has an exercise class with me, and she was the only student playing computer games on the lab computer instead of working on her exercise. She knew that I (her thesis supervisor) can see her, but she didn't bother. That, I have to say, was the last nail in the coffin.</p>
<p>Given this background, I already know that she cannot (will not) deliver, no matter how much time I gave her. Thus, she will almost certainly fail her thesis. But on the other hand I feel very bad failing a student in her first big project, especially since if she fails she will probably need to study one more semester to finish her studies.</p>
<p>Now I am struggling with these three options:</p>
<ul>
<li>Wait for two days, and if she doesn't give me an exact delivery date (which she probably won't), just give her a fail grade.</li>
<li>Give her an extension for ten days or two weeks, and then grade her based on what she delivers eventually, which most probably is a fail grade anyhow.</li>
<li>Give her a longer extension, long enough for her to pass the thesis.</li>
</ul>
<p>I would be glad if anyone can give me some recommendations on how to deal with this situation.</p>
<p>PS: For all people asking if I was allowed to give her an extension: Of course I was. Otherwise I would have a very good reason for refusing her request. In our university supervisors have lots of freedom in how they want to deal with their students.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46252,
"author": "Stephan Kolassa",
"author_id": 4140,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4140",
"pm_score": 8,
"selected": true,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Wait for two days, and if she doesn't give me an exact delivery date (which she probably won't), just give her a fail grade.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Given that you already agreed to this extension, this is the only option you have. Do this.</p>\n\n<p>Honestly, you should not even have agreed to this extension. I understand that you were under stress when you agreed to it, but students making a scene will happen more often to you in the future, and at some point you will get inured to it.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I feel very bad failing a student in her first big project,\n especially since if she fails she probably need to study one more\n semester to finish her studies.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This seems to be your <em>real</em> question. Unfortunately, there is really no way around this dilemma. If someone persistently does not deliver assignments and refuses all offers of help, failing them is the only option. Anything else will make a mockery of the entire system of higher education. (And be sure that other students will notice.)</p>\n\n<p>Look at it this way: if you pass her, and she gets a degree, what will her employer do with her if she continues this way? They will fire her, and quickly so.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>It appears that this students needs some serious help and counselling. It appears like you already did all you could do in this regard. I would recommend that you wait for two days, fail her if she does not hand in the date, and write up an explanation like you did here. Send this explanation to her in writing. Explain that it appears she is not ready to take a course like yours. Direct her to any counselling resources available at your institution. Keep a copy of this explanation for your file, in case she escalates this to your department head/dean/whatever.</p>\n\n<p>Then do not enter into any further discussions with her, unless she retakes your course.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46262,
"author": "Matjaz Trcek",
"author_id": 17593,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17593",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Since you have agreed to two day extension it is the only proper thing to wait for this time period, but not more.</p>\n\n<p>One of primary goals of Bachelor's degree or Uni in general is to qualify you for work. And that also includes being able to live with the consequences of your action. </p>\n\n<p>If after 2 days the delivery date (Which if she provides, should be short not long in my opinion) then fail her until she improves. It can be even multiple times if she still doesn't learn. </p>\n\n<p>After she learns to do the work properly she should be a person more appropriate for working environment and will be beneficial for her in a long term. Which means you were successful as her supervisor.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46267,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Sometimes a student's failure is a teaching success. </p>\n\n<p>The lesson is just not the one you wished that you were teaching.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46270,
"author": "Zibbobz",
"author_id": 23717,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/23717",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Unless your course specifically allows for extensions on deadlines, you should not have offered one to her - this is unfair biased treatment based on coercion on her part. It also de-legitimizes any student who would come to you with a reasonable excuse for a deadline extension. </p>\n\n<p>Knowing the position your student was in, you should have told her, upfront, that she had already done too little work to pass your course, and that extending the final deadline would not help (unless the final is somehow greater than 65% of the course grade, but even in that case, she has not shown any indication that she would meet even an extended deadline). </p>\n\n<p>Now that you have offered this to her though, you <strong>Must</strong> allow her the opportunity to propose a new deadline as you've said you would. Be extremely strict about this. If she does not deliver on time, she has wasted her one opportunity for an extension and has failed your course. </p>\n\n<p>At this point, you have done all you can for your student. You have reminded them of the consequences they will face numerous times, you have attempted to help them and reminded them of necessary coursework several times, and they have listened to none of your advice, done none of the work you requested, and still expect a favor from you in the end. </p>\n\n<p>Do not feel guilty about failing her. Do not feel guilty <strong>even if she manages to get her thesis in</strong>. Unless it is perfect and your grading rubric actually does allow for more than 65% of the grade to be based on her final, do <strong>not</strong> pass her on that alone, and even if it <strong>does</strong> weigh that heavy on her grade, do not feel pressured to pass her on a less than perfect thesis. </p>\n\n<p>She will complain. She will say terrible things about you. She may even throw a fit in the middle of the thesis defense or in the faculty office hallways. Do not give in. </p>\n\n<p>If she can afford to slack off for an entire semester, she can afford to pay for another semester and do it right. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46271,
"author": "maestro",
"author_id": 35174,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35174",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I guess you should let her go... it's a university, you tried everything. She's an adult now, if she refused your help but complaining about she needs more time to present something, I think you can't do nothing. </p>\n\n<p>Let her fail. Of course she will hate you and she will think that this whole thing is because of you, but it's not true. She should understand that there are rules that can't be changed because of her.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46273,
"author": "Terry Lewis",
"author_id": 35178,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35178",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You are not failing her... she has failed. You are only acknowledging this fact.</p>\n\n<p>I had a similar situation with a student in a software development class who came within one percentage point of a passing grade... and I refused to give her any slack at all because she never showed any interest in actually learning the material, never asked questions or otherwise participated in class, and never approached me or anyone else for help.</p>\n\n<p>By all means, keep your word and allow her the extension. However, you have every right to expect that she keeps her word as well and gives you a new date, <em>and then delivers on or before that date</em>.</p>\n\n<p>It's an unfortunate situation, but I can't see where you could have done anything to avoid it.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46274,
"author": "gnasher729",
"author_id": 11873,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11873",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>If she made through university to her bachelor thesis, and cannot get any work done on it, then the problem is very likely not academic but elsewhere. Could be depression, could be severe family problems. Which means that although you are willing and trying to help her, you can't. </p>\n\n<p>If you are convinced that she has no chance getting her bachelor thesis delivered (and that seems to be the case), there is nothing you can do from a professional point of view to help her. From a human point of view, it would be excellent if you could direct her towards someone who <em>can</em> help her; and possibly turn things academically so that she doesn't end up with a failed thesis but as if she had never started with the thesis (which is more or less what happened) so she can come back in a year or two when her problems are fixed - obviously only if that is something that you can do without problems, and if it is something that would help. </p>\n\n<p>(I suppose there is a point up to which she can abandon a thesis as if she had never tried to write it, but have no idea where that point is). </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46275,
"author": "Penguin_Knight",
"author_id": 6450,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6450",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with failing this student, and here is some other advice:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>As mentioned in other answers, make sure you have collected e-mail correspondences in case she files a grievance.</li>\n<li>If you need to write to her, write as little as possible. Simply state the fact in a couple sentences. Do not put any evaluation or judgmental statements in the e-mail. The more you write, the more she can later pick on.</li>\n<li>Once she misses the ultimatum, simply submit the grade as soon as you can. If she comes to talk to you again, tell her that it's been in the formal record and out of your control. Refer her to the registrar.</li>\n<li>If possible, do not meet with her with just you two. Invite at least one supervisor, registrar, or other relevant person to be there. Desperate students can potentially make up a lot of delusional accusations; having a third person can avoid the \"you said, I said\" confusion.</li>\n<li>Just give the simplest explanation, repeat that if you may. Even if she presses for more explanation or justification, always go back to the simplest explanation. And feel free to tell her there is no more you can say. If she explains with a learning disability, accident, or hurricane, do not join the discussion. Say again that the decision has been made and it's out of your control. Refer her to the higher-up.</li>\n<li>Get the next in the line involved. It can be the Dean of Students or the Dean of the Department. Let them know you may refer her to see them if she requires to have her plead advanced.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Remember to chill out. Failing students is in no way a pleasant experience. However, it's our job to give objective evaluations. The student lacks fundamental cognitive input and basic professionalism; to me, it's a one-way ticket to the Fail-land.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46280,
"author": "Lightness Races in Orbit",
"author_id": 12378,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12378",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is a reason that you give a student a <em>PASS</em> or a <em>FAIL</em>: it's because not every student is worthy of a <em>PASS</em>. In this case, the student is obviously worthy of a <em>FAIL</em>. I wouldn't give it much more thought than that.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46299,
"author": "Phonon",
"author_id": 156,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/156",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I'd like to contribute with a bit of personal experience, and perhaps isn't the advice you're looking for, so let downvotes ensue. A few people here mentioned possibility of a learning disability, so here goes.</p>\n\n<p>Six or seven years ago, I was exactly this student. I switched majors twice in my undergrad and ended up taking extra classes to catch up with the curriculum. I was taking over 20 credits every semester including summers and running on less than 4.5 hours of sleep on an average night. This lasted for three years -- including summers. It ruined my health, my motivation, my looks, my relationships, my hygiene habits and more. I was completely lost and wasn't even looking for advice at that point. If I told my family I was going to graduate late, I'd be in big trouble.</p>\n\n<p>By the end of this whole thing, I was so depressed, worn out and physically ill that when I asked to take a final on a different day (I had three back-to-back) and got rejected, I got drunk all by myself for the first and only time in my life. Something really broke in me that day, and the next semester I just couldn't force myself to do work.</p>\n\n<p>If I knew then what I know now, that I could probably go and ask someone for advice, seek professional help or at least counseling, I would have certainly done that. Some professors knew something was wrong, because I was very interested in the subjects, and was ahead of most students in theoretical knowledge, especially mathematics, but I would never submit my homework assignments and lab reports. They sincerely tried helping me, but everyone missed the point that I drove myself into a state of serious mental illness. I would find myself sitting in rooms staring for hours at a single point, I couldn't force myself to sleep, I had bad social anxiety and constant panic attacks. But I didn't realize for a very long time that I was ill, that this was a real tangible thing that had a name, a physiological basis, and methods of treatment.</p>\n\n<p>So what I'm asking you to consider is whether she's overall a bright individual. Does she seem to have previously done reasonably well? Is this a change in behavior? Clearly, she's gotten herself this far, so what's happening now? If you find that this is a recent development, refer her to counseling. Most universities have such services. She may not realize that she may have a problem. Most people in these situations don't.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46343,
"author": "gdeck",
"author_id": 23829,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/23829",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>You are obviously a caring educator. I tip my hat to you.</p>\n\n<p>When I was an academic advisor, I used to remind my students of something very important. It is up to the student to complete the assigned work in a manner that fulfills the instructor's requirements - all while meeting the posted deadline. The instructor only fails the student if she or he does not fulfill their end of the student/instructor agreement.</p>\n\n<p>A student earns their grade. Please allow me to repeat that. A student EARNS their grade. A grade is not (hopefully) arbitrarily assigned by the instructor. A student who completes work as assigned, before the posted deadline, and with few to no errors will earn a passing grade. It's a simple concept. A student who ignores deadlines and submits an assignment that is riddled with errors cannot reasonably expect to pass. That student has not earned a passing grade.</p>\n\n<p>As long as you are living up to your end of the student/instructor agreement, you are not failing the student. In this case, the student is on her way to earning a failing grade.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46345,
"author": "marquisdecarabas",
"author_id": 33657,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/33657",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Your experience is not at all uncommon. I have had similar experiences with <em>graduate</em> students at my institution. At first I "felt bad" about giving a bad/failing grade to a student or not granting extensions, but over time, I have learned not to let my personal feelings get in the way.</p>\n<p>I sympathize with your concerns:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Yes, it is frustrating when you care more about your\nstudent's progress/success more than he/she does</li>\n<li>Yes, it is easy to believe that the student's failure reflects your own failure as an educator, especially if you have counseled the student multiple times with no results...</li>\n<li>Yes, "things do come up," and you should be flexible given extenuating circumstances</li>\n<li>Yes, it is difficult to refuse extensions to the student, because we are socially conditioned not to hurt people's feelings or be a "mean" person</li>\n</ul>\n<p>BUT</p>\n<ul>\n<li>At university, the student is an adult, and you cannot "force" them\nto do the work</li>\n<li>At some point, the student needs to learn to take responsibility for\ntheir own work and respect deadlines. They need to develop this kind\nof maturity to be successful in the real world, and by being too\nnice, you may actually be doing the student a disservice</li>\n<li>From your account, the circumstance did not seem extenuating. You\ncounseled the student multiple times and she blew you off until the\nlast minute</li>\n<li>It is not fair to the other students who are, no doubt, just as busy\nas that student but still managed to get their work in on time</li>\n<li>You, as an educator, have a personal responsibility to ensure that\npeople who pass your class/capstone requirements/thesis have\nfulfilled the requirements to pass, be it all the course assignments\nor the thesis. Not only would the student have to "turn in\nsomething," the quality that something has to be up to standards. If\nthe student is unleashed on the real world with zero skills and zero\nknowledge, it reflects badly on the program and may affect the\nemployment prospects of other students that come out of the program. If the person has to stay an extra semester, so be it.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Now to answer your question:</strong></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Now I am struggling with these three options:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>Wait for two days, and if she doesn't give me an exact delivery date (which she probably won't), just give her a fail grade.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Give her an extension for ten days or two weeks, and then grade her based on what she delivers eventually, which most probably is a fail grade anyhow.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Give her a longer extension, long enough for her to pass the thesis.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I vote for Option A (wait for two days, and if nothing then fail). Again, the student is an adult, and it is not your place to hound this person for her work. You are investing too much time in someone who cares less about her own progress than you do, and the end result can be disappointing. For example, early in my doctoral program, when I was still "nice," I had a student who kept on making up "legitimate" excuses for not turning in his mid-term exam on time ("I was doing HIV testing at X Festival this weekend," "I overbooked myself with Z"). I e-mailed him several times asking him to turn in his exam, and when he finally sent me his exam ~2 weeks after the due date, the accompanying e-mail read,</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Haha Sorry!</p>\n<p>Just being honest: I'm sitting in a house that I'm renting on the\nbeach in ________, Mexico right now... It's difficult for me to\nconcentrate!!!!</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Granted, your student may not be sitting on a beach house in Mexico, but my point is that your emotional investment may not be worth the reward.</p>\n<p>This is just the first of many experiences you will have with students. It is important to be able to emotionally detach when the situation calls for it to avoid burnout. There are a couple of ways to remedy this for the future:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Set a strict deadline and deduce points for late work except for extenuating circumstances. In grad school, I had a prof who took off 10 points for every hour the assignment was turned in late starting at 10 minutes past the hour. He announced his policy the first day of class. I also worked for someone who made it a policy that the highest grade she would give for late assignments was 80%. The latter is a bit tricky, because if you set the maximum grade too low, you might trigger a "what's the point" reaction, so tread carefully.</li>\n<li>If you allow extensions, have a clear extension policy that can be applied universally. I understand that sometimes students are embarrassed or shy to ask for extensions, but if you go over the policy you have written on the syllabus in the beginning of class, and encourage open channels of communication, this may save you frustration in the end.</li>\n<li>If it is possible to break the huge assignment down to small deliverables at regular intervals, this may add some structure to the process, and the multiple deadlines may create a sense of urgency among the students. For example, ask them for an outline by the second week of the semester so that you can give feedback in a low-pressure environment regarding the viability of their research endeavor. Then ask for an intro section 1 month after that, methods 3 weeks after, etc. You can also catch students who are lagging behind before they get too far behind.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>I am sure the three suggestions I provided above, which I copped from former profs, were all developed as a result of the profs' having faced similar situations during their doctoral training.</p>\n<p>EDIT: One other possibility is that the student may have ADD or a learning disability. Maybe you can talk to her about undergoing tests for ADD and other disabilities, which may be covered by student health insurance.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46400,
"author": "TimeVariant",
"author_id": 20298,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20298",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I would be glad if anyone can give me some recommendations on how to deal \n with this situation.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It is clear that you have done the right things and the advice you got from others is mostly correct. An important thing to learn is how to deal with this in the future. I would be more proactive than requiring that \"all students are supposed to hand in their time plan within two weeks of their work\". </p>\n\n<p>In my experience even graduate students do not necessarily have good time management skills, although some do. I prefer to err the other way: <em>give</em> them a time plan, and make it aggressive: 1/2 the semester length. After all the inevitable excuses and delays, my class still finishes its projects before the others. I never tell them this is the real reason for having an advanced time plan - just that that's the way it is!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46497,
"author": "Andrew",
"author_id": 34444,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34444",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Like everyone else, I would say that you should give her a failing grade. Everyone else has expounded brilliantly on why you should as it relates to her performance and manipulation of your good intentions. I write this answer, not to reiterate what others have said but instead to offer one more piece of advice about why giving her the grade that she earned is the only appropriate course of action.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If you give her extensions, you have lied to every other student in your class about expectations and grading</strong>. \n<ul>\n<li>and therein you begin to erode the confidence of those who have worked hard and met your expectations.</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In a similar situation when a student was asking me for an extension, I asked the student if he/she realizes that - if I do - then they're asking me to lie to every other student just so they can have more time. When I asked that student if they actually wanted me to lie to the rest of the class, he/she understood, and said 'no.'</p>\n\n<p>In the end, it is a great disservice to those who have taken you at your word and trusted your educational authority. It is those students who have worked hard to meet your deadlines and expectations that will lose faith in you, your class, and the subject, if they see that the ones who don't take class seriously get more advantages than they do.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck in decision making. Do the thing that is best for your whole class and know that what you do for one student, you have to do for all students.</p>\n\n<p>Let us know how it goes!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46520,
"author": "msouth",
"author_id": 12746,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12746",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>There is a lot of great advice here. I just want to point one thing out, which will help when considered and applied with the other strategies.</p>\n\n<p>You spent a lot of time in this question defending yourself and your performance. You, or at least part of you, feels that her failure is your failure, and you're trying to convince yourself that this is not the case.</p>\n\n<p>It <strong>is</strong> a fact--that is, it is accurate that her failure is not your failure. You did not, in any way, fail to do everything a reasonable person would have done. However, you do not yet believe this (or at least you did not at the time you were writing the question). The answers here should help you, as anyone who is an objective observer, looking at this evidence, can tell that the student failed herself, 100%, no question.</p>\n\n<p>But you have something to learn here, too, which is:</p>\n\n<p><strong>Do not internalize the failures of your students.</strong></p>\n\n<p>You seem to care a great deal, and there is nothing wrong with that--in fact it is a very positive quality in a supervisor. But it is going to degrade your performance if you consider it a personal failure every time someone who is under your supervision fails. It is not good for the other people that you supervise, it is not good for the people you work with, and it is not good for you.</p>\n\n<p>That's all--I just wanted to bring out that point because it's something you (or anyone else in the same situation) might be missing about yourself, and it's something you can ponder and learn to recognize and hopefully overcome (or at least strengthen your defenses against) over time.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/29
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46250",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11253/"
] |
46,261 |
<p>I am a PhD student in my second year. I have not published anything yet and I feel my results I got so far are not publishable. I have two years left. I am stressed and I am afraid that I might not be smart enough to be a PhD student.
I think I lack the skill to ask a good question and answer that question as a part of my research. I cannot come up with a good idea or question so that by following those I can publish.
Anyone with the same experience, what did you do to get yourself out of this situation?</p>
<hr>
<h2>Edit</h2>
<p>Just to clarify more. I am in Europe. Here there isn't any coursework. I studied everything so far on my own. Everyday I go to my room in the lab. I have plenty of time, at least 8 hours per day and if necessary I can spend more time too. I don't have teaching obligations.
Sometimes, I might have an idea, which ultimately turns to be useless, but even then I tell my self if it was possible to turn into a publications, others would have done that, so it must be a hard problem or idea.
My main issue is that there is no other person with my background in the lab. People with different backgrounds are a PhD student here and everyone works on his/her PhD almost alone. I wish I could pair to another student and brainstorm and discuss different ideas. However, it is not possible here. I told my supervisor, he replied first you should prepare some initial results so that we can approach others group for collaboration. But even then I won't discuss with another person on a daily basis because of the distance between those groups which are in other countries. </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46263,
"author": "Landric",
"author_id": 9586,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/9586",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><strong>Don't panic.</strong> What you're feeling is very common: so called <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome\" rel=\"nofollow\">\"impostor syndrome\"</a> (where you feel that you're not good enough to be there) is very common in academia. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Talk to your supervisor</strong> about how you're feeling, and try to narrow down the focus of your research question. You have plenty of time still, but its important you take the time to understand exactly what your work is trying to answer, which will in turn help you understand where to focus your efforts (for gathering data, publishing papers, etc.).</p>\n\n<p>Some supervisors are more diligent than others, so if you feel yours is too busy or not providing the help you need, don't suffer in silence but <strong>talk to someone else.</strong> Many institutions have some form of tutor system, or faculty position devoted to helping out students that are under pressure or struggling.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46268,
"author": "A.S",
"author_id": 22447,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22447",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>\"I think he has given me plenty of time and freedom.\" - although micromanagement never helps in the long run, too much of a good thing could be a problem, too. </p>\n\n<p>It sounds like you are on the right track, but simply need more time, patience, and practice. </p>\n\n<p>I would recommend to get a research assistantship (RA) position, if that is common in your country/institution (in the U.S. many graduate students have RA or TA appointments). This will put you in a relatively structured work environment with a plan, reasonably clear expectations for work output, and a regular opportunity to receive guidance from your supervisor. </p>\n\n<p>The RA job may or may not be with your advisor, and it doesn't have to be for all of the remaining 2 or 3 years you have left in the program. (If you advisor has no funding to support you at the moment, you can work for a year elsewhere, then who knows maybe s/he will get a grant and be able to hire you to assist with the research, or you can simply stay in your job. With this in mind, try to find a position on a relatively large, long-term, well-funded project.)</p>\n\n<p>Beyond the structure and direction, RA projects often become the platform for developing a dissertation, as it is typically not hard to come up with good \"offshoot\" ideas that are a little different from the main thrust of the research grant but are complementary to it, filling some gap in the questions that are being asked and the knowledge being gained. Also, working on other people's research projects will give you valuable exposure into how others brainstorm to come up with feasible ideas and questions, design studies to \naddress these questions, and implement them in a collaborative work setting. </p>\n\n<p>As @Landric suggests, the \"impostor syndrome\" is very typical and is probably a normal part of professional development of someone who has to operate in a loosely structured intellectual environment thinking about new concepts and ways of doing things that have not been done before. If you were totally confident every day about every intellectual leap and analytic decision that you need to make, you probably would not be doing your PhD right!</p>\n\n<p>I would be surprised if many PhD students had publishable, primary data results in their second year of study. There are good reasons for this: 1. Typically the first 2-3 years are the time to complete the required coursework and pass the general exams that qualify you for dissertation research. At least in the U.S., and in social sciences, this typically happens in the 3rd year of study, and ideally the exam can be at least partially aligned with the tentative research idea/proposal for dissertation work. 2. The first years of PhD study are typically the time to become familiar with the broader and narrower aspects of an academic discipline, to gain a foothold in the intellectual milieu of the subject of study. As such, this is not the time to make bold public intellectual proclamations and throw lofty claims to the field through publication in high-profile journals. </p>\n\n<p>Although successful in some cases, the latter type of activity tends to be risky and can do more harm than good, with the half-baked ideas creating a premature, less-than-positive impression in the field of your future colleagues. Not necessarily a great idea. Don't forget the \"student\" part of being a PhD student. You are engaged in a process of your own, personal intellectual development first, and contribution to the field at large is not expected until a later stage of your study (the last 1-3 years). </p>\n\n<p>So, my advise is to let go of your worries, clear your head, talk to your advisor about these concerns, and explore opportunities for RA positions on grants that seem of interest and potentially relevant to your future goals in terms of area of research and career focus. The summer is a great time to find such a position, as many research centers and labs hire new graduate research assistants during the summer to build capacity for the following year. </p>\n\n<p>I am not saying you should not be trying to publish or submit to conferences - but I am saying that it's OK, and probably best, not to fly solo. As a student, your role in research efforts is by definition auxiliary rather than primary. Focus on learning to effectively collaborate with others and support the work of more established scholars, and use these experiences to learn, learn, learn as much as you can about how research is done in this academic discipline. Be a 2nd, or 3rd, or 6th co-author on papers - this is nothing to be embarrassed by, and in fact many established scholars often make do with co-authorship way down on the list. (Note: A mark of a truly excellent PI/advisor is to come up with opportunities for their RA's/advisees to be 1st authors at least on some of their research output, typically conference papers. You can usually tell if this happens by browsing the research group's website and seeing if and where student names pop up on the group's list of publications.)</p>\n\n<p>If you see some of your peers spewing out publications right and left, don't despair, and hold off on comparing yourself to them and drawing early conclusions. Who knows, perhaps this pattern is a temporary flare-up, and their productivity might fizzle out toward the later stage of their studies. Burnout happens everywhere, and not everyone develops at the same pace. Keep your mind focused on your own work and responsibilities, and your time will come. There will be a right time for you to produce research you can be proud of. Sometimes, this does not happen until <em>after</em> one's dissertation is written. And that is normal, too. It is important to find a balance between quantity and quality, and to put greater emphasis on the latter. While easy wins are rewarding in the short run, they should be mere stepping stones on a path to more difficult, longer-duration projects with delayed payoff.</p>\n\n<p>If you do get an RA job, use the Fall and Winter semesters to understand the research domain of the project and brainstorm possible complementary ideas that could become a dissertation proposal. Use these ideas to structure part of your general exam. If you end the 3rd year having passed the exam and having a (rough) draft dissertation research proposal, you will be well on your way to complete the studies in 2-3 more years (within 5 years). </p>\n\n<p>I have to say it is not at all uncommon to take longer than 5 years to complete a PhD (I believe the average in the U.S. is closer to 6). What would you rather choose, to give up, drop out, and waste 2-3 years of graduate school, or spend a little more time, persevere, learn a lot and build more skills, and finish a degree? </p>\n\n<p>To summarize, you asked the question at the right time, and you are not behind, your concerns and worries are not unique, and you are not going to fail. You are going to succeed. With that, good luck!</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/29
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46261",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
46,277 |
<p>I just passed my comprehensive oral exam. I took a week off and have spent the better part of another week trying to build motivation to get back to work. </p>
<p>Now I have about a dozen things I could do for my project: delve into the observational or modeling literature, hunt down a tricky bug in my prototype model (several approaches!), derive the more general governing equations for my dissertation model, learn somebody else's code which I plan on basing my model on, restructure my prototype code (needed, but it'll take hours), and the list goes on.</p>
<p>I acknowledge that this is a broad and opinion-based question, but here goes:</p>
<p><strong>What are some good ways to beat the post-orals slump?</strong></p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46283,
"author": "Patricia Shanahan",
"author_id": 10220,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10220",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>The most urgent thing to do is to take a short vacation and celebrate. Go do something fun, unrelated to your research. If you live near a beach and the weather is nice, sit on the beach with a non-technical book. Go to any local tourist attraction. Eat a nice dinner with friends. Watch a movie. </p>\n\n<p>A few days delay will not cost much, but could bring enormous benefits in your readiness to get on with the next steps.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46289,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Patricia's answer works for the short term, but in the longer term you'll want to set a list of priorities. You should definitely start with a conversation with your advisor to determine what he thinks your priorities are, as you're probably going to want to work on those. That should be the start of your list.</p>\n\n<p>After that, work through other tasks/commitments. Any collaborations you're participating in, any papers you're waiting to complete, any bugs you have to work through. Much of grad school can be treated just like any large project, so long as you list and prioritize your tasks you won't get too bogged down and lost in details.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46308,
"author": "henning",
"author_id": 31917,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31917",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Getting back into work after a break can be difficult because tasks are stacking up and taken together seem overwhelming. As you said,</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I have about a dozen things I could do.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>What helps in this situation is just to get started with <em>something</em>. Begin with whatever seems least daunting / most easy. Once you are a back in the \"flow\", you can start thinking about priorities, milestones etc.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/29
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46277",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32794/"
] |
46,297 |
<p>The British permanent faculty system seems to differ from the US tenured system mainly in that in the former the management can 'fire' one on the basis of redundancy (<a href="https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45243/what-is-the-difference-between-permanent-faculty-positions-in-the-uk-and-tenured">What is the difference between permanent faculty positions in the UK and tenured faculty positions in the US/Canada?</a>). How common is redundancy in practice in the countries having the British system (UK/Australia/NZ/Ireland)?
Thanks,
John</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46321,
"author": "ctokelly",
"author_id": 12045,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12045",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Redundancies are a standard management tool in UK academia at the moment. A quick Google of the Times Higher Education Supplement suggests that there were about 1,300 academic redundancies in the UK in 2011-12, or an <a href=\"https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/staff-redundancies-totalled-3000-before-fees-hike/2005503.article\">average of about 18 per Higher Education institution</a> in 2011-12. At the moment a number of institutions are making compulsory cuts by closing departments. The University of Surrey is one example, as are Warwick and London Metropolitan. I'm sure there are others. The are also a lot of institutions looking for voluntary redundancies.</p>\n\n<p>This all has to do with economic pressures, managerial/strategic rationalisation and either perceived student demand or disappointing internationalisation experiments.</p>\n\n<p>Academic tenure, such as it was,was phased out in the UK from the mid 1970s onwards.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46531,
"author": "Stephanie",
"author_id": 32695,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/32695",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This article is relevant and interesting and summarises the nature of employment in the UK: <a href=\"http://simonbatterbury.net/pubs/tenurebatterbury.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://simonbatterbury.net/pubs/tenurebatterbury.pdf</a></p>\n\n<p>The current Systems Engineering department at Reading University (UK) is being shut down and the majority of academics there will lose their jobs. They are closing down due to not attracting enough students and funding, this process is standard here, similar to if a non-academic company/business shut down or down sized. Reading has had this problem multiple times, I don't know how it varies across universities but redundancies are clearly linked with the success of the department, something that could be investigated but not predicted before taking up an offer. At a well funded and stable university, redundancy is unlikely.</p>\n\n<p>2010 Reading Physics department closure: <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6159106.stm\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6159106.stm</a></p>\n\n<p>2015 Reading systems engineering department closure:\n<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-32978132\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-32978132</a></p>\n\n<p>Australia:\n<a href=\"http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2015/05/university-researchers-take-brunt-cuts-australian-budget\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2015/05/university-researchers-take-brunt-cuts-australian-budget</a> and a very relevant article about the redundancy of an Australian university Professor who was reinstated:\n<a href=\"http://www.nteu.org.au/article/Federal-Court-reinstates-university-professor-sacked-in-sham-redundancy--14702\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.nteu.org.au/article/Federal-Court-reinstates-university-professor-sacked-in-sham-redundancy--14702</a>\nThe article makes it very clear that Professors in Australia can be made redundant for financial reasons.</p>\n\n<p>In NZ:<br>\nGovernment owned industry: <a href=\"http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/275287/possible-job-cuts-at-agresearch\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/275287/possible-job-cuts-at-agresearch</a> </p>\n\n<p>In NI:\nQUB's website details that academics can be made redundant.\n<a href=\"http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/HumanResources/PersonnelDepartment/EmployeeBenefits/PayandConditions/LeavingEmployment/TerminationofEmployment-AcademicResearchStaff/\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/HumanResources/PersonnelDepartment/EmployeeBenefits/PayandConditions/LeavingEmployment/TerminationofEmployment-AcademicResearchStaff/</a></p>\n\n<p>In Ireland the system is different:\n<a href=\"http://www.eui.eu/ProgrammesAndFellowships/AcademicCareersObservatory/AcademicCareersbyCountry/Ireland.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.eui.eu/ProgrammesAndFellowships/AcademicCareersObservatory/AcademicCareersbyCountry/Ireland.aspx</a>\n\"About 80% of the academic staff in Ireland hold permanent tenured positions. All full time academic staff are civil servants and tenured in the sense that they can not be fired without a serious cause, such as incompetence or outrageous conduct. This is very different from the systems of the UK and the US. For example, in the UK only about 55% hold permanent contracts and there is no tenure.\"</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/30
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46297",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30606/"
] |
46,300 |
<p>I am writing my dissertation, and things came out somewhat different to what I had thought three years ago. Back then, I had three hypotheses. Two turned out to be true. The third, last and flimsiest, looks false. The question is: how should I describe the third hypothesis in the short list of hypotheses?</p>
<ul>
<li><p>I could phrase it the way I did three years ago. In the results and conclusions section, I could try refuting it.</p></li>
<li><p>I could phrase it the other way around, as if I always thought it was untrue. There a billion problems to that, the least being: how does one then describe the experimental plan? I can't really say I wanted the null hypothesis to come true? Surely different kinds of experiments would have been more useful.</p></li>
<li><p>I could leave that section out. That is madness, it's a lot of work down the drain.</p></li>
</ul>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46301,
"author": "xLeitix",
"author_id": 10094,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/10094",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>It is hard to give good advice on this without knowing the concrete dissertation and the expectations of your community. Hence, this is one of those famous questions where the right answer really is <em>ask your advisor</em>.</p>\n\n<p>However, in the dark I am not sure why you would not just use Option 1 from your list - you had a (hopefully reasonable) hypothesis, you set up experiments and tested it, and found no evidence to support your hypothesis. Assuming that the hypothesis wasn't bad to begin with and the experiments were sound, why can't you just write it down like this?</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46306,
"author": "Aleksandr Blekh",
"author_id": 12391,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12391",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I agree with @xLeitix's advice (+1): use the first option, that is, <em>leave your hypotheses untouched</em>. There is nothing wrong with not confirming certain hypotheses - <em>negative results</em> are also <strong>valuable</strong> (for example, see <a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3917235\">this paper</a>, <a href=\"http://www.jnrbm.com/about\">this journal</a> and <a href=\"http://press3.mcs.anl.gov/errorworkshop\">this workshop</a>). I would suggest to complement textual reporting with a <em>summary table</em>, with a minimum of three columns: hypothesis, result of hypothesis testing, statistical significance of the test. In addition, I would recommend (and this is expected in a dissertation report) to include your <em>interpretation</em> of all results (including the negative ones) in the Discussion section of the Results chapter.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/30
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46300",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
46,302 |
<p>Since it takes a lot of time to type presentations out using Beamer, PowerPoint, etc. (I need lots of equations) I have been thinking of shifting to handwritten slides (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U47kyV4TMnE">example</a>).</p>
<p>Does anyone here have experience with handwritten slides that are not "transparencies"? What hardware/software will I need to prepare slides like these?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46303,
"author": "Stephan Kolassa",
"author_id": 4140,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4140",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>I see essentially two possibilities:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Write out your slides on paper, then scan them.</li>\n<li>Get a Tablet & Pen combination and write directly \"to your computer\". I don't have experience with hand-writing slides this way, but I recently acquired a <a href=\"http://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/pen-tablets/intuos-pen\">Wacom Intuos Pen</a> which you could use for this. It has the additional benefit that you can use it in web conferences to write on a shared web whiteboard (this is the use case I personally got it for).</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>In case 1, you can scan your notes directly to PDF and present them. If you want to mix \"classical\" slides with your handwritten slides, you will need to mix PowerPoint or Beamer slides with graphics files containing your handwritten slides. You may need to experiment a bit with what picture format works best here, in terms of both file size and graphics quality.</p>\n\n<p>In case 2, you can create PowerPoint presentations and write directly into the presentation with your Pen, which makes integrating \"classical\" and handwritten slides quite a bit easier.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46305,
"author": "Brian Tompsett - 汤莱恩",
"author_id": 26708,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/26708",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's a good idea to try, but I also wanted to add some notes of caution. I've used a couple of methods, the <em>tablet and pen</em> method to write on the screen in real-time. I've done this to annotate existing typeset slides during the class.</p>\n\n<p>I've also have handwritten annotations on top of slides which I've scanned and presented as PDFs, and I've also used full handwritten slides scanned as PDF.</p>\n\n<p>Student's can be very sensitive to the unorthodox. If the unorthodox makes for a much better learning experience (or often in their mind - better test scores!) then they will be all for it. However, if it doesn't improve their experience and they believe you are doing it <em>\"to save time typing\"</em>, i.e. for selfish reasons, they can be very negative. The negativity can transfer into losing engagement and depressed results from that class.</p>\n\n<p>If your institution has quality monitoring systems or formalised student feedback mechanisms you need to be sure that a learning quality improvement will result.</p>\n\n<p><sup>[*]</sup><sub>OK. I'm the departmental teaching and learning quality officer ... just doing my job!</sub></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46311,
"author": "Zach H",
"author_id": 8857,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8857",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>As Stephen Kolassa mentioned, using a writing tablet or scanning notes are both options. However, if you have an tablet (iPad/Android) or touch screen laptop (mostly Windows 8 like the Surface), there are many software options that allow you to create PDF slides by writing directly on the screen with a stylus. Most people I know (myself included) vastly prefer this option for generating hand written PDFs. I personally have used Notability on an iPad, which I found quite effective. To find more examples of software, start googling for note taking apps. I know several mathematicians who use hand written slides in their research talks (also, check out Rob Ghrist's <em>Funny Little Calculus Text</em>, drawn on a tablet PC). Some will even write on their slides as they present, though I believe this is easier to do with a laptop than a tablet. </p>\n\n<p>If you are serious about open source, this call all be done in Linux as well. One of my collaborators teaches classes with a Wacom Cintiq, which are designed for professional artists, with his Linux machine. This is likely overkill.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46319,
"author": "Salvatore Shiggerino",
"author_id": 35229,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35229",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It's hard to match both the readability and aesthetic quality of Beamer presentations by hand. Possible, but hard.</p>\n\n<p>Have you considered trying some convenience layer on top of Beamer, like using <a href=\"http://pandoc.org/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Pandoc</a>?</p>\n\n<p>It has a Beamer output, and several input formats, like Markdown, Org Mode and Textile.</p>\n\n<p>Another point to consider is the editor you use to write your slides. Using something like Emacs with <a href=\"https://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/\" rel=\"nofollow\">AUCTeX</a> should dramatically increase productivity compared to plain text editors.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46361,
"author": "Jorge Leitao",
"author_id": 13552,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13552",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>tl;dr </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>don't overuse equations</li>\n<li>don't use hand-written slides.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Don't overuse equations</h3>\n\n<p>If you need to present your work with lots of equations, then the problem is not on the tool you are using to do it (PowerPoint, Beamer, etc.), but on the presentation itself.</p>\n\n<p>Take time to <em>think about the presentation</em> first. Specifically, think on:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>What message do you want your audience to take home?</li>\n<li>What message you want to convey on each slide?</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Unless you are deriving a simple result as E=mc^2 on a slide, on which the derivation itself is beautiful and is thus part of the message, there is only one reason to have a slide full of equations: when you want to convey that your result was non-trivial to derive and that this slide is not supposed to be understood by anyone in the audience.</p>\n\n<p>This is because no audience will follow the technical details of a derivation anyway, except probably for 1 or 2 specialists. If your presentation is good enough, those specialists will read your paper anyway and will be able to follow the derivation <em>on their own pace</em>, along with all the technical details.</p>\n\n<p>Equations are extremely useful because they summarise an extraordinary amount of information, but because of that, they are also difficult to read, understand, and digest. They are like pictures...</p>\n\n<p>My advice is: do not trow equations to the slides just because they are part of a demonstration or something. Put an equation on a slide using the same reasoning you put a graph: only if it is really worth to fully explain it.</p>\n\n<p>Instead, use words to describe how you got there (\"using the approximation X, the assumption Y and Z, we can derive [show equation]\"). If you believe that someone may ask for more details, just add an extra slide in the end with the full derivation, or just say (the technical details can be found in Ref. ).</p>\n\n<h3>Don't use hand-written slides</h3>\n\n<p>Here are some reasons:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Difficult to maintain</strong>: if you need to re-use a slide in a future presentation, you will suffer; If you try to change then in a hurry (e.g. during your flight), you will suffer;</li>\n<li><strong>Difficult to read</strong>: hand-writing is <em>always</em> more difficult to read than computer font like Helvetica, Arial or Times.</li>\n<li><strong>Difficult to format</strong>: unless you use topographic tools, hand-writing slides will have elements mis-aligned and improperly formatted.</li>\n<li><strong>Difficult to maintain consistency</strong>: PowerPoint, Beamer or Keynote allow you to write slides with a consistent structure (e.g. the master slide). Hand-writing slides most likely will not be consistent.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>All of these distract the audience thus hindering your ability to convey the message.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46376,
"author": "Legendre17",
"author_id": 24935,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/24935",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Especially if these are for a lecture, you should really be using a blackboard (or whiteboard if you must) and write everything out during class. Presenting slides typically makes you go much faster than you would otherwise -- you forget how much time it took you to figure out the sign in an equation or the limits for some integral. While superficially this might help you \"cover\" more material, it's sure to lose everyone in the class. By writing things out as you go, you force yourself to think about the equations you're writing and about the speed at which a normal human being is able to process and understand them.</p>\n\n<p>If it doesn't matter so much whether your students can follow the meaning of the equations you're writing down, then don't include them in your presentation. Direct your students to a book (or online notes), and use class time for something that they can follow.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46391,
"author": "Brian Borchers",
"author_id": 4453,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/4453",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I think several of the responses here have mentioned a key distinction only in passing.</p>\n\n<p>If you are giving a lecture and interacting with students, then being able to write comments \"on the fly\" is very important. Using a SMART a Podium or other tablet makes this easy to do and also makes it easy to capture the lecture in a recording. In my experience students vastly prefer to have lectures presented in this way rather than with prepared slides, since there is a tendency to move through the slides too quickly.</p>\n\n<p>If you are talking about a conference presentation to fellow researchers, then using prepared slides is definitely the way to go.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 149510,
"author": "Salmon Joy",
"author_id": 124487,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/124487",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>digitalboard.salmonjoy.com</p>\n\n<p>I had recently developed this website which can convert your handwritten notes into a presentable form. This is 100% free. A lot of teachers, specially those who has to deal with many equations and formulas, are using this\nIt is very simple and quick.\nHere's a video where I explain what is DigitalBoard and how to use it - <a href=\"https://youtu.be/kFme3ebYh3I\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/kFme3ebYh3I</a></p>\n\n<p>Hope this will be helpful</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/30
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46302",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35214/"
] |
46,317 |
<p>I'm a male 19 year old Phd student (in a field in the exact sciences), I dyed my hair bright blue. Personally, I think it transmits a great message and is generally cool. Although, I'm not sure how well received will it be in my university, in teaching, while visiting other universities, meeting new researchers I never met before and while presenting in conferences. </p>
<p>Picture of the hair can be viewed here:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://i.imgur.com/03viCuL.jpg" rel="noreferrer">http://i.imgur.com/03viCuL.jpg</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Questions:</strong></p>
<p>What effect might dyeing your hair blue have as a PhD student?</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46320,
"author": "Roger Fan",
"author_id": 20375,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20375",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>In some fields with significant client-facing time, colored hair (or other similar notable features like significant visible tattoos or piercings) is generally unacceptable. My knowledge of this primarily comes from clinical psychology, but I'm sure that there are other similar fields (for instance, social work). For somewhat obvious reasons, maintaining a professional and somewhat conservative appearance is important when a significant part of your degree involves doing clinical work.</p>\n\n<p>In non-clinical fields, I think that this is generally okay (unless you have some particularly conservative faculty), but I will let other answers address that.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46323,
"author": "RoboKaren",
"author_id": 14885,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14885",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>The general advice is that when you're an undergraduate student, a graduate student not yet on the job market, or when you're a tenured faculty, you can do whatever the hell you want.</p>\n\n<p>The problem is that you are vulnerable when you're in the position to be hired, promoted, tenured, or retained. In those cases, having just one conservative person on the hiring/promotion/retention committee (or at the divisional, full faculty, dean or provost levels) can derail you. In those circumstances, you want to stand out in terms of <strong>your research, service, and teaching</strong> but to try to avoid or mitigate any areas of friction where and when possible. </p>\n\n<p>Since hair color is easily changeable, if I were your advisor, I would recommend that you dress (and hair color) more conservatively <strong>when you go on the job market</strong> -- and when you come up for <strong>promotion/retention/tenure.</strong>\nI would also recommend you wear shoes at your job interview. </p>\n\n<p>The benefit to risk analysis just isn't in favor of frivolity in these high stakes situations. Your departmental faculty may be 100% behind you and your sartorial style but I've seen faculty lose tenure bids at the divisional, full faculty, and provost level despite department support. I've seen grad students not get hired because they wore a t-shirt to a job interview thinking the institution was a cool, hip place. It was, just not that hip.</p>\n\n<p>At all other times during your career, I think you are relatively free to do what you want within the broader norms of your particular cohort and department.</p>\n\n<p><sub>Note that while my home department is anthropology and I'm currently at a R1, I've also taught at two SLACs and have seen enough shenanigans in other departments and at divisional/university levels that my advice is not restricted to just anthropology at R1s but is intended as general advice. Ymmv.</sub></p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46338,
"author": "T K",
"author_id": 12656,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12656",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>This definitely depends on environment: your research field's culture, your department's culture and your university's culture.</p>\n\n<p>As someone that had a mohawk phase often during grad school, I can only speak from my time in my PhD program in mathematics (in the USA). In my experience, I would cut it off before any conference, any research visit, and the job market as it felt not right for me. I kept the mohawk when teaching. My university never complained about the hairstyle and I won teaching awards from the students. The most I heard from colleagues was that it probably made mathematics \"more relatable\" to the students and the occasional \"you should grow a tail in the back so you're like that jedi....\" On the other hand, I would feel uncomfortable with a mohawk in my new university.</p>\n\n<p>In my experience, computer science and mathematics seem culturally the least focussed on appearance. Everything is contextual, though. </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46342,
"author": "Anonymous Physicist",
"author_id": 13240,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/13240",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It could be an effective form of personal branding. I went to a conference recently where a graduate student had blue hair. She was the most memorable person there.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46359,
"author": "Jan-Christoph Schlage-Puchta",
"author_id": 30965,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30965",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>At my former department Ph.D.'s were obtained by students who had dread locks, lots of tattoos, or changed their hair colour on a monthly base, and a male wearing skirts. So at least in mathematics blue hair should not be a big deal. At an early stage of your career some deviation from the norm might even be advantageous. When visiting a conference you get too much information to process in too little time, so you do not remember every single talk. But you might remember the guy with blue hair talking about Ramsey theory.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46380,
"author": "Ivy Bush",
"author_id": 35269,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35269",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I've seen at least one computer science professor at an Ivy League school dye his hair an interesting colour (green, blue, yellow). And most of my class-mates thought they were cool. </p>\n\n<p>Do be careful though - some people might not take you seriously. One thing I noticed about these professors is that they were incredibly confident and incredibly smart, yet friendly at the same time.</p>\n\n<p>Does look pretty slick though!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46396,
"author": "D.W.",
"author_id": 705,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/705",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Go for it. You won't be the only one. For instance, take a look at <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorrie_Cranor\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Lorrie Cranor</a>, a Professor at CMU in Computer Science. Professor Cranor is an extraordinary researcher, a leader worldwide in her field (perhaps <em>the</em> leading researcher in her field), incredibly well respected for her many deep and seminal contributions. She has also sported blue hair from <a href=\"http://lorrie.cranor.org/images/lorrie-december2012.jpg\" rel=\"noreferrer\">time</a> to <a href=\"http://lorrie.cranor.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/lorrie-sept2012blue-landscape.jpg\" rel=\"noreferrer\">time</a>.</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vu5uum.jpg\" alt=\"Lorrie Cranor has blue hair\"></p>\n\n<p>So, in my opinion -- go for it. Feel free to show a little personality. Academia is populated by people, and everyone is different. Don't be afraid to be yourself.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46407,
"author": "ALAN WARD",
"author_id": 34766,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/34766",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>\nFrom a practical point of view, that would depend on the background color of your slides when making a presentation. Blue hair on a blue background ... a real faux-pas. Blue hair on a red background would be even worse.\n</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46865,
"author": "A.S",
"author_id": 22447,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22447",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Nice question. Though it did strike me as being somewhat out of the blue...</p>\n\n<p>Smart to be asking after the fact. 19 years old and already on the Pile it Higher and Deeper track...who wouldn't get the blues! Ok I'm done.</p>\n\n<p>In the academe, and the exact (as opposed to the approximate) sciences in particular, it is tacit knowledge that blue hair is a major showstopper, effectively ending one's academic tenure. Actually, security isn't really supposed to be letting you on campus (nb for those campus visits). Needless to say, job talks and conference presentations should only be done remotely (avoid using Zoot for avatar though tinyurl.com/nzo9cgo). ;)</p>\n\n<p>Seriously, I would suggest the following rule of thumb: <strong>Even a genius should look presentable during formal networking or when interviewing for jobs.</strong> </p>\n\n<p>If blue hair = presentable in the 21st century, then no worries. But some old school (20th century) profs might not be as \"with it.\" </p>\n\n<p>Applying the rule of thumb to your questions suggests that blue hair should be OK when (a) teaching (undergrads will assume you are cool and/or strange, grads will have enough problems of their own to notice/care); (b) meeting other researchers (unless...see rule of thumb). </p>\n\n<p>To go all the way, you will also need to frequent the gym, and dress the part (despite comments to the contrary, I suggest suit and tie as daily wear). And you just might be taken for a blue chipper. Good luck!</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 47185,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>It strikes me as the type of thing which could be frowned upon in job interviews and many non-academic environments, but radical styles may be more accepted in academia. Before I quit my PhD, I knew someone in my department who dyed her hair green!</p>\n\n<p>Maybe it's not the sort of thing that would create a great impression if you're very new to the department you're working with, but maybe if they already know you really well then they may just view it as a phase.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 85378,
"author": "Pere",
"author_id": 58537,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/58537",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I can't bring any good example on hair color, but I think that brightly coloured suits might seem as odd and unprofessional as brightly coloured hair. <a href=\"http://www.salaimartin.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Xavier Sala i Martin</a>, professor of Economics, is popular for his brightly coloured and ever changing jackets, which he wears even in very professional contexts. When asked about them in interviews, Xavier Sala i Martin plainly explains that his jackets are just a marketing strategy. Therefore, Anonymous Physicist's answer about hair colour as personal branding or Jan-Christoph Schlage-Puchta's one about being remembered could be pointing to effective and not so unusual strategies.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/30
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46317",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/28389/"
] |
46,324 |
<p>I am wondering if it is a bad thing to cite a paper in a scientific publication for a trivial or irrelevant reason. </p>
<p>The specific instance I have in mind is the usage of certain terminology. I basically want to make a point along the lines:</p>
<p><em>"We define a set to be flabby if it obeys conditions X, following the convention in [Smith]. We note that other authors (e.g. [Jones]) also require flabby sets to satisfy a condition Y"</em>.</p>
<p>Now, it is clear that if you use some definition (which is not very classical), it should be attributed, or at least a reference should be given to some reasonably good introduction to the topic. In this case, the reference the paper of Smith does the job just fine. But what about Jones? The only reason for citing him is that he happens to be using a different convention than I. On the other hand, I cannot convincingly make the point I want to make without <em>some</em> reference; and I'm concerned that I might be confusing the reader if I don't make this point. It could be that Jones gets an extra epsilon of recognision because of one more citation to his paper, which I personally don't mind at all. But it is maybe slightly weird that I cite a paper which I am not, strictly speaking, using.</p>
<p>I suppose this particular case is not really that important. What I am would really like to know - although that's perhaps too vague for SE - is whether it is generally OK to cite papers just because it is convenient for me, without worrying about whether I actually use the results of that paper in my work.</p>
<p>(If relevant, my field is pure mathematics.)</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46325,
"author": "jakebeal",
"author_id": 22733,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/22733",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "<p>Even things that you aren't directly using may be quite relevant for establishing context.</p>\n\n<p>The only thing that ever keeps me from being generous with citations is page limits. Otherwise, any citation that fits well with the flow of the scientific narrative and helps place your work in the context of related work is good for everybody involved, and I see not reason not to err on the side of inclusion.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46326,
"author": "henning",
"author_id": 31917,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/31917",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>Answering to your particular case: Your citing Jones is only confusing to the extent that it invites the question of why you prefer Smith's definition to Jones'. If you can explain this preference (briefly), you defend your approach against potential criticism and, doing so, have a better reason for citing Jones in the first place.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46335,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>jakebeal is right on, both that you should include the citation, and why. I want to respond to something you said:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>But it is maybe slightly weird that I cite a paper which I am not, strictly speaking, using.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>because it's part of a <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/21666/is-it-proper-to-cite-something-when-using-it-just-as-an-example\">recurring</a> <a href=\"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24049/is-there-any-requirement-to-cite-recent-literature-in-publications\">misconception</a> about how citations should be used. Papers shouldn't be the bare minimum necessary to claim priority on whatever's being done in them; they're supposed to be written to help other people understand what we've done. There's nothing wrong or unprofessional about including content which \"merely\" makes the paper easier to understand. What you're describing is squarely in that category: pointing out the alternate convention helps some readers avoid confusion, and providing a citation both supports that this is an alternate convention and gives some hint where in the literature the alternate convention is found.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46337,
"author": "Massimo Ortolano",
"author_id": 20058,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/20058",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p><em>A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,</em> I thought that citations should be kept to a minimum: really, I didn't want to burden the reader with references to trivial or generally known stuff. </p>\n\n<p>Along the years, however, from discussions with colleagues and from received paper reviews (e.g., countless <em>please provide references for the notation/equation you employed on p. X</em>), I've grown convinced that what I once thought trivial or generally known is not really so: after all, even people working in the same field can have different backgrounds (e.g., physicists and engineers don't speak the same language).</p>\n\n<p>Thus, today I think that one should provide as many references as possible: to better explain the context, to provide extended information on notations and background theory, and to outline existing differences in notation and terminology (as in your case). </p>\n\n<p>So, be generous: you'll never know who your reader actually is, and providing more references won't hurt. </p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/30
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46324",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7328/"
] |
46,330 |
<p>I have a good idea of what things to say in my correspondence regarding this matter; here I'm mainly asking <em>how</em> to deliver the news: by phone or by letter/email. </p>
<p>I have received conflicting advice about this. In many jobs (academic or not) the most common advice seems to be to make a phone call, followed up with a confirmatory email or letter. Specifically in an academic setting, I have heard at least two chairs/deans say something along the lines of "Call me with good news. Email me with bad news". Others have said "use the same medium the school used to contact you"-- in most cases I've heard of, the school often uses a mix of written and telephone correspondence. </p>
<p>In my particular case, declining the offer by phone would require scheduling a phone call through an intermediary, because all previous correspondences have gone through the Dean's secretary (sending contracts, scheduling previous phone calls). Based on the non-instantaneous scheduling of our other chats, I suspect this would delay things by a few days (so, it wouldn't be like I could just call his office number for a quick chat). Regardless, it seems rather awkward to go through this process of scheduling a phone call just to say "No Thanks". </p>
<p>Any advice on the general question and/or my specific situation is appreciated. </p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46332,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would say that the most appropriate medium would be to send a written communication, either as an email or as a letter. This carries much more weight than a phone call, as you actually have something resembling a paper trail that you can provide. </p>\n\n<p>Although there is a certain wisdom in the advice \"contact them as they contacted you,\" this is an exceptional enough situation that deviating from that rule seems more appropriate.</p>\n\n<p>The route that I would use is to write a formal, signed letter, then scan it in and send a copy of the scanned letter as a PDF to the intended recipient. The scan will reach them more quickly, and you'll still have the formal communication sent by regular mail.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46373,
"author": "Nate Eldredge",
"author_id": 1010,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/1010",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>[Caveat: Cultural differences may come into play here. My answer is based on the US.]</p>\n\n<p>Time is of the essence in tenure-track hiring. If you are declining the offer, the chair/dean wants to know as soon as possible. They need to move on to make an offer to another candidate, before that candidate in turn gets/accepts an offer from some other institution.</p>\n\n<p>So if you care about the impression you leave with the institution, don't waste time on niceties, but contact them via whatever means will reach them the fastest. If you have a direct phone number for someone, call it. If you don't, or you don't reach them, send an email. Be concise and to the point. If you want, you can include a line like \"I apologize for the informality of this email, but I thought you would want to know as quickly as possible.\"</p>\n\n<p>aeismail's suggestion of emailing a scanned formal letter strikes me as overcomplicated. I think the chair/dean would rather get the news in a quick line or two of text, instead of you taking the time to compose something elegant. Note also that scanned PDFs can be difficult to read on smartphones, and this is the kind of news that a chair/dean would prefer to get immediately, even if they are out of the office.</p>\n\n<p>I'd regard Nox's suggestion of using postal mail as unacceptable. When the chair opens your letter three days from now, their immediate reaction is going to be extreme annoyance that you didn't get them this news three days ago.</p>\n\n<p>You can <em>follow up</em> with a letter (by mail or email) in which you express your regret that you can't accept the offer, your appreciation for their time and consideration, etc. (Indeed, they may even ask you to send such a letter, or dictate what you should include in it.) But that can wait.</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 46374,
"author": "RoboKaren",
"author_id": 14885,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/14885",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I would write to the dean/provost formally over e-mail. If you wish to write it as a letter, then print or scan to PDF and send that. This can be a very short letter and you do not have to detail your reasons or your regrets.</p>\n\n<p>If you've been in close contact with the department chair and/or search committee members, I think they would appreciate e-mail or phone calls after you've written the dean. These can be less formal, and if you don't want to burn bridges with people who you might still be maintaining relations with, you can go into further details about your rationale and your regrets in not being able to work with them.</p>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/30
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46330",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/35233/"
] |
46,331 |
<p>A paper submitted to some peer-reviewed venue might cite some of the reviewer's papers.</p>
<p>Is there any research/study that looked whether citing reviewers' papers significantly increase the chance of a submitted paper to be accepted?</p>
<p>I am most interested in the field of computer science, and English-speaking venues.</p>
|
[
{
"answer_id": 46360,
"author": "Jan-Christoph Schlage-Puchta",
"author_id": 30965,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/30965",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I do not know whether citing the reviewer helps, but I know that the obsession with impact factors has lead journals to ask for citing articles which appeared in the same journal. I had two rejections for \"not enough citations\", and a friend had an article rejected because \"the topic is not within the scope of this journal, which can be seen by the fact that none of the citations appeared in this journal\".</p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 121164,
"author": "xavier",
"author_id": 78095,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/78095",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I was thinking of the same question. I experienced submitting a paper in the Journal X and later on was recommended by the editor to submit the paper on Journal Y (because it doesn't fit to the scope of the journal), where he is the subject editor. I cited most of his recent work on the paper knowing he is the editor in chief of Journal X. Later on, the paper was reviewed and accepted with minor revisions in Journal Y. The review was rigorous but 'soft'. However, the chance of getting accepted larly relies on the paper's quality but citing the reviewer's or editor's work means you know who are the people working on your field, you know what knowledge is exist, hence, your paper is reliable </p>\n"
},
{
"answer_id": 121197,
"author": "Allure",
"author_id": 84834,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/84834",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "<p>I highly doubt there can be any study on this, because statistics on something that's suppose to be anonymous will be hard to come by.</p>\n\n<p>I can say anecdotally that:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>If the reviewer says \"you should cite these papers\" (which are written by him), and the author does it, then indeed the reviewer is more likely to recommend acceptance. However few reviewers are so blatant as to return a review that's simply \"you should cite these papers\". They'll usually recommend other things as well, and it's reasonable that with those other things done the paper is acceptable anyway.</li>\n<li>There are also reviewers who recommend rejection even though they're cited. I know this because I've searched for reviewers from the references cited before, and some of them recommend rejection anyway. Of course when this happens the authors never know about it.</li>\n<li>I remember reading about a paper where the referee said \"my group's work was cited but I still don't understand what the authors are saying\", which was actually a fair report since the paper was nonsense (I don't remember if it was generated by SCIgen or was a very badly written theoretical physics paper with no real content); however I can't find it now.</li>\n</ul>\n"
}
] |
2015/05/30
|
[
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46331",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/452/"
] |
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