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2014/08/28 | 737 | 2,854 | <issue_start>username_0: Should I mention that I have Bipolar disorder in my statement of purpose and ask my lecturers to mention it in their letters of recommendation(I am doubtful that they will) ?
Bipolar disorder was a critical roadblock in my academic life man. When I was having maniac episode I was like "I am God, I don't need to study, I can clear this test without studying" or it just felt like I am overdosing on caffeine, I couldn't focus. When I was feeling depressed, I was just too withdrawn to study, I was almost suicidal. Either way, I was too emotional to do anything !
The aggregate GPA of my undergrad courses is 3.216 and the simple average of my last 4 semesters GPA is 3.106. It was in the last two years that I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I tell you its not easy managing meds and life. Most psychiatrists in India are idiots. Some of these psychiatrists even diagnosed me with adult ADD :| Its because of these drugs and incompetency of my shrinks that I feel my GPA dropped. Should I mention that too, cause in US I would even have access to better shrinks than here ..
My GRE score is 322/340. I honestly feel I could have got a much better GPA and GRE score without this disorder man. I even got highest grades in all my practical exams too.<issue_comment>username_1: I would not put it in the statement of purpose as it is a forward looking document (what do you want to study, what qualifications do you have, why study at X university, etc.).
If you must include it, then the [diversity statement](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/32484/what-do-admission-committees-look-for-in-a-diversity-essay) is a good place.
That being said, I would recommend that **you do not include it.** You can mention that you “struggled with some health/personal issues” in college but are now prepared for university, but you do not need to give details beyond that. This is your health privacy at stake. You should talk to your letter writers to make sure they know they should not disclose your personal history without your permission.
Once you are accepted, you can inquire about student health services and reasonable accommodation for your needs.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Probably not, and even from reading your question alone - with full respect to the legitimacy and seriousness of your illness - you are using it as an excuse. And in a grad school application, you are making an excuse for failing before you even start. That is not good.
Sometimes these personal facts make sense to share as part of a narrative of resilience or overcoming challenges, but you are not building that narrative right now. You need to convey that you understand the world cares more about outcome than handicaps, and, for instance, blaming psychiatrists in India, does not help.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/08/28 | 1,860 | 8,081 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a second year PhD student in computer science. I see other students craving to find new problems, read papers and it's like they are enjoying it and when they find a problem, they spend endless hours trying to come up with a publishable results about it.
I talked to some people and they said, many times you get to like what you do, it's not that you always end up doing what you like - implying that this kind of excitement and motivation is something that can develop in time.
Can you give me some practical strategies that help towards gaining and maintaining a high level of excitement and motivation about research? What keeps researchers like those I described constantly interested and excited to do research?<issue_comment>username_1: I find that a good way (for me) to get excited about my research is to work with some inexperienced research students - high school and undergraduate students.
Mentoring these students reminds me of the things that excited me about research when I first started: mainly, that we can come up with some problem that we think is interesting, that hasn't previously been solved, and then go ahead and *solve it*. I still think that is *so* cool, and seeing that reaction in my students reminds me all over again :) Also, I get to feel like an expert in this scenario, which helps makes me more excited about my work.
Generally, I find that spending time with others who are passionate and excited encourages those feelings in me, too.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Well. I think something really important is to work on a problem that you are excited about.
I find it more exciting when I can explain people what I am doing, but I have also seen people that get excited the more obscure the subject they are into, so it really depends on your personality. Still, it has to be something you are passionate about.
It is not always possible to do that, especially on your first years when you are ramping up and are maybe following projects of more senior students or just working on whatever your advisor asked you to.
Still, think on problems you consider important. Think of solutions, read papers you really liked. How could you do them better? Talk with your advisor about them. If you work on a problem that you just really enjoy talking about you will feel the passion.
Talk to the senior students, they have been through that. Many of them will be happy to give you examples related to your specific area.
Best of luck
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: If I am allowed to go into lifestyle coaching more than academic coaching, I think you should find what makes *you* tick. Academia is highly competitive and if you are feeling that you are not in the upper 50% now, perhaps you should take some time to consider your career choices.
Sometimes the truth hurts. Often, escaping the truth hurts more in the long run.
Having said that, my own experience is that taking a bit of a time-out and working in another field briefly helped my motivation to come back and be grateful for being in a place I enjoy and feel I can prosper in.
Also, I'm not saying there are not other success vectors. If you are top-notch at what you do and are just wondering how come another *mode* of research makes your colleagues tick, that's fine, and quite possibly an important asset in the long run.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: The three answers above are all great ideas. But I'd like to expand on two of these answers with a story from my own personal experience in finding what to do for research.
If you're in the early stages of research but you're not that passionate about it, I would suggest looking for other research opportunities that inspire more passion. You may not want to switch your current focus or advisor (and at first, I didn't either), but it may very well be useful for you to explore, just to see if there might be some other arrangement that better motivates you.
In short, you might try the following:
* find some aspect of life that you're very passionate about
* see if you can find some research project in your field that speaks to your passion
* find an advisor who is willing to work with you on such a project, and who fits your personality well enough for you to work with this person in an effective manner.
While username_2 suggests to look for specific problems, I'd take it a step back from that and say that you should first look for a topic of study that speaks to a passion of yours, even if that topic is not itself within computer science. First, it may not be obvious if you can connect it with your current field of study. However, you may be surprised at the ways people have studied this topic *using* computer science, or the ways in which people are *motivated* to study some aspect of computer science because of this topic. Then, once you've linked that passion to your field of study, it may not immediately be obvious what problems are still open that you can attack. This is fine - it will require some hard work to find a specific research path, and moreover formulating your own thesis problem will likely require a lot of help from an advisor.
(Disclaimer: I'm an applied math grad student, so admittedly I may very well have a wider range of possibilities for research than students in other fields. Thus, taking a general life passion and researching it may well be easier for me than for you. However, computer science and applied math share a substantial overlap, so this advice may be somewhat relevant.)
I had been working on a project with a very interesting theoretical aspect, but the physical application did not quite excite me enough to provide the drive I needed to get anywhere on my research. Also, I was working with a well-respected and talented advisor, but we didn't meet or communicate very often. This was in part because that year he was teaching and researching at another university, but also because he had a lot of students and was otherwise busy with work. In any case, I became his student under a mutual understanding between us that I would work in a very independent fashion. While at first I thought that such an arrangement was perfect for me, it gradually became more obvious that I needed more frequent, in-person meetings to stay motivated.
And then I took a class on applied and harmonic computational analysis, a topic which is very much related to the field of music technology. I've always been a very musical person, and it's a really big passion for me. But I didn't realize that I could connect this passion with my field of study until I did a small research project for that class. People talk all the time about how music and math are related, but I never really heard much of people doing applied math projects that involved music until I actually went out myself and looked for these topics.
(If you want to hear what the problem was that motivated me, well... I wanted to make a remix of a song, but I couldn't separate out the vocal track as I wanted. Eventually, this led me to discover the topic of *source separation*, which arises in not just music technology but also a surprising number of academic disciplines. From there, I started discovering many other different topics that I find to be pretty cool.)
Since then, I've switched advisors and started some really fun, exciting projects. And I'm no longer nearly as worried as I used to be about whether I'm making enough progress, not only because of my passion for my project, but also because I check in weekly with my advisor.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: at some point in my college, when I was to do my science project and my advisor, whose field of study was different from pure science, It was really hard to put in my passion to get it done. Not like the passion wasn't there, but we both had different passion in respect to my field of study.. I had to convince myself that I must go through, I had to develop the passion because I would have to defend how I design it.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/08/29 | 2,074 | 7,086 | <issue_start>username_0: I am working on a paper in which we need to reference the meaning of english words as foundation for the analysis in the paper (we are categorizing situations using these words, and there is no method of categorizing these items, so no precedent).
Before internet, using the encyclopedia Britannica or merriam-webster dictionary was easy for referencing the book itself. These days, words and meanings change and are sometimes updated. Even more, looking online for a dictionary for finding a word returns many results.
When searching for oxford dictionary there are three results
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/>
<http://www.oed.com/>
<http://oaadonline.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/>
Merriam webster:
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/>
Cambridge:
<http://dictionary.cambridge.org/>
The online dictionary:
<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/>
And of course wikipedia usually has some definition.
For example, if we categorize something as 'multi-' , In this dictionary: <http://oaadonline.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/multi> multi is "More than one". However, in this <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multi> , multi is "More than two". That is a huge difference in terminology.
Is there an academic standard for the age of online dictionaries? Have words just begun to mean different things and its futile to use dictionaries in this way?<issue_comment>username_1: * [www.oed.com](http://www.oed.com) is the online version of the full, *official* Oxford English Dictionary. Requires a subscription (institutional or personal) to access. This is the site you should use whenever possible.
* [http://www.oxforddictionaries.com](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/) is an ad-supported version with some features cut. Avoid if you have subscription access to the full site (as any university should).
* <http://oaadonline.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/> is, clearly, for learners of the English language. Use it as a guide for learning, sure - but not as a guide for writing papers.
The OED is *the* English dictionary to use. Other dictionaries are probably fine in all but the weirdest corner cases, but it helps to have some standardization.
Your journal probably specifies its own preferences in this regard. Every publisher's "guide for authors" that I have seen tells you to defer to the OED. Sometimes you'll see specific instructions to use either British or American spellings, and you may specifically be told how to spell words that don't have a British or American "standard" spelling, such as *parametrize*.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: [onelook.com](http://www.onelook.com/?w=multi-&ls=a) is a nice resource; it links to several online dictionaries from one convenient place. (Although it does not link to the OED, and I agree that the OED is both authoritative and reputable – more on that in a bit.)
Still, words often have fuzzy meanings, and it's often good to cite a couple of reputable sources when establishing definitions.
Your *multi-* example is a good one. When you find dictionaries have conflicting meanings of a word, it might be best to provide multiple definitions, and then declare which meaning you intend to use throughout your paper or thesis.
[Collins](http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/multi-) has an interesting listing for *multi-*, in that it lists both of the meanings you allude to:
>
> **multi-**
>
> 1 many or much ⇒ *multiflorous*, *multimillion*
>
> 2 more than one ⇒ *multiparous*, *multistorey*
>
>
>
It's also important to know what kind of dictionary you are citing, and what that dictionary's goal is. For example, some dictionaries list what they deem as primary meanings first, while others order a word's definitions based on how the word evolved. Others, like [Cambridge Dictionary Online](http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/american-english/multi?q=multi-), are designed to be a learner's dictionary; CDO's definitions are relatively basic, and geared more toward those who are learning English as a second language. Some online dictionaries are wikis, like [Wiktionary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/multi-?rdfrom=Multi-), which might be good for finding the most up-to-date slang usages, but are probably not the best sources to cite in scholarly works.
The goal of the OED is a comprehensive, exhaustive list of usages, starting from the very early usages, and going to more contemporary. For example, looking up *multi-* in the OED yields 10 results; one of them begins with:
>
> 1. Forming parasynthetic adjectives, with the sense ‘more than one, several, many’. From the adjectives are formed adverbs (e.g. *multiserially*) and nouns (e.g. *multicellularity*). Some formations of this kind acquire a noun sense, as *multicore*, *multiengine*.
>
>
>
It then goes on to list dozens of examples, many of them rare or obsolete, along with references that stretch back as far as the 1700s, such as:
>
> **multinodal** adj. having many nodes.
>
> 1839 <NAME> Introd. Bot. (ed. 3) i. ii. 160 *The multinodal cyme offers no fixed rule in the spirals of its nodes*.
>
> 1902 Biometrika 1 264 *These maxima must arise from the mortality curve itself being multinodal*.
>
> 1979 Cell & Tissue Res. 199 225 *Probit frequency analysis, a graphic method for determining whether a population is normally distributed, skewed, or multinodal*.
>
>
> **multinodate** adj. rare = multinodal adj.
>
> 1840 <NAME> Crit. Pronouncing Dict., *Multinodate, or Multinodous, many-knotted*.
>
> 1979 Proc. Linn. Soc. New S. Wales 102 194 *Most often, on multinodate axes and particularly in large inflorescences, reduction in degree of branching does not occur alone*.
>
>
> **multinodous** adj. [ < classical Latin multinōdus ( < multi- multi- comb. form + nōdus knot: see node n.) + -ous suffix] Obs. rare—0 = multinodal adj.
>
> 1727 <NAME>iley Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II., *Multinodous, full of Knots*.
>
> 1840 <NAME>er's Crit. Pronouncing Dict., *Multinodate, or Multinodous, many-knotted*.
>
>
> **multinodular** adj. Med. characterized by or composed of a number of nodules.
>
> 1900 <NAME>. Dorland Illustr. Med. Dict. 399/2 *Multinodular, composed of many nodules*.
>
> 1924 F. de Quervain Goitre 33 *The fourth type is represented by the multinodular goitre with large nodules*.
>
>
>
In other words, it's one thing to say that the OED is the "best" dictionary to use, but it may be overkill in some instances.
I'm active in some of the SE's English forums; I've found [Macmillan](http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/multi) and [Collins](http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/multi-) to be reputable, and I would trust them for scholarly work. Miriam-Webster is often regarded as reputable, too, but I tend to avoid their online edition, owing to the number of ads they splash on a screen (my computer often starts running slower as soon as I go to one of their pages).
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/08/29 | 553 | 2,418 | <issue_start>username_0: Let's say we have a thesis/scientific paper with a sectioning depth of three [chapter, section, subsection]. I already often wondered:
**Is it okay to have text outside of the lowest level, i. e. subsections?**
For instance giving the introduction to / overview of a chapter is that done right after the chapters headline (or sections headline) or in the first subsection appearing in the same chapter?<issue_comment>username_1: From my point of view, the answer to your question depends on the content that you refer to by *introduction* and *overview* as well as the actual number of *sub-sections* to a respective level. I consider a *sub-section* to be an actual subsection as stated in your question as well as a section within a chapter.
The actual content should always be placed within the respective sub-section. Sectioning is supposed to help a reader finding content of interest fast.
**Kind of Introduction**
Depending what you aim to introduce (specialties of a method vs. a rather general field of study), the introduction should be placed within or outside of the sub-section.
**Kind of Overview**
Usually, I would expect an overview to be outside of the specific sub-sections of content. One may say, that an *overview* works out to be the same as an introduction to a rather general field of study, cf. *Kind of Introduction*.
**Number of Sub-sections**
The more different sub-sections you have with regard to a level, the more important I find an overview to interrelate these. Since I do not know which sub-sections to read a-priori, I expected an overview that sketches and relates the entire content right after the chapter/section heading. Depending on how interrelated the topics in your sub-sections actually are, this introduction/overview may be longer or shorter.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: **In my view, it is perfectly acceptable**. It often helps readability, and logically it makes sense (a good example is the "introduction before subsections" that you cited).
That said, **some people hate it**, and I have already encountered referees who wanted me to change it. I haven't been able to infer a reasonable motivation up to now, so I would be interested in reading arguments in its favor.
Academic papers typically have no table of contents, so there is even less motivation for enforcing a strict tree-like structure.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/08/29 | 1,766 | 7,852 | <issue_start>username_0: I am really frustrated, I have started my research for my master thesis 6 months ago and I have to submit the final draft after 2 months.
I was interested in a specific topic and I looked for a supervisor with the same research interests.
I was looking for something related to internet security (Botnet Detection); luckily, my supervisor gave me a research plan exactly about what I wanted to do. However, a month later and after I submitted the proposal and started to read deeply about the topic; I found that exactly the same research had already done by another two PhD students and what I was supposed to do was 100% repeating what they already had done 2 years ago.
I directly contacted my supervisor explaining to him the situation. I discovered that my research plan is exactly the same (word by word, someone copied from other). Moreover, the topic itself is very specific and is not easy to build or modify on it, he said "No problem, you just repeat it and we will try to slightly modify something.", then he added "If you can not do that, it is enough to repeat it." and I just agreed (trying to be positive and avoiding problems).
Now, after I started my writing I found myself repeating the same ideas and the same experiments, the same statements and the same conclusions. Later on, I discovered that this research supposed to be done by adviser with the group who already published the work and for some reasons they excluded him.
In short, the supervisor did not mention that this work is already published and did not mention that he was team member with them.
What I shall do?
Now I feel this work is 100% not original and I will not add and contribute anything. I am not feeling happy by wasting my time doing something like that.
Shall I escalate the story to the general adviser for master's students? Should I change the topic or should I continue and defend others work claiming that this is my own work?
I am not scared of rejecting my thesis, I am totally not satisfied about what I do write now. I am doing my masters to add something to my knowledge, experience and to feel really I will be one step a head.
Note: I work in industry field and I have no experience in academic and research fields.<issue_comment>username_1: Note that there is no way anyone knows about your precise situation, except you and your advisor, so I am making some wild guesses on what actually happened.
Perhaps your advisor is hoping to have an efficient implementation of the ideas / algorithms already expressed on the past paper, with the notion that he (or you and him) may later build on your implementation to create something new. In order to create anything new, you have to compare with existing approaches and therefore you still have to implement previous methods. He has given you two options a) Try to expand the ideas of the past paper b) If you cannot do that, just creating a NEW implementation of the original paper is enough for him. This is a MSc thesis and not all MSc theses lead to publishable results. But it still seems like an important project and as such, it seems it could still turn out to be a good MSc thesis and you will have a lot to learn from it.
So, your main problem is that you think that you cannot expand the original paper to new directions. But if you want to do research this is exactly what you are going to have to do. You should find a topic that interests you ("*my supervisor gave a research plan exactly about what i want to do*"), study previous literature (which you should have done before choosing the topic) and then expand on previous ideas. Note that since you have worked in industry, you may as well be a better programmer than those 2 PHD students and therefore your implementation might be much more efficient than theirs. This is still a significant contribution which may eventually be published.
My advice:
* Talk to your advisor and state your doubts and clarify the situation.
* Implement the paper's ideas as fast and efficient as possible
* Compare your implementation with the paper's results. You should at least aim for a more efficient implementation
* Check related literature that cites this paper. Is this paper, still state-of-the-art? **Is this paper cited by anyone?** This will show if this project has been picked up by anyone. If it is not, it is reasonable that your advisor wants to build upon the previous paper to further expand it. If someone has extended it or applied it to other use-cases, your assumption that it cannot be improved is wrong and you should think what you can do to further expand it. Either way, you will have an answer about how to proceed.
* Think of any other possible improvements, what else could be done better, in a more efficient way or how this idea could be used in other use-cases.
Also, you have learnt a valuable lesson. What you want to do in research should correlate with what is already been done. You should study previous research very carefully and exhaustively. If you believe that previous works have already done everything to perfection (which BTW is rarely the case) then you should choose a new topic. Otherwise you are the one that should think what can be improved. I think you pretty much expected that your advisor had a new research idea waiting just for you and all you needed to do was just to implement it. But this was really an unrealistic expectation on your part.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In mathematics it's often OK to have a master's thesis be expository, of course as long as it is clearly indicated that it is expository, and it is (of course) written in one's own words, well-referenced, etc. Usually in this case it's better if the expository work provides either a new proof of a known result, or a new perspective on the old result.
I'm sorry if this doesn't answer the academic honesty concerns, but is there any way you can take this spin?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: For a master's thesis it is nice but not completely essential to do something original. I'm sorry that it feels like you're rediscovering what is already known.
Now that you're in that situation, though, the best option is likely to write your results as a *test* of the published results or a *comparison* between the published results and something else. For example, you can use different data, compare some aspect that wasn't covered before (resource usage?), write more of a review or try to get different other partial/possible solutions running to compare against. Is the other code open source? If not, open-source yours (assuming your advisor is okay with it). Are there missing steps that are important? Describe them well.
Also, although it feels like a waste of time to repeat the same stuff (and often it is), there is a benefit to thoroughly testing out and verifying what is supposedly known. Just because something's published it isn't necessarily true or useful or accurate. In this case from what you've said it sounds like it is--but if you believe this was useful work for someone to have done, it is also useful for it to be independently verified, which you have done. I wish this were done more in academia, honestly. Too much poorly-verified and over-hyped stuff gets through. But it's hard to publish a paper saying, "I checked important result X and yep!...it was right on target."
It's harder to know what precisely to do about the academic honesty issue. You may wish to discreetly contact whoever is in charge of administrative ethics at your school (preferably some sort of grad student ethics advisor, so they can advise *you* on whether this sounds like a big problem). But if it's a problem it's a problem for your professor; I wouldn't let it derail your thesis unless absolutely necessary.
Upvotes: 4 |
2014/08/29 | 1,204 | 5,045 | <issue_start>username_0: I am scheduled to present part of my PhD research
at a conference in a few months.
This will be my first conference after graduating from my PhD.
I am now a postdoc at another university,
but my current adviser's policy is to fund conference travel
only for postdocs presenting research done by with him,
i.e. he would not fund my travel to this conference
to present research I had done during my PhD
which did not involve him.
Is it normal for a PhD adviser
to fund conference travel for graduated students,
if the students are presenting work they have done during their PhD?
If the graduated student had tenure-track jobs
and their own source of funding for conference travel,
then clearly the graduated student
would be expected to use his/her own funding.
However, in my case,
when I do not have funding for conference travel,
is it normal to expect my PhD adviser to provide funding?
I will ask my adviser about this directly,
but I was wondering if there is a standard expected behavior
for PhD advisers that generally applies in my situation.
If my PhD adviser is unable/unwilling to fund my travel,
is it unreasonable for me to say that I cannot attend the conference?
(I estimate the total cost of attending the conference to be ~$1K.)
**Update:**
I asked my PhD adviser whether he could fund my conference travel,
and he said yes immediately.<issue_comment>username_1: One should always figure out the funding issues before submitting an abstract to a conference. Presenters withdrawing from a conference are a major headache to the conference organizers and it is unreasonable to expect them to reorganize the conference program because you did not figure out your travel plans (either timing or funding) in advanced. There are cases where there is nothing you can do (e.g., having a child), but in general when you submit an abstract you are committing yourself to presenting the work.
As to who should fund your travel, the best would have been to ask when you submitted to the conference. There really isn't a standard for who should pay. The first issue is to determine if your PhD advisor or Post Doc Advisor has money that could be used to pay for your travel. They would have to have money that could, if they desired, be used to fund your travel, and be willing to fund your travel.
I would ask both people and see what they say. No one is going to be offended by you asking. I wouldn't be surprised if both said no, but nor would I be surprised if both said yes.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Ask yourself who gets the benefit? Will your previous instutition as it is work related to your time there, or your present instuitution, or just you. To fund they will want to know it's going to be advantageous to them. You will need to convice them.
Or, chat to someone else who is going to the confermce and arrange to sleep on their floor, cancel the hotel booking, miss the formal dinners and boldly wander into buffets to get them free. Still do the networking, present your paper and plan ahead next time.
But always remember that life can change overnight as it did for me, and ill health stopped both the conferences and my working - then who pays for a conference is a monor issue!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: You might see if there are other sources of funding available from your current university. Commonly they do have some travel funding available for their researchers who don't have grant money, and you might be eligible. It might not cover everything, or there might be some sort of competitive application process, but it is worth checking. It may be administered through a unit called "Office of Research" or something like that.
In my field it's pretty common for postdocs to be allotted some funding of their very own from the university, that they can spend on travel, etc. I assume if you had this, you wouldn't be asking the question, but it's just possible that if you didn't read fine print, you might have overlooked it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: As a PhD student, I disagree with some of the advice here. Students (and post doctoral fellows) can be pressured by their university/advisor to publish and present at conferences. At my university there were specific PhD sub Courses that had to be complete and this involved presenting at different level conferences. So essentially, you needed to at least submit papers to these conferences or else you would not get your PhD. In my case, I applied (submitted a paper) to an international conference and my paper was accepted. I soon wished it wasn't because my university did not cover all costs and going would cut into my own funds by about 1000 dollars. Do not blame students for backing out or for 'disrupting' a presenter list when the universities themselves often do not tell the students what 'conference travel' entails. To the person saying to sleep on floors etc, NO. Students should be able to say "i do not wish to go" without ANY PENALTY. simple.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/08/29 | 1,895 | 8,507 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a European student applying for a PhD in mathematics in the US. Browsing the internet, I have come across quite a lot of American PhD applicants claiming that they have several years of research experience, or even publications. I am rather astonished because in Europe first research attempts normally begin when a student is writing his or her Master's thesis. On the other hand the level of mathematics taught in European undergrad programmes is typically higher than in the US an normally involves courses which are classed as graduate courses in the US. Therefore I would like to ask the following questions:
1. What does "undergraduate research" really mean in most cases? Original research, contribution to a senior mathematician's original research through some calculations/programming work, independent study of a difficult topic + a paper/report but without any original findings?
2. Am I right being skeptical that someone who has only taken some courses in linear algebra, real analysis, etc. is ready to do research?
3. US PhD programmes typically involve 2 years of taught courses and a qualifying exam prior to beginning the work on one's thesis, i.e. research proper. Is undergraduate research really an important prerequisite in the eyes of the admissions committee?
4. How common is it to have publications as an undergraduate in the US?
5. As a student coming from Europe, where there is little opportunity for undergrad research and it is generally not encouraged, is my application at an disadvantage? While I have not done any "undergrad research", I have done a lot of independent work. I have written a Bachelor's thesis, given talks at many seminars, and am now working on a Master's thesis which will hopefully contain some original results. Can this experience be regarded on a par with a US applicant's research experience?<issue_comment>username_1: To address a few of your points.
1. There is no standard definition of undergraduate research. In many US universities one can graduate with a degree *without* doing an independent thesis, so in effect it is possible to obtain a bachelor's degree without having anything resembling "research experience". Therefore some people would be generous and count the research for bachelor's theses as "undergraduate research". For some people the phrase excludes theses but includes REU experiences, and for some only original research leading to publications count.
It is not too unreasonable to expect that the work put into independent projects, even an undergraduate thesis that basically is just a review of existing results, can be beneficial to graduate research.
2. Yes; but where did you get the idea that undergraduates only learn some linear algebra and real analysis? Combinatorics is a field in which the barrier to entry is somewhat lower, and is especially approachable to the Math Olympiad types; and discrete mathematics is certainly on the rise in the past decade or so in terms of undergraduate education. And many undergraduates do have quite a bit more under their belt than you seem to believe.
Having worked in Europe for the past 5 years, I feel comfortable asserting that the claim
>
> the level of mathematics taught in European undergrad programmes is typically higher than in the US an normally involves courses which are classed as graduate courses in the US.
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is not quite true. What is true is that the mathematics in European undergraduate programs often *start out* at a higher level and with more rigour, but at the advanced undergraduate level the US schools usually have caught up. (Note also that the US degrees are usually 4 years compared to 3 years in Europe, so they have a bit more time to build.) Couple that with the liberal arts tradition you'll often find elective classes at the top level of undergraduate education in the US which have no analogue at all in Europe.
While it is certainly true that good European universities offer undergraduate courses that are at the level of graduate courses in mediocre US universities, the reverse swapping European/US is also true.
3. It depends on the answer to (1). The rare individual who actually did original research and obtained publishable results will likely get some bonus points when the admission committee deliberates, but it is certainly not a norm and one is not expected to have done such necessarily.
4. I don't have any statistics. Hearsay suggests that original research leading to something published in a research journal is somewhat rare. (Publications resulting from REU or similar programs, or publications in undergraduate journals are less rare.)
5. If your master's thesis contains original results, then you are likely more than on par with the typical applicant to US PhD programs, in terms of research experience.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Is undergraduate research really an important prerequisite in the eyes of the admissions committee?
>
>
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It's certainly not mandatory: every US graduate program in mathematics is willing to admit students who have not done original research or published a paper. On the other hand, having impressive accomplishments helps, and it's important to have letters of recommendation from faculty who have seen you engage deeply with something difficult. It's easier to get such a letter from a supervisor on a substantial independent project, but it doesn't have to be a research project. Your background as described in the question sounds strong, and I don't think you need to worry about a lack of research experience.
The worrisome scenario is someone who has never focused on any question for more than a few hours. This is entirely possible for an undergraduate who hasn't written a thesis or worked on any comparable project. The problem is that doing mathematics on a long time scale is qualitatively different from short-term problem solving. It's psychologically different: you need to be patient and flexible, while still maintaining focus over months or years. Some people are effective and enthusiastic over short time scales but aren't temperamentally suited to research, and it can be a heavy blow to discover in graduate school that you don't enjoy this sort of work or have trouble focusing. Other people are intimidated by the idea of research and assume they would be worse at it than at short-term problem solving, while in fact they might be much better.
So the key advantage of undergraduate research is that it gives students a chance to discover their preferences and talents, with faculty mentors who can judge their performance and vouch for it. On the other hand, there are other ways to achieve the same goals, and it's the goals that matter.
Historically, the initial push for undergraduate research in the US was actually as a recruiting tool. The idea was that encouraging students to do research would help uncover people who should go to graduate school but might not have realized it (either from being underconfident or from not having had the opportunity to shine). REUs were not intended as a prerequisite for graduate school, but this view has become more common among applicants as the programs have become more popular.
>
> What does "undergraduate research" really mean in most cases? Original research, contribution to a senior mathematician's original research through some calculations/programming work, independent study of a difficult topic + a paper/report but without any original findings?
>
>
>
Preferably one of the first two, and ideally the first, but it is sometimes used to refer to the third as well. Both applicants and supervisors have incentives to describe work as "undergraduate research" regardless of whether they intended or tried to do original research, in the hope that it will sound more impressive than just saying it was an independent project. This broader usage gets on my nerves, so I'd recommend against it, but it's widespread enough that there's not much risk of standing out as being misleading or manipulative.
>
> How common is it to have publications as an undergraduate in the US?
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>
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It's relatively common among those who attend an REU or similar research program, although the publications are not necessarily impressive in absolute terms (i.e., not taking into account that the authors are undergraduates). Publishing is rare among undergraduate students who have not participated in such a program.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/08/29 | 644 | 2,659 | <issue_start>username_0: Could anyone kindly provide me with information about how *PhD international students* can be covered by health insurance in the US? :
Is it often granted by the University?
How much does it cost, on average (for the student and possibly spouse/children) and what does it cover?
Does "Obamacare" reform affect it anyhow?
I would appreciate any information. Thanks in advance.<issue_comment>username_1: This is very university-specific. My university pays the health insurance for students who are appointed to a graduate research assistantship or TA-ship at the half-time (20 hours/week) level. Half-time is the minimum to get the insurance paid, the maximum time allowed for a graduate student to work, and the usual appointment for the vast majority of graduate students. To add a spouse is about $450/mo. I do not know how much children cost to add. The coverage varies all over the map because insurance varies so much by state, institution, and plan in the US. The plan at my institution is for medical care only. Vision and dental are separate and funded entirely by the employee (though they're pretty cheap).
The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) may have changed this for some institutions which did not provide insurance options to grad students, but mine has for the last 20 years or so, so I don't really know.
All of this information should be on the website of the university you want to attend. You may have to look in the section for employees rather than students, but it's usually there. Look for "benefits" as well as "insurance".
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: A lot of universities do provide health insurance to enrolled students.
For example:
* [Princeton University's student health plan](http://www.princeton.edu/uhs/student-insurance/student-health-plan/) is extended by default to all enrolled graduate students (the line about tuition payment is pro forma: if you are on a fellowship or on a teaching assistant/research assistant position your tuition is covered automatically and so the insurance costs you nothing out of pocket). One can also enroll dependents (spouse and children) as long as certain requirements are met. Dental insurance is not covered by default, as far as I know.
* A similar provision is offered by [UC Berkeley](http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance/SHIPEnrollment.shtml).
The coverage offered are specific to the insurance plans, and thus entirely dependent on the University. The Google search phrase "< university name > graduate student health insurance" is pretty good at returning the results for the universities you are interested in.
Upvotes: 4 |
2014/08/30 | 978 | 4,448 | <issue_start>username_0: How difficult is it to get an assistant professor position in a department (e.g., applied math) while you have a PhD degree from another area (e.g., electrical engineering)? Particularly, when you target only relatively good departments (top 20~30).
If it makes any difference, I am particularly thinking of becoming professor of applied math with an EE degree.
**update:** I don't know exactly what constitutes *mathematical research* in the eyes of mathematicians, but I can say there are some really theoretical subjects needed in my research. For example random matrix theory and empirical processes are prevalent in my research area. However, in spite of my great interest, I haven't been able to (or prohibited from doing) work on purely theoretical part of the problems. So I mostly have applied the existing theoretical results. Developing optimization algorithms with provable convergence guarantees, perhaps in statistical sense of it, are also important in the area I worked in. However, I don't think optimization is considered an interesting area for mathematicians.<issue_comment>username_1: How difficult it is to get a position in another field depends enormously on your specific interests and background. Moving from electrical engineering to applied mathematics may be pretty reasonable, since there are some research areas that are widely considered part of both fields, such as control theory. If you already work in the intersection, then you'll have some flexibility in your job search. You'll have a much tougher time if you're proposing to change your research interests, or if you work on a topic that is not commonly studied in applied math departments, even if it could be.
A first test is whether you can find anyone with your background and interests in an applied math department. If you can't find anyone, then it may be difficult to become the first. (It could still be worth a try, but you shouldn't get your heart set on doing something unprecedented.) If you can find such people, then you have role models. At that point, you can start looking at the web pages and CVs of people who have made the transition. Where do they publish? How do they present themselves and their work? Can you see any differences from people working in electrical engineering? Of course you don't need to imitate these people too closely, but at least you'll have examples of what has been well received by applied math departments. Some things can be adjusted on short notice, while others take time. If you're a little further from fitting in, doing a postdoc in applied math may help bridge the gap.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The comments and the other answer have mainly addressed whether your research area would be a fit in an applied math department. Let's assume it is. **There's another, equally important side to the equation. The willingness of a department to hire faculty with doctorates in other fields varies dramatically by the department and university**, at least in my limited experience. This is more a question of culture than of science.
First, at many universities applied math is just an unofficial group of faculty within a mathematics department. I think that your chances of getting hired into a mathematics department are very slim.
Applied mathematics is a more interdisciplinary field, and is generally more open-minded culturally with respect to disciplinary boundaries, especially since many universities don't offer a degree in applied mathematics. But applied math is a small field and it's still true that in many departments your application is likely to be tossed out because of the name of your degree. I was a grad student during a faculty search at a prominent applied math department in the US, and I don't think they would ever have considered hiring someone with a degree outside of applied mathematics. In the [University where I work now](http://cemse.kaust.edu.sa), departmental boundaries are very thin and we have hired multiple faculty whose doctorate is in another field (though there was certainly resistance from some faculty).
One way you can help yourself a lot is to get a recommendation letter from someone who is on the inside of the applied mathematics community. If, say, a [SIAM fellow](http://fellows.siam.org/index.php?sort=last) says that you're truly an applied mathematician, you will immediately have street cred.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/08/30 | 782 | 3,422 | <issue_start>username_0: I am soon to finish my PhD and would love to do postdoctoral research (UK). However, for reasons I shan't go into, it is not viable for me to travel outside of my city and so I am unable to attend conferences/workshops/etc.
Is it feasible for me to obtain a postdoc position? Or do postdoc responsibilities necessarily entail travelling?<issue_comment>username_1: This is somewhat field dependent, but your academic career could be much more challenging if your disability or other circumstances prevent you from traveling. You may need to travel to job interviews at the very least. Not attending conferences to present your research will reduce the visibility of your work, and so you will struggle to get your ideas well known in your field. This could reduce your job prospects. You will need to have your research products well-advertised on the web in order to have any name recognition. Your research may also have to be more ground-breaking in order to garner recognition.
If, for example, you work in Computer Science, conference publications are typically the most prestigious, so the inability to travel to present your work may mean that it is not published.
I don't mean to be too discouraging, but I think you should reevaluate whether or not you can make 1 or 2 trips per year in order to present your work. It may do wonders for how hard your career is otherwise.
On the plus side, you might also try talking to some conference organizers before you submit your work about presenting your results via video conference. I was at a workshop this week where a presenter couldn't make it due to a last-minute problem with his flight, and he gave a great presentation via Google Hangouts. He wasn't there to network, but at least his presentation happened. If your reasons for not traveling are due to disability (including mental disabilities like social anxiety, agoraphobia, etc.), the country where the conference happens may require that they try to accommodate your needs.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It seems your main challenges will be:
1. Getting some institute/person to hire you as a researcher despite this handicap (that is, assuming you're not hiding your situation).
2. Getting to know and form relationships with people in your field.
3. Collaborating with people without meeting them (unless they travel to where you are).
4. Finding potential positions for after your your post-docs without having "shown your face" there, or to the people there.
In some fields these may be insurmountable. In most other fields their combination will make it extremely difficult - in my opinion - to be a successful researcher. So there's the question of whether you're interested in having what will quite possibly be a mediocre-at-best stint as a researcher.
An exception to the above would be if you're in a group where there's good division of labor, with other people doing a lot of traveling, but also being gracious enough to make the connection between yourself and researchers/interested parties elsewhere so that you're at least partially present. In that case I suppose it's half-manageable.
I can't speak to what primary researchers, or research groups/departments, will require of you; traveling may or may not be a strict requirement and it may or may not depend on the field of study and the country in which you work.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/08/31 | 1,064 | 4,399 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there any good resource to figure out the track record of academic success of research lab’s alumni (e.g. how many of postdocs became a PI)?
I'm a grad student in the US who will finish PhD next spring, and I've just started to find a postdoc position. I realized it's crucial to find an postdoc advisor who has a good track record of alumni's getting job in academia, since I want to be a PI in the future.
It looks like many famous labs with big papers actually have too many postdocs and grad students so that not many of them have successful career. Productivity per person is diluted too much in those labs. I also doubt one's publication record is the only factor for success in getting a PI position as far as I hear from people around me. (Of course, I know that if you have a big paper in a big lab, that is the best way to get a position)
I am open to go to any country for work if the working environment is good. My field is biophysics with some flavor of materials science.<issue_comment>username_1: This is not an answer to your question, so feel free to downvote me. But I'm going to answer the question you should have asked rather than the one you did ask. The implicit question here is
>
> **Should I use a lab's track record of getting academic positions for its postdocs as a surrogate for what my own chances will be (if I take a postdoc in that lab)?**
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>
In other words, the implied assumption is that if 50% of the postdocs from a given lab go on to get faculty positions, and if you go to that lab, then you will have a 50% chance of getting a faculty position. I believe this is poor statistical reasoning:
1. Averages are not very useful in predicting the outcome of a single realization.
2. Some postdocs may not desire an academic position. Therefore, their failure to get one has no bearing on what you are trying to assess -- but it will skew the measure you are using.
3. Labs may not have had enough postdocs to provide a statistically significant sample. For every PI, there was a *first* postdoc who got an academic position. Unless she was the first postdoc that PI ever had, she went in with 0% odds by your measure.
In deciding where to go, I think **talking to the PI and to current and former postdocs** will be much more useful to you than computing this statistic.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have a suggestion regarding the assessment (the actual question), not saying if this is a good or bad idea, along the lines of what was done [here](http://www.pipredictor.com/).
Write some code that:
1. From a certain paper database, say, pubmed - gets all the papers in which your prospective PI is the last author. This is a pretty good estimate of all the papers from his lab (he might have joint work with other PIs in which he's not last, but let's ignore these).
2. Gets all first-third authors as prospective graduate students from his lab. We can't really tell (automatically) if they were postdocs, and let's assume that papers in which you weren't on the first three authors don't mean much to your chances of becoming a PI. You also want to limit those papers to be a few years old (so we can assume that they finished their time in said lab).
3. Look for papers in which those prospective graduate students are last authors. This suggests that they've become PIs.
Now you can get an estimate of the number of PIs out of number of students that published papers for each lab.
There are APIs to pubmed in many programming languages, and the researchers from the first link I posted have their [code in github](https://github.com/omanor/PIPredictor)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: One approach is to simply ask the potential post doc supervisors. That said, if I received a random email from someone asking how many of my post docs have gone on to get academic positions, I would probably ignore it. If however, that email came from someone I had previously talked to about doing a post doc with me, I would be happy to tell them about my past post docs and where they went. You should then talk to former members of the lab and see if the PI's view of the world matches their views. While a single descriptive statistic like percentage of students who went on to get academic positions might seem like it is easier to interpret, it likely only provides a portion of the story.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/08/31 | 1,348 | 5,791 | <issue_start>username_0: Art history is an established academic discipline and you can do degrees at all levels in it.
Why is this the case?
Why isn't it considered a sub-discipline of history? It seems to stand separately as its own subject.
Why don't you get a BA in Music History, for example? I am sure people study music history, but its much less well known as a discipline than art history.<issue_comment>username_1: It is interesting that you assume Art History as a sub-discipline of History. I am aware of many joint Art and Art History departments (either formally in the name or where the courses are taught) and also joint Art History and Anthropology departments, but I am not aware of any universities where Art Hisotry is taught as a sub-discipline of History. This is probably rooted in the fact that the visual analysis techiques used by Art Historians is essentially completely unrelated to the techniques used by Historians.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Music History as an area of study certainly exists. Whether under that name or not will depend on how a particular school arranges its departments. Your not having heard of it says more about your areas of interest than about academia.
Other than that: as @username_1 said, different tools and different techniques and different priorities, hence different departments. History of science, if someone specialized in that, would probably also be different from a normal History degree.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: As a complete outsider to this field, I might be completeley wrong, but I can guess one compelling reason: art history is the field one has to study to become a museum curator (other related jobs certainly exist): if one wants well curated collections in museums, then one needs to form curators and for this, specific research is certainly also needed.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Coming at this far after the OP, but as an art historian I felt compelled to reply.
The reasons for the Art History's separation from History are myriad (political, pedagogical, philosophical, etc. etc. etc.). In general, art history is rooted in objects/visual materials, and requires training in the methodologies and historiography of visual analysis. Many of the tools of art historical work overlap with those of historians––we are informed by broader methodological shifts (psychoanalytical theory, feminism, postcolonial debates, etc.) and have our own set of theoretical paradigms that have extended beyond the realm of art history (*Bildwissenshaft*, formalism, iconology, etc.). It's a vast field that in recent decades has splintered into related disciplines (visual culture, visual studies). Depending on his or her methodology, an art historian could likely be as well-versed in the "historical" literature as the "art historical" literature in any particular area. Art historians are, I believe, departmentally separate (or often groups with studio art programs) due to the emphasis on object-based research and teaching. That said, art historical research requires the same level of rigor and sophistication as any other form of historical research.
While many art historians choose to go the curatorial route, many who pursue advanced degrees stay in academia. Working in a cultural institution like an art museum requires a distinct set of skills from that of an academic. Some graduate programs in art history gear themselves more toward the curatorial route, while others are more focused on academic research.
One element of art history that can, I think, be a bit confusing to the outsider is the interpretative element. Any strong analysis will be rooted in historical "facts," but when examining a work of art, there's always going to be some measure of interpretation or speculation. Again, if a conclusion is not borne out by strong research, it will generally not be widely accepted. But the extent to which art historians think creatively about their objects of inquiry is one of the many reasons the field can, to me, be so invigorating.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: As someone who is studying for a MA in History, but also taking classes and having a minor in Museum and Curatorial Studies (mainly focused on critical theory and art history), there is a difference in the two disciplines. As one of the above commenters said, there are many overlapping methods in research. But the historiography is very different. In the discipline of history, there is more of a focus on the social, cultural, political impacts. Visual art can be used to help understand and dissect the event more closely, but history is a study of causes that led up to the event. Art history is very different in the sense that art history can get very specific to the artist and the art movement. Art history also has a focus on aestheticism. Just as history can use visuals such as art works and the artist's life as a tool to understanding the period, an art historian can use the historical event and time period, the historical facts to understanding the piece as well as the artist or the art movement. In a way it's flipped. I believe that these two disciplines are very important in the field of humanities, but in a sense, it is important to distinguish between the two disciplines. But I am also a firm believer in learning both fields in order to enrich the study of history.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Art history is about art and its history, just like Musicology is about music and its history. The only difference is that one has history in its name and the other doesn't.
(As another example of the same thing, for a long time in my country biology ran under the name of "natural history". Nobody considered it a subfield of history.)
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/08/31 | 771 | 3,394 | <issue_start>username_0: When writing the references at the end of my internship report, I needed to cite all the information that needs to be said about the scientific articles that I used while writing the report. But these articles, most of the time, do not mention the conference or journals in which they were presented nor their publication date. Is there a website in which one can have access to this kind of information about any scientific aticle? BTW, I am talking about the field of computer science.<issue_comment>username_1: [Elsevier's Scopus](http://scopus.com) has pretty decent coverage and can also be used to create custom alerts that will email you when new manuscripts(s) matching a set of keywords (or authors) are found. With regards to proceedings it gets trickier as some times they do not get published by a source that gets captured by an aggregator (be it Google Scholar or Scopus or something else).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: It's rather unusual that the final version of a published research paper does not display the publication venue prominently on the first page of the paper. If you can't find anything there, try to remember where you got the manuscript from.
* Did you download it from a website? The website should have contained all publication information.
* Did someone give it to you directly? Ask that person for details on the publication information.
* Is it copied out of a book? Try to find that book again.
* If you don't remember where it came from, you simply may want to try an internet search for the article's exact title and all authors - if there's anything to be found, that should come up among the top results.
In some cases, you may have obtained a manuscript which is not formally published yet. After following the above steps to ensure that no published version is available in the meantime, these manuscripts can be cited as "Unpublished", "Technical report", or "Preprint", together with the information how to find them (URL, University where they were prepared, or other) and the year they were written in.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: **Background:** Many researchers put their articles for download on their personal web pages. As most publishers insist on not allowing the researcher to put the "official" version there, but rather only the self-made PDF, this leads to articles often not having the journal/conference information on the first page (as this would require changing the article a bit, which is a bit of work to be done). Also, self-archived versions often appear before the conference, so that page numbers can only be missing, and might not be updated later.
**Actual Answer:** For CS, a good strategy is to just type "DBLP " into your favorite search engine. Many papers nowadays are listed on the [DBLP](http://www.informatik.uni-trier.de/~ley/db/) page, which also allows you to just download the bibliographic information.
If a paper is not listed on DBLP, just searching for the paper title often yields the publisher's page of the article, which should have the information available.
If searching for the title does not yield any results, then the paper could be a limited circulation pre-print, which is stricly speaking not citeble. However, in such (hopefully few) cases, it makes sense to ask the person who gave you the article for bibliographic information.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/01 | 409 | 1,449 | <issue_start>username_0: I am trying to list my publications in my curriculum vitae. But, because I have publications in three fields *x, y, z* of study such that *x* is my major and *y, z* are not, I am looking for how to best display them so that it can be emphasized that I have works in different areas.<issue_comment>username_1: Why not just make three lists of publications (one for each field) and place each with its own subheading under the general heading "Publications"?
i.e.:
Publications
============
### Biology
* pub 1
* pub 2
### Astronomy
* pub 1
### Mathematics
* pub 1
* pub 2
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I agree with [username_1s answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/27863/15723). One alternative is to keep a standard method such as by year, and create tags at the end.
>
> My Publication 1, Journal of Biology, 2013 **[Biology]**
>
>
> My Publication 2, Journal of Mathematics, 2012 **[Mathematics]**
>
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>
This will make it easy to see your publications and may give faster accessibility to your career. For example, if you started in field X, and then went to field Y, and now you are at field Z, the chronological order will show tags at earlier publications with field X, and more recent at field Z. In the same way, if you want to show how you publish in different fields throughout your career, it will show the mix of fields through the chronological order.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/01 | 2,187 | 9,164 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently took an exam, and our professor told us that we should submit our question sheets since 2 other students in our class are going to take a make-up exam. We were also told that we were not allowed to talk about our exam while the other 2 are around. I presume this means that their exams are going to be identical to ours (For the sake of argument, let us assume that this is the case, and it is not in fact a strategy or something of our professor).
Our class is on weekdays (MWF for 1 section and TTh for another), but we had our exam on Saturday afternoon. Since we all have class on Saturday morning, it is okay to have an exam on Saturday afternoon since we would already be on campus. Apparently those doing the make-up exam have conflicts with their plans for Saturday afternoon which the professor accepts.
Essentially, we can't tell them the contents of the exam. Our professor claims that this is so as to not compromise the integrity of the exam.
So here's my first question:
**Is it fair to the students taking the exam earlier that the make-up exams are identical to the original?**
Expansion:
It seems to me that the fact that it is too easy for the two others to find out the exam questions should be reason enough for our professor to give a different and possibly even harder exam and that doing otherwise is in itself compromising the integrity of the exam.
If it's not compromising the integrity of the exam, why not just have the same exam every year and collect the question sheet from students (which, cmiiw, actually doesn't really do anything since we can just copy the questions on a bond paper and bring the bond paper home)?
**[See possibly related question.](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/27872/when-is-it-wrong-to-look-at-previous-exams)**
Second question:
**I seem to recall that department policy is that make-up exams are "generally" (exact word in undergrad syllabuses but not in our grad syllabuses which makes no mention of such) more difficult. If the answer to the first question above is yes, then does it follow that the "generally" should be removed?**
P.S. I truly cannot imagine how difficult it must be to a academic: research, teaching, consultation, conferences, etc. Thus, I am aware that it is no easy task for a teacher to just come up with a make-up exam, but nevertheless [for the sake of maintaining the integrity (maintain is not compromise?) of exams, I believe this should be done.](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/188407/why-would-i-ever-create-a-new-exam-when-i-can-just-re-use-an-old-exam-and-then-a)<issue_comment>username_1: Assuming that your professor is *really* going to put forward the same questions in the re-exam (which I doubt he will), he's only saving his labor. There is no way he can ensure that out of all people who took the exam, not even a single person will disclose the contents to the two gentlemen. That's why, most sensible people in this situation would prefer to have a different set of questions over for exam no. 2.
As regards the difficulty level, the reason why we have these kinds of exams is the following: suppose they missed on the original exam because of genuine medical circumstances - that can happen to anyone. There is generally a provision for this at most universities, i.e. show medical records and you can appear in a repeat exam. You might argue that if the record-demand (or the verification of record part) isn't too firm, there will always be people who will use this rule to buy some extra time to prepare. Assuming someone's not genuinely unwell, he would have gone half-prepared into the exam and would have fared badly. But because he 'bought' more time, he may be better prepared now, and therefore may fare better than what he would have originally. Perhaps, this reasoning prompts your comment, and I reckon you would expect your instructor to make the re-exam tougher than the original. But, you see, all possibilities need to be covered here. If someone was genuinely unwell, and hence missed out on the exam, there is a possibility that he may be well prepared for the exam, and would have done as well as you, if he could appear in the exam. But he couldn't, for reasons beyond his control. In this situation, if the instructor is deliberately increasing the difficulty level for the exam, it is unfair to the ill guy. Here, he certainly did not have the benefit of extra time, as the detractors were imagining.
For this reason, sensible instructors will generally go for nearly the same difficulty level only - just to ensure that genuine cases don't get wronged. But of course, there has to be a different set of questions. Identical paper is absolutely wrong.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Whether identical make-up exams are fair depends on the circumstances. The key point is that you can't eliminate all potential for cheating: there are too many ways to cheat, and you can't even try to rule them all out without brutal and expensive oversight. Ultimately, you have to make a trade-off, in which you take some anti-cheating steps but stop focusing on cheating once you reach the point of diminishing returns. [For example, if you are really concerned about cheating, then you can't use take-home exams, and you'll have to police restroom visits very carefully for in-class exams. These steps might be sensible under some circumstances, but counterproductive in others.]
So how does this apply to identical make-up exams? If you're teaching a required, low-level class to a large group of unenthusiastic students who desperately want good grades, then cheating sounds like a real worry, and giving the same exam twice would be a foolish decision. If you're teaching an advanced class to a small group of students you know and trust, then there may be no issue at all. Reasonable people could differ as to where to draw the line between these scenarios, and it depends on their judgment of the likelihood and consequences of cheating.
There's more to this than laziness, although writing a second exam is certainly a pain. Instead, there's a trade-off between several effects. If you write a new exam, then you've eliminated the possibility of learning the questions from a classmate. However, there's no way to calibrate the exams perfectly, so you've introduced the possibility that the make-up exam was inadvertently easier or harder, and the students may feel stress or bitterness over this. Both the cheating and the differing difficulty are bad, and there's no way to completely eliminate them both, so you have to decide how much they worry you and balance between them.
There are also matters of educational philosophy. I'm not fond of any approach that tells students I don't trust them or that challenges them to see if they can slip anything by me. That doesn't mean I won't take countermeasures against cheating, but it means I consider the countermeasures to be problematic in and of themselves, so I try to use them as sparingly as I reasonably can.
In practice, how I design make-up exams differs from course to course. Sometimes I write a new exam from scratch (while allowing some possibility of overlap with the previous exam, so students can't be sure something *won't* be on the make-up just because it was on the original exam). In other cases, I just fiddle with some of the details or replace a few questions, while warning students not to discuss the exam until after the make-up exam.
Regarding outcomes, I find that students who take similar make-up exams rarely do surprisingly well, and on average they do a little worse than I would have expected. Of course I don't know what's happening behind the scenes, and perhaps cheating saved them from scoring even lower. However, I'm at least confident that students aren't using this as an opportunity to rack up lots of undeserved points.
>
> If it's not compromising the integrity of the exam, why not just have the same exam every year and collect the question sheet from students?
>
>
>
It's not a matter of absolutes, but rather of how much the integrity is compromised and what the consequences are. Re-using the same exams every year offers much more scope and temptation for cheating than a single make-up exam does. The longer you re-use an exam, the more likely it is that unscrupulous students will piece together and circulate a list of questions, even if you collect the question sheets. If you do this for all the exams in the course, then the potential benefits of cheating are quite a bit higher than in just one make-up exam. (If I saw the same student repeatedly requesting make-up exams, I would wonder why and might become suspicious.) If the ease of cheating in every exam is known, then the course will attract dishonest students who might never have taken it otherwise. There's a big difference between possibly being able to learn about one exam if you convince someone else to help you cheat, and being able to learn about every exam by downloading a file from the internet. It's reasonable to draw a distinction between these scenarios.
Upvotes: 4 |
2014/09/01 | 1,608 | 6,145 | <issue_start>username_0: It is clear that if I study for an exam in 2014, then it should be okay to look at previous exams from the previous semester of 2014, exams from 2013, 2012, etc.
**First question: Is it wrong, however, to look at previous exams within the same semester?**
Example:
Let's say there are two classes (9:30-10:30 MWF and 12-1:30 TTh) for a subject (S101). Say I am in the TTh class and I have a friend in the MWF class. My friend takes the S101 exam on Monday. I am to take the S101 exam on Tuesday.
Is it wrong for my friend and I to discuss the S101 exam after e takes the S101 exam and before I take the S101 exam?
Here is what I am thinking:
It should NOT be wrong because the S101 exam on Tuesday should be different from the S101 exam on Monday since professors should expect that students will discuss it among themselves. If the professor makes identical exams, then this is unfair to the MWF class who do not have as much information as the TTh class who easily obtain information from the ones in the MWF class who tell them.
**Second question**:
Some of my friends say it is cheating while others do not. Our "Code of Academic Integrity" handbook makes no mention of such behavior or perhaps I misread it.
**If the CoAI in fact fails to mention it while doing such is wrong, can students be faulted for doing such?**
---
Related:
1. [Are Identical Make-up Exams Fair?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/27871/are-identical-make-up-exams-fair)
2. [When is it wrong for students to ask about previous exams known to change?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/46665/when-is-it-wrong-for-students-to-ask-about-previous-exams-known-to-change)
3. [Why is it unethical to share the contents of an exam with students who haven't taken it yet?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/55303/why-is-it-unethical-to-share-the-contents-of-an-exam-with-students-who-havent-t)
4. [Make Up Tests: Should I alter the questions?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/37440/make-up-tests-should-i-alter-the-questions)<issue_comment>username_1: Do you have access to the exam in question? If you can "legally", e.g. download it from the subject's site, obtain it, then I see no reason why this would be wrong. On the other hand, you could have personal issues with it, i.e. personally consider it wrong, in which case you shouldn't look at it, even if you had the opportunity. I find this and similar kinds of dogmatically forced moral dilemmas in most cases very counterproductive, as I find it hard to believe that the staff would undermine the subject. So, if the staff is ok with it, i.e. makes it available and the CoAI makes no explicit mention of it, it isn't wrong.
Finally, I'd like to advise you not to impose obstacles on yourself where none should exist by overthinking it, it wastes your time and energy.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: A major principle of academic integrity is **when in doubt, ask the professor**. Academic integrity codes cannot cover all possible cases, and it's expected that all parties will act reasonably and request clarification when it is needed. You should **not** assume that "everything not explicitly forbidden is permitted", nor that "it is easier to ask forgiveness than permission." The answer to your second question is **absolutely yes**.
The case you describe in your first question is sufficiently questionable that I don't think you should proceed without explicitly checking. There is certainly the potential for this to be unfair to the Monday students who don't have the option of talking to anyone before taking the exam. If several of your friends consider that this may be cheating, that's a clear warning sign.
There are a few possibilities:
1. The professor hasn't thought of this issue.
2. The professor has thought of it, and doesn't want students to do it, but is afraid that mentioning it will only encourage students who wouldn't otherwise have thought of it.
3. The professor has thought of it, but thinks it goes without saying that this is inappropriate.
4. The professor has thought of it, and has taken other steps to ensure that students can discuss the exam without inequity (e.g. giving completely different exams).
In case 1, it would be inappropriate for you to take advantage of the professor's oversight. If you ask her about it, you might suggest that she make a policy and announce it explicitly.
Case 2 is perhaps a questionable decision on the professor's part, but in any case, by asking, you protect yourself from inadvertently running afoul of integrity rules. See also Case 3.
In Case 3, you also protect yourself by asking. Note that the university bodies that enforce academic integrity codes usually have no problem prosecuting students for doing things that they consider "obviously" inappropriate, even if no written rules explicitly forbid them. And since they are usually composed in large part of professors, they are likely to have a similar sense of what is "obvious" to your professor.
In case 4, when you ask, you'll be told to go right ahead.
My own practice in such cases is to write on the Monday exam "You may not discuss this exam with anyone, not even to say whether it was easy or hard, until Tuesday at 1:30". (In some cases I might weaken this to "anyone who has not yet taken it".) I do this even if the exams will be significantly different, partly because I feel that any differential in available information is a potential inequity, and partly so as not to tip my hand as to whether the exams will be similar or not. But as I said, you should not interpret the absence of such a warning as permission.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: If the prof. hasn't set any rules explicitly, I think it's safe to say you can use a past exam if and only if it has been graded and the grades have been released.
---
### Edit:
This was just a rule of thumb based on the premise that you won't see grades given until everyone has taken the exam. If your professor distributes grades before that then you need to wait until everyone has taken the exam.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/01 | 941 | 4,014 | <issue_start>username_0: I found a relevant PhD supervisor who refused to supervise my PhD project by saying that he has no open position in his research group. Is it OK to mail him again and request to accept me as a student, because the work he is doing in his research group is extremely relevant for my research interests. I have received funding and just need space in a research group.<issue_comment>username_1: **You can always ask.**
However, be prepared that the answer may easily be still "no". Direct funding is by no means the only resource that an advisor has to pour into a student. There is also the time investment of actually advising a student, assorted costs for overheads and utilities, as well as presumably some money to fund conference trips. This isn't even to speak of simple inter-personal matters, such as that the professor may feel that you are not a good fit for the lab culture.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: **If** you had already obtained funding prior to the first request, and the professor was aware of this, you have to seriously question why you were refused a position. Possible reasons are:
* The professor feels you won't fit in to the group or get along well with him as a supervisor.
* The professor doesn't have enough time to supervise another student. You don't want a supervisor that has no time for you.
* The professor doesn't want *another* student doing the stuff that you're doing. Maybe he wants to diversify into some different areas of your field.
Sure, you could ask him again (and perhaps you *should*, if you have only obtained funding after the first request). But you should also ask why you were rejected in the first place, because the answer to that question could tell you whether or not you are likely to enjoy your time in his research group.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: In this case I think it's best to first ask for permission to ask. Now, I don't mean to break your request into multiple communications; that wastes everyone's time.
But do start off with mentioning the additional funding and asking whether having funding makes any difference. That way you don't show a lack of respect for his earlier refusal. And if he can give you an answer just from that, he needn't waste his time reading further.
Farther down you can lay out any other arguments, pleading, etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Assuming the funding is new information, I would ask for an appointment to discuss your situation and any concerns/hesitations the professor might have. Face-to-face meeting has advantage of a dialog that email lacks. You can ask for professor's concerns, express your enthusiasm, and perhaps come up with a partial solution.
Some faculty is hesitant accepting students that they haven't worked with before (from a class), for example. If that is the case, you can either take a class, or ask to be admitted on a trial basis. Other times, faculty might not accept new students because they plan on leaving their current job or retiring.
The solution for you will depend on the specific circumstances that you can only find out through a face-to-face, honest discussion.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Yes you can and you should. Although the group may be full (which can be a good sign) showing persistence and motivation is a good sign for the group leader: they are often very much interested in a motivated student - after all, having groups from which no one finishes the PhD (as may happen with non-motivated students) is not a good thing for their personal results evaluation.
I have a recent story for you: <NAME> - a former *psychiatry closed ward inmate* got finally, after a LOT of convincing a place under professor <NAME> (<http://blogs.helsinki.fi/akaristo/in-english/>) in the Department of Social Policy in University of Helsinki and will soon be a PhD, according to Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
A strong will may meld the world around it to its liking. Do it.
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/01 | 478 | 2,039 | <issue_start>username_0: Is it 'a must' to state min/max values in addition to mean(+-std) when writing a publication?<issue_comment>username_1: No, it's not a universal "must."
The statistics you should report in your publication depend on conventions in your discipline, the kind of data you are describing, your experimental methodology, and many, many other factors.
Consult your advisor and/or similar publications in your discipline to find out more about what's expected for the kind of research *you* are doing.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: No, SD and min/max are not bound to be reported together.
If the variable is *normally distributed*, -3SD and 3SD will include about 99.7% of the readings, indirectly giving an approximate value for minimum and maximum.
A concerning bad habit is reporting mean and SD without carefully checking if the distribution is approximately normal. For instance, if the variable is highly skewed (long tailed to either end,) then that interesting feature of -3SD and 3SD will disappear. In those cases, reporting median and inter-quartile range may be better if *you want to describe the central tendency*.
Reporting minimum and maximum has its merit if you wish to highlight the presence or absence of extreme values. In most of the analytical scenarios, min and max don't share as much spot light as mean; whether to report them is really context-specific.
There are a couple situations in which reporting min and max may be helpful:
1. You reported mean and SD already, but the variable is not normally distributed. (or alternately, report non-parametric summary such as median.)
2. You use a measurement tool that is rather unfamiliar to the readers. For instance, you developed a life quality scale and the mean and SD of the sample is 17.2 (+/- 3.6)... but out of what range? In that case, reporting both sample min/max (the min/max you actually observed) and possible min/max (the min/max score the instrument can actually give) will be helpful.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2014/09/01 | 347 | 1,625 | <issue_start>username_0: Is translating an article (that could be found written in a popular science magazine or online in a science blog or personal webpage say) for a public newspaper or an online blog ...etc, requires permission from the author?<issue_comment>username_1: Translations are considered a "[derivative work](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derivative_work)." Preparation of a derivative work is one of the [exclusive rights attached to the copyright holder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright#Exclusive_rights).
If the article you wish to publish is *not* in the public domain or under a license that allows preparation of derivative work, you must get permission from the copyright holder to translate it. (Unless one of the [copyright exceptions](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limitations_and_exceptions_to_copyright) applies.)
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Besides the very good answer given by username_1 it's noteworthy that national laws apply and that those differ significantly. No matter what - it's always a good idea to get permission from the copyright holder (most likely the author or the publisher).
To give an example. German copyright law states the copyright as non transferable. So no matter how much the publisher would like to they cannot get the copyright from the author. However the publisher is usually granted an exclusive right of publication (at least for a limited amount of time). This license agreement between copyright holder and publisher might contain a clause concerning translations. So again the request for permission is necessary.
Upvotes: 4 |
2014/09/02 | 430 | 1,847 | <issue_start>username_0: In preparing my application to PhD programs I have the following question:
I have presented papers in two distinct large-scale local conferences. However, I am not sure how to list these on my CV in a verifiable way, since the conferences' websites and programs are not in English.
For journal papers I can simply provide the corresponding links, while for conference papers I have not come up with something helpful.
The difficulty thus lies in: How to convince the reader of my vita that these papers are conference papers?<issue_comment>username_1: Not everything on your CV needs to be verifiable via an Internet link.
I have many items on my CV that would require some interaction with a human to verify: degrees I've earned, summer research students I've mentored, seminar talks I've given, classes I've taught, etc.
As long as you can, on demand, provide contact information for someone who can confirm your presentation (e.g. conference organizer), I don't see why this is a concern.
If you want to provide a link to the non-English conference program, go ahead; someone who is sufficiently motivated can surely get it translated.
(I'm sure this goes without saying, but since I've seen a shocking number of CVs that say "Presented at Conference X" without further information I'll say it anyways: you must include the full details of each presentation, including its title, co-authors if there were any, full name of conference, date, and city.)
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This is a non-issue. Apart from anything else, almost none of the conference talks I've ever given is verifiable by following an internet link. The conference programmes invariably give the full author list of each paper and I don't recall any that has indicated which of them gave the talk.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/02 | 1,658 | 6,883 | <issue_start>username_0: In a "list of publications" (e.g. for a PhD thesis), should a conference paper which is published as "proceedings" in a peer-reviewed journal be categorized as a "journal article"?
(I'm from Liquid Crystals field.)<issue_comment>username_1: As long as you don't say anything that is not true, and do not go against your university's regulations, you can use the layout that you like the best.
In my thesis I categorized publications into:
* Peer-reviewed articles
* Conference talks
* Conference posters
In "Peer-reviewed articles" I included any papers, including proceedings, that had been peer reviewed (i.e. I received an anonymous referee report for them). Anyone interested in reading my thesis will be familiar enough with the journals to know which ones are a conference proceedings venue. Certainly my thesis examiners were.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Unless I'm missing something here, you mean the conference proceedings were published in the *conference series* of some journal. If this is the case, what is published is certainly peer-reviewed, but is certainly not a journal publication. A classic example in my field (Physics) is the [*Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics*](http://iopscience.iop.org/0954-3899). But there is a clear line of demarcation here - whenever the proceedings of any conference get published with J. Phys., they are in the [*Journal of Physics :Conference Proceedings*](http://iopscience.iop.org/1742-6596/). This leaves no ambiguity - what is published in the latter in certainly a conference proceeding and can't be classified as a journal article. (Actually, articles in the latter carry that identifier. e.g. have a look at [this one](http://iopscience.iop.org/1742-6596/531/1/012001).)
I appreciate your concern - the only precaution that one has to take here is, not to mention an article in a manner that gives a wrong impression. This is because the rigor of reviewing process is different for a journal article and a conference proceeding (in general). For example, if the same article gets loosely mentioned as a ''Journal of Physics article'', it is inappropriate because it gives the impression that it is a journal article. That's why people divide generally divide into categories - journal articles, conference proceedings, conference talks, ''poster presented and abstract published'' sort of a thing.
But of course, if you clearly mention/ the same gets clearly mentioned via some identifier that the article in question is a conference article, there is no harm in putting it under the heading of peer-reviewed articles. It certainly *is* peer-reviewed.
Hope that helps.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: As counter-intuitive as it sounds, there is no absolute rule for what is considered a "journal" and what is considered "conference proceedings". In most cases the distinction is trivial. Most journals are not associated with a specific event, and paper submission and review are entirely unrelated from any conference or meeting. Contrary, most events have dedicated proceedings, which contain all and only the accompanying papers to the presented talks.
However, there are curious cases where the line blurs. Some conference proceedings have self-styled themselves as "journals", presumably in an attempt to make their publications seem more important. A slightly different case is [VLDB](http://www.vldb.org), which basically does not do actual peer-review of conference submissions anymore. Instead, you submit to the VLDB journal, your submission gets the traditional journal peer-review process, and once a year the authors of all papers accepted in this year for the journal are invited to present their paper at the annual meeting.
This is all to say that I think the "clear line of demarcation" isn't quite as clear as New\_new\_newbie says.
>
> In a "list of publications" (e.g. for a PhD thesis), should a conference paper which is published as "proceedings" in a peer-reviewed journal be categorized as a "journal article"?
>
>
>
If it is called "proceedings", I would put it to the other conference papers. However, to be on the safe side, you can always just check how other authors of this conference are referring to their paper. Are they treating it as a conference talk, or a journal submission?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Allow me to disagree with @username_3.
No. It's a conference paper.
----------------------------
A paper qualifies as a "journal publication" if (and only if) it passes through the standard peer-review process for the journal in which the paper is published. If a paper is reviewed only by the program committee for a conference, it's a conference paper, even if the proceedings are published in a journal.
As a particularly confusing example, consider [SIGGRAPH](http://www.siggraph.org/), the flagship conference in computer graphics. For many many years, SIGGRAPH has published its proceedings as a standard issue of the journal *ACM Transactions on Graphics* (aka "*TOG*").
SIGGRAPH accepts two types of papers: (1) direct submissions to the conference in response to the call for papers and (2) papers published in *TOG* in the last 12 months. Papers accepted from *TOG* are clearly journal publications, because they went through the standard *TOG* refereeing process. (Those papers are not republished in the proceedings issue of *TOG*, but they are listed in the "table of contents".) But direct submissions accepted by the program committee are *not* journal publications, because they did *not* go through the standard *TOG* refereeing process, even though they are published in *TOG*.
The distinction is all the more confused by the facts that in the graphics community, "SIGGRAPH paper" is a *considerably* more valuable label than "journal paper", in part because the reviewing process for SIGGRAPH is (or has been historically) considered *more* rigorous than the refereeing process for graphics journals.
Of course, the rest of the world doesn't share this preference—or perhaps more accurately, doesn't believe that anyone sane could have such a preference—which is *precisely* why SIGGRAPH publishes their proceedings in a journal. Put bluntly, the graphics community chose to defend itself against lazy scholars who value the imprimatur of a journal above the quality and impact of the work through deception. Or if you prefer a slightly less inflammatory term: camouflage.
It's worth noting that [ACM now explicitly forbids conferences from publishing proceedings in an ACM journal](http://www.acm.org/publications/policies/conference-proceedings-in-acm-journals). (SIGGRAPH's practice is grandfathered.) But this doesn't stop non-ACM conferences like [VLDB](http://www.informatik.uni-trier.de/~LEY/db/conf/vldb/index.html) from wearing similar camouflage.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/02 | 433 | 1,746 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm writing an academic CV for a PhD application and they have asked for the standing of journals or conferences of published articles.
>
> **Research publications**
>
>
> Include articles published or accepted for publication (with the three most significant marked with an asterisk). Please specify the publication details, your contribution as an author to multi-authored publications, plus the standing of the journal or conference.
>
>
>
I'm really not sure what they are looking for or how to express this. Is it the impact factor of the journal? And what about conference proceedings which don't have impact factors?<issue_comment>username_1: For applications to Australian universities, I suspect they want the ranking from the [Ranked Outlets list](http://www.arc.gov.au/era/era_2010/archive/era_journal_list.htm) produced by the Australian Research Council.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Seems it isn't actually that important. I sent them an email to clarify and they replied:
>
> Don’t worry too much about the standing of the journal or conference, as long as you list any publications and conferences that you have.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Use something that the selection committee can easily verify. I would use [Google Scholar Metrics](http://scholar.google.co.in/citations?view_op=top_venues&hl=en) and provide the h5-index and h5-median values. The good thing about Google Scholar is that it also automatically generates these numbers for most major conferences. Be sure to mention the following Google disclaimer in the footnote:
*"Dates and citation counts are estimated and are determined automatically by a computer program."*
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/08/28 | 1,937 | 7,793 | <issue_start>username_0: **Intro:** `R` is a open-source software tool for statistical analyses and graphics, which is heavily used in different science disciplines and which is becoming more and more popular (although it is already quite popular in many areas). In addition to the base version, people from all over the place develop so-called packages, upload them, for example, to CRAN, where they can be freely downloaded to use.
**Q:** I am writing a manuscript for a peer-reviewed psychology journal and used a lot of `R` packages in my work. Of course, I want to and will cite `R` itself and the packages that I relied on heavily (e.g., to simulate or analyze data). However, I have also some packages, of which I used only a single, little function. For example, I used the `odd` function from the `gtools` package to determine whether an integer is odd or even. As far as I can see, the function is only a single line long, and I could have written it myself (but I didn't!). On the one hand, I want to give credit to these developers, on the other hand I don't want to blow up my reference list and confuse readers. So the question is, **should I cite every single `R` package I used?**
BTW: Note that `R` has the nice function `citation("some package")` to access citation information provided by the package authors; see also `citation()` to cite `R` itself.<issue_comment>username_1: Overall, I would suggest you err on the side of rather citing too many packages (with version numbers, please!), although `odd` quite probably is a borderline case. I'd rationalize this tendency as a bit of balance for all the people who use packages extensively but do *not* cite them.
In general, I would certainly cite anything that saved me a non-trivial amount of own work (as in, "I could have done this myself, but it would likely have cost me half a day").
The length of your literature list should not really be a concern in the days of PDF publishing. And "we used R [3], packages foo [4] and bar [5] as well as multiple helper functions [6-10]" should not be too confusing to your readers.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There's no definite answer to this, but here's what I do.
1. I cite R itself and the packages I need to perform the actual analysis I report in my paper. I do not cite packages I consider to provide various tools (graphic tools, mathematical tools, etc.). The line between these can be difficult to draw sometimes, of course.
2. Always, always make your data and your code publicly available. You need to make sure that other people can replicate your result. Other people can also see there what packages you have used.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Absolutely! Citations are free, and they are a blessing to the creators of those packages. Unless you're held to a strict page limit, there's no reason not to have a "methods" section in which you list all of the packages you used. It can be a single sentence. If you want to give pride of place to a few key packages that your work relied on, then give them a sentence each, but don't snub the others. Some day, you'll be happy when others cite *your* work.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: YES.
There are lots of reasons to and no reasons not to (unless you're under some kind of strange space/ink constraint).
**Here is an important and under-appreciated reason why:**
Most of the people who make the kinds of R packages, in fact the people who made R itself, are *other academics*. Meaning: They didn't get paid specifically for the time they spent making lme4, ggplot2, stargazer etc. Software development is *very unappreciated* in academia. Imagine spending a lot of time writing and maintaining a package that is used by thousands of people in your field and then being asked by a tenure/promotion committee why you didn't write more papers or do more experiments. It's very difficult to get someone who isn't a user (or even a software-minded person) to properly appreciate the time and skill involved in making good software.
The only way to convince university systems and leaders that the work you spent writing that software is to show them in a way they understand, that means *citations*. They're not going to care about your Stack Exchange reputation or how much juice you've got on GitHub, they need something Scopus can compute and they can itemize and count.
Much of the workings of academia is based on *beans*. Much of the effort at universities is dedicated to counting and managing those beans. How many students are in your program, how many grants are awarded, how many Ph.D. defend, and how many papers are published and cited are all very important beans which decide who gets resources. It would be sad indeed if someone who wrote a useful R package didn't get the credit they're due and thus be allowed to make more wonderful tools. Imagine if Hadley hadn't started working for R-Studio, he might be standing in front of some committee someday asking him why he spent so much time writing "software" instead of "papers," or trying to explain why he can't take on a third course this semester because the dept chair doesn't understand that writing software is something that actually takes real time.
Also consider this:
Most scientific papers are cited fewer than 10 times, if ever. A reasonably useful R package is likely to impact many more people than any "real" publication, but that person gets no credit if you don't cite it.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: Ok I realize this thread is 6 years old. So sorry for digging it up. However, maybe my routine is helpful to somebody else as well.
I usually do it pretty similar to username_2, and cite in the main article R and the most important packages for my analyses. However, in addition I cite **all packages** in a table in the appendix with 4 columns (*packagename*, *version*, *maintainer*, *citation*).
Here is a small but useful snippet for this purpose. It creates a data.frame with 3 of the 4 mentioned columns and a .bib file with the required citations. Some manual work is still required (e.g. copy the .csv table into your word / text program and import the .bib to your citation management tool) to finish the appendix.
The snippet still saves me a lot of time.
```
# Export Citations as Bibtex (.bib)
write_bib(file="Bibliography of packages.bib")
# Table (.csv) with all information on the packages
appendix_packages <- data.frame(Packagename = character(),
Version = character(),
Maintainer = character())
require(pacman)
for (pkg in p_loaded()){
appendix_packages <- appendix_packages %>% add_row(
Packagename = pkg,
Version = as.character(packageVersion(pkg)),
Maintainer = maintainer(pkg)
)
}
write.csv(x = appendix_packages, file = "List_of_packages.csv", row.names = F)
```
#### Edit August 2022
Disclosure I am the maintainer of the `datscience` R-package.
As I used this function so frequently, I also included the `Rcitation_appendix()` function in the datscience package: [Documentation Website](https://buedenbender.github.io/datscience/reference/Rcitation_appendix.html), [Code](https://github.com/Buedenbender/datscience/blob/HEAD/R/Rcitation_appendix.R)
**Usage:**
```
library(datscience)
library(lavaan)
Rcitation_appendix(filename="Appendix A - All R packages utilized.docx")
```
This creates a folder called 'Appendix' in the current directory and places two files in it, a .docx word file with the table and a .bib file for your reference manager. I later on manually enter the references in the most right column (Citation)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TxNkk.png)
Upvotes: 4 |
2014/09/02 | 1,658 | 6,694 | <issue_start>username_0: A few months ago I attended a panel discussion on non-academic future careers for physics PhDs. The panel was made up of two senior physicists, a science communicator and freelance journalist, and a CEO of a finance corporation with a degree in physics. At some point I raised the question of whether the PhD program is functioning properly, and maybe we should do something about the PhD program before lecturing senior graduate students in theoretical physics on the importance of acquiring skills suitable for non-academic careers to get a job after grad school. To be more concrete, I referred to [a Nature article](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v472/n7343/full/472259b.html) that I had come across a few years earlier. The two physicist panelists blatantly dodged my question. The CEO, who I suppose had received his degree in early 2000s, added a comment along the lines that it is better to have more highly educated people in the society rather than fewer.
Are advisers hiring more graduate students to get more research done and compete better in getting grants, or there is an actual need for more PhDs, at least in natural sciences?<issue_comment>username_1: EDIT: This answer doesn't address the question whether we need more PhDs. It's pretty clear we don't. Instead, it addresses the issue why faculty members are so reluctant to admit this.
I'm not surprised at the dodge. There are enormous social and professional pressures on faculty members in the US to never ever admit that there are problems with their PhD programs. [Here's](http://theprofessorisin.com/2014/01/24/graduate-student-shrimps-on-the-doctoral-barbie-the-view-from-tenure-a-guest-post/) one such article explaining the reasoning from the point of view of a humanities department, but the issues seem comparable.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I've discussed this topic with my advisor on several occasions. His rather logical viewpoint was that if there were a serious glut of PhD's in a given field, you would see this because there would be a spike in the unemployment rate of PhD's in those fields. At least in the natural sciences and engineering, there does not seem to be any evidence that PhD graduates aren't finding jobs.
Certainly there is a glut of PhD's if the only possible destination were to remain in academia. However, especially for PhD's in so-called STEM fields, there are many other career options that do not involve staying in academia.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: We can make the same conversation for BSc or MSc degrees. There are probably many unemployed people with BSc degrees, as well. We cannot suggest that people should not go for higher education, because there are actually fewer jobs than university graduates.
Your question seems to neglect an important, yet simple truth. That sometimes, certain people want to go for a higher degree, regardless of their job outcome. Education (PHD included) is more than filling resumes or getting a better job but a fulfillment in itself. In this sense, it is the same as learning to play the guitar. Does the world need a new guitar player? No it does not. But you do not learn the guitar to benefit society. You learn the guitar to benefit your soul.
If the few lucky PHD holders manage to get the job they wanted that is fine. If they did not, at least they tried. Life is not linear and you cannot predict by your actions on what job you will land, even if you do everything perfectly. But at least, you must be provided with a chance to try. In that sense, it is better than there are actually more PHDs available than the available jobs for PHD holders. More people have access to an even higher education and that is (as username_2 said) a benefit in itself.
So to directly answer your question: Do we need more PHDs? No, we don't. Would the world be a better place if you or I get a PHD? No, it won't. Would we get the job we want with a PHD? Probably not. But that does not mean that I must not have the right to do a PHD and try my chances.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: In the middle ages, if you wanted to do scientific research, you had to pay yourself the career, meaning no salary, just living on your savings, which meant only the wealthiest could afford to dedicate their life to scientific research.
That's why there were so few inventions and discoveries.
In the renaissance, people become aware that there was 1,000 years of dark ages, and that science had been forgotten. They studied old classics and were able to re-create science. It was continued refinement of ideas by carefully testing them. But only the wealthier could afford.
At the same time the ideas of the illustration were born. Men should be free. Ideas should be free. People should be free to express their ideas. Science advanced so much in 200 years that vapor machines were invented. Then the american revolution happened. Ten years later the French revolution happened.
It was thought at the time that democracies could not exist, because Plato wrote in "Res Publicae - The Republic" that democracies would convert into demagogic governments, which meant that governments would invent enemies in order to keep in power and destroy democracy. Because of that several european countries wanted to re-conquer the americas. Americans decided to:
1. Educate their people for free.
2. Have everyone have guns.
The result is that the USA has more than 200 years, but the education system is failing. The main reason is that sometime in the past it was decided to follow the "no child left behind" policy, which meant no selection in the public system, so the students are mingled, good and bad, and of course the good have no incentive to study, since the tests are dumbed down for the stupid.
Do we need more PhDs?
If that were the case, then PhDs would make a lot of money, at least following the economic theory. The only problem is that it is very hard to make money on science, and even if you do, it takes several decades of research, so it is a very expensive and very risky investment. No rational investor would invest in science. Only if the result of the research is already proven and you just need to produce the thing, sure, some investor would be interested. We can't call that science though.
So I guess the answer is no. If you pursue a PhD is not for the money, but because you are interested in learning more about a subject. If you study computer science, maybe you go work for Google, Yahoo, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter and the like, and recover your investment of time and money, but otherwise it is a rather risky investment.
Upvotes: -1 |
2014/09/02 | 551 | 2,438 | <issue_start>username_0: Let's say I wrote a paper and got it accepted in a journal. Can I then give a talk on that paper at a conference? What are the relevant factors here?<issue_comment>username_1: This may depend on your field and its customs. In mathematics, it's totally acceptable and happens constantly.
However, if the conference publishes proceedings (only a few math conferences do), you should not publish the same paper in the proceedings. Some people use the proceedings paper to write a "survey article" intended to give the reader a broad view of their work and other related developments in the field, but they would usually not consider this to be an original research paper.
In other fields, where a conference talk is considered to be like a publication it its own right, this might not be acceptable.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It will depend very much on your field, and even the conference.
As JeffE mentioned, some CS conferences will expressly forbid papers that are already published, because the conference is meant to disseminate new work.
Similarly, some major medical conferences will have an embargo on the work until it is presented - this is often coordinated with the journal the work is being published in so that they go "live" the same day.
On the other hand, many conferences in public health have presentations expressly about previously published research, or on a study or topic for which multiple papers have been published.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: As others have mentioned, this might depend on the field. In my field (linguistics), I would say it's very uncommon to give a talk at a conference about something you've already published (a possible exception being invited talks).
I wouldn't say it's frowned upon, though - it just doesn't happen. And it doesn't happen for good reasons:
What is the point of giving a talk on something you've already published? You can't use comments and suggestions from the audience to improve your work, and why would the audience even listen to your talk when they can read your paper in a journal?
Maybe people in other fields think differently about these things.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I am from the Humanities (History), and I have increasingly heard that one should give talks only from published papers. I did not know that invited talks could emanate from published papers.
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/02 | 1,491 | 5,965 | <issue_start>username_0: My current strategy in my thesis and in papers is to write numbers less than 10 in words. For example, if I need to write the number 6, I write 'six'. Recently though, I've been thinking this strategy adds unnecessary complications. Is there any particular reason why numbers less than 10 should be written in words?<issue_comment>username_1: I have been taught, without justification, to write integer positive numbers from **1** up to and including **10** in words, and all the rest using numerical symbols.
But this was a general rule, when I was learning my (native) language as a youngster. Nowadays, a sub-rule also appears somehow fitting to my eyes: the distinction between whether the number is used to count the cardinality of a collection, or to inform about the magnitude of an entity.
I would write "Let two firms engaged in oligopolistic competition" rather than "let **2** firms..." (this is "counting the cardinality of a collection"). I would also write "Let fifty firms..." rather then "Let **50** firms"
But, I would write "the value of this parameter is set to **6**", rather than "... is set to six".
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I write numbers as words when they are used descriptively as part of the narrative, and with digits when they related to technical constants.
For example: I have two conclusions to make. First, the coefficient of 1 for reward is the best one to use. Second, the algorithm takes 34 iterations to converge.
But that's just my personal rule.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: I don't think it is an unnecessary complication, as long as you remember to be consistent. But it may not necessarily be appropriate for the document you're writing.
In English non-technical contexts, the style is often to write out numbers from one to nine as words, and then from 10 onwards as numbers (this is style used by the Associated Press and in some cases the Chicago Manual of Style). The Chicago Manual of Style also alternatively prescribes writing out numbers from one to one hundred as words. In both style guides, numbers that begin a sentence should be written out as words and Chicago specifies that, if this is an unwieldy solution, then the sentence can be rephrased. The webpage [Numbers: Spell Out or Use Numerals? (Number Style 101)](http://www.apvschicago.com/2011/05/numbers-spell-out-or-use-numerals.html) provides a useful guide, which goes into greater detail on good style for numbers in general documents.
However, you're likely writing a technical document, and as such, the guidelines are different, suggesting that numbers should be written with digits much more, with <NAME>, author of *Processes in Technical Writing*, stating: 'You should use numerals, not words, when the number is a key value, an exact measurement value, or both. For example, in the sentence “Our computer backup system uses 4 mm tape” the numeral is in order.' The [webpage](http://www.dailywritingtips.com/when-to-spell-out-numbers/) which was the source of this quote provides helpful guidelines.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Many style manuals will have specific requirements regarding when to express a number as numerals or in words.
### APA Style
The APA version 6 style manual has an entire section starting from 4.31 on how to present numbers in text.
The manual does include a general rule that numbers 10 and above should be expressed as numerals, but there are a wide range of exceptions.
Should be expressed as numerals
* Any number in an abstract
* Any number immediately preceding a unit of measurement (e.g. `3 kg`)
* Any number representing a statistical operation (e.g., `4 times as many people`)
* times, dates, ages, scores, and points, exact quantities of money, numerals as numerals
* numbers that indicate a place in a series (e.g., page numbers, Table 1, Table 2, etc.)
There are also further exceptions for when numbers should be expressed in words
* Numbers at the start of a sentence or heading
* Common fractions
* Where the usage is common
### Why have the general rule to express numbers below 10 in words?
Compare the following:
* I had 2 apples.
* I had two apples.
and
* I had one-hundred and thirty-two choices.
* I had 132 choices
A few possible principles:
* Numbers less than 10 are easy to read as words; Large numbers are difficult to read as words and easy to read as numerals.
* In general, conventions make life easier for writer and reader.
* There may be a slight disruption to the look of and reading of prose when interspersing numbers with words.
* A few numbers, particularly "1" (which looks a bit like "I") might introduce slight ambiguities.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: **Follow the style guide and the authors' guide for your publication**. Almost all such guides for academic publications include guidelines for spelling, presenting numbers, and referencing.
If in doubt, quickly scan through recent documents from the same series (so, if it's a thesis, flick through some recent theses; if it's a paper in a particular journal, have a quick read of that journal), and reproduce their formatting.
After that, if still in doubt, ask your supervisor, advisor or editor.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: It depends. I'd for example say "the two above equations show that the value is 5". If it is a number (result, a quantity like "5 [km]", ...) I use numerals; for "narrative" numbers up to ten or so, like "two equations" or "nine people", even up to twenty, I'd write them out. If the number comes from an equation or will be used in one, or be somehow be combined with others, I'd prefer numerals. But also consider that text is to be read as text, not as a mixture of text, symbols, and numbers. In case of doubt, write it out. Even "a thousand repetitions of the experiment...".
In absence of some style guide (or red pencil by your advisor), don't worry too much.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/02 | 4,016 | 15,890 | <issue_start>username_0: My advisor always keeps pointing out that I should have publications and I should keep working and stuff like that. Recently he's been saying that not all student will finish Ph.D. and you should be careful not to be kicked out. He has this notion that Ph.D. students should work more than 80 hours per week on regular basis and near deadlines even they should cut off from their sleep time. I get the idea that he wants to encourage me and I also know that as a Ph.D student I need to have publications.
Is this type of behavior common among most advisors? Is it common for Ph.D. students to be expected to not have a life and just work? And finally do all advisors keep threatening their students like this?
I'm currently a second year computer science student. I've been accepted by the department, not a specific faculty member. Also my funding is coming from TAship not his grant. I'm not sure if I should start looking for another advisor, because I'm not sure whether the behavior I have described is normal.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that your question is mainly **opinion-based**; because every faculty member has his own policy on advising PhD students and nothing seems to be correct/normal here. But, I answer your question from a student's perspective who is uncomfortable with his studying hours in his PhD program.
If you feel uncomfortable with something in your studying program, you should solve it. The best solution is talking to your advisor.
However, if working more than 80 hours/week is too much for you, you should think about solving it *as soon as possible*, because, you should work on your PhD project more than three years and when you are uncomfortable with that amount of work, after one or two years, you will face physical or even mental problems such as constant tiredness, depression, etc.
Think about your preferences, abilities and expectations and decide whether you want to work with that advisor or you can find another faculty member who has more flexible working expectations from his students.
In my opinion, expecting higher working hours from a PhD student is not a bad advising policy. But, the point here is that the student should think about his abilities and whether he can work under extreme expectations or not. Some students prefer working more and some students prefer less demanding and more flexible studying hours.
As far as you don't have any funding problem, before talking to your advisor; search carefully for another faculty member who's policies on advising PhD students meets your preferences. Talk to their students and when you have made your mind on changing to another advisor (after talking to them), talk to your current advisor and stop working with him.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm sure some advisors do act this way. I don't think it's very common, but it does happen. It's more common for advisors to expect certain results than a particular hourly commitment, but all these things are a matter of extent.
However, in trying to figure out whether to switch advisors, I think you're asking yourself the wrong question. The right question is:
>
> What type of advising relationship works for you?
>
>
>
If you feel energized, motivated, and happy under your current conditions, that's one thing. If you feel overburdened and miserable, then you should probably look for a different advisor. Even the most competitive Ph.D. programs have faculty who are not so demanding. You have to figure out what type of style works best for you and try to find an advisor who is a good match.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: In answer to the question of "Is this expectation usual," I offer the current state of the following *completely unscientific* survey from the [Adventures in Ethics and Science](http://scienceblogs.com/ethicsandscience/2010/04/29/a-quick-question-for-the-scien/) blog.
The question asked is, "My graduate advisor expects or requires me to work...", and as of right now, 68/650 respondents (about 10.5%) report that they believe their advisor expects them to work more than 70 hours a week:
(Note that regardless of what expectations are, the research suggests that the overwhelming majority of graduate students do *not* work 80 hours a week. For example, a [2003 study of Australian PhD students](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/.VAZAcaux3UY) found that 15.6% worked 50 or more hours per week. A [survey of research students at Oxford](https://www.learning.ox.ac.uk/media/global/wwwadminoxacuk/localsites/oxfordlearninginstitute/documents/overview/rsv/The_Research_Experience.pdf) found that 28.8% worked 45 or more hours per week on research.)
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: First of all, this depends on the country. In some places, PhD students are considered workers, and have the social rights that come with it. I still work a few more hours than what my contract says, because it goes in my own benefit, but it would be illegal for my advisor to *force* me to work overtime (so, answering your question, no, here it is not normal).
In other places, they don't, so they may be in principle allowed to demand as much as they want. But here we have a problem: double the hours doen't mean double output. In general, it is not true that working more hours you will get more results!
The best argument to show this is that big tech companies, like Google and Yahoo, that are probably the closest thing to Academia in the industrial world, go to lengths to limit the overtime their engineers put in. Their beans are in the quality of the output, so they have done extensive and careful research, and it has one of the highest quality assurances: lots-of-money-reviewed.
Sometimes, there are deadlines, and we have to put in extra hours; but then, you will get much better results if your team is not burned out.
**Edit:** [Here is a study](http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2014/12/working-hours) relating hours worked and productivity in a factory during the World War I. It appears that the productivity for this manual work scales linearly until it hits the roof at 50 h/week. It is remarkable that people working 72 h/week accomplished *exactly the same* as people working just two thirds of that.
Without more data to support it, I conjecture that for intellectual creative work, the plateau is reached much earlier.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: I've certainly known advisers do this. Whenever I've tried working with anyone that has this type of policy, they have fallen into one of 2 categories.
1) Advisers that expect a significant fraction of their students to land Tenure track faculty jobs in good institutions within about 2 years of graduating. Check the resume's of the groups prior alumni. If it is this sort of group, I'd likely suck it out and continue. If you have more prior students working as post-docs/adjuncts 4 years later than you do as tenure track faculty then the next category applies.
2) Advisers that are unable to get anything done during the day, usually because they simply don't know what they are doing. Unfortunately this is more common than the previous category in my experience. Change groups now, you will learn little, it will be unpleasant if you continue, and you won't even be in a good situation at the end.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: I will go as far as saying that 80 hours/week is definitely too much.
80 hours/week means 11.4 hours/day, working weekends or 16 hours/day working Monday-Friday.
Most contracts (and I assume you have one) state 35-40 hours/week (7-8/day not working weekends). However, this is generally just a "placeholder" when speaking of academic positions, where it is difficult to impose strict working hours. However, this does not mean that your supervisor can ask you to work an unreasonable amount of hours.
[Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament](http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0088:EN:HTML) states that:
>
> Member States shall take the measures necessary to ensure that, in
> keeping with the need to protect the safety and health of workers:
>
>
> (a) the period of weekly working time is limited by means of laws,
> regulations or administrative provisions or by collective agreements
> or agreements between the two sides of industry;
>
>
> (b) the average working time for each seven-day period, including
> overtime, does not exceed 48 hours.
>
>
>
This is surely implemented [in the UK](https://www.gov.uk/maximum-weekly-working-hours/overview), [France](http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F1911.xhtml), and [Italy](http://www.inps.it/portale/default.aspx?itemdir=6441) (and I am sure most other EU states implemented the EU Directive).
I would say that, as a PhD student, there could be exceptional instances where you would need to work 80 hours/week (e.g. close to a deadline) but, for your own sake, that should NOT become a habit, but should instead be a very exceptional situation.
I have known people who had the "feeling guilty because I am not in the lab on a Sunday afternoon" syndrome. This is not healthy, and I hope for you that you do not reach that point. Working 80 hours/week means you'll soon become stressed, tired and overall less productive (as you will be more likely to make errors and will have to redo things several times). I know several people (unfortunately more than I would like to) who have had serious health problems because of this type of unreasonable request from their bosses.
You can work 40 hours/week and publish good papers. There are plenty of good people in academia who publish in very good journals, but have a life, a family, and hobbies during their free time. Do not believe those who tell you that working 24/7 you will publish more, because they are just trying to exploit you.
And always remember: just because you are passionate for your job that does not mean you should not have any right. You have the right to work reasonable hours, have the right to have holidays and you should be allowed to take them without having to beg or being considered lazy, and you should be reasonably paid. Just as in any other job.
A little edit on what to do :
1. Speak with your supervisor and explain the situation. Try to be reasonable and see if you can both work out a solution
2. If no solution can be found, look for another supervisor. Try not to make a bad brake up with your old supervisor, just explain that you are not confortable with the situation and that you feel it's better for both of you if you change supervisor.
3. If things get particularly bad, remember that the university has an HR office, that is there also to deal with these things.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_7: Yes absolutely (advisors do expect 80+ hours a week). It's a terrible situation to be in, but what they want to see is productivity, which is not the same as throwing more hours at it. When I was in grad school I got that lecture constantly. Most people find that more than 50 hours is unhealthy and unsustainable. For a bit you can go 80 hours a week but not too long. But remember he wants productivity, not hours. He cares about publications, not about how long it takes you to generate the data and write it up. Try to look to the other successful, older grad students and figure out how much to work based on that. In grad school it's easy to get into a rythme and lose focus about what you are doing long term. Develop weekly, monthly, and quarterly plan (start from the quarterly plan). Grad school is all about time management and project management. Too often I got stuck for long periods of time in some shit that ended up not mattering at all; we all (all of my colleagues/classmates) wasted years this way. But just remember they care about the publication, not about you, not about your degree.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: First of all, this varies by field and then it varies again by adviser. I am speaking from the perspective of biological sciences but I think what I have to say could apply in your circumstance.
In my program, we are expected to teach (~7-8 hrs/wk), take classes (~8 hrs/wk), then spend the remaining time in the lab. This does not factor grading (easily 20 hrs/wk for lab classes unless you just do a bad job at it), studying for classes (~10 hrs/wk), and then attending meetings and seminars (~3 hrs/wk). Where does this leave time for research in the lab? My adviser expects me to spend 40 hours/wk in the lab which is difficult to do when you have so many other things to do as well and often not enough time to get it all done. The majority of my weeks end up being 60 hours of work during the Fall and Spring semesters because classes tend to mess up my planning for experiments. During the summer, I tend to average about 45-50 hours. But then the rest of my time is really spent in classes, teaching, grading, and studying. Bottom line - your weeks may be crazy because of other graduate school requirements making your work hours stretch as a result.
I have talked to others extensively on the program. Many of them do not need to teach and their advisers tend to ask them to spend about 50-60 hours a week working. The other very common situation is that the adviser does not care so long as they are productive. There are many different management styles and I have had personal experience with both.
A small percentage of advisers tend to ask for ridiculous hours and threaten their students but it's certainly not the norm. I know some people that enjoy or do not mind that lifestyle - research is their hobby and they love spending that much time on their work. Some advisers are the same way and have a hard time understanding others that do not share the same passion. If this lifestyle is not for you, I advise switching sooner than later. I switched advisers half-way through my PhD and I wish I had done it sooner.
Summary: It's not the norm but it's not exactly rare either. If you can't handle this kind of lifestyle you should change while you still can.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: Short answer...
I would *expect* PhD students to work 60-80 hours a week, but would not *require* it, and would not *advise* working more than 10-12 hours five or six days a week. Based on my experience, students that work less than 40 hours a week are likely not to make acceptable progress and submit, or will require an extension and/or not to achieve the publications required to assure award or career. Conversely, students that consistently work much more than 80 hours a week are likely to suffer (mental or physical) breakdowns. A 9-5 mentality is not a good fit for a researcher, but an around-the-clock focus is potentially fatal.
It is normal for an advisor to expect that you'll be working of the order of 80 hour weeks *at times*, particularly if you are being paid to do research or teaching as well as undertaking a full time PhD. It is their responsibility to warn you if you are falling behind and liable to have your candidature cancelled.
The long answer takes into account what research and a research career is all about, as well as expectations of university staff.
A recent study by an Australian union found that, "on average, academic staff work 50.7 hours per week over the whole year and of the 45% of professional and general staff that reported working uncompensated overtime, the average was 5.7 hours per week...
Over three quarters of survey respondents (77.1%) indicated they worked these hours because they felt they needed to do so to ensure they performed their jobs satisfactorily and/or for fear of losing their job..."
See <http://www.nteu.org.au/stateoftheuni>
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/02 | 589 | 2,317 | <issue_start>username_0: I am writing a paper, in which I must include a definition of a particular mathematical structure. It's a structure with which very few people would be familiar, thus I wish to include it verbatim, as opposed to citing it. Rewriting it in my own words would only obscure the meaning. Putting a long mathematical definition (perhaps half a page) in quotes looks bizarre and messes up the type setting. Is there a standard way to indicate the definition is cited, whilst avoiding any appearance of plagiarism?<issue_comment>username_1: Immediately before the definition, you could say "Quoting verbatim from [source], we define a [whatever-it-is] as follows:"
That is, in general, thinking in terms of honesty/forthrightness is an excellent guide.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This is common practice in mathematics. Definitions are not normally thought of as containing creative content, and if you need to use exactly the same definition as the previous paper, you use the same words. As far as I know, no mathematician considers this to be plagiarism of any kind, provided an appropriate citation is given. Quotation marks or block quotes are not used, because, as you say, it would look weird.
Some phrases you might use:
>
> We define, as in [4]:
>
>
> The following definition is taken from [4]:
>
>
> We follow [4] by defining:
>
>
> We use the definition from [4], which we include here for the reader's convenience:
>
>
>
Then format the definition as you normally would. Minor paraphrases and spelling/grammar fixes that do not change the meaning are also fine. If you fix a typo that makes a mathematical difference (e.g. the original author wrote 2 but from context obviously meant 4) then you should point it out explicitly, but this is more for mathematical correctness than citation practice.
Note that if you are publishing in a non-mathematics journal, standards might vary, and you might have to use quotes or otherwise format in some way that would look weird to a mathematician.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: If you define terms in a "Definition" environment, then you may state the reference after the heading. For example:
**Definition 2** (Noche, 2014). A real number *x* is said to be *small* if 0 < *x* < 1.
Upvotes: 4 |
2014/09/02 | 782 | 3,463 | <issue_start>username_0: Most journals have a peer review process, where there are several rounds of reviews and modifications over a single paper.
In my particular case, one of these reviews was, in my opinion, a bit over the top. In this case, the reviewer asked me to expand a set of equations that are explained in any undergrad numerical analysis book. It even has a very well described Wikipedia page. And the set of equations took an entire page of my paper.
Yet, my PI at the moment told me it was just better to comply and get the paper ready (it had already been accepted subject to these changes).
My new PI told me it seemed wrong to him, since it is a very basic set of equations and the fact that one reviewer is not familiarized with it, is not an excuse to break the rhythm of the paper, since suddenly a whole page of equations can do that for you in a paper.
He told me he would have fought it back.
What is the overall opinion in different fields with respect to this?<issue_comment>username_1: From what I know (I am a mathematician with some publishing experience), it is perfectly okay to argue against a referee's demand, as soon as
1. you do it politely, and you explain your arguments in a non-conflictual way;
2. you are ready to delay the final acceptance of your paper;
3. you are ready to either ultimately accept the demand if the referee does not change her mind and the editor backs her up, or to get your paper ultimately rejected.
In the case you describe, I do not think that explaining your point of view would have turn the editor's mind right away. In a similar situation (a referee asked for some terminology to be changed into something more standard), with my coauthor we argued with success (our argument was that to date, no terminology existed for what we discussed, let alone standard terminology).
**Added in edit:** I forgot an important point; in many situation, including yours, you can find a middle ground that may be considered an acceptable answer to her query by the referee, and that avoid departing too much from your initial intention. For example, in your case, you can propose to add a precise reference giving the derivation.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: My experience in this regard, being in Epidemiology as a field and having both successfully and unsuccessfully pushed back against reviewers:
You are best served arguing against a reviewers requests when you have clear, definitive case. This does not necessarily have to be "the reviewer is wrong" but can be "This was done deliberately, and here is why..."
In my experience, this appears mostly in either the generation or interpretation of results. Stylistic arguments, such as the one you're currently considering, have less of a defensible "Here is why this was the way it was..."
In your particular case, consider the following:
* While you might think the expansion of the equations is trivial, at least one person who is both sufficiently qualified and interested to agree to review your paper thinks it is better served fully fleshed out. For most papers, this actually represents a fair fraction of the total lifetime number of readers of the paper.
* A reader needing to expand your set of equations, and do so without error, also breaks the flow of the paper.
The fundamental question you should ask yourself is "If I say 'No', and the editor replies with 'Thanks, but no thanks...' was it worth it?"
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/03 | 701 | 2,761 | <issue_start>username_0: My boss is first author on several papers, and doesn't want to give a reprint to anyone unless he knows and approves the reason they want it. I know, I know. These reprint requests fall to me. How do I inquire why they want it, with an appearance of collegiality?
EDIT: By "reprint", I mean the PDF of a paper, requested from the author by someone who doesn't want to have to buy it at the journal website.<issue_comment>username_1: To the requester, you could say something like:
>
> For my records, may I ask why you are requesting a reprint?
>
>
>
Though, I think a good follow-up question to ask here would be "how do I tactfully tell my boss to field these reprint requests for themselves?" :^)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: A longish comment with a bit of answer near the end:
Note that the sharing of actual journal-produced PDFs of the article may fall under the constraints of the Copyright Transfer Notice that you guys signed when you published the paper. Now, publishers often do not like it when you post the *published* version on your website, though most seem to be okay if you e-mail it to a few people here and there. But it is possible that your boss has been burned by an experience before.
For example, if I were to send the e-print that I got from the publisher, which is watermarked with *my name and institution on it*, to a random Joe Schmoe, who then puts it into a BitTorrent collection and uploads to The Pirate Bay, whom do you think will be blamed by the Journal?
So while I think your boss maybe slightly paranoid, I do not see it as more so than the healthy kind of paranoia that keeps non-profits like the EFF functioning: somebody has to think about the worst case scenario.
---
All this is to say:
1. Check your copyright transfer agreement to make sure that you are allowed to share what the person is asking for.
2. Check with your boss to see whether his reservations about sending digital reprints also extends to a pre-print (original manuscript before peer-review) or a post-print (the accepted manuscript after the peer-review rounds but before the proofs were prepared). It is quite possible that his policy is based on a quite literal reading of the copyright transfer agreement, and he just wants to prevent commercial use of the reprint. (If yes, [go here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/27949/how-do-you-tactfully-inquire-why-a-person-wants-your-reprint#comment59805_27950).) If not....
3. ... check whether the person sending the request is happy with a pre/post-print and if so, everyone is happy. If not, the ball is now in the court of the person making the request to explain why he or she wants the version of record and that only.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/03 | 1,071 | 4,558 | <issue_start>username_0: I had unofficially agreed to start working on my thesis during September, with no concrete date being mentioned.
However there are two factors which might delay this date:
1. Me not being available due to travelling until the end of the month
2. I don't feel confident about the programming task that has to be done during the thesis, so I want to take a little bit more time to work on some exercises
The problem is that in case that I go there, they might request me to sign for the official thesis registration, which then will impose the deadline when I have to be completely done with all the thesis stuff. I don't want to do this, before being confident that I can proceed easily with the programming, because otherwise the period that I will spend doing some extra programming exercises will be eating from timeslot limited with the deadline.
My question is, should I inform the adviser about these developments, or should I shut up until I come back (and use another 10 days to do some extra exercises) and then go to his office and talk about the official thesis start?
Which situation would reflect best on me? I'm afraid I am causing too much communication overhead unnecessarily and somehow not respecting the time-frames I have agreed myself.
Reason to go to the advisor: I have already verbally promised that I will be around once September comes
Reason not to go: They may require me to sign the official thesis start.<issue_comment>username_1: As a rule of thumb, if you tell someone you'll be doing stuff with them at time X, and then change your mind, let them know!
More specifically, I would recommend an email such as:
"Dear Advisor,
we had planned for me to start my thesis in September, but because of REASONS I'll only be able to start on October. I apologize bla bla
In the meantime, I'm planning to do EXERCISES. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions on how to prepare."
I don't see a point in telling this to your advisor in person anyway, and this should keep you safe from being made to sign stuff.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This depends a lot on the personal stance of the advisor. Does he or she readily accommodate wishes by students, especially if they are comparably insignificant (delaying the start date by some 10 days) and seldom (it's not a perfect start to bring such an issue up right at the beginning of the thesis already, but if you don't come up with such requests every week, that may be fine).
I would definitely suggest contacting the advisor, as just ignoring him or her and disappearing for some 10 days does certainly not make a good initial impression.
As for the "danger" of being made to sign the start, I am not sure as to how realistic that is, given that you have concrete reasons (physical absence while travelling) for a (rather limited, less than two weeks!) delay - and I think it is unlikely the department or the advisor could be eager to force students that do not feel ready into starting their thesis (and thus provoke bad results). One issue *might* be that they have a certain rule concerning the maximum duration of preparation time before the official start, but if that is the case, that is all the more reason to talk to your advisor.
Beside just telling the advisor about your wish for a slight delay, I suggest you go see him or her in person, as just writing an e-mail may express a rather lackadaisical attitude towards your thesis. At least, you could write an e-mail to the advisor, utter your wish to slightly delay the official start, and express that you're ready for a meeting where you can discuss that in detail. That should make it clear that you're not willing to sign the official start yet.
One extra thing you might do to make your advisor extra-receptive about your request is being concrete about what you want to do in the additional ten days. Do not just mention "some extra programming exercises", but provide a concrete link or book title (or whatever else) that denotes a set of exercises you are planning to work through. Convey to your advisor that you really care, and that you don't just want 10 more days for idling, but that you have a concrete plan in mind, based upon which those 10 days would realistically make any difference concerning your current worries.
---
As a side-note, if we abstract your question to what you asked in the title, "Should I inform my thesis adviser about current situation?", the answer should invariably be an unanimous **YES**.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/03 | 1,057 | 4,359 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm a life sciences Ph.D. student preparing over the next few months to begin applying for a postdoctoral fellowship. Several of my potential advisors are on the coasts--California, Boston, Seattle--where the cost of living is quite high. Others are in the Midwest where the cost of living is much lower. I've lived a lot of places myself, so for the sake of argument we can assume I'd be equally happy moving to any of these places.
Although I don't want money to be a factor in this decision, I do have a wife and children and (insert salary here: $45,000 for example) allows a much different standard of living in the Midwest than Boston or Long Island. For those of you who received multiple postdoc offers--is this something that they take into account when setting your salary, or can I expect more or less flat offers across the nation?<issue_comment>username_1: There is a wide variety in the range of post-doc salaries. In the biomedical sciences, the NIH's salary guidelines hold sway, as the NIH is the largest source of funding for such positions. So there's relatively little cost-of-living adjustments.
However, I think many institutes set their own scale according to "what the market will bear." Popular schools like MIT could pay somewhat less and still be competitive because of the "prestige factor."
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There is no fixed "postdoc salary", so by extension there is no way to inherently adjust for cost of living.
The NIH postdoc salary level (which is probably the closest thing to a 'fixed' postdoc salary in the U.S.) is adjusted for years of experience, but isn't necessarily adjusted for cost of living. There are ways around this, for example institutions in very expensive parts of the country (New York comes to mind) may be able to provide subsidized housing to postdocs to help offset the expense of living there, but this is far from assured. They may also find additional "pots" of money, provided by the institution, non-NIH grants, etc. for which they can pay a postdoc more.
But it's not the only factor under consideration - the institution may know they're in a position to not pay much because of the prestige and perceived career benefits, or on the flip side may need to pay more because they know they're potentially competing against private industry.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: This is not the most direct answer, but you might find the [glassdoor website](http://www.glassdoor.com/) useful. You can see salaries for postdocs by institution and see how locations you're considering might vary. It's hard to fix everything you might want while making the comparison, but I think it will be useful to you.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Stanford University, whose housing market is in the top 2 or 3 worst in the country, sets a [minimum salary](http://postdocs.stanford.edu/handbook/salary.html "minimum salary") for postdocs. Currently, a beginning postdoc is guaranteed $44,310, which rises over time (e.g. to $51,830 in one's fifth year). [This page](http://postdocs.stanford.edu/handbook/costofliving.html "this page") states:
>
> "The San Francisco Bay Area is an expensive region. ... Postdocs who are considering offers of appointment at Stanford are encouraged to consider the cost of living in this area in light of their lifestyle, needs, and where applicable, financial obligations towards spouses or family. ... The minimum funding levels for postdoctoral scholars at Stanford are perhaps the highest in the country for trainees, and they are designed to support a stipend-level income for a single trainee."
>
>
>
(We don't generally have postdocs in mathematics, so I can't say whether it's common for postdocs to be paid this minimum salary.)
More generally, everyone in the administration is aware of, and concerned about, the problems that the housing market creates for postdocs. For example, a new program began two days ago through which postdocs are eligible to purchase highly-subsidized [Caltrain passes](http://transportation.stanford.edu/alt_transportation/gopass-pilot-eligibility.php "Caltrain passes"); this program was designed specifically with the aim of mitigating the cost of living, by making it easier for postdocs to commute from more affordable towns in the area.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/03 | 536 | 2,409 | <issue_start>username_0: I did some work as part of my final year undergraduate project and wrote a paper which has now been accepted at a conference. Though I am now working in the industry, I have listed my affiliation as my University because that is where I did my work as a student. So, for registering in the conference, do I have to pay the full registration fee (because I am currently not a student) or can I pay the student fee (because I did the work during my undergraduate days)?<issue_comment>username_1: You're not a student now
------------------------
The fees are based on the status of the participants, not the status of the papers. Often, organizers will require some evidence of student status (such as a current student ID) in order to be eligible for the reduced price.
It may be reasonable to get the student fee if you're a student at the time of registration but graduate before the actual conference - as the process often takes multiple months, but if it's something earlier, then you're out of luck.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Conferences usually grant discounts to financially disadvantaged participants, such as students or attendees from developing countries, because they want to enable as many people as reasonably possible to attend the conference. From another point of view, discounts are a social redistribution of wealth, with the rich attendees supporting the poorer ones. In theory, the organisers could negotiate each of this discounts individually, as there usally are no constraints regarding this imposed by some higher authority¹. Of course, this would cost more time (and thus money) than it saves and thus you usually have discounts for certain groups, such as students.
So, it’s up to the organisers whether they regard you as a student or not and to be really sure, you have to ask them. Given that falsely registering as a student could be considered fraud, you certainly should clarify the situation before doing this. However, you might want to take the reason behind those fees into account and just pay the undiscounted fee, if you are doing well financially, which also saves the organisers some time. On the other hand, if you aren’t, this might be worth mentioning when applying for a student discount, though you technically aren’t a student anymore.
---
¹ apart from anti-discrimination laws and similar
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/03 | 676 | 3,121 | <issue_start>username_0: In the field of **Mechanical Engineering**, when doing a PhD in a University but in *partnership* with a company, at some universities, an agreement is signed between the company and the university (or Laboratory) in which the company remains the owner of all files provided (e.g. geometries, meshes) as well as the results produced, but allows for publication of *most* of the results. The line drawn between what its supposed to be published and what remains strictly confidential is hard to draw and often depends on the company as well as the topic.
Usually, in order to preserve this confidentiality, researchers scale the figures to unknown values and do not provide geometries or mesh/material properties for example. I was wondering if this common practice in scientific publication can be applied when writing a PhD Thesis. Basically, are all results presented in a thesis supposed to be public and more importantly, **is an independent/external researcher supposed to be able to reproduce all of the results ?**<issue_comment>username_1: The standard for a Ph.D. thesis is simple and universal: it must make a contribution to the sum of human knowledge.
As such, all results in a thesis should be public and presented in enough details to allow another researcher with sufficient background to reproduce them.
It's fine for some of the work that you are doing to not be public, just so long as enough of the material is public to make up a Ph.D. thesis. For example, if you have figures scaled to unknown values or missing geometry information, then you need to ask: is there significant scientific value even without this information? For example, if the proprietary figure is an example of how a method was applied, that's probably OK as long as there are other forms of verification elsewhere. If the proprietary figure *is* the verification, however, and it's missing critical information, then that is not OK.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The answer to this question is going to vary from university to university. At our university thesis can be placed on a restricted access list, and examiners made to sign confidentiality agreements. Agreements I have signed to specify a time limit on how long the thesis must be kept confidential, but do say that the commercial partner will indicate when they no longer need access to the thesis to be restricted.
Once the thesis is published, it is entirely possible that materials that cannot be disclosed may have been used in the thesis. For example, one would not include code for proprietary routines, but would rather say "the XXX function from the library provide by Blogs Ltd". I guess it would then be up to the examiner to judge if enough information had been provided that they could judge the value of the work. It may be that, since the examiner has signed a confidentiality agreement they can be made privileged to information that other readers cannot. In my experience these issues are sorted out on a case by case discussion between the IP holder, the university and the examiner.
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/03 | 558 | 2,280 | <issue_start>username_0: In a book recently, I saw a reference to someone "reading law" at such and such a university in England. But I thought "reading law" was a way to bypass law school and still enter the law profession (after passing the bar I presume). Is that only in the United States? Any other countries?
Does England have a similar way to become a lawyer without going to college? Then what do they call it?
In the US, do persons who read law and then become lawyers get to put anything after their name? Obviously they would not be permitted to put J.D.<issue_comment>username_1: Some rightpondian can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think "reading" in this context is British for "studying", and it does usually imply university study. The person in question is most likely attending the equivalent of law school.
In the US, lawyers typically write "Esq." after their name, which doesn't really signify anything specific but is traditional. This doesn't have anything to do with degrees they may or may not have. (And even lawyers with a J.D. degree don't usually write J.D. after their names, nor use the title Dr.)
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This is a little old now, but I came across it and as a UK law student, I feel obliged to answer. Reading law in this context is exactly the same as studying law, and as someone else already mentioned, it is said by more 'well to do' students, not generally usual day to day conversation.
The letters that would go after a qualified solicitor/ barrister (The two types of legal profession we have here in the UK), could be LLB, which is the degree itself they qualified with before going on to do either of the professional courses, or it could be simply whatever the highest degree level they have achieved so far.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You're right. *Reading the law* (in the US, at least) is practicing law (as an attorney, etc.) without a law degree. Passing the bar examination is still required; and in lieu of a law degree, some kind of tutelage, or apprenticeship is typically required. I believe it's no longer legal in most states.
Despite this, the general consensus seems to be that the phrase is being used in a different context (in this instance).
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/04 | 637 | 2,723 | <issue_start>username_0: If someone *s* has a paper *p* published, and if *s* wants to write up a piece explaining the contents of *p*, then to what extent can *s* use the contents of *p*? Or, the person *s* has no right to mention the contents of *p*?
That is, if someone writes an article explaining the ideas in one of his published paper by rephrasing the published paper, then to what extent is such rephrasing legitimate?<issue_comment>username_1: It would be better to avoid the abbreviations 's' and 'p', which is probably why @username_2 was confused.
Regarding the question I think it will depend on what you want to do with the material and the copyright conditions of the paper. Sometimes the copyright belongs to the publishers and each journal has specific guidelines for reproducing some content (even some allow to download figures in powerpoint format to be used for presentations under some conditions). Other times (e.g. open access journals), the copyright belongs to the authors. Either way, if in doubt the best would be to get in contact with the appropriate person.
Personally, for journal club and similar activities, I use the material without asking. In conferences, when I want to highlight someone's else research, I may include a figure of their paper. In that case I always add the appropriate reference to the paper.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: From an ethical point of view, you must cite your original source appropriately. Clearly indicate
* when you are using ideas, words, or figures from another work by citing the source
* when you use something verbatim (typically by putting it in quotation marks or blockquotes)
As long as you attribute your sources properly, there isn't really an ethical problem with excessive use of a source.
From a legal perspective, it can be trickier. In summary,
* Copying large amounts of text verbatim: may violate copyright
* Copying small amounts of text verbatim, for academic purposes: typically allowed under [fair use](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use), though like everything legal, this varies by jurisdiction
* Paraphrasing text: does not violate copyright. The intellectual content of a paper is not subject to copyright (as opposed to the words used to present it, which are).
* Reusing figures: may violate copyright. Check the policy of the source's publisher.
From a "best practices" standpoint, work that involves an *excessive* amount of paraphrasing is often lacking original intellectual content. Even if your work is expository, you're supposed to be adding some value for the reader, not just stating the content of the original source in other words. So be careful of this, too :)
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2014/09/04 | 2,336 | 8,501 | <issue_start>username_0: As an example of a vote of no confidence, recently, the academic world has been shocked by the Salaita case at the University of Illinois. I happen to be a UIUC alumnus, so I guess I'm more concerned about the current state of affairs in my Alma Mater. So I just read an article on the web about the case: [More Votes of No Confidence, a Weird Ad, and a Declaration of a Non-Emergency](http://coreyrobin.com/2014/09/03/more-votes-of-no-confidence-a-weird-ad-and-a-declaration-of-a-non-emergency/). The article states that
>
> Tonight, the major news out of the University of Illinois is that two more departments have taken votes of no confidence in the leadership of the UIUC: the department of history (nearly unanimous, I’m told) and the department of Latino and Latina Studies. The latter’s announcement reads:
>
>
> The faculty of the Department of Latina/Latino Studies (LLS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign met on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 to discuss the University’s revocation of an offer of employment to Dr. <NAME>. We concluded that this revocation and the subsequent public statements by Chancellor <NAME>, President <NAME>, and the Board of Trustees about Dr. Salaita’s appointment demonstrate a clear disregard for the principles of academic freedom, free speech, and shared governance, as well as for established protocols for hiring, tenure, and promotion. The faculty of LLS therefore declares that we have no confidence in the leadership of the current Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees.
>
>
> That means that six departments have now voted no confidence, two of them fairly large departments, representing a significant number of faculty in the humanities. Word is that we should be expecting at least four more votes of no confidence by the end of the week, for a total of ten.
>
>
>
I know the best thing that can happen in the current state of affairs is that UIUC's own faculty boycott the Board of Trustees and Chancellor Phyllis Wise.
So my general question is, what are the implications of such a vote? What does a "vote of no confidence" really mean?
**EDIT**
As suggested by @MadJack, here's the [New York Times article on the case of Salaita.](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/01/education/illinois-university-prompts-outcry-for-revoking-job-offer-to-professor-in-wake-of-twitter-posts-on-israel.html)<issue_comment>username_1: A "vote of no confidence" is much like a "resolution" passed by a parliamentary body—it's a statement of approved opinion, with very little legal impact. The only exception to this would occur if the voting body is in some way responsible for the appointment of the official in question, in which case such a vote could lead to removal.
However, at the departmental level, such a vote has very little impact on the university as a whole.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: A vote of no confidence is an entirely political move. It has no force on its own, but it may influence the opinion or behavior of others.
When used effectively, votes of no confidence can influence the person in question to apologize or change their ways, or influence more powerful people (e.g. the board of governors/regents) to address the issue.
When used ineffectively, votes of no confidence have no effect at all. (Well, they can still allow the people who voted to express their opinion.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: The repercussions of a department's vote of no confidence hold no legal authority. They simply publicly voice the majority opinion of the faculty of the department.
To further analyze in the context of the example you gave: These votes of no confidence are likely to embarrass the departments who publicly supported hiring this man whose public discourse can most nicely only be described as unprofessorial and unacademic.
[The Chicago Tribune's take on the administration's position said:](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-university-of-illinois-job-offer-tweet-israel-20140822-story.html)
>
> In June and July, Salaita posted prolifically about the situation in
> Gaza, particularly about the children killed in the conflict. On June
> 20, soon after three Israelis were kidnapped and killed, he wrote:
> "You may be too refined to say it, but I'm not: I wish all the
> (expletive) West Bank settlers would go missing." On July 22 he wrote:
> "#Israel kills civilians faster than the speed of 4G."
>
>
>
Salaita's [hateful words are not confined to Twitter](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/09/03/steven-salaita-more-than-just-an-obnoxious-tweeter/). He has found it prudent to scrub some of his online works, but they are [still available via the Wayback machine](https://web.archive.org/web/20140904031712/https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62164677).
We grant that academic freedom means that one can take nearly any position so long as one is respectful of others who disagree. His manner of speech and disrespect would have been quite a distraction for the entire university. Would he be respectful to the students under his instruction? Given his public record, would you take responsibility for placing him in this position?
These comments are certainly against our [principles for allowed commentary on Academia StackExchange](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1160/what-does-the-offensive-flag-mean-to-you/1162#1162).
Some may disagree with the way the decision was made. Perhaps the decision could have reached out to more stakeholders for consensus. The administration apparently didn't do that. Many university administrations have come under fire by stakeholder groups in the past for similar actions. It would have been better if the administration had more support. But they had made the decision and moved forward with it, and I don't see how they could have taken another path in a timely fashion.
These votes of no confidence reflect the indignation by these departments in not being included in the decision making process. However, most bystanders will also (correctly) interpret them as a disagreement with the conclusion of the decision. If the departments agreed with the conclusion, this issue would not be raised.
I personally think these votes are likely to lower the public's view of the departments just as much or more so than they lower the public's views on the administration. I also think the views of individuals will largely be colored by personal preferences in backing the interests of the parties that Salaita has been coarsely commenting on.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: The other answers noted that a vote of no confidence is generally not binding, but may have other outcomes.
I would like to point out that even if an outcome that is desired by the faculty *is* achieved, it is generally impossible to show causality (i.e., that the outcome was a direct result of the vote).
As an example, the end of the 2012-2013 academic year saw a [series of no confidence votes](http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2013/05/29/breaking-silver-school-of-social-work-shoots-down-no-confidence-vote/) by faculty against New York University President <NAME>. The outcomes were as follows:
* The College of Arts and Sciences; Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; Gallatin School of Individualized Study; Tisch Asia; and Tisch School of the Arts passed votes of no confidence against the president.
* At the Silver School of Social Work, a vote was held but not passed
* The School of Law passed a vote of confidence in favor of the president
A few months later, in August 2013, the university's Board of Trustees [announced](http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2013/08/14/sexton-to-depart-after-2016-nyu-backtracks-on-vacation-home-loans/) that Sexton would not continue beyond the end of his current contract.
However, it's impossible to tell whether this is the result of the no-confidence votes, [two](http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120817/greenwich-village/washington-square-village-residents-sue-nyu-for-development-plan) [lawsuits](http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120926/greenwich-village/greenwich-village-groups-sue-city-stop-nyu-expansion), [negative media articles](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/nyregion/nyu-gives-stars-loans-for-summer-homes.html) about the university and its president, or (almost certainly) a combination of these and other factors.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/04 | 3,187 | 13,516 | <issue_start>username_0: I frequently bring my own equipment to the classroom for student use. Some students forget my announcements to bring certain items. Some items are infrequently used or kept ready on standby when time permits or need to be carefully prepared beforehand. For these reasons, I provide my own equipment, rather than requiring students to bring them.
The problem is, the students are walking out the door with my stuff. By the end of the year, I must go out and buy everything again. Most items individually are cheap (~$1 each), so I do not think any administrator or security officer will pay attention when I complain, however, the quantities add up over time.
I am surprised to find such behavior among college freshmen. How should I deal with these thefts?<issue_comment>username_1: That is a tricky situation. The overhead that would come from noting every student what he took and whether it was returned is annoying and unnecessary. I think the easiest way to handle this would be to point out to classes beforehand that stealing equipment is inappropriate (obviously) and that you would take measures to discourage such behavior. Those measures might include that the class, from which someone stole something, would be required from then on to supply its own equipment, i.e. would be banned from using yours. If students don't have the appropriate equipment ready, they can't participate in the exercises or get their grade diminished.
The point is to relocate the burden to the collective, instead of carrying it yourself. Of course, in the end you will probably still have to pay for the missing equipment, since it is too small to pursue justice to great lengths, but I hope you'll get at least some small satisfaction.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't think the students are stealing as much as forgetting to give back your supplies. I'd suggest helping them remember by bringing a jar that each students puts a dollar in when the supplies are handed out. In order to get their dollar back at the end of the class, they must return whatever they borrowed.
I'd also get a label maker, and put something like "If found, return to Prof -insert name and office here-." Make sure its gaudy and hard to miss. This will both discourage actual theft (which I do NOT think most of your students are doing), and provide bread-crumbs home if its found under a pizza box after 3 weeks (the more likely scenario).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Make yourself a note to say something to your class, 10 minutes before the end of your part in it (lecture, etc). "Remember, I have brought these XXX's for your use in case you needed them, I really need them returned by the end of class."
Modify as needed (i.e. turn 'end of class' into 'now' if needed)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I add an assignment in the grading system with a single point: "returned all borrowed equipment."
I don't actually use it in the calculations, but seeing it in the gradebook (which students can access) encourages compliance.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: I can see two solutions here:
**1. Deter students from borrowing or walking away with equipment**
*If safety is not a concern*, you could require a shoe as a deposit. No student will get very far after class without realizing what they're missing. It will save you having to remind your students to return said items.
You could also take a tally of all loaned items and release the class only when all have been returned.
Another solution is for the replacement equipment to be clumsy, comical, or embarrassing. [Giant calculators](http://www.baronbob.com/images/products/giantcalc.jpg) might get the job done, but they won't be inadvertently taken out of class and you might not see many repeat customers.
Unfortunately, any deterrent besides loudly pronouncing at the end of the class *"please return anything you have borrowed!"*, or perhaps taking a tally, may be difficult to implement without giving a distinct *"I don't trust you and am going to treat you all like children"* impression.
**2. Stop lending out equipment they are supposed to have.**
A more cynical point of view is that university students should be intelligent, responsible, and well enough prepared to bring any equipment that is either listed as a course requirement to have, or is generally expected (e.g. a calculator, stationery).
Your students are probably less likely to prepare properly for class *precisely because they know you have spare equipment*. If they're supposed to have their own stuff, make it the students' own problem if they forgot. They will only learn if failure carries consequences. If you abolish your loaning policy, I suspect the fraction of students coming properly prepared will quickly, and significantly, improve.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: Use accountability. Create a form with 2 identical halves, listing the name of the borrower and what they borrowed. When borrowing the item, they get half of the form, and you get half of the form. When returning the item, they give you their half of the form back with it, and you destroy both copies. Anyone who walks out without returning the item, place your half for safe keeping. If they need to borrow again and you have something with their name on it, deny them. There is an option to hold them financially liable, but IANAL. Make the policy clear in the syllabus.
This is an Army solution to a much more serious equipment accountability issue than classroom supplies, but it works.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: I know many professors who lend things to the students such as books, their thesis hard copies, compact disks, etc; and they have a very simple way to track all the students who have borrowed things from them.
Prepare one or two A4 size papers, write "Borrowers List" on top of it and every time you lend something to a student; ask him/her to write his name, the date he/she has borrowed it from you, the date he/she will give it back to you, his email and phone number and his signature.
After the student has returned the borrowed thing to the professor, the student and professor, both, can sign under this paper that the borrower has returned it.
This will have many benefits to the lender and the borrower, both.
1. The borrower will remember that he has signed his name when he has got something from the lender; so he will try to give back that thing to the owner as soon as possible to avoid any difficulties in future.
2. When the professor asks for a signature from the student, he shows that he cares for his owning and it is important for him that the things he has borrowed should be brought back to the owner. Consequently, the student will do all his/her best to return that thing to the owner.
3. The professor will have a list of his owning which are lent to the students, so he will never forget what is borrowed to whom. If the borrower does not return the thing, the professor can simply send him/her an email or text message to ask the student to return the thing he has borrowed.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: The issue is that you give out equipment to your students, but they have little incentive to bring it back.
As said above, you can create an incentive by making their grade dependent on whether they return them. The drawback is that you will have to keep careful track of equipment given out.
You can minimize the bookkeeping somewhat by lending not on an ad hoc basis every class day, but only once at the beginning of the semester, and ask them to bring the items during or after the final. You can also print out little paper labels, and for every item lent to a student, write on the paper the item and name of the student. Keep the paper until item is returned. You can even make the students prepare these papers.
You could "lease" the items to the students - sell them at cost, and offer to buy back when they are done. That way, you are fully insured against lost items. However, because of the money exchange involved, I suspect school administration will take issue.
You can also use your attendance sheet: Require everyone to come to your desk and sign the sheet before leaving the class. Refuse to sign their row unless they produce all borrowed equipment, and consider them absent for that class if the items are not produced. The drawback is that end of class will become chaotic and take several minutes.
In my opinion, the best option is to not lend items at all. Simply tell the class that they will not be allowed to attend the class that day unless they bring the equipment. Emphasize that you intend to stringently enforce this rule. Everyone will always show up with the equipment.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: Do present/absent check at the end of your class session.
---------------------------------------------------------
When you lend something to your student, put a sign in front of his/her name in your student's names list. At the end of the class, when you read the student's names to see who is present and who is absent, when you see that s/he has a sign in front of his/her name; ask him/her to give that equipment back to you.
If he does not return your equipment, do not accept his presence; until he returns it to you.
Allocate a significant amount of your final assessment to the students presence and absence in your classes and this will require them to not only appear constantly in class sessions, but also be required to give your owning back to you.
Your key is their exam papers/assignments!
------------------------------------------
On top of your exam/assignment papers, write the things that the student is borrowing from you. For instance, somewhere under his name or student ID. Even you can prepare a white block in which you can write the `borrowed:` title and in front of it, you can always list the equipment you lend to your student.
At the end of the exam/class session, when s/he gives the exam papers/copies back to you; check whether s/he has borrowed something from you or not and immediately ask him/her to return the borrowed equipment.
If s/he is not returning the borrowed equipment, then you refuse to take his solved papers.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: Speaking from my experience as a student only.
The professors that were responsible for my courses as an engineering student varied in strictness, some were lending stuff to student who forgot to bring their own, some were very, very strict. The latter professors plainly stated that forgetting item x will make you unable to complete the laboration, and an uncompleted laboration meant failing the course until the next opportunity to do the laboration.
Guess what, almost no student forgot to bring item x. Not only is this the right way because you won't have to bring item x, it also prepares student for the real world, were there won't be a professor doing your work, where stupid calculationg´errors because of negligence are as bad as not understanding the problem at all, etc. This principle should be applied across the board imo.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: Unfortunately I do not have enough rep to write a comment on username_5's answer, but I think that it is most likely because of absent-mindedness in the part of the student.
I wanted to comment the following idea if you're lending out something like pens:
My mother used to work with students who would need to come in, go through a long document and sign it before leaving. She would go through an enormous number of pens, as the students often just popped them back into their pockets by accident.
She came across the idea of flower pens (gluing a big fake fabric flower to the end of the pen) and implemented it on the pens in her office, and she said that suddenly her pens stopped disappearing - since they were now tricky for the students to mistake them for their own, or accidentally stuff them in their pockets.
Depending on equipment you could try other things (I imagine you could spray-paint some things in bright neon or shiny colours, attach big tags or tassles to the items) to make them stand out a little more.
(A sample pen: <http://ideasforfrenchclass.blogspot.com/2010/09/flower-pens.html>)
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_11: Make them pay a dollar each time they borrow something **and** give them a token -- like a plastic poker chip -- with the equipment. When they come back with the something and the chip, give them their dollar back.
Around these here parts, that's how they do it with beer mugs and such. No bookkeeping required!
Make sure they know you're not offering to sell things for a dollar -- they **must** return it even if they're willing to not get their dollar back.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_12: This is based on the assumption that it is accident, not deliberate theft. I think I may have one more of a certain type of USB cable than a remember buying, but if so have no idea where I got it from.
Get some luggage tags, and stick on each one a label saying something like "Property of Professor Village. If found, please return to *office*/*building*/*campus*."
Attach one to each item. Tie, duct tape, or glue as appropriate for that item.
Most students will remember to return the tagged items at the end of class. If not, next time they look through a backpack and notice the tag they will be reminded, and will also know how to return it.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/04 | 1,104 | 4,364 | <issue_start>username_0: Background of person is: first year Phd student, no publications, no research grants, but I have received a fellowship for my first semester that paid my stipend and tuition, so should I list the total amount with stipend and tuition?
Also during my MS I was hired as an RA and received stipend+tuition? Can I list that as a total amount per year, or total amount for the two years, or should I separate the different amounts (tuition/stipend). Isn't this a fellowship/scholarship/grant of some sort since rarely do master students get this kind of RAship?
edit: while RA's are common in the US and the fact that they pay stipend/tuition is well known, in other countries people might think that if I list it only as a job they might not realize it also paid my tuition, which for foreign students in the US can be quite high. I want to convey the importance of this achievement and monetary importance to a crowd outside the USA.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> should I list the total amount with stipend and tuition?
>
>
>
No, don't list this because it's irrelevant and sooner or later you'll remove it as your CV grows. You can just add it in the `Honors and Awards` section of your CV, but don't put numbers.
>
> Also during my MS I was hired as an RA and received stipend+tuition? Can I list that as a total amount per year, or total amount for the two years, or should I separate the different amounts (tuition/stipend).
>
>
>
Same as before.
>
> Isn't this a fellowship/scholarship/grant of some sort since rarely do master students get this kind of RAship?
>
>
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In this case I would just put it under `Research Experience`.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In general, one can include anything in a CV *as long as the "target" of the CV would be interested in it*. This raises the question why exactly you are now compiling a CV in the first place.
**Are you looking to change programs? Apply for a grant? Just wanting to show off on your web page?**
Whatever the answer to this is, ask yourself the question whether whoever is supposed to read the CV would really care about your funding sources. In most cases, I would assume that the answer to this is *no*, unless the funding sources are particularly competitive and known outside your university.
Finally:
>
> Isn't this a fellowship/scholarship/grant of some sort since rarely do master students get this kind of RAship?
>
>
>
Nope. If it's a RAship it's a RAship. That you got it earlier than others does not "upgrade" the prize in any way. Generally, resist the temptation to upsell your various prizes / grants / fellowships.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Although merit is certainly a factor in the hiring of research assistants, most people don't consider assistantships as "grants or awards". They are jobs. List them under "Positions Held" or "Academic Appointments" or the equivalent heading on your CV. Do not list your salary or the amount of your stipend - that's not anybody's business except you and your department.
Some fellowships might be considered awards. They would usually be explicitly competitive in nature, and given by outside agencies. "Named" fellowships from endowed funds might also count, even if awarded by your department. But a research assistantship is not a fellowship.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: I disagree with the other answers. At least in fields where a substantial number of students self fund their PhD, having any funding is a big deal. I think you should put the fellowships and their amounts, under "grants and awards", although it might be reasonable to change the title to something like "funding" or "fellowships, grants, and awards".
While a departmental fellowship (or funding from someone else's grant) is not particularly prestigious, it is important. For example, a student with guaranteed money from his/her department or advisor has little incentive to apply for external money (and in many cases might even be ineligible). In evaluating students as potential post docs, I look at students who have had to self fund their studies very differently from those who have had funding. That said, it is important that you do not make too much of a departmental fellowship as it is generally the least prestigious type of funding you can get.
Upvotes: -1 |
2014/09/05 | 1,048 | 4,347 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm a fifth year pure mathematics student and after this year I should get a Master degree (I'm from Europe). As you might know, this should be the time I decide (or at least seriously start thinking about) whether I should pursue a PhD or go work in the industry.
My main problem with pursuing a PhD is that I haven't found any topic particularly interesting or passionate about, and I think I have quite a wide mathematical education. I can easily get into some area when I'm studying for exams and such, but nothing more than that. I have to admit that I'm indifferent regarding most stuff in my life. While I was in high school, I had interests in number theory and prime distribution, but that has slowly gone away.
Having said all that, I did somewhat enjoy tutoring/helping younger students and explaining stuff to them. I'd also like to think that I would enjoy doing research in mathematics, but not sure.
So my question is:
How should I find out what is the field of my interest (and whether it exists at all)? Is my lack of interest a red flag for pursuing a PhD?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Is my lack of interest a red flag for pursuing a PhD?
>
>
>
Yes, I think so. PhD programs are for people who are so passionate about an academic subject that they are willing to endure the *certainty* of a long, hard period of apprenticeship and training for the *possibility* of a secure, moderately well-paid lifelong career in that subject.
In some academic fields, there is a good shot at parlaying a PhD into a lucrative career in business or industry. (In others, this is really not the case.) However, in the current job market there are few if any fields in which a PhD is a guaranteed paycheck. A student who knows that she wants to take her mathematical skills, for instance, to business/industry, would probably have an easier, more pleasant life by starting work with a bachelor's or a master's degree and building her career sooner rather than later. There are exceptions, but they would be better planned in advance: e.g., if you have a specific job in mind for which you specifically know having a PhD would be necessary or beneficial.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with liking a subject and being good at it but not being passionate about it. You should then find what it is that you are passionate about. It need not be career-oriented: many, many people work to live rather than live to work. Just because you have a master's degree in mathematics does not mean that you need to pursue a career in which you use mathematics in any way! I hope you find your passion...whatever it is.
Finally: one option that you haven't mentioned is to *teach* mathematics at the pre-university level. In the US, a master's degree in your subject area makes you competitive for very strong high school teaching jobs, e.g. at amazing public high schools in desirable cities or elite private institutions. The difference that an excellent school teacher can make has got to be at least as much as most academics, business people or industrialists. In the unlikely event that Europe has a glut of excellent high school teachers, please consider coming to the United States, as I assure you that we do not.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: A lot of the comments and answers I see here are orthogonal to my experience. Subject matter? Career path? Both irrelevant. I entered graduate school with the intention of getting a Master's degree in Computer Science and left with a Ph.D. in Algebraic Geometry. That happened because I met an inspiring professor---he could have been doing almost anything technical and I would have chosen him, not the subject matter. I find my inspiration in people: Number Theory, Fluid Dynamics, Adaptive Algorithms---ist mir wurst, as they would say in Germany (I'm American). Working with a great professor trumps the subject matter.
You have a strong technical education already. If you are looking for direction, take a cue from it: where is your life gradient pointing right now? Mapping out a career path is great for some folks, for others it is the death of serendipity. You never know. I chose my graduate school because my girlfriend attended it. The girlfriend didn't last, but the professor did. And (serendipity) I met my wife there.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/05 | 1,345 | 6,130 | <issue_start>username_0: How do you respond to a reviewer who is very critical about your paper but from whose comments you can easily see that he/she has misunderstood the key concepts of the paper?
In my case, the first reviewer had no issues with the paper and suggested only a minor revision. But the second reviewer seems to have not spent too much time on understanding the paper. This reviewer's misunderstanding made the editor suggest a major revision of the paper.
In my response to the reviewer (not sent yet), I used the sentence "This comment completely misrepresent the methodology described in the paper." Is this too much?
UPDATE: I am glad to inform you all that after the second round of reviews, the paper was accepted with minor revisions. I followed the general advice given in the accepted answer for this post. Instead of being too defensive, I agreed in my response to the reviewer that the misunderstanding may be due to wording of certain sentences and changed them. Specifically, I used the following sentence:
>
> "There seems to be a misunderstanding about the methodology, which we
> hope to clear through our responses below and by revising the text in
> the manuscript. Contrary to what the reviewer states, ..."
>
>
>
Hope this update helps someone in future.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> This comment completely misrepresent the methodology described in the paper.
>
>
>
While it may be technically correct, it is unnecessarily undiplomatic (at least all by itself), as it implicitly places blame on the reviewer for not correctly understanding your paper. Again, if the respective points were made unmistakably clear in the paper (which is something that you can easily overestimate), this blame may be justified, but still you risk unnecessarily disgruntling the reviewer.
I would suggest to assume in good faith that the reviewer did not fail to understand your paper due to incompetence or laziness, but because you failed to clarify a certain aspects. Try to improve your paper regarding the explanation of everything that the reviewer misunderstood and reply with something along the lines of:
>
> This comment seems to be based on the assumption that we were proposing a method to transmogrify apples. However, the goal of our method is the transmogrification of bananas – an aspect, which we have failed to make sufficiently clear. We have amended our manuscript accordingly and now write: […]
>
>
>
Do not worry, if the respective revision turns out to be only minor.
To be prepared if the reviewer insists on his or her misunderstandings, I suggest to explicitly state in your response letter that something different is the case. This way you hopefully have some good argument for the editor in this case.
I once had a similar experience with a reviewer who criticised that we made several claims which were not supported by our studies. However, we never made any of these claims. In a first revision we reformulated a few sentences that the reviewer had presumably misunderstood and explicitly stated in the response letter that we did not make those claims. The reviewer criticised again that some of the same claims were unsupported. We responded again that we never made those claims and reformulated a handful of sentences. Then either the reviewer finally understood or the editor was fed up with this and the paper was accepted. In both cases, major revisions were requested.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: No one ever seems to talk about this but sometimes... reviewers are terrible.
Not terrible like "Ugh they made me revise my paper" but terrible like "Did this person even read the paper?" I once had a paper where a reviewer made lengthy complaints about the terrible user studies and lack of clarity in user studies for an object. There were no user studies in our paper, there were several clear statements about how there were no user studies in the paper, the 'future work' section detailed the user study collaborations. It was a paper on the method of integrating physical and automated controls, not a paper on user studies. One of the reviewers just... lost the plot. I don't know if they read a different paper, I don't know if they wanted a different paper. The other two reviewers made some excellent revision suggestions which we followed.
It wasn't the first time either. I can't speak for all fields or conferences, of course, but sometimes you just get a terrible review. Terrible not negative, terrible as in makes no sense. Sometimes you respond, sometimes you try to work it in and sometimes you just politely ignore the bits that make no sense. Some fields lend themselves to a wide variety of subject matter experts. Consider, for a moment, robotics. A submission to a robotics conference or journal could be about the mechanical engineering aspect, the automation(AI and Machine Learning) aspects, optimization, computer vision, sensor integration... No single person is going to be an expert in all of these things and some of the most interesting, to me, projects involve some blending of these subjects. It can be hard, then, to find a reviewer from the pool who best fits a submission.
This is the case in many subfields in Computer Science, this may be the case in the field you are working in. When you're talking about research on the bleeding edge sometimes you're talking about stuff that has a limited or restricted audience and, thus, a limited or restricted reviewer pool. There are a fair amount of similar questions about academic research reviewers and reviews here. Typically the benefit of the doubt is given that the reviewer is bringing up legitimate complaints and, to be honest, that is the best policy for everyone to have. But sometimes it's ok to accept that a reviewer is totally out there and the review is unhelpful or inappropriate(in that it does not apply.) In those cases I would respond to the other reviews as appropriate and respond, tactfully, to the review in question with statements directly reflecting how the review does not apply to your work.
Upvotes: 4 |
2014/09/05 | 1,779 | 7,740 | <issue_start>username_0: I have put into my paper a photo (available [here](http://www.apenusa.com/images/Apen_A3_DetailPage_06.jpg)) that I have collected from the company's website available for free. There is no copyright note, except the one at the bottom of the website and product is available for sale (probably patented). I have contacted the company seeking permission, but they did not reply after a week and I cannot wait anymore.
The paper will be published in an IEEE magazine.
So here are my questions:
1. How to make sure an online photo carries copyright?
2. Is citing to their website sufficient to avoid copyright violation?
3. If received copyright permission, how to use the permission in the paper? (I received permission from another company for another photo). Write it on the image or write "courtesy of ..." (I have seen this phrase quite a lot).
**UPDATE 1:** Thanks all of you, referring to your answers, I decided to stay in the safe side by removing the photo from the paper. I did not criticize anything and did not admire it either (but it could be a free publicity for them which is ignored despite second email to the company). I just discussed its functionality as an encouraging innovation for particular domain.
However, almost **NO ONE** yet commented on **3rd question**. Can any one help in this regard?<issue_comment>username_1: Without reading the paper, are you sure that the photo is necessary? It looks to be purely decorative, so perhaps you could sidestep the whole issue and leave it out of the paper.
1. Just because the owner does not reply to your request **does not** give you implicit permission to use the content. [These guidelines by Colombia University](http://copyright.columbia.edu/copyright/permissions/if-you-cannot-find-the-owner/) lay out the situation well.
If the licensing situation is not clear, *assume it is copyrighted*. Private companies may get a little prickly if their products are conveyed in anything less than a glowingly positive light. Nevertheless, they usually can't do much if someone posts a bad review on a blog. I don't know for sure, but perhaps fair use will apply.
2. If there is an attribution license, yes. For example, content posted on Stack Exchange has a [CC license](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) with [attribution required](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2009/06/attribution-required/). Otherwise, nope.
3. Whichever is common in your field, or specifically requested by the owner of the copyrighted content, should be fine.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Photography and other creations carry copyright by default
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The answer to your part 1 - the exclusive copyright of a photo belongs to someone from the point of its creation, even if no explicit copyright note is attached.
If *you* had made the photo of that product, then it would be an entirely different question, but redistributing a photo someone else made is legally almost exactly as redistributing a Hollywood movie.
Available for free doesn't imply a permission to redistribute
-------------------------------------------------------------
If something is freely distributed by it's owner, it doesn't come with an implied permission for you to do the same thing. Unless it comes with a licence that explicitly allows you to do so (e.g. the various Creative Commons licences), you don't have a permission to copy that image further. Citing the source doesn't change that.
Lack of response means lack of permission
-----------------------------------------
If you don't have an explicit permission, then you don't have it regardless of reasons - if an author chooses not to communicate with you, then tough luck. It also may be that the company doesn't have free hands in licencing the image - it's quite possible that the copyright is owned by some photographer, and the company has a licence to use it in their website but not in print.
The journal may want clarifications
-----------------------------------
The journal submission documents will likely include either a statement that all images are your own, or that you have licenced them appropriately. They may leave the licences as your responsibility or require you to send them the documentation.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: The other answers are technically correct.
However you ought to think about it practically.
Every company wants to sell their products, and unless your article is saying bad things about the product or company, they're going to be happy for whatever publicity they get via your article.
Unless the company is run by morons (does happen sometimes), they are NOT going to sue you for helping them by giving them free publicity. Even tho they could, technically, if they wanted to.
Just credit the source of the photo properly and you're done.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: A quick answer if you are subject to US law:
>
> 1. How to make sure an online photo carries copyright?
>
>
>
*All* online photos (and text, videos, etc.) "carry copyright." That is, someone holds the copyright on anything you find online. You are not allowed to redistribute it unless the copyright holder *explicitly* does something to grant you the right - for example, if they specify a license. (Though under certain circumstances the fair use defense allows you to "get away with it.")
>
> 2. Is citing to their website sufficient to avoid copyright violation?
>
>
>
No, citation is completely irrelevant to copyright infringement. Copyright law says you cannot copy and redistribute the content, regardless of whether you cite its source.
Exception: if the content is under a license that makes citation relevant. For example, the Creative Commons Attribution licenses say something like "You are allowed to copy this as long as you credit the author."
>
> 3. If received copyright permission, how to use the permission in the paper? (I received permission from another company for another photo). Write it on the image or write "courtesy of ..." (I have seen this phrase quite a lot).
>
>
>
Follow the conventions of your field, of course, but the typical way is something like "Figure from [source], used with permission." [This question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/26250/how-can-should-i-indicate-that-its-okay-to-use-open-access-content-in-a-paper) of mine addresses the case of open access content.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: As there have been good and extensive answers to your first two questions and you explicitly asked for answers to your last question, I will only address question number 3.
How you can use an image in a paper depends entirely on the type of license/permission you have received. Basically, you and the copyright holder are free to negotiate any type of attribution or none at all. But even if they do not explicitly mention attribution it is still a sign of good manners to include at least their name somewhere close to the image. In case you are unsure, ask the copyright holder how they would like to be attributed and suggest a manner which you think might be suitable for your paper.
Some images are available under free licenses, e.g. all the images on Wikipedia (with some fair use exceptions) and Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia's image repository. These licenses specify what you need to do when you want to use an image. Usually, they require that you attribute the author and name the license under which the image was used. Some licenses might also require that you release derivative works of the original image (i.e. when you edited the image in some way) under the same license.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/05 | 2,574 | 10,554 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm wondering how best to respond to queries from non-academics along the lines of "Why should you be paid during the summer holidays?" This is the sort of question I hear a lot in this economic climate here in Ireland, though I strongly suspect that one encounters similar questions and opinions elsewhere.
There is a subtext that public money is scarce, that people in "real" jobs work themselves to the bone and pay high taxes, while some people get to spend a significant proportion of the year on a sun lounger at the tax payer's expense. I like to think that we academics do earn our crust, but as somebody paid public money I think it's a reasonable question, and one I would like to answer better.
There are a couple of obvious responses.
1. It's nothing like nine months, especially when you factor in exam marking and processing, dealing with appeals, Autumn repeat exams, lecture preparation for the following year etc.
2. Did I forget to mention research? That's a full-time job in itself! And there are secondary activities such as applying for grants, judging grant applications, and supervising (post-)graduate students.
However these points don't apply to all academics. For example, I work in an Institute of Technology, possibly akin to a liberal arts college in the US, where there are typically 18 teaching hours per week in term time, but research is a bonus activity, and we have 10 weeks' summer holidays. So the core point seems to be that it's near-universal practice to have a teaching break during the summer months (exactly when this break is, and its length vary of course). But why is this? Are there good reasons that might satisfy somebody who is not already steeped in the academic life?
It's tempting to say that teaching is particularly intense, and this period of estivation is needed to avoid burnout. But is this true of teachers and academics more than, say, junior hospital doctors or care workers?
Presumably this question is tied to the question of why school teachers have summer holidays: I realise that this latter question may be off-topic for this site, but to the extent that answers to it have a bearing on my question, I would like to hear them.
Finally I am aware that not all academics are paid during the summer months. Many have temporary contracts that don't span the summer vacation. I hope that this situation remains the (in my opinion, disgraceful) exception rather than the rule.
EDIT: Thanks to <NAME> and <NAME> for pointing out the general practice in US academia of being paid for only 9/12 of the year. In Ireland, and I think in much of Europe, academics are usually paid for 12 months. So some of the motivation for this question ("Why are we paying you academics during the summer?") may not apply in the US, although the basic question still stands ("Why don't academics typically have to teach during the summer?" or, in the more provocative (and inaccurate) terms that this is sometimes put: "Why don't academics work during the summer?")<issue_comment>username_1: The following applies to a previous version of the question: "Why do academics get paid to work only nine months of the year?". The question of whether academics *do work* work in the summer, compared to whether they are *paid to* work over the summer, is more difficult. Most faculty in the U.S. have 9-month contracts, but in my experience most faculty nevertheless work on their research and teaching during the summer.
---
In the United States, it is very common - nearly universal, in fact - for a standard academic contract to span 9 or 10 months. There are several reasons for this:
* It allows the university to pay less. The standard rule of thumb is that a 9 month contract pays 9/12 of what the corresponding annual contract would pay. Many (most?) faculty have their 9 months of pay split up into 12 months of paychecks -- but this is an accounting fiction, not a sign that they are paid for 12 months of work. If few students are around over the summer, there is less reason for universities to pay salary to their faculty for that time - having a break in the contract balances the university income and expenses.
* It allows faculty to be paid more. This is the flip side of paying 9/12 of an annual salary: the faculty member can, in principle, take another job during the summer.
+ Many grants, for example, are able to pay "summer salary", which is really just extra income. But these grants do not allow the faculty member to take salary from the university at the same time they take salary from the grant. The "9 month contract" resolves this: the faculty member can state they are actually only paid for 9 months of university work, so the grant can pay 2 or 3 months of extra salary during the summer.
+ Similarly, some universities pay extra to faculty who teach during the summer - that would not be possible if the summer was treated as part of the basic contract.
+ A smaller number of faculty use the summer for consulting work, or other jobs genuinely different from their university position.
* Faculty like to travel over the summer. During the academic year, it is hard to leave for personal reasons, because of class. By claiming that the summer is "off contract", academics can travel however they like during that period of time, without having to justify their time. So having the contract pause during the summer makes the job more attractive to job candidates, allowing the university to attract some people who might otherwise take higher-paying jobs elsewhere.
The reason I just cited are all purely economic - they can be justified solely in terms of saving money for the school, increasing pay for the faculty member, or attracting better candidates. There is also "tradition" as a reason for the summer break, as is also the case at lower levels of education.
However, the "9 month contract" is fictitious in a few ways:
* Most faculty still have access to their office, library, email, and other university resources even when they are technically not "on contract" over the summer.
* Research faculty usually continue to work on research during the summer, and travel to conferences (which may even be reimbursed by the university, even though the faculty member is technically not on contract!). This often happens even when the faculty don't have grants or other summer funding.
* Many faculty use some of their summer time to prepare for their classes, even though they are not being paid to teach over the summer.
* There are other activities during the summer: committee meetings, advising, etc. Some faculty participate in these, for various reasons, even when they are off contract.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: As someone who works in Asia (teaching for a British university), I get paid 11-12 months out of the year (depending on my yearly negotiations). I had one student ask me why I don't teach 40 hours a week since that is a full-time job. So, I took a moment to explain to the student that standing in front of students is only one part of my job. Yes, it is the most visible but there are many, many other things I do and my work does consume 12 months out of the year (even when I'm only paid for 11 of them).
There is always prep, which includes research (identifying what should be taught based on the latest literature). Of course, there is marking, resits, special classes, along with a host of general administrative tasks which need to be done.
While it is possible for someone to work less than I do, it is only possible by producing lower quality, quickly outdated content for the students.
So, in short, I do not believe teachers work only 9 months out of the year. Those in the US might only work 9 months and take 3 months off but that is more related to the lack of appreciation (and sadly the lack of pay) for the efforts that go into properly educating the next generation.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: In the Netherlands, I get paid 14 months (one of those is called “holiday allowance” and another one is called “end-of-year bonus”). One way or the other, it's a fiction, the most relevant comparison is between yearly income. Whether it's excessive or not is an entirely different question.
Academics are not the only ones to have a regular salary, paid holidays or flexible time. What sets them apart is that there is relatively little oversight compared to many occupations. To some extent, you can show up, read, write, etc. whenever you decide. And you do get two to three months without many concrete obligations or schedule constraints.
Note that at my university (and I guess at many places), you have to officially take holidays and you “only” get about 6 weeks (a couple weeks more than the mandatory legal minimum). During the rest of the summer, you are supposed to work and account for your time in the usual ways.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: ```
"Why do academics work only nine months of the year?"
```
As pointed out, we don't. I work year-round; for instance, this summer, I revised an online course that was introduced in Spring 2014 at my university. Without being paid. (However, the paycheck issues mentioned elsewhere might make this last sentence "not quite true".)
```
"Why don't you work 40 hours a week?"
```
Working is not just teaching. There's also:
preparation for class ("what will I talk about today, and how will I do it?"),
creating preparation materials (the PPT Fairy doesn't create Powerpoint presentations),
responding to emails (homework questions, excuses for absence, policy questions),
choosing homework exercises (you can't use anything from a book that's a few years old, because all the solutions have been worked out and posted somewhere online),
grading tests (at my university, we have graders for homework, but tests we have to do all by ourselves),
and probably a few other things I can't think of off the top of my head.
Final note: I've always respected my high school teachers [well, the good ones; my Phys Ed teacher nicknamed "Bobo" is an obvious exception], but after realizing how much grading they do overnight for more classes than I teach, I have a new-found respect for them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Having been in Academia in both the US and in the Netherlands, I can safely say that academics work the full 12 months and dedicate most of the summer to "real work" (i.e. research) when they are less distracted with teaching responsibilities.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/05 | 953 | 3,747 | <issue_start>username_0: Our law school has (soon to be had) an endowed professorship that was awarded (on a 5-year rotating basis) to a faculty member with an outstanding record of research and scholarship, consistent with the traditional role of endowed professorships and chairs. The money in the endowed fund has grown sufficiently to transform it from a "professorship" into the law school's very first endowed "chair." At the very same meeting that the faculty was informed of this positive development, we were also informed by the University's chief development officer that this new and first chair would be awarded to the dean, not to increase his salary but to augment his administrative line of funds for travel, fundraising, etc.--a move consistent with our university's persistent shift of more and more resources away from faculty and to administration. The endowed professorship--awarded to a faculty member--will expire as soon as the current holder's remaining term ends in two years.
The CDO maintained that it was usual to award the first chair to deans and not to faculty members, a statement that members of the faculty found to be ludicrous.
Is it usual anywhere else for chairs to be used more often for administrative support of the dean rather than to recognize, encourage, and support faculty academic research and scholarship?<issue_comment>username_1: No. What you're seeing is an example of academic politics. An attempt to grab truth before anyone else can argue against it.
Many people who attempt such reptilian measures tend to "double-down" whenever they are questioned. Just persist and you'll see that they back off.
Then take charge. This is the kind of stuff that makes academia look ridiculous.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I have never heard of using an endowed chair to support administrative duties of a dean, but then again, I have never heard of a rotating endowed chair before. Many donors stipulate terms as to what their donations can be used for. It may be that some endowed chairs exist explicitly for supporting deans administrative duties, but I would think this is quite rare. While I would assume that your law school is not breaking any laws, they may be bending them. I would ask the CDO (whatever that is) for some evidence to back up their claim. You could probably gather evidence from within your university and other comparable universities to back up your belief that it is uncommon.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I only know how these things work in the natural sciences at R1 institutions, so my experiences might not be helpful for your institution.
However, at my university, both the current and former deans of natural sciences were given endowed chairs when they arrived: the (former) dean <NAME> (see [here](http://biosciences.rice.edu/facultydetail.aspx?riceid=184636)) is the Schlumberger Chair of Advanced Studies and Research and Professor of BioSciences, and the current dean <NAME> (see [here](http://chemistry.rice.edu/FacultyDetail.aspx?p=E0A3C34EC39EB389)) is the <NAME>. & <NAME> Chair of Chemistry. As you can see from his webpage, Carson continued to run a lab and churn out great research while dean (he finished his position in the spring of 2014), and I expect that the same will be true for Rossky (he just arrived and doesn't have much of a web presence at Rice, but [here](http://www.cm.utexas.edu/peter_rossky) is his former webpage). So it is not necessarily nefarious -- to hire really top-notch scientists into administrative positions, you have to offer them things.
But of course I have no idea what is going on at your university, and it could very well be a power play by the administration.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/06 | 2,368 | 10,468 | <issue_start>username_0: The two journals I am considering for my paper each demand that the paper be submitted exclusively to their journal for consideration.
What do I win if I don’t keep this rule?
* If I get rejected by both, I will have found out earlier that the paper is not worthy of publication.
* If I get accepted by one of the journals, this is very good. I will have found out faster which of the two journals is willing to publish me.
* If I get accepted by both, this is really a dream. I should probably find a reason (excuse) to withdraw the publication from one of them.
In any case how can submitting to two journals negatively impact my reputation more than the gain by being actually accepted? (More so considering I will probably leave academia after my PhD dissertation.)
What can I lose if I don’t adhere to this rule? What sanctions, if any, can I expect?<issue_comment>username_1: 1. It is quite likely that there is an overlap in who gets asked to referee the two submissions, which would lead to the double submission being detected.
2. Double submission of papers is sufficient ground for retraction - even after the paper has been accepted for publication. As some journals publish submission dates with published papers, it is conceivable that your double submission is uncovered after publication - and that you end up with a retraction, ie no published paper.
3. Academic misconduct (and double submission is such) typically is sufficient for dismissal from a PhD program.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: To submit the same material to two journals simultaneously is against the ethics of publishing. When you submit to many journals, you will be specifically asked to verify that your work is not under consideration in another journal. This has to do with copyright. Your paper will be published somewhere and under a specific copyright. If the same paper then appears somewhere else, it will likely be subject to a different copyright. Journals and publisher's therefore look very seriously at such attempts. You may be rejected by both in the end and as was stated in other answers, your reputation will be ruined very quickly.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Just as a note which won't fit in a comment, the use of single submission is wide-spread in the western academy outside of law. Legal academics in the US, on the other hand, are expected to pursue a multiple-submission strategy where they shop their articles to many journals at the same time. There is all sorts of gamesmanship and politicking when it comes to finding one to publish it, which I see as a negative for their publishing environment. Some of their issues are probably also due to the fact that the vast majority of law journals are the so-called "law reviews" which are run and edited by second and third-year law students with little to no faculty input. There is no peer review or blind (single nor double) review.
The standard accusation about this model is that articles are accepted based on author prestige not quality or correctness since third year law students are not experts and cannot evaluate quality. Furthermore, it is often asserted that authors choose their venue based on the highest prestige law review that makes them an offer. As such, there is some brinksmanship around who offers when and how long authors have to accept. As a result of all this, many submitted articles by prestigious professors are not ready for publication and require substantial work with the student editors.
If you'd like to know what it's like to publish in such an environment, there's lots of blogging and literature on the state of legal academic publishing. I think you'd find that since peer review is volunteer and that acceptance happens after all the reviews are conducted, reviewers would dry up. I certainly wouldn't volunteer in an environment where I knew that the article could get yanked out of the journal I reviewed for because it got accepted by a more prestigious one. Single-submission helps prevent the volunteer peer-reviewing model from falling apart.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Simultaneous submission to more than one journal can be lethal to your reputation.
For an example, see [this article](http://publicationethics.org/case/repetitive-duplicate-submission-multiple-journals-and-redundant-publication) from COPE (Committee On Publication Ethics). In that case, the author(s) were effectively blacklisted by all the journals to which they had submitted simultaneously, and the information was made public. Even if you are planning to leave academia, you do not want a reputation of being willing to break the ethical norms in your field. And it is [taken seriously](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021155/).
>
> Editors take this so seriously that they may ban authors from submitting to their journal if they have broken the rules.
>
>
>
As @username_1 noted, double submission may be sufficient to get you dismissed from your PhD program--this is serious academic misconduct. Also, if the double submission is discovered after acceptance, you may well see your paper being retracted. You might thus end up with neither a publication or a doctorate!
Other answers have touched on the reasons *why* you should not submit to more then one journal at once, including the non-trivial consideration of wasting reviewers' time with a submission that you will retract if another journal accepts first. In addition, simultaneous submission to multiple journals [will increase the cost of publishing journals](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021155/), thus increasing the subscription cost for every one of us.
**There are multiple reasons to submit to only one journal at a time, from respect for others' time and effort to consideration of your reputation and future in the field.** As mentioned, the stigma of being perceived to have attempted to cheat the system is so severe that it may well follow you even outside academia. Just don't do it!
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_5: Aside from the ethical problems, I would think that trying to prepare the paper for two publishers simultaneously would be counterproductive, and that the quality of the paper would suffer.
Each journal has different requirements for article length, organization, style, abbreviations, and so forth. Journal requirements may overlap, but a paper prepared for one journal generally requires at least some revision before it's ready to submit to a different journal.
Journals are more likely to publish papers that match the background and interests of their audience. Considering what the audience understands and what bits of knowledge need to be explained rather than assumed is best done for one audience at a time.
Most journals I've worked with require the authors to state (as part of the submission process or in a cover letter) that no part of the article has been published, and that the paper is not under consideration elsewhere.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: Being honorable means striving to meet all the things that are expected of you. It would be dishonorable to game the system as you appear to be contemplating doing.
Be honorable. It's that simple.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: One thing not mentioned yet is that publisher policies typically have a line forbidding multiple submission. For example, Springer's [publishing ethics page](https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/journal-author/journal-author-helpdesk/publishing-ethics/14214) requires that "The manuscript has not been submitted to more than one journal for simultaneous consideration", whie Wiley's [research integrity page](https://authorservices.wiley.com/ethics-guidelines/research-integrity.html) says "The Copyright Transfer Agreement, Exclusive License Agreement or the Open Access Agreement, one of which must be submitted before publication in any Wiley journal, requires signature from the corresponding author to warrant that the article [...] is not being considered for publication elsewhere in its final form."
If you dual submit, you are violating the publisher's policies. If you are detected, there's a chance you'll be blacklisted by the publisher (not just the journal), which will close *all* the publisher's journals to you.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_8: It certainly *is* in your best interest, otherwise there would be no need to prevent you from doing so. As far as I can tell, it seems like an edict against simultaneous *publication* somehow turned into an axiom that simultaneous *submission* is deeply unethical. It is not. (If others have more insight into this history, I'd love to know more!) It is not unethical for you to have your work under consideration at more than one journal, and it's certainly not "a crime." Arguments to the contrary tend to hinge on one of two things:
1. That it raises the cost of the journal. I do not work work in a field that pays its reviewers. If you do, perhaps this argument has more merit. In most disciplines, however, review is volunteer work. It does not raise the cost of the journal.
2. If it doesn't raise the cost of the journal, then the argument is that you are wasting people's time. You are not. If I receive an article I have seen before, I can submit the same review and be done with peer review for the day. Copy-paste is there, and it does not waste my time.
My personal belief is that it is unethical to prevent simultaneous submission. People are precariously employed. Others are on a 5-year tenure clock. It is deeply wrong to waste *their* time sitting on an article for months before telling them you are not interested. Sure. If your reviewers suggested minor revisions and you really want to publish the piece, you can ask the author to withdraw it from consideration elsewhere. But, at the very least, the initial outset should allow simultaneous submission.
I am not surprised that law reviews tend to operate this way. Those journals are obviously interested in ethics and legal considerations (it's one of their fields!), and their conclusion is that simultaneous submissions should be allowed. I agree. Unfortunately, you will risk offending people and possibly being "blacklisted." Then again, I have to wonder if this is an urban myth. I have heard about people being punished for simultaneous submissions, but I have never actually seen it happen...
Upvotes: -1 |
2014/09/06 | 882 | 3,879 | <issue_start>username_0: Currently, I am a PhD student from material science and I wish to become a TT professor in the future. When submitting papers, we see an option to submit it in arxiv and it seems to me that the acceptance to the arxiv would probably be much faster than usual journal. I want to ask if publishing articles in arxiv instead of usual journals would make my career less promising or not.... thank you:)<issue_comment>username_1: Submitting a paper to arXiv.org is not equivalent to publishing. There is no peer-review process and no acceptance (well, apart from a lax moderation policy).
The arXiv is a preprint server. It is not good practice to upload documents that you do not intend to submit (at least in my research area).
It will look rather suspicious if you have only a string of arXiv papers in your CV that have not been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal of good standing.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: No, you shouldn't just submit to the arXiv instead of journals.
Articles in the arXiv are not considered published in the traditional sense, and they are not peer reviewed. In fields that use the arXiv, papers are typically submitted there and to a journal (but you can do this only if the journal's policies permit it, so you should check if you aren't sure). The role of the arXiv is then to provide access to preprints before publication and "green open access" to published papers.
You don't have to submit an arXiv paper for publication, and occasionally people use it to distribute papers they don't intend to publish (and for which they aren't looking for publication credit). But you should be careful to avoid getting a reputation for putting mediocre papers on the arXiv.
There have been a few high-profile cases of great arXiv papers that were never published, like Perelman's work on the Poincaré conjecture. However, you can't get away with that when starting an academic career (unless you are revolutionizing your field). If you just submit papers to the arXiv and not to journals or conferences, it will destroy your career. They will count for far less than published papers, and search committees will wonder about all sorts of explanations. Are you profoundly eccentric? Do you have no idea how academic careers work? Are your papers just not good enough for journals? Is there something you are hoping nobody finds out via peer review (e.g., that you plagiarized or rediscovered something already known)? Basically, everyone will make uncharitable negative assumptions, in addition to considering the papers themselves as worth less.
The question you've asked is a perfectly reasonable thing to wonder about, but I find it a little alarming that you've basically proposed career suicide with no indication that your advisor has warned you. This suggests that talking with your advisor more about career issues could be helpful, or attempting to find another mentor if your advisor is not so helpful. Academic career paths can be narrow and demanding, and good advice is essential.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: As the other posters have suggested, you should not rely exclusively on arXiv uploads as "publications."
However, if I understood your question correctly, the arXiv "option" is not an option to publish *instead of*, but rather *in addition to*, your submission. In effect, many journals allow you to upload to public repositories like arXiv while *simultaneously* submitting the article for consideration to the journal. For example, all of the [APS](http://journals.aps.org) and [AIP journals](http://journals.aip.org) allow for this option. This allows you to reach readers who may be interested in your journal but who do not have access to those journals for whatever reason. This can be a very effective strategy for maximizing "views" of your article.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/06 | 1,001 | 4,019 | <issue_start>username_0: I completed a BA in philosophy, but then my interests changed and I did a BSc in mathematics. I am currently finishing my MSc in mathematics and applying for a PhD in maths. I have the following questions:
1. Does the fact that my very first degree was in philosophy put me at a disadvantage in terms of applying for a PhD? Could it potentially be interpreted as a sign of indecision or inadequate motivation?
2. Should I refer to my philosophy degree at all in my personal statement? Does my change of academic interests call for an explanation, or is it better to leave it out?<issue_comment>username_1: The way I see it (but I am not in any admissions committee), the career choice that you did being 18 should have very little impact now. At that age, most people are immature.
For me, having those two degrees tells me:
* You have had the persistence to finish the Philosophy degree, even knowing that that was not your cup of tea; and then pursue your real desire.
* You have the flexibility to work on very different intellectual environments.
* Your experience is broader than most people that start their Maths degree at 18. Also, you are in Mathematics after a concious decision, and it was revalidated when you pursued a MSc, and now applying for a PhD.
In any case, I think you should absolutely mention it, otherwise you would have a 3 years gap to explain. Having been studying is definitely better than doing nothing.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Let me add on to [username_1's answer above](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/28106/15723). The major issue is that you're **not** switching from philosophy to mathematics at this stage; you already made the switch a long time ago. As far as the graduate schools are concerned, you will be evaluated *as a mathematics major would be*.
If you believe your study of philosophy will help make a case for your admission as a mathematics graduate student, then you should mention that in your statement of purpose. However, you need not obsess over it; no one will say that you're unable to pursue graduate studies in math just because you started out in philosophy.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I must say I find this question quite odd in light of the two undergraduate degrees you have: philosophy and mathematics. They have been linked for thousands of years, and some of the most prominent mathematicians of the past two hundred years were philosophers. And some of the most prominent philosophers were also mathematicians. They have gone hand-in-hand for a really long time.
<NAME>, author of *the* textbook on mathematical logic, Computability and Logic (I'd be surprised if you hadn't used it during your undergraduate studies), started out with a degree in mathematics from Harvard, did a masters at Oxford in philosophy and mathematics, and particularly the philosophy of mathematics, and went on to do a PhD in philosophy at MIT.
People like <NAME>, one of the most famous philosophers alive, have made major contributions to mathematics even *outside* of the philosophy of mathematics. Putnam published major works on the Boolean satisfiability problem and Hilbert's tenth problem, for instance.
Another prominent mathematician, <NAME>, is also a philosopher.
While certainly there are not a lot of Fields or Abel winners who are philosophers, there is no doubt that the two fields compliment each other immensely.
More relevant is the fact that there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that there is *no way* having an undergraduate degree in philosophy could somehow negatively impact your application. It can *only* improve it in universities where they understand the links between the fields, and in departments where it doesn't, it's going to have no impact at all given you also have a masters in mathematics.
I must say that I am surprised, however, that someone considering doing a PhD in Mathematics would be so oblivious to the obvious, though.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/06 | 1,011 | 4,103 | <issue_start>username_0: This [answer of mine](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/28053/929), in which I advocate listing internal funding of your PhD studies on your CV, is not well liked. When evaluating potential post docs for my lab, I am interested in if the applicant is going to be competitive for external funding. I take self funding a PhD as being an indication that the applicant was unable to obtain external funding. I give applicants who were funded internally by a department or someone else's grant a big pass since the need for external funding was absent. Is the no funding/internal funding distinction important for a potential post doc supervisor to know? If not why?<issue_comment>username_1: The way I see it (but I am not in any admissions committee), the career choice that you did being 18 should have very little impact now. At that age, most people are immature.
For me, having those two degrees tells me:
* You have had the persistence to finish the Philosophy degree, even knowing that that was not your cup of tea; and then pursue your real desire.
* You have the flexibility to work on very different intellectual environments.
* Your experience is broader than most people that start their Maths degree at 18. Also, you are in Mathematics after a concious decision, and it was revalidated when you pursued a MSc, and now applying for a PhD.
In any case, I think you should absolutely mention it, otherwise you would have a 3 years gap to explain. Having been studying is definitely better than doing nothing.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Let me add on to [username_1's answer above](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/28106/15723). The major issue is that you're **not** switching from philosophy to mathematics at this stage; you already made the switch a long time ago. As far as the graduate schools are concerned, you will be evaluated *as a mathematics major would be*.
If you believe your study of philosophy will help make a case for your admission as a mathematics graduate student, then you should mention that in your statement of purpose. However, you need not obsess over it; no one will say that you're unable to pursue graduate studies in math just because you started out in philosophy.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I must say I find this question quite odd in light of the two undergraduate degrees you have: philosophy and mathematics. They have been linked for thousands of years, and some of the most prominent mathematicians of the past two hundred years were philosophers. And some of the most prominent philosophers were also mathematicians. They have gone hand-in-hand for a really long time.
<NAME>, author of *the* textbook on mathematical logic, Computability and Logic (I'd be surprised if you hadn't used it during your undergraduate studies), started out with a degree in mathematics from Harvard, did a masters at Oxford in philosophy and mathematics, and particularly the philosophy of mathematics, and went on to do a PhD in philosophy at MIT.
People like <NAME>, one of the most famous philosophers alive, have made major contributions to mathematics even *outside* of the philosophy of mathematics. Putnam published major works on the Boolean satisfiability problem and Hilbert's tenth problem, for instance.
Another prominent mathematician, <NAME>, is also a philosopher.
While certainly there are not a lot of Fields or Abel winners who are philosophers, there is no doubt that the two fields compliment each other immensely.
More relevant is the fact that there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that there is *no way* having an undergraduate degree in philosophy could somehow negatively impact your application. It can *only* improve it in universities where they understand the links between the fields, and in departments where it doesn't, it's going to have no impact at all given you also have a masters in mathematics.
I must say that I am surprised, however, that someone considering doing a PhD in Mathematics would be so oblivious to the obvious, though.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/06 | 4,748 | 20,512 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD student in Europe and I am in the state of permanent crisis because of my PhD supervisor. He is a very nice person, who is very active with public engagement, very successful at grant applications and all that. But the problem is, it turns out he does not know the subject. Now I realize this is a very arrogant thing to say. However, for a very long time I refused to believe it and thought that there was some problem with me. Now all evidence (corroborated by others) shows that he really is incompetent. He somehow manages to pull it off, getting on other people's papers and so on.
The fact that this takes place in Europe is significant: I had to choose someone from the start of my PhD and the time is extremely limited. Also, I am not sure, but I have an impression that you will not be able to get funded, if you quit your PhD and start over. Is this so? Also, there is a *very* small number of people doing similar things around and none in the same institution. Additionally, it seems very likely, that no one would support a rebellion (i.e. switching a supervisor), because of politics.
I have a very good track record, I finished at a top American university with very high grades, and most importantly I do want to do research. So this situation makes me very unhappy. I can't see any way out, but maybe there is someone who can? I will consider changing the field somewhat (but not too radically) and starting over, but it seems like the funding will most definitely not be available. Or maybe it will?<issue_comment>username_1: Switching from one thesis supervisor to another is hardly a "rebellion". In fact it's a fairly common thing: in my own PhD program it seems to happen roughly 5-10% of the time. (In institutions with a higher rate of faculty turnover, it is probably more common.) And switching advisors is *much* easier than any form of "starting over a PhD". You should definitely look into this: starting by identifying some other faculty member in your program that you think would be a more suitable supervisor, and see if they are amenable to research-related discussions.
Your claim that your advisor "really is incompetent" is disturbing. I am a bit skeptical of it: not necessarily through arrogance, graduate students often have unrealistic ideas about faculty knowledge. If you walk into my office and ask me a question about something, maybe I can answer it right away and maybe I can't. But if I can't it might still be in one of my papers! Being an expert is much more about knowing how to find out important information / solve problems eventually than about what can be summoned at a moment's notice. In general I feel like I am fairly helpful in providing information to others in a professional context, but I have had the experience of people who for whatever reason simply don't wait a reasonable amount of time for me to answer their question. I remember one person in particular who would ask me a question cold, and after less than a minute of my thinking about it, he would say "Never mind" and move on to something else. That was rather frustrating: what kind of question is important enough to deliberately ask someone else yet not important enough to wait a few minutes for a good response?
Another point is that there are levels of expertise. Most faculty members are regional, national or global experts on *something*; but that thing or things may not be what they are teaching in all their courses or even what they want their students to work on. One of the hard parts of the advisor/student relationship is to find a topic of mutual interest in which the advisor's expertise is strong and can be appropriately conveyed to the student. Oftentimes this requires some patience and several tries: most of my students have not written their thesis on the first thing I suggested to them.
Anyway, though I may not want to, I have to admit the possibility that there are truly incompetent faculty members supervising PhD students. That sucks. If you feel this way about your advisor that's more than enough reason to look for a new advisor. But I think that in practice you should keep this to yourself as a reason for switching, at least until your thesis is approved and you are ready to move on to your new job. To have an incompetent tenured professor is only possible through some alarming combination of enabling / incompetence / total lack of contact or oversight on the part of the other faculty in the department. Fixing that kind of problem is above your pay grade.
**Added**: Though switching to a different faculty member in your department is easiest, it need not be the best choice: there may or may not be another suitable advisor in your current department. It's quite possible to transfer from one PhD program to another: doing so need not be (and probably will not be, unless you promote it this way yourself) a failure or rebellion. If you have only been in your current program for a year or two, you could plausibly start fresh elsewhere. If it's been more than that, you may want to look into the possibility of arriving at another program with advanced standing, up to "ABD status". Also, (especially) if you are American and studying in Europe, maybe consider coming back to the US, especially if that's part of your post-PhD plans. I mention that because coming back to your native country provides a sort of implicit explanation for your change of programs: many fewer questions will be asked of you.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Adding a student's perspective to [Pete's answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/28112/15723):
My advisor told me at the being of my master thesis, that soon I would know more about my particular area of research than him. At the time I didn't believe a word he said, but at our third meeting I was already explaining stuff to him and by the fifth I started to feel irritated that I had to explain stuff to him which I didn't have to explain to his PhD student whom I collaborated with.
But then I realised that I worked on this topic all day every day, my collaborator worked on a related topic and discussed my research with me several times a week but my advisor only got to spend time on this topic every other week when we met with him, because he had plenty of other students to advise in the meantime and also had his own research, teaching and some administration to do.
So from the sixth meeting on it became a habit for me to open the meeting with a quick catch up on my topic and my progress before diving into the details. And from that meeting on I always got great advice from him.
I think you need to think about whether you have given your advisor a fair chance to help you when you were stuck and whether he has been able to help in that regard, because that's his job and knowing all the details about your current topic is your job.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: It's true that switching advisers might be difficult, especially within the same department. There are a few other options:
* Make do and finish your PhD nonetheless. Remember a PhD is supposed to be an open-ended research work on a challenging topic. It means that many things are not going to work, that the end result cannot be perfect and, importantly, that your adviser cannot hold your hand and lead you to a guaranteed solution like instructors in bachelor or master courses. It's difficult to judge how serious the situation is from the outside but some level of frustration is quite common and you do need to manage your expectations (if your adviser has time for you and is happy to sign off on your work, you are in a better position than many PhD candidates…).
* Seek a secondary adviser. For better or for worse, it's actually quite common for professors to oversee theses on a broad range of subjects and exercise only minimal supervision, relying on junior colleagues to deal with the details. In some cases, the secondary adviser can also be a full-professor at another university. Ideally, he or she should complement the first one and help deal with some specific aspect of the topic the latter knows less well. This could help you get guidance on some important aspect of your work you feel your current adviser is not competent to deal with. But do clear that first with him before approaching others.
* Switch adviser. Yes, it's difficult and politics often make it almost impossible within the same institution but it's not unheard of. If things look very dire, think about switching country. I know someone from Germany who rescued her thesis that way. The way she explained it, things went very bad with her previous adviser and she would not have been able to defend at her university or to switch advisers. But a professor at my university thought the work was good and took over the thesis almost at the end, asking for about 6 months of work to correct and add various things.
* Start over. It might be somewhat more difficult to get hired (or not) but it's not the case that it would be impossible to get funded Europe-wide. Here again, if some country-specific regulation regarding grants complicates things, consider going to another country. As noted by Pete, going back to the US is also an option and would be easier to explain later on.
You can also seek advice from other people at your university. There might be a research coordinator, a PhD “coach” or councilor or some HR person whose role is to help in those situations. But whatever you do, be very careful how you present things: “my adviser is incompetent” might not go well.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Actually you are asking two different questions:
1. The supervisor is not good, for whatever reason. So how to change the supervisor, in a political oriented office environment.
2. The research area is and its potential contributions are all on you (few people are doing it around), and with addition to the 'bad' supervisor what can you do, such as large number of publications for better future in research (find a postdoc, academic, etc.)
So here are my answer to that:
1. Let me give you the benefit of the doubt. Some academics are in fact horrible mentors. Lets face it, being an academic means the person has large number of publications and good networking here and there. Also their job doesn't require to be 'nice'. They can close their doors and don't really supervise, act like crazy person, but as long as they have large number of publications, with the name of the university on the top of it; they will be praised. So here what I do:
1. Talk to your supervisor, and express your unhappiness. Tell him/her this is not what you are expecting. He does not supervise in the area of his/her expertise, and therefore not suitable for you.
2. Talk to the head of research group, or the person in charge, and express your unhappiness about your supervisor.
3. All the universities have human resources. You go there and tell them, you need to change your supervisor; and you talked to him/her and the head of the group; but nothings seems to change.
2. This is the tricky one! Some supervisors get a PhD student, and want them to be a postdoc (independent researchers). Now that you already started your PhD, with some effort, you can change a little, the direction of the research; but stick to the same area. For example, if I'm doing a research about security in software systems, and all the other PhD students around me are doing research in the area of database; I can change the focus of my PhD to the security in the database systems, and write my thesis about it. Remember, you are the one that will defend your thesis, in whatever area you want it to be.
Good luck.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Oh wow! I've seen other MSc students in that situation - they arrived at college and felt the course wasn't what the were expecting. I've been in that exact same political situation in my PhD (one minute I was publishing papers and cruising across the edge of space like a SR-71, next minute I find myself shot down because someone else felt I had invaded their airspace).
Your university should have a PhD course councilor. That's the first person to talk to, in order to explore your options. Many universities now require that each PhD student has two supervisors to make the thesis stronger, and to avoid any problems due to "sudden departure" by a single member of staff. Perhaps you can suggest this. You could also try to see if you can adjust the direction of your thesis to suit your needs. My supervisor had a preference for tried and tested technology - crufty bits of code out of 1970's coding cookbooks. I let him direct my work in this direction even though I could see the rest of the industry was moving onto cloud computing, parallel processing and GPU's. My external examiner then asked why I hadn't used any of those technologies.
The purpose of completing a PhD is to demonstrate that you have creativity, can keep up with the rest of industry, see where things are going wrong, think up ways that they could be improved or fixed, evaluate them systematically, and convince others logically and tactfully that this is the correct direction to take. So if you have a feeling if something isn't going right, you have to tell someone.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: I have not even completed MS so I can't predict the detailed experience of a PhD student but before changing your supervisor, please give it a second thought.
>
> I had to choose someone from the start of my PhD and the time is extremely limited.
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You admit that you have limited time span for PhD completion and most it has already finished. Selecting some other supervisor, creating a mutual understanding and good working relationship, and completing your work atleast at the same pace at which you are working will most probably consume the time left and you may not be able to complete your thesis in the given duration.
Now lets assume, the time limit has exceeded, you'll have to face financial pressures as well in addition to the actual workload. You may get financial assistance (if you are lucky enough) but what if you don't get it? You'll have to work for managing your finances. Obviously, you'll need some time for it, which means your concentration will be divided between your job for managing expenses and your research work. Feeling bored, tired and depressed is very common among graduate students so even if you think you are really happy and contended (which you don't seem to be), with the passage of time you'll get more and more frustrated with the time your PhD is taking to be completed. So in short things will most probably get worse. (At this point i can be called a pessimist :) but still all this is possible to happen)
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> He is a very nice person, who is very active with public engagement, very successful at grant applications and all that.
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>
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So you are actually satisfied with the non-technical/social side of your supervisor and the major (if not only) reason for dissatisfaction is his lack of technical expertise. Lets assume, you manage to somehow change your supervisor (even without facing any political issue). What if the new supervisor is technically very sound but is non-technically too rude, proud and arrogant; not very social, takes too much time to respond to your queries, is not very good at public engagements, not really good at grant applications and so on.
You'll most probably start comparing the two supervisors in each and every single thing that happens to you. There is a big chance that you'll start missing the old one and will find some other problems in the new one. You'll regret your decision and will want to go back but most probably you won't be able to due all those financial, time, ego and politics related issues. If you continue going on in the same nostalgic mood, you'll start comparing the students/researchers working under the two supervisors and you'll probably find the better ones working with your old supervisor. In short, chances are there that you'll feel more depressed and frustrated that you are right now.
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> But the problem is, it turns out he does not know the subject
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It may be just a wrong assumption. I totally agree with the well explained response of @Sumyrda and @username_1
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> Now all evidence (corroborated by others) shows that he really is incompetent.
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Don't be misguided and confused. Every one has his own opinion about the same thing and can have different experience based on his/her mindset, psychology, behavior etc. Being a student, i can easily say that there are very few students in the whole world who'll proudly say that their supervisor is actually a good one. Most students are dissatisfied by their supervisor due to one reason or the other.
At this point, you must use your own experience only to decided about your supervisor. Don't try to judge your supervisor in terms of the experience of "OTHERS". He/she may not be considered a good supervisor by everyone else in the world but still there is a chance that he/she prove to be the best supervisor for you or vice versa.
I may be wrong but i think that when you started working with this supervisor you were happy. You started expecting a lot from your supervisor and he/she was unable to meet your expectations. In the meanwhile, you tried to convince yourself that everything is fine. If in case any thing is wrong, its with you. Then at a later stage, you started discussing it with your fellows. They shared their experiences with you and you started making opinions based on their stories. Please don't be judgmental about your supervisor. He/she may actually not be that bad.
Even if he/she is, no one in this world is perfect. Every one has some strengths as well as weaknesses and we need to accept this fact. Your new supervisor will not be perfect as well. Strengths and weaknesses may vary but they'll be there.
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> He somehow manages to pull it off, getting on other people's papers and so on.
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It seems that he tries his best to satisfy (but may be unfortunately he is not successful in his efforts). What if he or your supposedly new supervisor is least bothered and does not even try? You'll have to live and work even in that situation. At the end of the day, its your work and your job. No one else can live your life. *"Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else"*- <NAME>
You are going to be a PhD soon and you should not expect spoon feeding from your supervisor like a FYP student. Its your field of specialization not you supervisor's so you should know more about it than him (and you'll definitely know more). Getting on other's papers is fine because no one is expert of everything.
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> Additionally, it seems very likely, that no one would support a rebellion (i.e. switching a supervisor), because of politics.
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This part is actually serious (although most fellows here will probably won't take it seriously and ideally it shouldn't be). But lets assume you are right that your supervisor and department suffer from organizational politics etc. Changing your supervisor would really harm you. If you manage to change your supervisor (taking care of time limitations, financial, administrative and departmental issues) but your supervisor(both new and old one) are in the same department or even in same university. In such a case, you can't surely assume that you'll never see him again. If you'll have to interact with him, what level of interaction would it be? Based on this interaction, you can decide the consequences.
**Last but not the least**, have you actually considered alternate PhD supervisors available for switching? Does their research interest match exactly with what your work requires? What kind of guarantee can you provide yourself that your new supervisor would be technically more strong and overall better than the current one. Even if you have enough time, finance and every other relevant thing, you can't spend the whole life experiencing supervisors for PhD. Currently you are experiencing Mr. A, left him, went to Mr. B, worked with him and realized he is no better than Mr. A or is even worst than A, then what would you do? Coming back to A or finding some Mr. C would definitely be not possible
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/06 | 1,159 | 4,936 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm curious about today's focus on external funding versus that of the past.
In Mathematics anyway, it seems that the quality of a researcher is increasingly being measured in dollars of external funding rather than by some other, more idealistic measure. That means that pure mathematics, for instance, seems to be much less valued than "fundable" mathematics.
Do any veterans have any perspective on what seems like a changing climate? Are things really different today than they were 20 years ago with regard to the importance of obtaining funding for ones research?<issue_comment>username_1: When I was in the Netherlands, a group at the university needed about 450,000 euros to fund a PhD student. If the money is not coming from the university either indirectly from the government or other revenue sources, then the money needs to be secured by the faculty themselves.
In the US, the story is similar, but the costs may vary. In short, academia is not cheap and someone has to pay for it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I agree that there is more pressure nowadays to get funding in areas like pure math in which it's valuable but not mandatory for doing great work. It's still entirely possible to make an argument along the lines of "Sure, Alice doesn't get much funding, but look how wonderful her papers are," but it's slowly getting harder.
The short answer as to why this is happening is World War II plus inertia. Here's a longer answer:
The first thing to keep in mind is that grant funding is on average genuinely good for universities, because the overhead rate paid to the university is often higher than any extra costs imposed on the university. All other things being equal, it makes sense to prefer to hire faculty who can get funding, because they are subsidizing the infrastructure for everyone else (e.g., libraries and internet access). Of course, all other things are rarely truly equal, and I wouldn't advocate for giving grant funding much weight, but there's a reasonable argument for giving it nonzero weight.
There's also a temptation to use funding as a simple numerical measure of popularity. Universities should serve the public, and it's clear that people are much more eager to fund work in some topics than others. It's not crazy to take that into account in university decisions. However, if taken too far I feel it's an abdication of our responsibility for intellectual leadership.
But why do these things seem to be changing in recent decades? Universities are generally conservative and slow to change, so it's always worth looking for an explanation of any movement, and in this case I think it's World War II.
Most funding agencies were set up in the aftermath of the war (e.g., the U.S. National Science Foundation dates back to 1950), and the whole tradition of large-scale government funding of research didn't even exist until then. How academic leaders reacted to it was based on their personal history, and academic inertia meant the changes were slow in coming. Some of the effects are still surfacing now.
Let's divide things up into academic generations since World War II, giving each generation a twenty year time span to displace the previous one. Here are my impressions of what happened for cheap or theoretical areas in which funding is not essential to do good work (I'm sure things were very different in big science):
1. The senior faculty of Generation 1 (1945-1965) were strongly influenced by pre-war traditions. They had never dreamt of making hiring decisions based on external funding and weren't about to start doing so now. They were suspicious of how wisely the funding would be allocated, and they saw no reason to think these agencies were even going to continue indefinitely in their present form.
2. Those in Generation 2 (1965-1985) had still been brought up to be skeptical of paying more attention to funding track records than necessary. However, they were getting more comfortable with the funding agencies and starting to wonder about how grants could or should be taken into account. I believe this is the point at which listing grant funding on your CV became mainstream in pure mathematics.
3. The senior faculty in Generation 3 (1985-2005) went further and began taking funding information into account in ways that would have scandalized Generation 1. If you didn't list grants on your CV, the dean might now complain about it. But there was still a sense that this was somehow shallow and historically new.
4. Generation 4 seems to be taking the trend still further and normalizing it.
Of course this is all vastly oversimplified, and no serious history can be conveyed in a few paragraph-long sketches (even if I were an expert). However, the key phenomenon is real: the funding landscape was revolutionized after World War II, and academic traditions have slowly been adapting to this fact.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/06 | 1,304 | 5,731 | <issue_start>username_0: Often in a Calculus or Linear Algebra class, my students may ask - when am I ever going to use this? The answer I try to give them is "You're not. And that's totally OK. But you do need to learn how to think logically and solve problems. Mathematics provides a safe place to learn these thinking skills."
But increasingly, the focus of the students is still "Is this going to be on the test?"
They seem unhappy when questions they haven't seen before end up on the test. My thought is that if they learn the process for solving problems, then they should know how to approach a new (but similar) problem.
I'm not interested in seeing them regurgitate facts, but I want them to develop their thinking skills and use them to solve new problems. This often causes backlash. I get it - learning how to think is harder than memorizing facts.
How do I effectively communicate that it's not the individual questions or ideas that are important, but it's the learning and thinking processes that are key?<issue_comment>username_1: I disagree with your fundamental premise: that the concepts *won't* be used, and therefore the main benefit of learning calculus is to hone a student's problem-solving skills.
Many engineering problems *do* require an understanding of calculus. Perhaps not all your students are destined to be engineers or physicists, but, if you explain that there are people who *do* need and use this knowledge to advance in their career field and solve real-world problems, you might get them to sit up and realize they aren't trudging through their homework as a mere academic exercise. Fact is, some of these courses are taught to freshmen and sophomores because they *will* need those problem-solving skills as juniors and seniors – not just to know how to solve a problem, but to also understand the underlying theory and mathematics. If all the students in a particular demographic will never use calculus in the future, then they probably don't need to take calculus now.
I'd try to find some real-world problems that require the knowledge taught in your course to solve. Perhaps that might spark an interest and help students realize that the are not just solving integrals for integrals' sake.
If I was at your university, and I taught an upper-level engineering course in heat transfer or thermodynamics, I'd be disappointed to learn that my students' calculus teacher thought the main reason to teach my engineers calculus was to provide a "safe place" for them to "learn how to think logically and solve problems."
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: While it's indeed likely that many of your students will not extensively use the material they learn in your class, it may not be encouraging to them to hear that they won't use it. And indeed, they do learn important critical thinking skills, but they may be wondering what is special about the sort of critical thinking in calculus and linear algebra that they couldn't get out of another course.
In this vein, one solution may be to present real-world examples of how calculus and linear algebra are used today, get the students involved as you present, and *relate the topic to the students' lives*.
For instance, after you present a basic optimization example (maximize fence perimeter given the area it contains) you might present a slightly more complicated problem [(building a window of a particular shape that maximizes the amount of light coming through with a fixed amount of building material, for instance)](http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/CalcI/MoreOptimization.aspx), and get the class involved in trying to solve the problem. Ask them what's different about it, maybe have them briefly discuss a strategy with the person next to them. (This is not usually done in a large class, but at least one very popular professor at my school does this in his large classes.)
Continuing with the example of optimization, there's a great topic on matheducators.stackexchange about real-life optimization problems [here](https://matheducators.stackexchange.com/a/1561). In particular, I've linked to a problem that video-game players might find to be really cool and related to their everyday lives. Of course, it may also help to branch out and briefly discuss some current, advanced applications of calculus and linear algebra. An excellent example where ideas from calculus and linear algebra are essential is the story of how [UPS route optimization involves the minimization of left turns](http://www.sus-bus.com/ups-route-optimization/). This last example might inspire a lively discussion in your classes, because it shows how calculus and linear algebra can trump everyday intuition... and how pushing beyond a basic understanding can lead to new, interesting ideas! (I'm sure if you asked students in class, they could come up with reasons for why UPS's strategy might make sense.)
On the other hand, some students might not be moved by industry applications and might benefit from seeing mathematics as the kind of "safe place" you suggest where perfect formulations lead to perfect results. Strogatz has some interesting words [in a Math Horizons article](http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/horizons/strogatz_feb14.pdf) about the importance of enabling others to experience the beauty of math, and he provides a great example of why math is beautiful. I also just found a [TED talk discussing the use of calculus in some parts of modern architecture](https://www.ted.com/talks/greg_lynn_on_organic_design). Though this last one is admittedly again an industry application, it at least sheds some light about how aesthetics and mathematics can interact in interesting ways.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/07 | 1,037 | 4,499 | <issue_start>username_0: Instructors can use reflective teaching to analyze their teaching, in the hope that they can improve their course for subsequent terms. If a teacher focused on insuring that all students earned A's, would that bring about unintended negative consequences.
Here are some examples:
* If some students did not earn an A because they failed to understand some material, the teacher would attempt try harder in the next term to explain this material more clearly and to also identify or correct the course readings.
* If some students did not earn an A because they were uninterested and unmotivated, the teacher should try harder to make the lessons more interesting.
Assume that students only earn an A by demonstrating that they have achieved the course goals, the teacher never lowers their standards for what is an A, and students not made aware of this goal, would such an "all A's from everyone" focus create any intended problems?<issue_comment>username_1: No, there are no negative consequences.
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The key is this sentence right here:
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> Assume that students only earn an A by demonstrating that they have
> achieved the course goals
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That being the case, grading becomes evaluating the following:
*If everyone in the class is able to do everything that they **should** be able to do... mission accomplished*
---
*Edit*: I teach pilots how to land airplanes safely. Students only earn an A by demonstrating that they have achieved course goals (they land the plane), and I never lower my standards for anyone (you don't get an A unless you land safely). As for the third criteria, I don't make students explicitly aware of my goal, but let's face it, it's implicit in the training.
My argument comes from seven years of personal experience:
* Are there any negative consequences of me making sure that all my students are able to land the plane safely? No.
* Are there any negative consequences of me *not* making sure that all of my students are able to land the plane safely? Yes: flame and then newspaper headlines.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The potential disadvantage is that wanting every student to get the top grade results in the teacher spending all their time with the weaker students. The stronger students, who can get an A without extra help, don't get stretched and find the course dull and unmotivating. Thus, the next generation of people who might take the subject farther, even to research level, get switched off and do something else.
You're also assuming that every student is capable of getting the top grade, and they're not. However much time and effort you put in, you will not get the weakest students up to the level of the top grade. Your time and effort are valuable: it doesn't make sense to invest them beyond the point where they've stopped having any effect.
Also, what does it even mean for every student to get an A? If your entire grading system is essentially a single binary decision of "Can do X" versus "Cannot do X", wouldn't a pass/fail system make more sense?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It's not clear to me how a teacher would know whether students missed an A because they "failed to understand some material" or whether they were "uninterested and unmotivated".
If most people are getting an acceptable mark then repeatedly changing the course to try and make it more interesting to a small portion of the class could lead to:
1. actually making the course less interesting to a larger group of people - not everyone will find the same things interesting.
2. making the teacher(s) less capable of teaching the course well since they're now less familiar with the outline.
Also, if a specific course gets a reputation for a high level of As being achieved, it could potentially attract people that want to take the course because they expect an easy A. I don't think that's really much of a problem though, and shouldn't put people off making an interesting and well explained course.
So: while there are probably no real disadvantages to aiming for all students to get an A, a poor implementation has potential disadvantages and if "all students should get an A" becomes some kind of department standard (or maybe even just a personal goal), it has potential to cause stress, annoyance, and low morale as it may be an unobtainable goal for staff to meet.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/07 | 575 | 2,187 | <issue_start>username_0: I saw the PhD transcript of a colleague graduated from a US university. There was no score for the `dissertation`, just stated `Pass` with no effect on the cumulative GPA.
Is it common?
How the dissetation quality controls the final GPA?
Isn't the major academic credit (40 - 60%) of a PhD program its dissertation?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Is it common?
>
>
>
Yes
>
> How the dissertation quality controls the final GPA?
> Isn't the major academic credit (40 - 60%) of a PhD program its dissertation?
>
>
>
The quality of the dissertation has no impact on the final GPA because **nobody cares about the PhD GPA**.
The only real indicator of the quality of a PhD student's work is the research he/she produced over the course of the PhD, which can't be reduced in a meaningful way to a single number.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, this is near-universal in the United States. Dissertations are not graded, and the GPA includes only course grades.
For the most part, people do not care about course grades in Ph.D. programs once you've completed your dissertation. The GPA is understood to refer only to courses, so the GPA is also not considered important. In particular, it is not viewed as a summary score for the whole program, but rather only for the initial coursework.
Dissertation quality is measured by reading it, gauging where it was published, or reading letters of recommendation. For any job where the hiring committee cares how good the dissertation was, they will be reading recommendation letters, so there would be little benefit in having a numerical score in addition to the letters.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: It is my (not-well-founded) belief that PhD dissertations are not graded because grading is (or should be considered) essentially foreign to academia, and it is industry, or the commercial world, which has the basic interest in placing people on a unidimensional numeric scale of who's better than whom. It is (somewhat) humiliated to be stamped with a number or grade. When you've made a significant research contribution, you are respected by not being graded any more.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/07 | 686 | 2,802 | <issue_start>username_0: For the problem I am trying to solve,
I considered 2 base algorithms and devised about 30 variations on each.
I then threw about 2 CPU-years and ran a number of simulations to see how they went.
When that completed I drew alot of graphs and came to some conclusions like:
1. Variations of the form `X` do almost exactly as well as the control
2. Variations of the `Y` family can be predicted to have unpredictable (and thus useless) results
3. The `d[1,0*]` variation is great under these conditions
4. The `d[0*]` variation is great under these other conditions
I took the last 2 and made a new algorithm and then tested that and found further useful results.
Now I am going to write my findings up into a paper.
I have 3 kind of results above:
* Points 3,4 (and the subsequent improvements) are interesting and will be the main focus of the paper.
* Points 1, 2, are kind of nonresults. They are failures, they did not produce anything useful.
+ For most it isn't even surprising that they didn't.
+ For others they are a approach by taken on a similar problem in a paper that inspired me to try and solve this related problem.
**So should I comment at all about algorithm variations that were tested and found to not be good?**
**Why/why not?**
Pros I can see:
This would help prevent others, not spend time trying them. I have read that it is a problem that in many disciplines (including this one) "negative results are not published".
Cons I can see:
Takes up space, may confuse reader as to which algorithm is the focus of the paper.
It feels abit weird that of the 2 CPU-years I spent testing these, and the considerable time I spent making the tests, I will only tell the rest of the world **about 5% of my results**.<issue_comment>username_1: You could omit the uninteresting 95% in the peer-review journal version, but include them as an appendix in the arxiv.org version of the paper. That way they're available but you're not forcing anyone to read them...
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Negative results are as interesting, in my opinion, as positive ones. They allow future researches to know what won't work, and prevent them wasting their time (unless they thing you did something wrong- in which case they will try it anyway :-). However, the main paper should probably focus on the positive part, since most researchers have enough to read already and will not care much about the negative results.
In biology at least, it is frequent to mention some negative result and then include "(not shown)". But nowadays with the facilities to add supplementary material there is no reason to not include some proof. I would suggest to include negative results as supplementary material and just mention them in the main manuscript.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/07 | 1,254 | 5,230 | <issue_start>username_0: I spent sometime recently at a HR department of a government company (in the utilities) in the US.
I accidentally found a file that listed out interview outcomes for new applications for a technical position (spreadsheet jockey - nothing fancy)
Out of the 10 applications, 2 of which had a PhD, 1 with a masters degree and the others unknown.
One of the PhD (call him PhD A) had spent considerable time doing research at a university, the other (call him PhD B) just recently finished his PhD program.
The comments to the interview outcomes as follows:
PhD A:
* spent considerable time in university, have academic (not real world) experience
* might have difficulty adjusting to a new environment
* may contribute to discussions
* not likely to be followed up
PhD B:
* fresh out of university, have less experience than PhD A
* research is too narrow
What I found funny is that very few people who actually works at the organization have PhDs (or masters for the junior staff), you'd think they would get a staff rotation just to improve upon their overall knowledge level.
Do you also feel that people with higher degrees are not welcomed with open arm in the job market? Why do you think that is the case? Have you personally faced discrimination or prejudice when applying for a job that is not too academic in nature?<issue_comment>username_1: I think of a PhD as "vocational education for researchers", not as the "highest level of education". So if a company is looking for a researcher then a PhD should be an advantage, but if a company is looking for a "spreadsheet jockey" as in your example then there is a mismatch between the education and the job and a company should take that into account.
On top of that there are large cultural differences between companies and universities. Such differences can lead to frictions, and if you can hire someone without such frictions then that will be an argument.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: It also depends on the type of job someone with a PhD is looking for outside of academia and how strong his or her preference is for "pure" research.
In academia, the focus is usually more on "pure" research where you just need to demonstrate that an idea is viable. You don't need to bring it all the way through to a finished product. In industry, the focus is usually more on development and/or "applied" research where ideas are converted into marketable products or services.
If you have a PhD and have a strong affinity for "pure" research and little experience / interest in applied research or development, and you are applying for a job in an organization that does very little pure research, then it will definitely be a disadvantage. However, if you're applying for a position at a research lab in a big or niche company, then this is probably an advantage.
For example, I work for a company that develops software. If during your PhD, all you did was hack together prototypes for your papers and are not very interested in the end application, then I'm not very interested in hiring you. If, on the other hand, you like the end application and like good software development practices, then having a PhD is a big plus.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: 1. >
> Personally, I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities, we didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college! You don't know what it's like out there! I've *worked* in the private sector. They expect **results**. - *Dr <NAME>, "Ghostbusters"*
>
>
>
Basically, the discrimination is not against someone being an academician. The discrimination is against someone having zero industry job experience - and that includes intangible but important things like different priorities, balances and tradeoffs in academia vs the for-profit workplace. You can do research but produce no results in academia. You can research pretty much anything you want. Doesn't work that way in real company.
In other words, an academician who just got his PhD is treated exactly like a fresh BS graduate - nameley, like a guy with education but no industry exposure. (The difference being that BS analyst level fresh hire isn't paid a lot and doesn't have trust and responsibility in their first job that would have majors consequences because they are unused to "real world" and the needs of the business, so they pose a lot less risk).
An easy way to falsify your theory is to compare the employability and level of interest in someone who has a PhD vs. someone who has a MS or PhD **and** after that worked in the industry for at least a year. Personally, when I do hiring recommendations, no-experience person has no chance by comparison, all other qualifications being equal.
2. In certain cases, having a PhD isn't of any help (doesn't hurt, but it isn't a research position, or even one requiring super-high-IQ).
As such, a PhD would be a hindrance since PhD holder would expect to be compensated higher merely due to holding his degree (since on average, PhD does lend itself to higher pay if you look at labor market statistics). So, why would a company overpay someone for a useless skill/resume point?
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/07 | 669 | 2,609 | <issue_start>username_0: A professor who knows me very well is currently on maternity leave (her baby arrived in late April).
This professor has known me for 4 years (since first semester of undergraduate career) and also advised my undergraduate thesis (2 semesters). In addition I also did an independent study course with her, and she has provided me funding from her own grant money in the past in order to pay for me attending academic conferences.
I am planning to apply to several master's programs, possibly PhD, in addition to other things that require such letters (Teach for America, Summer School, etc.). All of these things require letters of recommendation.
Is it appropriate to ask her for letters of recommendation on her maternity leave, and if so, how should the request be phrased in email?<issue_comment>username_1: **Yes**
I think It would be different if say, you took one or two of her classes. But it sounds like she advised you a great deal, and thus she should have some investment in your educational success. Especially if you have talked about graduate school before. What is important is you give her notice as soon as possible so she can find some time to do it: Having a newborn is no easy job.
I would phrase it as follows:
>
> Dear X *(unless you call her professor, then Professor X, but my
> advisors I call by their first name)*
>
>
> How is your newborn?
>
>
> I realize you are very busy with your maternity leave, but I was
> hoping you might have some time to write me a strong letter of
> recommendation for graduate school. As you might know I am interested
> in ZQR, and your mentorship over my senior thesis has been essential
> to my education.
>
>
> Thank you for your time,
>
>
> user
>
>
>
I'd also like to add that while I was applying to PhD programs, the professor who eventually became my advisor was on maternity leave while I was asking her questions about the lab. In confidence, she enjoyed my emails because having newborns, while a joy most of the time, often lacks the intellectual rigor that most people are accustomed to in their day to day conversations.
My guess is she will be very happy to do this, and somewhat expects you to ask.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It is fine since it doesn't take too much time. However, you should ask the professor very politely. Remember just invite one time, if the professor says no you shouldn't invite anymore and say thanks to conclude the request. Anyway, in such case, it would be better if you are very familiar with the professor.
Upvotes: -1 |
2014/09/07 | 724 | 2,803 | <issue_start>username_0: I am doing my MS thesis on wireless networking, I give the codes from the author of the paper, for some month, after reading his paper and also working on the some aspects of his codes (the implementation of his paper). Now it is the time to create the idea, Can I send him "Do you have any idea which improve some aspects of your paper ? "
would you please give me some advises ? can I ask him or not? how to ask that ? what I should say to him ?
NOTE: my reason for asking him is this: I am sure he knows his codes better than every body, also I am afraid in implementing any idea which do not lead to good result at the end. By the way I do not have lot of time to try and test another ways I mean try and implement one idea with bad result and after that switch to another idea.
UPDATE: If I ask him, "... , that is my idea, what do think about my idea?" what will happen? what is his possible respond?
UPDATE2: The meaning of idea in my question is "HOW TO EXTEND HIS WORK"<issue_comment>username_1: **Yes**
I think It would be different if say, you took one or two of her classes. But it sounds like she advised you a great deal, and thus she should have some investment in your educational success. Especially if you have talked about graduate school before. What is important is you give her notice as soon as possible so she can find some time to do it: Having a newborn is no easy job.
I would phrase it as follows:
>
> Dear X *(unless you call her professor, then Professor X, but my
> advisors I call by their first name)*
>
>
> How is your newborn?
>
>
> I realize you are very busy with your maternity leave, but I was
> hoping you might have some time to write me a strong letter of
> recommendation for graduate school. As you might know I am interested
> in ZQR, and your mentorship over my senior thesis has been essential
> to my education.
>
>
> Thank you for your time,
>
>
> user
>
>
>
I'd also like to add that while I was applying to PhD programs, the professor who eventually became my advisor was on maternity leave while I was asking her questions about the lab. In confidence, she enjoyed my emails because having newborns, while a joy most of the time, often lacks the intellectual rigor that most people are accustomed to in their day to day conversations.
My guess is she will be very happy to do this, and somewhat expects you to ask.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It is fine since it doesn't take too much time. However, you should ask the professor very politely. Remember just invite one time, if the professor says no you shouldn't invite anymore and say thanks to conclude the request. Anyway, in such case, it would be better if you are very familiar with the professor.
Upvotes: -1 |
2014/09/07 | 1,039 | 4,164 | <issue_start>username_0: I am nearing the end of my PhD and I would quite like to buy a "thank you" gift for my supervisor (although, she's the socially awkward type who I'm sure will be greatly embarrassed to receive one).
I'm just wondering whether a gift is the done thing? And if so, what sort of gift seems appropriate? I suppose a bottle of wine would be a safe choice?<issue_comment>username_1: After your defense, and final submission to the university; you can give the gift, with a thank you note. Right before your defense is a big no, in my opinion.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The appropriateness would depend on the culture. In Sweden it is customary for advisor and advisee to exchange presents. Usually, they consist on things like a fine vase of pottery. Personally, I would go for something that is somehow related to your research. For example, a pathologist expert in chimeric cells got custom made necklace and earrings with chimeras, and was greatly appreciated (and not only saying it because my mother made it!). In my opinion, originality is what counts most.
And you can always do it privately to avoid her the embarrassment.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: This might be a location dependent question, but in NW Europe a bottle of wine is appropriate for such and even lesser events.
Many campus shops offer a standardized wine bottle in a gift wrap with the name of the university printed on it. They are the obvious choice, but there is plenty of room for creativity.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Following the defense, a small token of appreciation would not be inappropriate. However, this should not be a substantial gift, as even after the defense, it could be viewed as a *quid pro quo* arrangement.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: As others have already written, a gift is appropriate only after you are *completely* done. In my case, that was after the registrar had notified me that my application for degree had been approved by the program office.
I had asked my supervisor a couple of probably unsubtle questions after the defense, and sent (to his home, not to the university) two bottles of wine that would have been hard for him to find and a pretty nice decanter. I also sent three small (very low three figures) checks to the university, one in honor of each committee member, so each should have gotten a letter stating that a gift had been made in his name.
(I'm in the United States.)
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: In my case it was a bottle of cognac, of course after the defense. I brought it to my supervisor's home. It was in Russia 18 years ago, I believe nowadays it is still nice/appropriate gesture.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: I took my adviser out for a steak dinner at the finest restaurant in town. I'm told that I was the first to do so (other students bought him a box of red pens, etc.), but cherish the occasion. One of my happiest memories is this occasion, enjoying each other's company as equals, after having completed a long/hard joint project.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: As a new assistant professor, I feel awkward whenever my students offer me gifts. I am sure they have the best of intentions, but potential implications and potential alterior motives are enough to make me uncomfortable.
I am sure this is culture dependent as some of the other answers have suggested, but I would recommend going with the local culture of the deparment and former graduates(if any)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: It completely depends on:
* The kind of relationship you have with your advisor/supervisor and
* The extent to which s/he has gone out of their way to help you over the course of your Ph.D.
In most cases I would say no, because you are the underpaid employee and s/he is sort-of the boss, or at least the representative of the university. Would you give your supervisor at work a gift after finishing a significant project? Probably not.
PS - It's true that it's not your advisor who decides that Ph.D. salaries be low, but then, that's usually true for your supervisor at a regular job.
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/07 | 712 | 3,039 | <issue_start>username_0: At least in the humanities, it seems to be fairly common for journals to publish book reviews. To be honest, I don't think I fully understand why many academics write them and why many journals publish them. I don't read them very often because I usually don't find them very enlightening. If I want to find out whether a book is worth looking at, it is usually easier to take a look at the table of contents or else to get it from a library and take a look rather than reading the review.
However, I could imagine the following incentives:
1. The reviewer thinks the book is particularly interesting and should be known to a greater audience, so they want to promote it.
2. Writing book reviews is considered a service to the community, and authors would also like to get their own books reviewed in a journal later on.
3. Reviewers influence the community with their evaluation of a book.
4. Reviewers accrue prestige by publishing book reviews.
Which of these reasons, if any, make academics write book reviews? If it does add to their prestige, how much? Is it, very roughly, possible to say that one research article equals x published book reviews in terms of added prestige (and increased prospects for promotion)?<issue_comment>username_1: In my experience, reviews are written at the request of journal editors and are typically not initiated by the person writing them. My colleagues and I usually write several book reviews every year because our supervisor is on the editorial board of the journal and tells us to write them. As reviewers, we do receive a free copy of the book, if you consider that an incentive. There is no prestige associated with writing one, and they don't count as publications in our annual performance reviews.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I wrote a book review once. For me (1), (3), (4), and the first half of (2) were all relevant factors. (Like all book reviews in mathematics of which I am aware, it was at the unsolicited request of the journal editors.)
In mathematics, book reviews are uncommon, and (contrary to username_1's experience) they are somewhat prestigious to write. Only about a quarter of my book review actually reviewed the book. In the rest I described (as I was asked to by the editors) why someone would want to read a book on Subject X in the first place. I had an opportunity to "sell" my research area, and this was definitely rewarding!
Finally, it was an excellent excuse to thoroughly read the book I was reviewing, which I was eager to do in the first place. This was a lot of work, but it was very rewarding (as I could tell from the beginning that it would be). Personally, I would only review a book if I was keen on carefully reading it.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I'm a bit late to this game, but thought I'd remind you that librarians are academics! We read book reviews to help with our collections decisions. I'm a nursing librarian, so I read reviews in nursing journals regularly.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/07 | 778 | 2,522 | <issue_start>username_0: For given papers A and B, I would like to search for all papers that cite both A and B. I guess one can generalize to papers {A,B,C,...} and find all papers that cite all of them.
A quick Google Scholar and Web of Science search revealed nothing. Google Scholar has a "cite=..." thing in the URL, which I messed with a bit to no avail.<issue_comment>username_1: Just get the citations of each document from the Scopus database, export the results into two files, and write a Python script that does a set intersection. You can generalize this to any files.
You can export the Scopus results to .csv files, and then use the `csv` python module to read the files. You can then have the set operation based on the title of the articles (even though I would also export the DOI and use it). If you know how to program in Python, writing this script shouldn't take you more than one afternoon.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In Wikidata, we have at the moment around 36 million citations. It is not much compared to Google Scholar, but you can query them in flexible ways with the Wikidata Query Service, - a SPARQL endpoint.
In Scholia, a website that uses Wikidata Query Service, we have implemented a query that shows "all papers that cite both A and B". You can see an example for "Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent" and "Novel method for detection of beta-lactamases by using a chromogenic cephalosporin substrate" here: <https://tools.wmflabs.org/scholia/works/Q20900776,Q24564458>.
Scholia will also show results for more than two papers, see, e.g., <https://tools.wmflabs.org/scholia/works/Q20900776,Q24564458,Q39309940>.
Following the link "Edit on query.Wikidata.org" gets you to the SPARQL query at the Wikidata Query Service interface. The SPARQL query currently reads:
```
SELECT ?date ?work ?workLabel
WITH {
SELECT (MIN(?dates) AS ?date) ?work
WHERE {
?work wdt:P2860 wd:Q20900776 . ?work wdt:P2860 wd:Q24564458 .
OPTIONAL {
?work wdt:P577 ?datetimes .
BIND(xsd:date(?datetimes) AS ?dates)
}
}
GROUP BY ?work
ORDER BY DESC(?date)
LIMIT 1000
} AS %results
WHERE {
INCLUDE %results
SERVICE wikibase:label { bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "[AUTO_LANGUAGE],en,da,es,fr,nl,no,ru,sv,zh". }
}
ORDER BY DESC(?date)
```
You can read more about the approach of using Wikidata and SPARQL for citation analysis work in this paper: "Scholia and scientometrics with Wikidata", <https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.04222>
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/08 | 667 | 2,697 | <issue_start>username_0: I have recently graduated and I was wondering whether, after submitting my thesis, there are any issues (legal or otherwise) if I publish parts of my thesis as a paper in a journal.
My thesis was not published as book, as was the case in [this related question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2937/can-i-publish-parts-of-the-ph-d-thesis-as-a-paper-in-a-journal).<issue_comment>username_1: Ask your thesis advisor! In most cases, the answer will be, "No. Go for it!"
Schools *love* for their graduates to have publications.
In some institutions, including the one at which I teach, the institution claims ownership in the intellectual property of student work, but even then, a derivative work that results in a publication is likely to be welcome.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In some (many/all?) PhD programs you have to publish before being able to defend your thesis. Some PhD theses can even be composed of the published papers with some sort introduction/discussion (a colleague in the laboratory where I did my PhD did so). Of course, your PhD supervisor needs to approve it, but otherwise I think you can (and maybe you should) safely publish your results before writing your thesis. As an additional note, it is also OK to publish *after* you have written your thesis, i.e. there should not be issues with self-plagiarism.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Nobody here can say whether there are issues with *your* thesis. Perhaps there is something different than usual about it.
The most common situation for students in the U.S. is that you can do what you like with the content of the thesis. You can submit the entire thing as a book, or you can divide it up and use it as several papers. This is not plagiarism, because the thesis is not viewed as "published", even though it may be available from your school's library or from services like ProQuest.
The flip side of this situation is that, when we evaluate someone's vita, we don't count the thesis as a "real" publication. So if you are pursuing an academic career, you probably *should* publish the results of your thesis elsewhere, to develop your vita.
In Europe, some students have many copies of their thesis professionally printed, and distribute the hard copies. I don't know whether they view this as a formal publication.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: One other thing to keep in mind is patent rights; a journal article would count as disclosure and invalidate a patent, whereas a thesis may or may not. Some universities have an IP office, and you should check with them if possible; they might have an ownership claim if they employed you.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/08 | 498 | 1,865 | <issue_start>username_0: I just spent a year preparing a set of course slides for an introductory course in engineering, and they now look really good. In addition to posting them on my web page, what more can I do to get use out of them?
For example, it would be nice to see if there's a MOOC that would be interested in them, but it doesn't seem like any of the major ones ever solicit such things.
I'm not aware of any examples of "publishing" slides either, so I'd be curious what more experienced users here have done.<issue_comment>username_1: Your university may have a digital institutional repository where you can post the slides together with related course materials.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Here are some ideas:
Make a video of yourself presenting the slides (either to a class, or just to the camera), and upload it to YouTube (or similar). Others have done this, and as a result there are some great free resources available for people who otherwise would not have the time or money to take the course. For example, [<NAME>](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXl0Zbk8_rvjyLwAR-Xh9pQ) has several maths courses online. If you don't want to be on the video, you can just have the slides, with your voice presenting them. (See the videos of [<NAME>](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFsZ2CadKpAt_yInoTcVRnQ), for example.)
Put the materials on your website, and spread the news.
Turn the materials into a [wikibook](https://www.wikibooks.org/), where others can add to them.
Put the materials on [OER Commons](https://www.oercommons.org/), [Curriki](http://www.curriki.org/), [MyOER](http://www.myoer.org/), or [Share My Lesson](http://www.sharemylesson.com/). I haven't used any of these myself (yet), so I don't know which would be most appropriate for university-level or postgraduate teaching materials.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/08 | 1,366 | 5,756 | <issue_start>username_0: When a professor stays in another university as a visiting professor during his sabbatical leave, his salary is partially paid by his home university. Then, he is not a regular employee of host university, but how is the official processing?
For example, he needs lots of employment stuff such as ID, parking, etc. Thus, he should have a profile with the human resource.
1. Is he hired by the university (HR) or directly by a department?
2. Does he need to provide regular documents such as academic credentials (diploma, transcript) or an employment status from the home university is enough?
3. Following these questions, when he teaches a course or supervises a student, what is his employment reference in official records? I mean can a guest professor teach/supervise without official records in the university HR?
**EXAMPLE:** A full professor goes to another university on sabbatical leave whether for teaching or research. He needs ID card, and normally HR or similar central unit issues the ID card, not individual departments. Shouldn't he have a record in the HR files as the reference for the ID card issued?
My question is: *When the HR is creating a file for a visiting professor/scholar/researcher, what documents should be supplied?*<issue_comment>username_1: Let me clarify some terms:
* Despite the language, *Visiting Faculty* are not usually faculty who are gainfully employed at one university who are just staying at another university during their research leave.
* Most visiting faculty are "*Visiting Assistant Professors*" who are (usually recently graduated) scholars who do not yet have full-time employment and are hired as one-year (or two-year) replacements for professors who have gone on sabbaticals. This is different from an adjunct as the recipient university is hiring you full-time (not per course) for a term of one or two years.
* *Visiting (Full or Associate) Professors*: Only rarely would a tenured, senior faculty use their sabbatical year to go to another university solely to *teach*. Exceptions would be: 1) they aren't being paid during their sabbatical year and need the money; 2) the recipient university has resources that they would like access to (archives, etc.); 3) they want to live in the recipient city for a year, etc. This last one is the most common -- especially with American faculty visiting European capitals (sigh... Paris...). Some faculty are contractually forbidden to use their paid sabbaticals in outside teaching -- at my university, a sabbatical is a leave from teaching responsibilities but it is ultimately a time when I am supposed to be doing research.
* There is also the category of *Visiting Researcher* - this is the category which most visiting full faculty would use on sabbatical at another institution if they had no teaching responsibilities. It would not normally come with pay or any benefits except library/archive/gallery access, e-mail, and an office.
Thus if Prof. Smith@UniX goes on sabbatical, then Visiting Asst. Professor Jones@Unemployed is hired by UniX to replace Professor Smith.
To answer your specific questions, UniX is entirely responsible for <NAME>' salary and benefits.
1. Hiring is usually done by the department who needs a replacement. Often a full search is not run and sometimes the hiring is done on the Chair's prerogative. While HR of course handles the details after the department makes their choice, it is rarely HR that runs the search from the very beginning.
2. Credentials may not be checked as thoroughly since it is a temporary hire.
3. Visiting Faculty have appointments in their recipient universities and can serve as the instructors on record for courses. Depending on their term (and the rules of the institution) they can also serve as readers for senior essays, but usually they do not serve on doctoral dissertation committees. They are also usually exempt from most service work.
Biographical note: After I received my PhD, I taught for a year as a visiting assistant professor, as a sabbatical replacement. This was before I received my first tenure-track job. [note: simplified version of a complex reality]
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Assuming a professor will teach at a temporary university during sabbatical, the official processing can be done several ways, depending on the situation and the specific institutions. Because the teaching is something extra, the professor would almost certainly expect the temporary institution to pay for it.
* Some institutions just hire the visiting professor as normal, the way they would hire an adjunct. If the sabbatical already has some pay, the professor receives pay from both institutions.
* Some institutions would make a deal with the professor's home institution. In this type of deal, the temporary institution sends money to the home institution, which then continues to pay the professor's salary as normal, and the professor receives no direct pay from the temporary institution.
In any case, setting up this type of visiting position during a sabbatical requires planning well in advance, so that both institutions can approve it.
To address some specific questions:
* In the U.S. I am only aware of hiring by HR departments. I have never heard of someone hired "directly by a department". The department will make an offer, with the approval of the dean, and then the actual employment is always done by the university HR department.
* It's likely the visiting institution will need to review his academic credentials, as part of their hiring policy, but that is really just a minor detail.
* The third question seems to be very university dependent. There will be *some* form of record keeping.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/08 | 625 | 2,550 | <issue_start>username_0: I was reading about email etiquette. Dos and don'ts when you are sending mailing your professor. One of them was about email domain. I was wondering if it is a good idea to use personal website domain? (eg. <EMAIL>)
(Does the professor really look at those things? Seriously?)<issue_comment>username_1: Nowadays, I really don't think it makes any difference whatsoever. You are free to use whatever domain you like, so long as it's not somehow offensive or insipid (for instance, if the choice would be considered a curse word or epithet). If there's something potentially offensive, your email could get blocked by a spam server or filter.
Otherwise, though, it really doesn't make a difference. I'm not going to judge a student more or less favorably because they use an email address that isn't a school-based address, or if it's a "vanity address" like the one you've listed.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: If the professor's email is an university-based account (e.g., ends up with ac.uk), to make sure the email doesn't end up in the 'Junk' section (i.e., because of universities' firewall system), send your email through your university account. I had an incident through major free email providers, based on the username I chose.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I would recommend against using a university e-mail account for this because you are presumably about to graduate and you will likely be about to lose access to your current university e-mail account when you do so.
Any sensibly named personal account will be okay. But if your e-mail address is something like "<EMAIL>" or "<EMAIL>" then take the time to get yourself a more sensible e-mail address (while those two aren't real examples you'd be surprised how often people use these kinds of e-mail addresses for serious correspondence).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I agree with other answers that assuming it's not obscene or childish, it won't make a huge difference either way. I just wanted to add that if you're sending it from a personal website, the domain may pique your potential supervisor's interest. Make sure that you have some information on there about your academic achievements, maybe a writing sample, things like that. Some personal stuff to make you a bit more memorable is good as well. It's not guaranteed to make any difference, but on the off chance they do type in the domain you want to make a bit of an impression.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/08 | 1,460 | 5,942 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD student in mathematics and I’d like to visit professor X (whom I don’t know personally), as he’s an expert in my field and could really help me with some passages in my research. I have quite a few questions:
* How to approach professor X to ask if I can visit him and what sort of information should I provide?
* When PhD students visit academics, what happens usually? I mean, would professor X become a sort of supervisor for the time of the visit, or would it just be that me and professor X would mostly be in the same place at the same time and able to chat a bit if the opportunity arises?
* How long do visits last, usually? Would I be a student at professor X’s university during the time of my visit? Would I have any academic requirements (e.g. to give talks at seminars, etc.)?
* Professor X is in a different country than I am. Are professors based in a different country than a potential visiting student more reluctant to let students visit them? If so, why?<issue_comment>username_1: Academic visits take all sorts of forms, so it really depends on the situation. There are however some general things that you should keep in mind.
First of all, it would be necessary to come into contact with the professor you want to work with. Just contacting him out of the blue might not be very successful. If your PhD advisor knows him, it is probably a good idea to let him make the initial contact. Another option would be to try to talk to him or his students at a conference of workshop.
Another question is who will fund the visit (hotel, travel costs, etc.). If you would be able to attract funds yourself, that would be helpful. Especially since you say you will have to travel abroad, this could run up the costs.
As to what happens during the visit, that really depends. It is usual that the visitor gives a seminar or colloquium talk. What I usually do is to try to talk to as many people in the group as possible, to get some feeling about the kind of projects the people are working on. If you come there to solve a particular problem with the professor, then in-dept dicussion sessions with him make more sense. Finally, most groups have desks available for visitors, so that you can work on your own as well.
For longer visits, say more than a week or two, the professor might take more of an advisor role, but that really depends on the goal of the visit and on the people involved.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There's no definite answer to any of your questions. All of these details depend a lot on the professor, the circumstances (e.g., funding), and you:
>
> How to approach professor X to ask if I can visit him and what sort of information should I provide?
>
>
>
I would assume a mail is sufficient. However, if you don't know the prof personally, and you are not overly well-known in your community yet, it may be better to **ask your advisor to establish contact**. Professors get many mails from prospective students on various levels, with various intends. Those mails tend to get discarded quickly and unceremoniously.
I don't know what information would be required, initially probably almost none, except who you are and what you would like to work on with the professor. At a later point, **details of how this visit would be funded may become an important discussion item** (e.g., who pays your travel? who pays your hotel / apartment? if you are an university employee, who pays YOU during your visit?). Don't expect your host to arrange funding - this is something that you / your advisor will need to arrange, and just agree with the host.
>
> When PhD students visit academics, what happens usually? I mean, would professor X become a sort of supervisor for the time of the visit, or would it just be that me and professor X would mostly be in the same place at the same time and able to chat a bit if the opportunity arises?
>
>
>
I have seen both happen. Clearly, in the second case, the visit is often close to worthless. However, in most cases, the truth is somewhere in the middle. The prof meets a few times with the visitor, and "appoints" one or more of his own students with a matching profile /research interests as a contact point and collaborator for the visit. **You should not have too high expectations of how much time your host can really invest into you** (and not into, say, his own students or his own research).
>
> How long do visits last, usually? Would I be a student at professor X’s university during the time of my visit? Would I have any academic requirements (e.g. to give talks at seminars, etc.)?
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**Depends.** I have so far done two research visits, one as a short as 2 weeks, one for 6 weeks. I know of others who have done visits for up to 6 months. You usually have little academic requirements, and you are not usually considered a student of the host institution (at least for visits that are shorter than one term). Giving a talk is sometimes necessary as part of your funding arrangements. For instance, in my second stay, my travel was funded by the host institution over the vehicle that they officially invited me as an expert speaker for their seminar series (so that they could formally pay for my travel, which they could not do for a visit). In my first visit, the expectation of the funding source was that at some point a paper would be published related to the visit (clearly not within those two weeks, but at some point). Further, I had to write a brief report.
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> Professor X is in a different country than I am. Are professors based in a different country than a potential visiting student more reluctant to let students visit them? If so, why?
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Not typically, however, finding funding may be even more difficult. However, both of my visits have been cross-country, in one case cross-continents, so **it definitely can be done**.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2014/09/08 | 756 | 3,447 | <issue_start>username_0: The reason I'm asking this question is that I've never used Web of Science before. My apologies if it is silly or irrelevant.
I'm gathering materials for an application to a tenure-track job, and one of the things I have to submit is a list of my publications as indexed in WoS. This is an important thing for them, because they make it clear in the call for applications that those publications that are indexed in WoS are going to count more that those that don't (they do it this way because the call is division-wide, not department-specific, so they use WoS as a scholarship quality metric that doesn't require the members of the search committee to be experts in the specific fields of the candidates).
WoS behaves well in that, if I query my name and field, it returns all of my journal publications, including a couple of obscure book reviews I did in my first year of grad school. On the other hand, it also behaves badly in that it fails to return anything that is not a journal publication. This bothers me because I have a couple of book chapters with reputable presses (e.g., OUP) and proceedings of high-profile conferences that my peers and mentors acknowledge are as important (in terms of quality and contribution to the field) as any of my journal publications; but because they don't appear in WoS, the search committee will view them as second-rate publications.
The question is, is there a way I can make WoS index these publications?<issue_comment>username_1: Web of Science is terrible in coverage of many fields (not sure what yours is from the post), and if you're stuck with it, you're stuck with it. Try to see if there's anywhere that you can also say, "and here are my important publications that WoS doesn't cover, and here are all of their many many citations..."
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: To answer the question directly, No, you can't get Web of Science to index your other publications. They only index papers from a collection of sources that they've deemed high quality and been able to negotiate access to. If the journal you've published in isn't on their list (or if you've published in a conference proceedings volume or a book chapter) then it simply won't be indexed. Furthermore, their citation counts won't include citations that occurred in publications that they don't index.
Other services have different policies on this. Google Scholar is perhaps the most broad in its coverage, but this sometimes includes things like student term papers that aren't in any normal sense considered "publications." There are also various discipline specific services (such as MathSciNet for pure mathematics) but their coverage is often quite narrow.
When comparing the publications and citation counts of two scholars in the same field, you can typically use any of these sources and assume that the two authors are on an even playing field. However, it's a very unwise idea to do this across disciplines, since the various services have very different coverage of different fields. For example, Web of Science does an awful job of covering computer science (particularly because of the many important conference proceedings in that discipline) but gives much more reasonable coverage of fields like chemistry and physics.
Similarly, it's unreasonable to compare citation counts across the different services because of the differences in what they index.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/08 | 554 | 2,430 | <issue_start>username_0: How do I cite a very old and well-known book which has multiple editions and reprints, various editors, facsimile reprints, and a recent paperback version, plus it's even available free online, again at more than one site. The text I want to cite is common to all of them so that's not an issue but I'd like to be able to give page numbers in the standard way. I don't know which edition to cite. The actual copy I've been using is a hardback 1970s reprint of a 1900s edition from the university library but it's not necessarily easy for others to find.<issue_comment>username_1: Actually you don't want to put the reader of your article, at the same position, where you are now; and want to highlight the important background and related works, the reader needs to know about.
Therefore, cite the version you actually read and was part of the inspiration to your article/journal. This way, the reader knows exactly where to look, for further readings.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Things can occasionally get tricky, but most situations are handled by these guidelines:
1. Cite what you've seen. If you have one edition, don't assume that another has the same numbering (for pages, chapters, sections, equations, or whatever) without checking. It's always better to cite an out of date edition correctly than to risk giving an incorrect reference to another edition.
2. If you've seen several editions, try to cite the one that will be most useful to readers. Recent editions are generally preferable, both because they are easier to find and because they may be more up to date in other ways. (But if a book is out of copyright and reprinted by many publishers, then recency may not be salient.) If you know that a recent edition is not useful (for example, because material was cut), then you should say so. Translations may be preferable for readers who do not speak the original language.
3. If you can't tell which edition would be most useful, then the decision probably doesn't really matter. The most recent edition is generally a safe choice, if you can get your hands on it to check the reference.
4. More detailed references can help disambiguate. A quick numerical reference is efficient, but it becomes near useless if the numbering has changed, while adding more context can make it easier to figure out where it might have moved in another edition.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2014/09/08 | 859 | 3,471 | <issue_start>username_0: My understanding is that colleges with sports programs will admit students with "low end" but not "off the charts low" grades if the respective sports teams want them. By this, I mean grades just above the "cut-off" for admissions, without having to make a special case or allowance for the athlete.
Suppose a certified athlete tried to get into a graduate program with similarly minimum grades. To take an example, suppose the Yankees shortstop <NAME> retired, went to college, and got something like a 3.3 GPA which is the cut-off for certain graduate school programs.
What constituencies (if any) might such a graduate applicant have (e.g. celebrity value)? Or are "athlete" slots open only to undergraduates?<issue_comment>username_1: I'll answer based on the U.S. (which is where these issues are most relevant, I believe).
There is no special consideration for athletes in graduate admissions. Undergraduate admissions are handled by admissions officers who often use all sorts of non-academic criteria, and recruiting athletes to play for the university is a specific goal at many universities. However, graduate admissions is done by departmental committees made up of faculty, and the non-academic criteria that play an important role for undergraduates (well roundedness, extracurricular activities, athletics, etc.) are irrelevant. If anything, a continued desire to participate extensively in high-level athletics could be considered a disadvantage, since it would take time away from academics.
If <NAME> wanted to go to graduate school, I'm sure some faculty would be impressed by his fame, but they would also be careful and skeptical in evaluating his qualifications. In any case, there certainly wouldn't be a special admissions slot designated for an athlete.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: To add to username_1's answer (i.e. no special treatment), I would add that the major reason to recruit athletes at the undergraduate level is *you want them to play for you*, in intercollegiate sports. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the governing body for US college sports, and their rules would normally exclude graduate students from playing.
The NCAA eligibility rules are complex, but a general principle (as I understand it) is that each athlete may only play intercollegiate sports for at most four years in their life. Moreover, all four of those years must normally come within 5 years of first enrolling in college (as an undergraduate). A college athlete applying to graduate school would almost certainly have used up their eligibility and would not be able to play for the graduate institution; perhaps for a year at most. Thus the institution would have no real interest in recruiting them for athletic reasons, since they wouldn't be able to play on the intercollegiate teams.
For <NAME>, there's another reason he couldn't play: there is an amateurism requirement, and anyone who has played a sport professionally would likely be ineligible under that clause. Indeed, athletic programs have suffered severe penalties merely for letting their athletes talk to agents.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: As a partially parallel case, Imperial College readmitted [<NAME>](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May#Astrophysics) to complete his PhD in astrophysics after a 30 year gap. They might not have done that for someone less famous.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/08 | 7,997 | 33,886 | <issue_start>username_0: Please read the bold text before answering.
A colleague has shown me that one of his students has posted exam questions with answers , and prior assignments with answers to a commercial web site intended to communicate such material to other students. Sadly, I am the chair of the university's Honor Council and the question of whether these actions rise to the level of academic misconduct has landed in my lap.
Also sadly, I am ill-equipped to have an opinion. Almost every assignment I've given in the last ten years is available on the public web and I return assignments with critiques. I give pen-and-paper tests and return them to the students, then go over the questions and give the correct answers in class. There are thousands of copies of my old exams around, many of them with answers that were either correct to begin with or corrected *post facto.* I am sure there are fat binders in fraternity and sorority houses with that material.
I can get all legalistic and ask, "Well... did you tell him not to do that?" In fact, I am in the process of finding that out. I am pretty sure that widespread commercial distribution of questions with answers is bad. My concern is whether contributing this information to such a web site rises to the level of academic misconduct.
So, here is a question that has an answer rather than leading to discussion: **Are there universities that prohibit students from contributing material created by the faculty, such as exams or assignments, to commercial web sites the purpose of which is supplying that material to other students? If so, how is that prohibition worded and how is it enforced?**
**September 10:** This has been edited by several people, and several people have added tags. I've just edited it myself to remove the word "cheaters" from the description of the commercial web sites involved in this case, and which are in general the subject of the question. I've also deleted most of the tags, leaving only "ethics" and "policy."
**November 15:** Thanks for the responses. After a certain amount of back and forth, my institution has adopted the following (voluntary) syllabus language: "Some lecture slides, notes, or exercises used in this course may be the property of the textbook publisher or other third parties. All other course material, including but not limited to slides developed by the instructor(s), the syllabus, assignments, course notes, course recordings (whether audio or video) and examinations or quizzes are the property of the University or of the individual instructor who developed them. Students are free to use this material for study and learning, and for discussion with others, including those who may not be in this class, unless the instructor imposes more stringent requirements. Republishing or redistributing this material, including uploading it to web sites or linking to it through services like iTunes, violates the rights of the copyright holder and is prohibited. There are civil and criminal penalties for copyright violation. **Publishing or redistributing this material in a way that might give others an unfair advantage in this or future courses may subject you to penalties for academic misconduct.**" [emphasis in the original]
**December 8, 2017:** I just received a request from someone at another institution to use the language above. Although it was adopted by my institution, I wrote it, and I now contribute it to the public domain. Use it as-is or modified, with no need to attribute it or otherwise give credit.<issue_comment>username_1: First define the problem. "It feels wrong" isn't really an actionable reason right? Is the problem that the student published the exam with answers? Is the problem that the student removed the exam with answers when she/he was expected to return it to the instructor? Is the problem that the student published the exam with answers on a 'cheater' website?
To narrow this down a bit it might be useful to ask yourself and the professor: "Would your feelings be different if the student published the exam with answers on their own website?" As a student if an instructor returned an exam to me and I felt the information was worthwhile(aka not a 'multiple choice') I certainly published my exams, projects and some assignments on my personal website. I used this as a resource when I was tutoring students in the course and found it very useful.
If the student 'stole' the exam, by which I mean they took the exam and their answers when the instructor was expecting the exam to be returned, then you are in a different ballpark. Then you have something actionable but...
Let's step back a moment to something you yourself said:
"I am sure there are fat binders in fraternity and sorority houses with that material."
This is absolutely the case and no matter what you or any of the other professors does this will continue to be the case. The question then becomes - is it fair to non-Greek students who don't have access to these binders? What do you gain by trying to prevent the 'publication' of exams?
I've heard of a couple of instructors who reuse the same exam year after year. I understand the rigors of teaching, I understand it can be hard to come up with new questions/new assignments/new exams every term. But, that being said, using the same exam over and over is just plain laziness. Even changing the order of the questions bypasses that issue - and if students are memorizing the 'correct' answer to a general question(instead of a multiple choice value or a number value) then aren't they essentially studying?
In the end the question needs to be asked - WHY is it important than exams and their answers not be published? There are only a few answers to that and most of them are going to be fairly flimsy.
A bit of an Anecdote here about this. One of the most challenging instructors/courses during my undergraduate career was with an instructor that had every single exam he had given(since he started keeping copies in the 1980s) put up on his website. A handful had partially worked out answers / solutions. Students didn't even bother looking for the 'cheating' websites for these exams because they were on his website(sans answers of course) and because the exams showed that, although they were great for studying and practice, memorizing past exams was going to be completely worthless. If I were a professor at the moment I would probably take example from this - I would put all the exams(and probably homeworks) online. Drown them in information. All the sudden there's little value in going to a 'cheater' website about it.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Since you asked for norms at other schools, here is one data point: UC Berkeley has an explicit policy on this subject. At UC Berkeley, instructors own the copyright on their course materials and are allowed to specify the policy on dissemination. In additional, dissemination for a commercial purpose is prohibited without express consent of the instructor. If instructors specify a policy, students who violate this policy can be punished for academic misconduct -- and this is stated explicitly in the UC Berkeley policies.
In more detail, UC Berkeley's [policy on Course Note-Taking and Materials](http://campuspol.chance.berkeley.edu/policies/coursenotes.pdf) states:
>
> Individual instructors retain copyrights to [...] class materials they create. Instructors may permit, limit, or prohibit the [..] further distribution of class materials created by an instructor (class notes, recordings, exams, and class materials, collectively referred to as “Class
> Materials”). Instructors are encouraged to clearly communicate their preferences on recording and sharing Class Materials in their syllabi. [...]
>
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> Unauthorized use of Class Materials may subject an individual to legal proceedings brought by the instructor as well as disciplinary and legal proceedings by the University. [...]
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Thus, if an instructor states in the syllabus that dissemination of exams is not allowed, then a student who violates that restriction may be disciplined by the University for academic misconduct. On the other hand, if the instructor does not state any policy, and the students shares the exam with others (for non-commercial purposes), there is no violation of University academic misconduct rules, though there might well be a violation of copyright law.
Also, UC Berkeley's [Code of Student Conduct](http://sa.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/UCB-Code-of-Conduct-new%20Jan2012.pdf) has a section that deals specifically with this subject. It states:
>
> 102.23 Course Materials
>
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> Selling, preparing, or distributing for any commercial purpose course lecture notes or video or audio recordings of any course unless authorized by the University in advance and explicitly permitted by the course instructor in writing. The unauthorized sale or commercial distribution of course notes or
> recordings by a student is a violation of these Policies whether or not it was the student or someone else who prepared the notes or recordings.
>
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> Copying for any commercial purpose handouts, readers or other course materials provided by an instructor as part of a University of California course unless authorized by the University in advance and explicitly permitted by the course instructor or the copyright holder in writing (if the instructor is not the copyright holder).
>
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Exams count as course materials and thus are covered by this policy.
---
Personal opinion: I think sites like CourseHero are scummy, sleazy sites: the worst of the worst. They require students to submit additional course materials to view the ones that are on record there, and they make no attempt to validate that students have permission to share those course materials; indeed, they have every incentive not to validate whether the student has authorization, and every incentive to encourage unauthorized uploading. Thus, their business model is based upon encouraging students to share stuff they might not have permission to -- and they profit off of this. I find this business practice reprehensible and worth of condemnation.
*However...* it is a separate question whether student use of those sites constitutes academic misconduct. Personally, I would say that students have a due process right to be informed of their responsibilities, and to only be published for actions that are a clear violation of published policies. Therefore, I believe it is the instructors' responsibility to establish clear policies -- either on a course-by-course basis, on course syllabi, or else by adopting clear policies at the campus level. In the absence of such policies, I would be very hesitant to punish students who shared exams with others. That does not feel fair to me.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: @username_2 highlighted Berkeley's policy which is a decent attempt at stopping people from reselling an instructors course materials. However, even with clear cut legal verbiage the only real approach is to monitor those sites and issue [DMCA takedown](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_Copyright_Infringement_Liability_Limitation_Act) notices as required.
This will lead to an incredible amount of lost time, possibly more than the material is worth.
Rather than play wack-a-mole, the better policy here would be for instructors to stop simply reissuing the exact same test from one year to the next. Instead, do things like change the question order. If multiple choice is used, substitute new options and rearrange them. If written answers are required, change the questions subtly such that the prior year answers are completely wrong.
With that said, the best course would be to ignore the actions of this student because the instructor and the university failed to give them clear guidelines ahead of time; and instead have a discussion with your department on how best to eliminate problems where a student just memorizes "#14 is A, #15 is C".
If you are changing the tests each year, then review of prior year tests will only aid in the students understanding of types of questions you will be asking and therefore be limited to acting as a study guide as opposed to a one stop shop. In this scenario there is no reason not to allow students to upload the tests..
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: username_1's answer hits the nail on the head. However, there is another possible angle from which to consider this, which is the utilitarian perspective.
It sounds like this instructor did not have a clear policy, and your school does not have a clear policy, so the most that is going to come out of this is that they might now write clear policies. Suppose those policies said that it was an honor code violation to publish exam questions. What would be the outcome?
The outcome would be that there would be absolutely no effect on the prevalence of sharing exam questions, and no effect on the fairness of exams, i.e., no reduction in the unfair advantage gained by people who obtain old exam questions. Sites like Course Hero already allow people to contribute exam questions anonymously, so the contributor can't be punished. Students already have the option of waiting until they graduate before they post these materials online. Fraternities already have plausible deniability of the contents of the file cabinets sitting in their basements.
With a small amount of effort, instructors can make it a hassle for students to gain an unfair advantage through these means. The problem arises because some instructors are too lazy to expend this minimal effort. Changing policies will have no effect on this outcome.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Did the student sign a confidentiality policy before enrolling? If not, then no.
As for opinions on the matter... (yes, mine is smelly, too)
Let's consider a few angles: Does it help other students cheat? Should it help other students cheat? Does it help other students learn? Should your students be helping other students learn?
Cheating is a funny subject. If your instructors are permitted to re-use prior year tests then you have more serious problems than the eternal issue of students *trying* to cheat. That some students will try to cheat is simply a part of human nature. It is impossible to control whether the urge exists, only whether a cursory assessment of difficulty against risk against payoff indicates that the attempt is worth it. If your instructors reuse prior year testing material consider that the assessment criteria is seriously weighted against honest students *and* (in my opinion, more importantly) your testing material *is not getting any better*.
On the subject of students learning, which is supposed to be the point, after all... I would circumvent the issue by encouraging students to discuss class material openly and often, even to the point of posting prior material. If they are so stupid as to post a key-value list of [question-number]:[answer] for tests, this is their own waste of time and not your problem. If, on the other hand, they are discussing their subject with other students or (especially) with real-world practitioners someplace like stackexchange (hey!) then you can expect that your students actually care about their subject, and if they care, even a little, then passing the class will be a happy side effect of having done some genuine learning in and out of class. This is the best possible outcome an educator could hope for, unless, of course, the educator in question is actually a professional bureaucrat.
Ultimately I think the only way to encourage students to choose to actually commit themselves to study beyond just trying to get some paper after negotiating the academic bureaucracy is to foster an environment of active discussion. Any move toward censure is wrong-minded (if the RIAA is effectively powerless here, you certainly are) and will only serve to create an "us VS them" mentality in the students. Then the students are pouring their personal efforts into learning how to connive (a useful skill, indeed, but not the one intended!), and not into learning whatever the actual subject is. Don't let arbitrary notions of "honor" distract from concrete study.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: It turns out that many years ago I created a website to publish exams for my undergrad school:
<http://www.annales-exam.com> (in French).
It contains many computer science exams of classes in my undergrad school.
**Ethically**: I created this website because I was very annoyed by the fact that some students had access to the previous exams (e.g. the fat binders in the frats mentioned in the question), while other less connected, less GPA-focused, etc., did not. The website aimed at breaking this iniquitous situation.
**Legally**: Publishing exams of classes in my undergrad school is legal (by jurisprudence) due the status of my school (CNAM). Here is what the law in France [says](http://www.cnamien.fr/telecharger-annales-ue-examens/) :
>
> Le droit d’auteur protège toutes les créations originales. Mais on
> admet traditionnellement qu’aucun droit d’auteur ne peut être invoqué
> sur les textes législatifs et réglementaires, les rapports officiels
> ou les décisions de justice. La question de la protection des sujets
> d’examen par le droit d’auteur a été examinée par la jurisprudence. Le
> Tribunal de grande instance de Paris le 9 novembre 1988 et la Cour
> d’appel de Paris le 13 juin 1991 ont refusé la protection par le droit
> d’auteur à des Annales officielles du concours de l’Internat en
> médecine. Les sujets des épreuves, en permettant de connaître la
> pratique suivie, complètent et précisent les textes normatifs
> définissant les épreuves et sont donc des documents officiels dont la
> reproduction et la diffusion sont libres. L’accès aux sujets d’examen
> ne saurait être restreint par l’application des droits de propriété
> littéraire. Il faut donc considérer les sujets d’examen organisé par
> l’État comme des actes officiels et, à ce titre, non protégés par le
> droit d’auteur. Ce ne sont pas des œuvres protégées.
>
>
>
---
As a side story, the only feedback I received from the administrative folks in school was a legal threat due to the fact I had used the school logo on the website:
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>
> From: X [Cnam]
>
> Date: 2013-02-25 8:46 GMT-05:00
>
> Subject:
> Utilisation abusive de la marque Cnam
> To: <EMAIL>
>
>
>
> Bonjour, Sur votre site <http://www.annales-exam.com>, vous faites, sans
> autorisation, une utilisation abusive de l'ancien logo du Cnam, que
> vous avez, de plus, déformé. Pour toutes ces raisons, je vous demande
> de retirer au plus vite cette image, avant que le contentieux soit
> transmis à notre service juridique.
>
>
> Cordialement,
>
>
>
> Conservatoire national
> des arts et métiers
> Direction de la communication Communication
> <NAME> 03
>
>
>
No professor complained to me.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: As an instructor myself, I realize one aspect of studying involves learning material which may or may not be on the test. Unless students are willing to take 10 page tests every time, there is some expectation or need for students to learn material which is not directly tested. Of course well written tests will cover the majority of the material the student is expected to learn and sometimes on a specific topic there is only one or two very good relevant questions.
Most likely the student's actions indirectly violated the idea that work is original from the student.
If the written policy includes a line about helping others cheat, then it would be a direct violation. If the written policy includes a line about needing to report cheaters, then he failed to turn himself in. In a justice system, consistency is essential- what has been done in similar cases by the university?
I worked for an online tutoring company whose official policy- we will not answer homework questions, but we could work similar questions, give general direction, correct mistakes, give ideas/hints etc.
In my personal opinion, posting a previous test without the instructors direct permission is cheating. Academic misconduct can mean several different things depending on the consequences. If the university's written policy on this aspect is unclear, some minor consequences instinctively speed up would seem appropriate to me. Perhaps, drop the student one letter grade in the course?
A relevant analogy- A. people who see a yellow light & instinctively speed up vs. B. people who see a yellow light & instinctively slow down. A. people are far more likely to get tickets or into accidents. It's a question of do you want to live as close to the legal line as possible?
Also, going forward the policy needs to make a clear distinction between acceptable behavior & cheating in this area. If a student plays in that gray area, don't be surprised if consequences occur.
Having a clear written policy on the topic agreeable to all professors is important. Or better yet give the professors the freedom to set their own policy. Ensure each professor is comfortable with their policy regarding groupwork, copying answers, kinds & level of help one can give or receive, etc.
For example, I have seen a student google questions, find someone who had posted his questions & answers verbatim & simply copy the website's answers into his work. The website he used had recently posted his questions verbatim so they most likely came from another student in his online class. This student had no idea how to do the problems himself. On the public school level, expecting teachers to create different assignments for every student every time is ludicrous.
Also, to give different students different questions raises the question- is a 95 this semester worth the same as a 95 from two years ago? 70 now vs. 70 from five years ago?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: In my country, no policy about disseminating exam material is enforced (or at least, I've never heard it happen or even threatened to be punished during my college years). As far as faculty-created study material goes, it didn't seem to happen much, but it was also not enforced, if there even was some kind of policy. In many cases, students would photocopy books (or the institution/professor would recommend doing so, or do it themselves) instead of getting them through distributors (which used to be funded by the government but seems to not be anymore :( - it was usually how faculty distributed their own study books though, instead of having to publish them - some uploaded them to the college database as well).
Throughout my college life, me and all my fellow students used old exams, answers to old exams and other notes and materials (which we often found online through institution-related but unofficial forums) to study. Often, we tried to memorize the answers due to time constraints (more time to study harder material) but usually, it was because the professor was dreadfully bad at teaching, the textbook was terrible, the examination questions where unclear or the teacher was inconsistent in grading (there where multiple occasions where there where multiple, mutually exclusive answers taken to be correct and even then inconsistently, so you never knew what, according to the teacher, the "correct" answer was, so you just placed your bet on previous behavior).
Let me stress that this study environment was **well known** by all faculty members. Some would attempt to actually **punish** using old exams to study and memorizing by subtly changing the questions or through other underhanded means (such as grading the question differently). However, there was never any action taken based on institution policy. Overall, teachers that where not useless would work around this; they either allowed it to happen, leveraging it to reduce stress in students and increase attendance and interest, or put work into both teaching properly and constructing exams that where consistent in format but always different enough in content that studying and comprehension where necessary (and where loved by all, even when we failed those exams).
Your question ends in a clear request for how other institutions handle this. However, it is also tagged with `ethics`, `cheating` and `policy`. Pedantry aside, I think it is understandable when faced with such a question that so many of us feel strongly about how such policy is made, since it has a deep influence on what environment students live in. In short, it seems that any policy that prevents students from exchanging information in a university, no matter what information that is (in relation to subjects at least, if not entirely), seems to contradict the purpose of a university and reduces transparency. It would train students to think backwards. If cheating is a problem, then *make it impossible* by crafting exams properly. My entire experience and that of others that has been relayed to me, clearly indicates that only the incompetence of educators makes cheating necessary and desirable.
I agree with most of what others have said. I'd like to end by saying, the question of how to handle "cheating" students feels a *lot* like DRM. Like DRM, it punishes those who don't break it - in this case, those who choose to follow institution policy will be at a disadvantage and/or will be forced to face the dilemma of snitching on other students and gaining a terrible reputation that will follow them throughout their university life. Don't do this to them. Bad students don't graduate - period. If a student is lazy or can't deal with the material in general, they won't make it. Extremely few students I knew that where terrible graduated - and those that did, managed to do it by brute-force memorization on at least some subjects.
Trying to track down the material will only push it underground. If the colleague in question feels that this dissemination of his exam material could invalidate his exams, he/she is a fool to believe it only happened now that they discovered it and is probably lazy or bad at creating exams. They may be a fine teacher, but there is no excuse for being so bad that a leaked exam invalidates your exam process.
You yourself do *not* do this. You distribute your material and seem to do fine. Remember, this will create a precedent and *policy*. Do you really want to place this gun in the hands of future faculty members so they can punish students for their own failings and bad performance?
**also, retroactively applying a rule that wasn't known to the perpetrator at the time is inherently immoral - you *should* ask the colleague if they told the students, if they didn't want that to happen**
*edit: I should add that I helped fellow students cheat many times. This was usually by telling them the answers during the exam. I never cheated. I used to finish my exams a lot sooner than them and would spend the rest of the period helping them with the material at the library. This was usually for weeks at a time, 3-4 times a year. I never regretted it and I did it because, to see others struggle without a chance, to be able to help and not do so, is also deeply immoral. Don't punish those that try to help fellow students manage. Many of those that disseminate material will be this sort of person - the lazy cheaters do not care about helping others.*
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_9: There is no legitimate reason for selling past exams. It seems a pretty clear case of collusion with the intent of giving another student an unfair advantage, albeit indirectly. The question, in my mind, is does your university policy allow for this particular type of misconduct to be penalised. The [policy at the University of Nottingham](http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/assessmentandawards/academic-misconduct.aspx) is sufficiently vague:
>
> 2.1 The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of academic misconduct which will be considered under these Regulations
>
>
>
Basically this means students cannot claim that we didn't tell them they couldn't do something. We reuse exams and essay and have had a number of cases in the past that we have followed up on. We have had enough of these cases that we have discussed the hypothetical situations to help us clarify our internal and somewhat private policy. The case we dread is when the materials are posted to a personal website to advertise the quality of the student's academic performance with appropriate disclaimers that the work should not be reused. This seems to us to be a legitimate reason to post the material and therefore probably not misconduct.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_10: Some of the other answers have alluded or mentioned this fact but it is important enough that it bears foregrounding with an answer. **Whether or not your university has rules about this in its guidelines for student conduct, you are almost certainly violating copyright by redistributing course material without permission and there are civil and criminal penalties for doing so.**
Copyright gives the exclusive right of distribution to the authors of creative works in almost every country on earth. As a result, copyright will almost always apply to tests, homework assignments, syllabuses, slides, and other course materials. The owners, depending on the situation, may be the institution, the professor, or a third party that has licensed content. In any case, unless you have a license to redistribute course material, you cannot do so without putting yourself at risk of civil, and possibly even criminal, penalties.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_11: A case study: This sort of website was, in its own twisted way, beneficial in revealing to me just how widespread was the practice (almost entirely confined to my international students) of posting scans of my past years' tests so that students could see what sort of format I preferred, and which of the topics I tended to ask more often than others (some were inevitable; we had discussed them for a full week, so it was clear I was highly emphasizing that topic). There were occasional instances in which the questions were identical, in the form of those core definitions that formed the core concepts of the chapter. (Not worth many points, of course, since there was no requirement to "work" anything to find a "solution," just demonstrate memory of the same formula that would then be used to work the next problem.)
However, when those same students began miraculously began regurgitating not merely the answer to the wrong question, but the answer *as I would often specifically phrase/format it* (when correcting those old tests), I became aware of just how little those students really knew. All they had learned how to do was transcribe their memory's recollection of the "general shape" (typically mangled almost beyond recognition) of the sentences that comprised an answer to "the problem in the upper left corner of page 3" (as if the new question were asking anything remotely related). Asked about it, they would typically go for guileless subterfuge efforts like "Well, I studied a YouTube video about it, so that's probably why my answer is slightly different from yours." I was highly irritated, but had to admit that they had exposed a potential weakness, one I should have been expecting from Greek-heavy universities of the past: test-file archives (just a new digital version). I have made it my business to try and stay just different enough every year to be able to throw off such efforts while still remaining true to those concepts that I wanted to be able to focus on year after year.
But *then*....
I noticed a student on the final exam spouting an absurdly irrelevant answer to one question, and recognized elements of it as coming from a question on the previous year's final. A search of such "cheater-friendly" websites under my name revealed scans/photos of the entire final exam. Since our university policy is to keep students from being able to take home their final exams after inspecting them (for the sake of those who *do* ask a "canned" final, I think), it should have been impossible for any such record to even exist; the secretarial staff have well-understood instructions to prevent the students from keeping, copying, or photographing them if they stop by to view them while we're away for an inter-term holiday.
But I was lucky; even with the name redacted, finding a matching test was trivial. The final exam in question was a "special edition" taken by only one student, who had a family emergency requiring him to depart the country a week early. Digging through the archives to find the proof, I confronted both the student who had used the "source material" to study with as well as the original student himself, now a year removed and well on his way to graduating. The latter protested his innocence, claiming that someone must have done this terrible thing without his knowledge. (He had gotten an A that year.) "Look," he pointed out, "it's not even *graded* yet, so I couldn't have possibly smuggled a copy of it out of the department office."
"You're right," I said, noticing the lack of my *own* handwriting for the first time. "That means the photo was made the day you took the test, *while it was still in your possession*." Things got worse for him from there.
Aesop's lesson: you'd be amazed at how little clues can add up to a finding of massive fraud or collusion. I take even the smallest suspicious coincidence seriously.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/08 | 1,151 | 4,809 | <issue_start>username_0: I wonder if anyone can give me some advice about how a computer science graduate shifts career to mathematics? I'm currently doing a Master's degree in computer science and i was thinking about doing a PhD in pure mathematics? so I was thinking is this transition feasible? how can I make this leap of faith?
Kindly note that currently -after graduation- I nearly don't do mathematics anymore, currently all what I am doing is writing software and administrating open source operating systems. In undergrad levels I took an introductory course in discrete mathematics and some calculus courses.
someone told me: Yes, the transition is feasible but it requires I take some courses and attend some math classes even as a special student (no degrees, no exams). But I thought I can get other opinions and views.<issue_comment>username_1: Take a look at [Is it easy to change your major after starting your PhD or masters, if it is necessary?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/23935/is-it-easy-to-change-your-major-after-starting-your-phd-or-master-if-it-is-nece/23943#23943), which is somewhat similar.
In particular, unfortunately, it sounds like your current mathematics background is very far from what would be needed to enter a math PhD program - it's maybe 1/4 of the coursework that would be expected. You would need to have preparation equivalent to that of a BS in mathematics, and that sounds like it would be the equivalent of 2-3 more years of full time coursework for you.
To be honest, I don't think that the coursework you describe can even have given you much of a sense of what pure mathematics is, much less what it is like to do research in the area. One needs rigorous proof-based classes such as real analysis and abstract algebra.
I would not really advise you, or anyone, to even think about grad school in mathematics before they have enough of a background to reasonably understand what it involves.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: It's always possible to go into another field, especially ones that are somewhat related (i.e., you'll have an easier time going to mathematics with CS than if you had a Psychology degree, for example).
**The Bad**
>
> In undergrad levels I took an introductory course in discrete mathematics and some calculus courses.
>
>
>
That's about one or two classes more than even most humanities majors have to take. I'm assuming you've taken at most integral calculus (Calculus II in the US).
You're going to need to take quite a few courses to be prepared for a PhD program, and have a chance at doing some useful research afterwards, considering you want to do *pure* math.
Undergrad math majors usually take (to prepare for grad school) courses such as:
* Real Analysis (at least two semesters)
* Modern/Abstract Algebra
* Vector and/or Complex Analysis
* Geometry and/or Topology
* Combinatorics/Graph Theory
* Number Theory
Many schools also require a course on proofs/logic/set theory before you can do many of those, as well. It could behoove you to also know about functional analysis, and differential geometry/riemann surfaces before you enter as well, though you may be able to take those as graduate coursework.
So you're looking at a good amount of time and effort before you can even competitively apply.
**The Good**
Having a master's in CS is a very useful thing. After all is said and done, you will be a very big asset in industry and R&D. A computer scientist who knows mathematics is a very dangerous person ;^)
Good luck, and I'll be cheering for you.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The easiest transition is probably to focus on mathematics programs where you can study topics closely related to computer science. You didn't mention in the question which areas of mathematics you are interested in studying. There is a significant amount of overlap between "theoretical" computer science and mathematics, although you have to take time to find the schools where this is studied in the mathematics department.
Even at such schools, though, a mathematics PhD includes a significant amount of "general" coursework. For my PhD in mathematical logic and computability theory -- which is one of the closest mathematical topics to computer science - I passed exams in abstract algebra and real and complex analysis. The exact topics you would need to study vary by school.
One option that has not been mentioned -- which has advantages as well as disadvantages -- would be to take a master's degree in mathematics first. This would certainly give you the background needed to be prepared for PhD studies. The main disadvantages are that it takes a year or two of your life, and that the funding for master's programs is not as generous as for PhD programs.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/09 | 1,323 | 5,532 | <issue_start>username_0: I hope to receive my PhD in Mathematics in May of 2015, so I am currently applying for jobs. Due to life circumstances, I'm fairly certain that I will only be staying at my next position for about 2 years. Does this mean I shouldn't even try to apply for tenure-track positions? Will a hiring committee not even consider me for the position if I'm not willing to commit to staying with them for a certain amount of time?
I would love to get a teaching/lecturing position at any institute of higher education (4-year research university, liberal arts school, community college), but as I look for openings, a lot of them are tenure-track assistant professor positions. Should I go through the effort of sending in an application, or will that be a waste of my, and the committee's, time?
Thanks for any advice you have!
Edit (to address Nate's comment):
My wife is currently applying for 2 year graduate degree programs in various cities in the US, so I'm applying for jobs in the same cities. When she finishes her program, we plan to move outside of the US (Africa or Southeast Asia), where I do hope to remain in academia, teaching mathematics to college-aged students.<issue_comment>username_1: Apply.
If you accept a position, you are committed for the following year. Leaving after two years will disappoint people, but it happens fairly often, and the potential consequences of you not applying to these jobs are perhaps more serious than the potential consequences to the departments if you leave after two years.
Besides, I don't know what your circumstances are, but you are presumably not completely sure you won't stay.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: To expand on @username_1 answer, even if you are certain *now* about what you plan to do in two years, you do not really know what life has waiting for your. In two years your certainties may be very different- and you may regret not having applied for those positions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Faculty come and go all the time at universities. Although we may hope a tenure-track hire will stick around for a decade or more, in practice we know many examples of people who have left voluntarily before getting tenure. So the disappointment that your departure might cause will probably not be very significant. (My personal viewpoint is that it is much better to hire the "best" candidate who applies, even if she only may stay for a short time, than it is to hire someone else just because they will stay longer.)
Regardless of how long you plan to stay, when applying for a tenure-track university you are likely to need to write some sort of teaching statement and some sort of research statement. These will be scrutinized by the hiring committee and neither can credibly say "I am leaving in two years". So you need to develop a plan *for the possibility* that you will stay in the tenure track position indefinitely, and use that plan when applying.
The bigger concern I have is when you write
>
> I would love to get a teaching/lecturing position at any institute of higher education (4-year research university, liberal arts school, community college),
>
>
>
Those three types of schools are very different, and they are looking for very different types of faculty (and there is a fourth type, "non-research-intensive moderately large public university", with its own idiosyncrasies). Very few candidates have a vita that is competitive for hiring at even two different kinds of institutions.
If you have not yet started thinking about which sort of institution you want to specialize in, now is a good time. I am in mathematics myself, and I have seen many candidates try an ineffective "shotgun" approach where they apply to huge numbers of schools for which they are not competitive. Remember that even a non-elite school is likely to receive hundreds of applications for a single tenure-track position in mathematics these days. A generic application is not likely to rise to the top.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: First of all, this isn't really answering your question, but you should seriously discuss with your advisor or another trusted senior mathematician about what sort of jobs you should be applying for; even mentioning research universities as a new Ph.D. makes me wonder if you have been told the "facts of life" by someone. It is much more likely that you'll be able to find a short-term position anyways.
That said, I don't think you should worry about the fact that you want to leave in 2 years. I can speak from the experience of having left two TT jobs within 2 years of starting. Of course, it's not something to be proud of, but it does happen pretty often, and I don't think it offends anybody's sensibilities too much. Honestly, I don't think you need to worry about people asking you about your plans (as long as they don't read this question and follow the link back to your webpage); leaving to move to Africa is so far outside what most people will imagine that they won't even be considering it. They assume that if you're applying for the job, you're at least thinking at the moment that you'll be in for the long haul.
I think if you do mention your plan to anyone involved, it will hurt you a lot. No one actually wants to hire someone into a TT position who will leave in 2 years. It's a huge amount of wasted work and money, so I think it's only worthwhile apply to TT jobs if you feel comfortable just not mentioning it.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/09 | 264 | 1,064 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a teaching assistant for the first time this semester. A couple of friends have asked how it is going, and I have used phrases like "some of my students..." or "my students are ..." when telling them my experiences.
I'm not so concerned when talking to my friends, but in an academic setting (ex. talking to another professor) is it appropriate for me to say "my students" when referring to the students in the class which I am TA'ing for?
I'm definitely leaning towards "no", because I am not the one instructing the class, I am just *helping* instruct the class, but I'd like to get SE's opinion.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, it is perfectly appropriate to refer to students in a class you are TAing as "my students."
You are teaching them; hence, they are your students. It doesn't really matter whether or not you are the primary instructor.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: "My students" is not a possessive. It's "the students whom I am responsible for." As such, it's wholly appropriate.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/09 | 827 | 3,206 | <issue_start>username_0: Are there any **general** (not field-specific) *researcher digital identification* services or directories, *similar* to *ORCID* and *ResearcherID*?<issue_comment>username_1: Some of the obvious ones:
* The [ISNI](http://www.isni.org/) initiative wants to assign unique identifiers to all "creators". (They take authors in the broad sense of individuals generating copyrightable content or something like that, since they include musicians and others.) That is about as "general" as you can want.
* If you want to restrict to Academia, the [arXiv author identifier](http://arxiv.org/help/author_identifiers) is not specifically field-specific, though it is limited to fields which have an arXiv presence.
* Since you didn't specify what is required of a "researcher digital identification service", social networks such as Academia.edu and ResearchGate which you [mentioned in your other question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/28239/are-orcid-and-researchid-compatible-with-research-social-networking-sites) can also serve the purpose of disambiguation of publishing records.
* Certain countries maintain their own databases of researchers residing there. The most comprehensive and successful seems to be that of [Netherlands](http://www.surf.nl/en/themes/research/research-information/digital-author-identifier-dai/digital-author-identifier-dai.html).
* The American Mathematical Society has recently starting maintaining [author profiles](http://www.ams.org/mathscinet/help/getauth.html) as part of their MathSciNet service (I know that the question asked for "not field-specific"; I'll weasel and say that the AMS profiles include also those working in related sciences to mathematics, such as physicists and computer scientists, and some engineers.)
For a list of some of the other services, the [International Repositories Infrastructure Wiki](https://repinf.pbworks.com/w/page/13779410/Author%20identification) has a slightly out-dated list of such services. Note however some of the items listed there have stalled and shutdown since the last edit.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: A few more creator/author/researcher identifiers:
* [Scopus Author Identifier](https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/scopus/support/authorprofile) - automatically generated from author name and affiliation appearing in publications in the Scopus database
* [Loop](http://loop.frontiersin.org/)
* [Microsoft Research Academic Search for authors](http://academic.research.microsoft.com/RankList?entitytype=2&topDomainID=4&subDomainID=10&last=0&start=1&end=100)
* [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.co.uk/) author profile *aka.* "My Citations"
Please note that ORCID lives within a reserved section of the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) namespace, see "[ORCID and ISNI Issue Joint Statement on Interoperation](https://orcid.org/blog/2013/04/22/orcid-and-isni-issue-joint-statement-interoperation-april-2013)", and works associated with an ORCID can be more than just publications but can include performances and presentations too, see "[Supported Work Types](http://members.orcid.org/api/supported-work-types)" for a list.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/09 | 903 | 3,933 | <issue_start>username_0: This is a hypothetical question so no hard facts about conferences etc.
Say for example there is a conference at your own university that you get to present a paper at but you also get accepted at another university's conference to present a paper at as well.
For this example we will say that both conferences/universities are of the same standing and there is no disadvantage to attend the other one such as cost etc.
Would both look equally good on a CV or would there be a view that the presentation at your own institution would not carry as much weight when viewed by, for example, by a hiring committee?<issue_comment>username_1: First of all, think about your career in a long run. The outstanding CV shows high number of publications with high factors.
If you have an opportunity to formally present your work at another university, do it; simply because you can discuss your work with new people at your field, and get their feedback about your work. You need these feedbacks to direct you, to an outstanding results, and ultimately great publications. You can talk to your colleagues, about your work/results at your university, at any occasion.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In general, I think there is usually the perception that having papers accepted to conferences at your home institution is easier and, thus, carries less reputational weight. This "home institution penalty" is probably less severe:
1. the higher your home institution ranks in the discipline, and
2. the greater the perceived importance of the conference in the field.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Rtisan is probably right about a local conference carrying somewhat less weight and prestige on a CV.
However, there are some other benefits of presenting at a local conference:
* It's usually free. With the travel money you save, you can attend another conference far away later on. Now you have two conference talks on your CV instead of just one. (In other words, "present locally" versus "present far away" is probably a false dichotomy. Even if the local conference conflicts with a faraway conference, there is very likely another faraway conference in the near future that's just as good. And if the conflicting faraway conference is, like, the one and only awesomest conference in your field, then the organizers of your local conference probably shouldn't have scheduled theirs to conflict with it.)
* Less travel: you get to save a day or two of travel time, sleep in your own bed, see your family, etc. This may make the conference much more relaxing.
* Being the attraction: People may be saying to themselves: "Hey, there's a conference at Podunk University. I think that's where gman works, so I'm sure he'll be there. I was just reading his paper and it will be great to hear his talk and ask him questions."
* Networking: as a local at a conference, people are more likely to want to talk to you. For instance, "Hey gman, you live here, can you recommend a good restaurant in town? Would you like to join us for dinner?" The opportunity to talk to other researchers informally can be very valuable to a career. Even fielding mundane questions like "How do I connect to the wifi? Where is Room NNN? Can you help me turn on the projector?" can start good conversations. (Make sure you know the answers to these questions!) It can be harder to initiate interactions like this when you are a stranger in a strange city.
* Help organize: Try to join the organizing committee, or at least offer to help them out. Organizing a local conference is a lot of work, and by contributing to this you will gain the appreciation of your colleagues. It's also valuable experience, and "conference co-organizer" is a nice line to have on a CV. Finally, conference organizers tend to have more contact with the visiting participants, contributing to Networking as above.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer] |
2014/09/09 | 1,279 | 5,615 | <issue_start>username_0: What would be best practice in indicating the source of text samples used to illustrate some concept or analysis result in linguistics or computational linguistics?
For example, I might want to use the sentence
>
> If you had told someone in 2012 that in just two years hence, the eurozone would remain bonded together but the United Kingdom might not, they would have thought you insane.
>
>
>
from a recent The New York Times article (<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/upshot/why-does-scotland-want-independence-its-culture-vs-economics.html?abt=0002&abg=0>), augmented with some annotation, in order to illustrate how different anaphora resolution methods would work or fail for this real life example. Copyright fair use policies allow to use such limited extracts without any permission, and using them is common practice, but the attribution and quoting seems unclear.
**How, and if, should I quote the source of that sentence within a paper?**
Would publication style (say, short paper vs. a dissertation) affect it?
Would density of examples (2 examples in whole paper vs 20 different examples in a single page) matter?
Would indirect sources change it? E.g. if the sentences are taken from, say, British National Corpus - but, naturally, they originally come from some different publication.
Language utterance sources are different from other references
--------------------------------------------------------------
At least in computational linguistics, general practice clearly is to not include the source of language utterance or sentence examples together with normal references. There are various approaches seen in practice among respectable publications: no referencing at all, a footnote reference for the sentence, a mention in article text, a single reference to a whole corpus (by referencing not the source but some authoritative paper about the corpus), etc. I'm wondering about those options, which would be preferable and which should be avoided.
Avoiding the whole problem by using sentences made up by myself is not a good solution - artificial examples are biased towards using constructions that behave in the same way as you and your tools expect, so real life examples of natural language from domain-representative sources are strictly preferred.<issue_comment>username_1: First of all, think about your career in a long run. The outstanding CV shows high number of publications with high factors.
If you have an opportunity to formally present your work at another university, do it; simply because you can discuss your work with new people at your field, and get their feedback about your work. You need these feedbacks to direct you, to an outstanding results, and ultimately great publications. You can talk to your colleagues, about your work/results at your university, at any occasion.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In general, I think there is usually the perception that having papers accepted to conferences at your home institution is easier and, thus, carries less reputational weight. This "home institution penalty" is probably less severe:
1. the higher your home institution ranks in the discipline, and
2. the greater the perceived importance of the conference in the field.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Rtisan is probably right about a local conference carrying somewhat less weight and prestige on a CV.
However, there are some other benefits of presenting at a local conference:
* It's usually free. With the travel money you save, you can attend another conference far away later on. Now you have two conference talks on your CV instead of just one. (In other words, "present locally" versus "present far away" is probably a false dichotomy. Even if the local conference conflicts with a faraway conference, there is very likely another faraway conference in the near future that's just as good. And if the conflicting faraway conference is, like, the one and only awesomest conference in your field, then the organizers of your local conference probably shouldn't have scheduled theirs to conflict with it.)
* Less travel: you get to save a day or two of travel time, sleep in your own bed, see your family, etc. This may make the conference much more relaxing.
* Being the attraction: People may be saying to themselves: "Hey, there's a conference at Podunk University. I think that's where gman works, so I'm sure he'll be there. I was just reading his paper and it will be great to hear his talk and ask him questions."
* Networking: as a local at a conference, people are more likely to want to talk to you. For instance, "Hey gman, you live here, can you recommend a good restaurant in town? Would you like to join us for dinner?" The opportunity to talk to other researchers informally can be very valuable to a career. Even fielding mundane questions like "How do I connect to the wifi? Where is Room NNN? Can you help me turn on the projector?" can start good conversations. (Make sure you know the answers to these questions!) It can be harder to initiate interactions like this when you are a stranger in a strange city.
* Help organize: Try to join the organizing committee, or at least offer to help them out. Organizing a local conference is a lot of work, and by contributing to this you will gain the appreciation of your colleagues. It's also valuable experience, and "conference co-organizer" is a nice line to have on a CV. Finally, conference organizers tend to have more contact with the visiting participants, contributing to Networking as above.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer] |
2014/09/09 | 4,194 | 16,939 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm a first year PhD student (computer science), and I've felt that I lost this year up to now due to some life difficulties. I'm getting no financial support and I was forced to teach to get some money and pay my expenses. I have another personal problems that took me to a state of depression, where I've spent some months completely stuck in my work.
I want to "be back on the rails" and continue to work on this, but I'm feeling lost. I need to go back to the very beginning and find what a PhD is, and what I must do to advance the state of art with my current (weak) capabilities. At the same time I must to show some results to my advisor with what I already have in my hands.
I know that my "question" is pretty obscure, but I need some advices on how to proceed, from people with some experience in this situation. **How can I overcome depression and 'get back on the rails' with my PhD?**
IMPORTANT EDIT:
Some years later I finally got my PhD. I cannot believe I made it. At the time that I wrote this post it seemed utterly impossible to achieve this. If you are in the middle of a PhD you may try to endure and fight until the end. But if you are wondering about starting a PhD, please make sure YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE your topic, otherwise you'll end like me when I wrote this. I didn't like my research area and the topic I choose. Everything else seemed to be way more interesting. I wanted to do everything instead of reading papers and conducting my own research. I felt unproductive and useless, and at some point my advisor started to complain about my lack of results. It was my fault since the beginning since I didn't followed a research area that I could have joy with it. I should have choose something that matched my abilities and preferences, for instance, I'm pretty good with programming, but my math skills aren't great, and yet I tried to enter a field that is dominated by math and advanced statistics. I couldn't do what I do the best, neither I was able to catch up with the involved math.<issue_comment>username_1: Depression is very common amongst graduate students and faculty. So know that you are not alone.
>
> About 60% of graduate students said that they felt overwhelmed, exhausted, hopeless, sad, or depressed nearly all the time. One in 10 said they had contemplated suicide in the previous year. [-- AAS Science Careers](http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2014_02_04/caredit.a1400031)
>
>
>
However, there is very little that the community on SE can do to help you. We are not therapists and cannot provide a therapeutic relationship.
Know that there is no shame in seeking help. Your university almost always has a mental health clinic with free or subsidized service. Whether you prefer talk therapy or psychopharmaceuticals (or both) is up to you and your insurance plan -- but please do go seek help from specialists.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Your question is:
>
> Overcoming depression and getting back on rails on PhD's work?
>
>
>
My advice would be to treat these as two separate problems.
First you must tackle overcoming (or at least learning to cope) with depression ... which you say is due to personal problems. You should prioritise this. Only then can you aim to get back on the rails with your PhD work. In terms of coping with depression, this may involve lifestyle changes, seeking counselling, and so forth.
Once you are healthier, you can then prioritise pushing forward your PhD work. It's important to keep communicating with your supervisor what is going on with you. Their job is to advise you. Let them know what is going on. Likewise set yourself small achievable goals. Thinking about a PhD in its entirety is very daunting. Break up your work into little milestones (no longer than a week, say) and try to focus on one thing at a time.
---
On a side note, there can be a pathogenic aspect to academia where working ridiculous hours and being depressed all the time is sort of implicitly tolerated, for students and staff alike. **This is wrong.** If you find yourself in such an environment, try to improve it. If this doesn't work, just get out. Learning does not require suffering. Research does not require suffering. Depression should not be a side-effect of a PhD.
If it is your PhD that is an underlying cause or aggravator of depression, I think you need to ask yourself: Is getting a PhD really worth it? Can you take steps to improve your situation? Could you find another PhD position elsewhere? Maybe you could try find a job or just do something different?
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: As a past PhD student in the domain of software engineering, and having some personal problems during my PhD; I can totally relate to you.
First of all, doing little/nothing (in your opinion) during the first year is pretty common. In fact there is a lesson in itself. That is, a year, is not a long time in a lifestyle of a researcher. So you can plan your years ahead more wisely.
Second, you need to understand that, doing a research in computer science is sometimes is very hard; as many big successful companies are doing great things, and for marketing purposes, bragging about it publicly; and you need to sit and think about a contribution that is not tackled before, with limited resources (e.g., time, budget, etc.). Hopefully in near future you will find the purpose in your research, and will be happy about your role in the computer science domain.
Third, you need to start exercising on a daily basis. Sitting long hours, and trying doing a research in an office environment, sooner or later will effect your mental health. So plan a light workout at least 3 times a week.
Fourth, eat well. If you use any self medication (cigarets, alcohol), stop them. They will contribute to your moods.
Fifth, work during reasonable hours. Do not work more than 8/9 hours a day. Do not work strange hours (late nights, midnights).
Hopefully by balancing your life, you will start feeling good and then great again and will continue your research.
If you still have the problem, contact the student union at your university, they can help you get some time off, so you can tackle this issue professionally.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Ok, here is my (partial) take on the matter.
I completed a PhD, also in Comp Sci, but in theory rather than software. In retrospect, I believe it may not even have been a good idea to do so. I'm not suggesting that you quit, though; nor am I going to write my long personal story since it is, well, personal and long. So let's just make some suggestions:
* Ask yourself this: "Is my self-esteem, my sense of self-worth, based on me succeeding academically? As a student and now as a researcher?" If the answer is "Yes", then you need to rewire your brain. Because even if you don't end up in a deep emotional crisis right now, you will at some point in the not-too-distant future, and until then you'll probably suffer most of the time. I was very afraid of asking myself that question, because I sort of knew the answer; but if it reaches your consciousness than you know you have to do something about it.
* Suppose your PhD tanks. You don't reach publishable results, you wander around in circles, you need money and there's nothing you can do on campus to make enough - it goes up in flames. You advisor frowns and is disappointed. Your parents wonder "Gee, what's he going to do with his life now?" Sounds terrible, right? Can you live with that? The answer is: Of course you can. What you can't live with is spending your time trying to avoid this possibility, or imagining it out of existence. It may happen. Don't start spending all your time on planning for PhD failure, but try to entertain it as a real possibility. Try to "pre-accept" this failure and thinking of your PhD prospects as a sort of a calculated bet.
* Some people bypass their emotional issues by making research breakthroughs relatively quickly; they supposedly never have to deal with the kind of anguish we go through. For us, however, it's all the more exasperating to see them progress while we're stuck. If you spend *any* time trying to compare yourself to them: "Why am I less successful/quick/able than that guy" - again, you're in trouble. You're thinking of the PhD as a sort of rat race. Unfortunately, it's half-become that in some fields. Your PhD is supposed to be something unique, that you are pursuing for its own sake (or because you need to apply the research personally). Don't adopt the goal of ["getting ahead"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU6m5UqLx9M) abstractly in your PhD.
* It is my (non-universal) experience that many people around you, especially senior tenured staff, can be total *assholes* about this kind of problem. It is so commonplace, so fundamental, so frustrating... and yet, they're just shuffling along untroubled. Even when all the signs tell them how you feel. And nobody prepares you for this. They make you think you're just, well, continuing your studies. Don't be afraid to develop a nice grudge :-) and, on that note
* A PhD candidate is not a student. That is, you are also a student, and research is a kind of study, but in that sense a Professor is also a student. You now have something between a strange kind of *job* and an also-strange kind of *contract work* (perhaps half-unpaid). I know usual capitalist class divisions (hired labor / capitalist employer) don't apply very well to academia, but I think it's emotionally (and sometimes financially) useful to think of it that way. Of course, you should be very committed to your job and take it seriously, not slack around...
* Is your advisor actually advising you? Academically, at least? That is, does he provide guidance, suggestions on how to proceed research-wise and academic-life-wise? Clearly, you're not close with him, and he doesn't realize what you're going through. Do you think you could tell him? Or will he not 'get it' emotionally, and just end up thinking you're a weak person? I would say it's probably a good idea to share your situation with him even if he's expected to respond relatively poorly. Don't make excuses to him and try to hide what's going on. Better for him to think of you as a wuss who can't handle it than a dodgy person who can't be trusted to tell the truth.
* You wouldn't believe how many people use psychotherapy, or take anti-depression medicine - in society in general and in grad school in particular. If you're, say, at the point of having trouble sleeping, or having other physical symptoms of depression or anxiety - talk to your GP (your doctor) and ask him/her to explain such possibilities to you.
* Teaching is part of the calling of being an academic. Researchers should teach, regardless of money. It's good for keeping in touch with the foundations of your discipline, and what's more - it can help your mood. At least, it did for me. Still, if you need to do a lot of it to make ends meet, that sucks. There are academic staff labor unions for these kinds of problems (and for wider concerns hopefully), but I'm not going to suggest to you as a single person that all the graduate teachers should go on strike for better pay etc. Although they generally should :-)
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: Depression is the root cause of why I didn't finish my Ph.D., so please take it seriously.
First divide things into stuff that you can fix and stuff that you can't. Things that you can't fix include lack of sufficient money to study without work and the difficulty of your subject. Things that you can fix include exercise, diet, and sleep patterns (@username_2). Also, there are extra things that you can do such as using the campus psych help and medications.
It is surprising how much a change to logical exercise, diet, and sleep can help. The only problem is that those changes take a significant amount of effort which is the original problem. Nevertheless, try a "21 day challenge": more than 7 hours of sleep a night (at night), no junk food nor soda, and at least light exercise (e.g. yoga, hiking). Also, try to socialize, more than just drinking buddies.
As to the medications, I have found most of the prescription stuff of little use. Zoloft, etc. had only a marginal effect. The single most effective thing has been wheatgrass juice. I used up to 4 oz of freshly ground wheatgrass juice daily, and after about 10 days, I noticed an improvement. Within about 2 weeks of starting, my depression was GONE. I haven't been without depression since puberty (~20 years), and it took me awhile to get used to it. At first, I felt fragile, like anything might break it. Then, all of a sudden, I could finally do all of the things that I wanted.
One thing to bear in mind. No matter what type of medication you take, your mental habits still remain from the depression. Be aware that one of your first priorities should be to change your mental habits (e.g. always seeing the bad side, assuming everyone hates you / makes fun of you / holds you in contempt, assuming that you can't finish anything, assuming that you are a horrible person or stupid, etc.). These are just artifacts. You will finally be able to change them like changing your clothes. I know that that statement sounds stupid, but once the depression stopped forcing my mental outlook, I actually could gain control of it. Big change.
Finally, you mentioned that you have weak capabilities. That might be true or not, but that is FIXABLE. That is the purpose of school. You are in the process of improving those capabilities. Where else would you expect someone to improve their academic capabilities. So, don't worry about that.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: The legendary physicist <NAME> struggled with a terrible bout of depression shortly after Hiroshima and was unable to work. He talks about it in his book *Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman*. In the end, he decided to go back to his roots and just work on things that interested him - rather than what he *should* be working on. As it happens, while modelling the motion of a flying and oscillating plate (for fun), he inadvertently solved a quantum mechanical problem.
As a PhD student who has also wrestled with depression for many years, I have adopted this same indulgent approach: find a problem or task that interests you and work on it *for fun*. You'll be amazed with how often this leads to something publishable.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: **Talk to people**
Talk to your advisor, your professors, your TAs, your fellow students, your friends, your family, the people at your school's graduate office (often just waiting to help), or a counselor if you have access to one. People on the internet don't count. It might be tempting to get stuck in your own head and believe that you can figure everything out on your own if you just work hard enough, but clearly that isn't working.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: Don't be depressed! Always, Be hopeful! Posting this question means that you still have a lot of hope within yourself. You just need to get it recognized by yourself and acknowledged. Try to think, imagine and act in such a way, read, write and watch such stuff which provides you hope.
Since you have mentioned about the first year that is some what about the course work. Let me tell you the fact that you have lost nothing, if you have passed the courses you took and, maybe, only something very little and not everything (of course, not a complete year) otherwise.
The fact that you have no financial support is something that happens to many and you are not alone to be in such a situation. You are rather lucky that you have made it up by teaching. I personally know those who have had similar situations in grad schools and were forced to take odd jobs.
Try not to think about that personal problem much. Your too much mental involvement in that is not only harming you in your present, rather it would leave its marks on your mind and would also be destructive for your future. Remember not to think about the things too much which are not under your control.
Forget about showing results to your adviser so far. He won't kick you out of the PhD program. Try to bring your problems in his knowledge, otherwise, it won't work this way for rest of the years during your PhD. Do not try to be a superman, just be realistic with your life, work and supervisor. Try to keep him in 'CC' about the challenges (not problems) of your life and work.
Keep your emotions under control and remember that: "PhD is also a patience test". During the course emotions won't let you complete it at several occasions and they might even force you to quit. But, please! don't let your emotions hinder you work, your life will be okay.
Best Luck!
Upvotes: -1 |
2014/09/09 | 1,276 | 5,467 | <issue_start>username_0: I would like to apply for following PhD studies in the Nordic countries, particularly in the field of Computer Science. The problem that I found is that it says in the admission procedure that "before applying one should get a Professor or Researcher that agrees to supervise the applicant".
I have checked up the personal webpages of the Professors and I have found their topics of interests, publications and so on. I like a lot of the topics in which they make research, but I do not really know how to address an email to them asking if they would agree to supervise me. Particularly I have the following doubts:
* Should I make a small research article putting my ideas about one research interest of them? The problem here is that I believe I would not have the enough time to go through a lot of papers made on their reseach groups. What can I do if do not have the enough background? Time is running fast for submitting the application and I do not believe I would have enough time to study in deep their research.
* Should I send my CV and ask to a specific Professor that I have interest in following PhD studies under their supervision, and if it would be possible if he or she to send me some open question or open research task so that they could see that I will manage to do it well on his or her research group?
I will transcribe what the ad specifically says:
>
> 1. You must do your best to find a suitable supervisor at the department who agrees to supervise you. Please see the research pages
> of the department, and especially the descriptions of the research
> groups.
> 2. You must agree on a study plan, a research plan and a financing plan together with your (found) supervisor, and submit an application
> to the steering committee of the department's doctoral programme.
>
>
>
also about the supervisor it says:
>
> A student who wants to become a PhD student should start the
> application process by finding a supervisor at the department, who
> works in the field of interest of the student and who is willing to
> supervise the student. If the student is unsure of which supervisor to
> contact, he or she may first contact the research coordinator of the
> department who will steer the student in the right direction.
> Generally, a supervisor is a professor and/or principal investigator
> employed by the department.
>
>
>
For what I read it seems, at least to me, that one should really have in mind a good research proposal before applying, am I wrong? or only with an email will suffice to contact the potential supervisor?
What should I do in this situation?
Thanks<issue_comment>username_1: You might read these:
>
> If the student is unsure of which supervisor to contact, he or she may first contact the research coordinator of the department who will steer the student in the right direction. Generally, a supervisor is a professor and/or principal investigator employed by the department.
>
>
>
Contact the research coordinator at first and kindly follow these steps.
1. Prepare your research proposal and CV that state your research interest.
2. Write an email that explains these points:
* State your intention to apply to his/her University.
* Explain why you apply to his/her University?
* Inform them that his/her
publications caught your attention.
* Explain your research plan, inform them that you attached your research proposals.
* State your appreciation if they give their guidance.
Wait for response from them. If their response is positive, they will be questioning you more detail about your research as part of the pre-selection process.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If you have a specific potential advisor at a university, start by sending a brief (and polite, of course) email. Ask whether she would be willing to take a new student and say a few words about your background (what you did in your bachelor/master, where and with whom). Thus you can show that your background is compatible with the advisor's research. If you manage to add a few words about how you liked something specific about the advisor's recent work, that will certainly be a big plus. End by thanking the supervisor for her time and say that you are ready to provide more info if necessary. The advisor can then help you get through the formalities if she sees a potential in you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: From my experience in Sweden, what most professors weight the most to evaluate a candidate is the research experience. Make sure you include a list of all your projects, with a brief explanation of what you did; and a copy of the reports of the finished ones, if they are not very big. Glancing at your profile, I see you have been published, that is very good, make it visible!
Grades are (usually) not very important, but be prepared to promptly produce a transcript if requested.
Of course, common sense applies, a large dump of stuff is more likely to get ignored or deleted than a well distilled selection.
Best of luck!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I would suggest you have a very good research proposal. Go through your proposal and then contact the professor(s) who also have interest in what you are interested in.
Ensure that the email is well thought out and avoid all unnecessary spelling errors.
The email should also include your academic achievement as it relates to that of the professor(s).
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/09 | 403 | 1,794 | <issue_start>username_0: As a professor, I am sometimes asked to help undergrads (I'm currently at the University of Michigan) find funding for math research during the summer. In the past I have seen some get funding from the NSF REU program. The only problem with this is that it is only 8 weeks (At least at my school). Are there any other research grants that are given to undergrads that could last the entire summer?<issue_comment>username_1: Probably you are asking about programs, rather than grants. Typically only faculty receive grants. There are a variety of [search tools](http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/programs.asp?descriptorhub=SummerResearch_Summer%20Research%20Opportunity "search tools") available for these programs. Typically the most flexible situations undergrads can get come from the undergraduate's university office of undergraduate research or from a faculty member the student knows who is willing to hire undergraduates using grant money. Most of the government research funding agencies offer a summer research program. These typically range from 8 to 12 weeks in duration and are not usually flexible, though I have heard of accommodations being made for students whose classes end late.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'd also ask around your department. Many universities have various summer research fellowships available. For example, one enterprising student in my lab found money through NASA that was administered through the physics department but also funded math, science, engineering, etc.
Also, most funding organizations are happy to "pad" a research grant with 1-2 undergrad research positions. I usually add these to my budget when submitting. While other areas get trimmed, the undergrad positions have never been a problem.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/10 | 1,098 | 4,596 | <issue_start>username_0: When applying for postdoc positions, one has the option to send out lots of applications, possibly get several offers, then choose the one that seems best.
Alternatively, the applicant could contact the research group that looks the most relevant or best suited for him, and focus on getting a position there. If the feedback is not positive, then (and only then) move on to the next best choice.
I believe that in the USA it is accepted that people will shop around for positions, and not taking an offer is considered completely normal. However, in some other places it is possible that if the applicant shows a lot of interest for a certain position, then gets an offer to be hired, and doesn't accept it anyway, it could be considered rude.
What is the usual or best way for applying in various countries? I think it is very important to research this point to avoid any misunderstandings or bad feelings because of differences in attitudes towards the application process.<issue_comment>username_1: While [Pete's concern](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/28281/applying-for-posdtoc-positions-is-it-okay-to-send-out-many-applications#comment60725_28281) looks valid to me, even in this hypothetical situation, a polite declining letter/email should do fine. For a somewhat reliable account of how faculty generally thinks you should go about declining an offer, follow [this link](http://science-professor.blogspot.in/2010/03/go-ahead-reject-me.html).
Of course, the above was written in the context of grad school applications, and post-doc is much more personal than that AFAIK. (You contact a person, not an institution - so if there's any possibility of declination being deemed rude, it is more likely to be the case in a post-doc application than in the grad school context, which necessitates it further). But the intent is the same, and content (of the email) could also follow suite!
But having said that, please bear in mind that the professor would've himself been in your position some time back. He/she would've himself declined offers in his days, and I don't he will consider it rude. (Unless of course, if your correspondence went to a very advanced stage, you assured him you would join, he told other applicants that he's full and has no vacancy, and now you insist on not joining! But if it is simply that you were considered and found good enough, and decide on not joining, go ahead with the advice to avoid rudeness concerns.)
Hope that helps
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: You should remember that universities are also looking at the resumes of many candidates for a given position. If it is not rude on their part to consider many applications and rejecting most of them, why will it be rude for a candidate to apply to many positions and reject some of them?
This is a many-to-many matching market between applicants and positions. You are trying to optimize your chances, they are trying to optimize their interest. If you look at it from this game theoretic perspective, you will not feel any qualm of conscience.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: For a moment think about both ends:
1. You want to find a postdoc position, to continue your research. Hopefully you will contribute a number of good journals, and move forward through your goal (an academic position). So you should be very careful where and with whom you will do your postdoc. In a long run playing the number game (i.e., sending your cv everywhere) does not pay off, because even if you find a position, it doesn't mean that much until you contribute great results. And that 'great' result is based on many factors out of your hand (e.g., supervisor, the team he/she made around him or herself, the city you will do your postdoc, etc.). So, do your search wisely and apply to ones that truly you think you will be useful.
2. Supervisors look for a postdoc position to ease their job to some extent in the first place (e.g., help them with proposals, help them in labs, etc.). Lets face it, they already have their permanent position, so if they pay for a postdoc, they want a helping hand in the first place. In some cases, publication comes second hand for them, they already publish papers/journals on regular basis without you anyway.
So if you want the situation be in your favor as a postdoc, you really need to look into these factors. Just don't send your CV some strange place, expect to be great situation. You might tie yourself to a nightmare (e.g., in the middle of project, and they don't care about your input).
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/10 | 977 | 3,919 | <issue_start>username_0: During my bachelors and masters degree I have attended some brief talks called colloquiums in which a researcher was invited by a professor at the university and s/he gave a one-hour talk about a scientific topic most of which about his/her own research interests.
These talks are a little different from normal conference presentations and seminars because the speaker is invited to give a talk and he is not presenting a specific paper; but in a conference, except from keynote speakers; people normally submit their papers to be peer-reviewed.
I don't know what's the role of colloquiums in academia and what the speaker is seeking by giving such talks? Also, who can give such talks (a researcher, somebody from industry, an outstanding professor, etc.)?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> what the speaker is seeking by giving such small talks?
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One word: **exposition**.
As a rule, the more senior a researcher gets, the less of her/his attention is devoted to writing single research papers. It becomes more central to be known for a specific niche, a specific topic where (s)he is the world's foremost expert. One does not become such a figurehead for a specific niche by writing good papers in the area *alone* (although, clearly, this is still required). One also needs to be an ambassador for the niche. This includes giving keynotes at conferences, as well as giving seminars and colloquia.
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Everybody who gets invited by somebody. However, typically, one does not give keynote-level talks before senior postdoc or assistant professor level, simply because most PhD students do not have all too much of a vision going beyond their thesis yet. And, frankly, the keynotes of most postdocs also suck. Like most skills in academia, giving good exposition talks is also a skill that comes with training.
(there are exceptions, of course - I can think of at least one outstanding PhD student in software engineering who was regularly invited to give keynote talks at conferences midway through her dissertation)
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In addition to [@username_1 answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/28291/15723), another reason comes from the inviting part point of view. For example, in my institute from now and then researchers (at the levels mentioned by [@username_1](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/28291/15723)) are invited to give talks. The goal is that researchers in the institute get to know about other researchers vision, topics and approaches. The aim is mainly to broaden our knowledge in order to stimulate new ideas and collaborations between researches from different topics or even fields. This is why typically these presentations are not just about a specific paper (likely niche topic), and look more like keynote presentations in conferences.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: In addition to other answers, a colloquium series is often used as a way to indirectly fund research collaboration.
In many cases, the colloquium speaker is a collaborator of one of the institution's own faculty (call her X), or at least X is specifically interested in the speaker's work. X may suggest that the speaker be invited. The speaker will usually be on campus for a day or two (or more), during which he and X can have longer technical discussions. The colloquium talk is for the benefit of the rest of the department: they can learn about the speaker's work at a higher, less technical level. (Colloquiua are usually meant to be pitched to an audience of faculty and grad students with a general background in the field, not necessarily the speaker's specific subfield; of course, that isn't always the way the talk turns out!) The department pays for the speaker's travel expenses, and everybody is happy. Next week, someone else's collaborator is invited.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/10 | 1,168 | 4,823 | <issue_start>username_0: Around a month ago, I was requested to review a paper submitted to a well-known APS journal. The main idea introduced in the paper was nice and the experimental implementation had fairly good results. I therefore sent my approval with some minor revisions.
Last week, I was shocked to find (through a poster presented at an international conference) that the idea in the work I refereed had been **blatantly plagiarized** from another work published earlier this year. In fact, a few sentences had even been simply copy-pasted.
In the course of reviewing, I had checked all the references in the paper and not surprisingly, the original work had *not* been cited.
I immediately sent a correspondence via the APS referee interface to revert my earlier decision and reject the paper outrightly. The editor later sent me a detailed reply saying that the paper has been rejected by the journal and the authors have been *made aware* of the original work.
But anyhow, the question I wish to raise here is: *whose responsibility should it be to find out if a work submitted for publication is an act of plagiarism* ?
While I feel both referees and editors must work on this aspect, I think the primary onus should be on the editors/publishing team. They have far more resources to investigate plagiarism. Furthermore, in contrast to editors, referees do not get paid and are doing this job mainly because of their belief in the edifice of peer-review, to add to their CV, etc.
Perhaps the experts and experienced researchers can give their opinion here?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I think the primary onus should be on the editors/publishing team.
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I don't think most editors would agree with you here.
Further, you say:
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> in contrast to editors, referees do not get paid
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Neither do most editors of scientific journals. Both are community service jobs taken up by academics. Many journals do (in addition) have copy editors and lectors, but those are typically not responsible for any content-based decisions. Those copy-editors are responsible for making sure that the layout is correct, that references etc. are in the right format, and (in some cases) improve the language, grammar, and spelling. They do not have the field knowledge to judge whether the document they are currently looking at is plagiarized, except for maybe the most blatant cases.
Finding plagiarism (both, in sentences and ideas) is the job of the refereeing team, which consists of the reviewers, the responsible associated editor (if any), and the editor-in-chief.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: As referee I would say I never actively check for plagiarism- neither I have been asked to do so in the instructions for referees (my fields are life science and bioinformatics). The responsibility falls mostly on the editor's side. Indeed, many journals will pass your paper through plagiarism tools like [iThenticate](http://www.ithenticate.com) and they warn you during the submission process (indeed, you have to agree with this before being able to submit). I think all journals should do this.
Of course, if we find proof of plagiarism or self plagiarism we should report it to the editors, as you did. During my reviews I have found a couple of cases of limited self plagiarism when looking for information related to the manuscript and noted that to the editors in my review.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Well, we now have two opposing views, so I'll add a third: **Neither.**
I don't think that either the editor or the reviewer has a responsibility to try to detect plagiarism. When I read a journal, I don't assume that anyone has taken explicit steps to check for plagiarism. I don't see it as incumbent on either of them to take steps like matching against a database of previous papers (indeed I think such things cause more trouble than they are worth; see arXiv's "textual overlap" detector).
If a plagiarized paper should make it into print, I blame the author, but I don't blame the editor or referee for not catching it. They are victims of the plagiarist, along with the rest of the community.
The referee is typically asked to judge the novelty of the paper, so they should be reasonably familiar with the existing literature (if not, they should decline to review the paper). If the paper seems very reminiscent of a paper they've seen before, then they should certainly compare them, but not so much to check for plagiarism as to better understand the innovations of the new paper.
That said, the referee certainly has a responsibility to *report* plagiarism if they do notice it, and the editor has a responsibility to thoroughly investigate any reports or allegations of plagiarism, and take prompt and decisive action if warranted.
Upvotes: 5 |
2014/09/10 | 913 | 3,944 | <issue_start>username_0: I have finished writing my first paper to be published in a journal. My intent is to try to publish in a high-impact journal (there are two candidates from the IEEE Transactions class). However, my advisor and another professor, who is close to our research, both suggest that I should refrain from trying to aim that high, i.e. first publish in a lower ranked journal. They state that the reason is not the insufficient quality of the paper, but rather the length of the acceptance process, which is in their experience particularly for first-time authors very prolonged. The argument is, that I would lose many months, perhaps even more than a year in the back and forward process of rejections and resubmitions, when all this could be cut significantly, if a l. All that seems a bit pessimistic to me, of course, I don't want to wait so long, but I was under the impression that such a process would take at most 3-4 months.
Are those considerations regarding first-time authors deemed accurate?
Would it be appropriate/advisable to contact the editors of the journals with my concerns regarding the length of the acceptance process?
PS: the field is computer science<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I was under the impression that such a process would take at most 3-4 months.
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**No.** 3-4 months would be, in my experience, **extremely quickly** for Computer Science transactions. That would mean that your submission would get accepted without modifications in the first revision, which almost never happens (and even then 3 months would be very fast). 1 to 2 years for the entire process is more common.
However, this has nothing to do with it being your first paper. It is the same for every submission. Those journals have pretty rigours peer review, which simply takes some time.
That being said, it will also be similar for other non-spam journals. I am not aware of any reputable CS journal that would suit your 3-4 months expectation.
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> Would it be appropriate/advisable to contact the editors of the journals with my concerns regarding the length of the acceptance process?
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The answer would very likely be "deal with it or submit somewhere else". Frankly, if a journal had a reasonable way to cut down on the time required for the review process *without hampering review quality*, they would arguably do it anyway. They are not going to "make an exception" or anything of this ilk.
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> my advisor and another professor, who is close to our research, both suggest that I should refrain from trying to aim that high, i.e. first publish in a lower ranked journal. They state that the reason is not the insufficient quality of the paper, but rather the length of the acceptance process
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I would assume they meant not "a lower ranked journal", but rather "a conference". Review durations for conferences are indeed much more predictable (and, generally, shorter, in the 2-month range on average).
Submitting to a weaker journal to get your notification a little bit faster does not seem like overly good advice to me. If they indeed were speaking about a lower-ranked journal, you should consider the possibility that they were sugar-coating their judgement that your paper is not good enough for a very strong journal.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I think it is perfectly appropriate to contact the editors with whatever question you have regarding the submission process. But first check the information in the web site. If there is not explicit information about the time it takes to review the manuscripts in the journals' instructions for authors (or elsewhere) then you can of course contact the editors. Personally I have contacted the editors previous to submission in several occasions to inquire about different aspects of the submission process or the journal's policy or even status (e.g. IF, indexing in PubMed, etc.).
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/10 | 515 | 2,308 | <issue_start>username_0: I am applying for a PhD at a certain university that requires the student to provide and evidence of support from a potential supervisor before submitting the application. After mailing some professors, one of them agreed to support my application. It was a very brief email saying "I am happy to support you". I immediately prepared a research proposal and sent it to her. She replied by saying "Noted". I prepared my application and submitted it two months later.
Is it appropriate to email her as a reminder of myself? If so, what would be a good email? This university is very important to me and I want to do everything I can to increase my chances of admission.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, in general it's entirely appropriate to remind faculty members about letters/recommendations/paperwork they've previously agreed to.
In fact many faculty members I've known (and I cannot, alas, wholeheartedly exclude myself) rely on such reminders to a greater or lesser extent. Faculty nowadays are faced with so much paperwork / routine correspondence (and are not necessarily trained or culturally aligned to regard such things as being important) that we start to believe also in the converse: what we have heard about once and never been reminded of must not be very important.
Just now I got a second email from a secretary in my department about an annual inventory issue. She sent the first email just a few days before and included a hard deadline in both emails. In other words, she knows all the tricks to get faculty to do things without causing resentment. The keys: be polite but persistent, and make the convergence to the deadline clear by ramping up the email reminders accordingly. It really works: pardon me while I run down to her office so she can tag my laptop!
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: As my experiences, you should.
But the tricky are, before you remind his/her about their "promises" to support you, in your email, inform him/her your little progress about your proposed research. This can be your opinion about some paper that you used as evidence. Better if you make something so called prototype. After it, change the discussion about your last email. Just ask about his/her opinion what should you do next.
Upvotes: 0 |
2014/09/10 | 3,132 | 13,189 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm currently in a class in my major that meets for 50 minutes 3 times a week. Meanwhile, I'm a member of a campus club, unrelated to my major, which meets right after this class one day.
My professor has decided that he should have the students stay an extra 30-45 minutes after class on the day of the meetings so that he can continue to teach.
I'm the only one in the class who has voted against this, which makes me uncomfortable, because I'm what's forcing the class to have a faster pace.
Am I right in being outraged? Is it not the professor's job to teach the necessary course material in the time allotted, as opposed to having students stay late for no credit? Should I cave in and just not go to the club meetings? They're not important for my major, and I'm not an officer, but I immensely enjoy them.
**Edit:** I've been asked in the comments why my professor is doing this. It has to do with the pacing of the course--if we had to stick to 50 minutes 3 times a week, then the pace would have to be much faster.<issue_comment>username_1: Welcome to SE!
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> Am I right in being outraged?
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No, I don't think so. The professor offered to spend some of his personal time to teach you something more in depth. He offered it and you declined it and that's it.
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> Is it not the professor's job to teach the necessary course material
> in the time allotted, as opposed to having students stay late for no
> credit?
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Just look at it in a different way: He is helping you to learn and therefore you are replacing learning at home with learning in class (with the help of the professor). I still think it is a great offer.
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> Should I cave in and just not go to math club meetings?
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We can't (and shouldn't) evaluate how important your math club meetings are. If you think they are more important than the better learning for your and your fellow students, go to your math club.
On another note: isn't it possible to change the time of the math club by half an hour or so?
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: I guess I'm going to be the contrary opinion here. I don't think your professor's request is reasonable at all. Class time is scheduled the way it is so that people can plan the rest of their lives around the schedule. In this case, nobody but you seems to have anything from 12:50 on, but that shouldn't encourage the prof to monopolize that time.
Some may think your extracurricular activity is trivial or that you should skip it, but that math club could easily have been another class or your job. The professor is in a position of power, and he should respect his position by not trying to compel you to work outside the system because it's convenient to him. Several of your peers may actually appreciate that you're the lone hold out even if they won't ever admit it.
I would have no problem with the prof offering extra sessions where no required material was covered. This could be extra practice working example problems or a Q&A session to clear up anything confusing from class. That being said, I think professors should be held to teaching the required stuff in the allotted time.
Upvotes: 9 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: This is a strange situation: three out of the four answers so far express what is in my experience a very nonstandard view. Admittedly username_2's answer is by far the most highly upvoted. But I think it is worth recording another opinion.
First, as for so many questions on this site, context matters. It sounds to me like the OP is an undergraduate at a North American college or university. My answer will apply to that.
At a university (and at all but the smallest colleges), scheduling classes is a major production. It is done at least a semester and often a year (or more) in advance, and a lot of time and effort go into crafting a schedule which makes the best possible use of limited resources: classrooms, peak hours, people's time, and so forth. Moreover the total amount of class time is also fixed in advance and has an official status as the number of **credit hours** for the course. The number of credit hours is meant to be correlated to the amount of material covered. In practice this means little in an absolute sense and one course can certainly be much more or less ambitious than another, but carries a meaning across different sections of the same course and within the course offerings of a given department.
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> Am I right in being outraged?
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Outraged is a strong word, but the OP is right to disapprove of the practice and perfectly within his rights to object to it. I do not find the professor's request reasonable. In fact I find it very surprising that in an entire class of students, only one other student has an extra 30-45 minutes in their schedule on Friday afternoons at 1 pm: this is typically "peak class time". (I wonder if there is some missing context here: e.g. maybe the other students form a cohort who are all taking the same courses scheduled at the same time. That makes some difference, but not enough to change my answer.)
The OP has made his schedule for the entire semester in advance and has signed up for the class assuming that it will meet at a certain time, which was fixed by the registrar in advance. He has a legitimate conflict with staying an extra 30-45 minutes. This conflict is academic in nature and it involves students other than those taking the professor's course. (In my experience with academic culture, it is obnoxious to try to get someone else's academic event rescheduled because you want to change the schedule of your own academic event. It is in the nature of a university that all of its participants are engaged in multiple events. We schedule things well in advance precisely to avoid conflicts like this.) However, even without a specific academic conflict the OP should feel free to veto the request: if e.g. he has made a schedule where he leaves campus at 1 pm, that would be reason enough to object.
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> Is it not the professor's job to teach the necessary course material in the time allotted, as opposed to having students stay late for no credit?
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Yes, it is! I agree precisely. Something is not adding up here: the course is a standard, required one for the major, so it has presumably been given many times before by other instructors and there is a *de facto* standard expectation for its content, as detailed in e.g. an official course description. Of course the instructor of a course should have some leeway in the choice of topics and even the intensity of the course....but not *complete* leeway. This instructor is proposing to increase the class time by about 25%: why is this necessary? If he is covering 25% more material than is standard, that's potentially problematic. If he takes 25% more time to cover the material than is standard, that is also problematic. Again some context is lacking, but as described the instructor seems to be having some serious problems "coloring between the lines". The OP should not have to adjust his schedule on account of this.
I honestly think that almost any higher up university official -- the department head, the registrar, a dean -- would be chagrined to hear about what the instructor is proposing. At least that's the case in the university culture I'm familiar with. If the OP has a faculty contact (in any department) he is comfortable talking informally with, I would recommend broaching the issue and seeing what the faculty member has to say.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: Courses and their timings will usually be organised so that students having to attend to multiple related courses can attend to all of them. Of course only the *official* time is organised that way, unofficial time can't be organised.
So what if some maths professor decides that his course on Friday from 11am to 11:50am should be an hour longer? Now the professor running the circuits class would be outraged if everyone comes late to his course.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Nobody's forcing you to stay in your seat. This is a university class, not prison. You are free to quietly pack up you material and walk out to attend to your other commitments.
You are responsible to cover the material you are missing. You can:
1. talk to other students in your class to go over the material (this is actually a great way for the other student to reinforce their learning)
2. see the professor during his regular office hours to go over the material
3. see if you can schedule time with your prof outside of his office hours.
4. learn it from the textbook on your own.
You don't have to make a big deal out of this situation. Just assert your rights to your professor's published time (office hours).
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_6: Most of the answers I have seen here are assuming that the professor is saying he can't teach the material in the official time slot.
When I read the question it sounded like the professor was saying that he could teach this material in the normal manner but if the students had no commitments immediately afterward he could cover the material in more in depth.
For intsance:
* In class coverage of textbook material
* More example problems of the subject matter
* Time to cover questions in class
If this is what the professor is doing then he is not being unreasonable in asking if the students have extra time. It shows he actually cares if his students are learning, which can't always be assumed in a college environment.
In this case I would suggest to the original poster that he see if he could arrange with the professor that he not cover any new material in the extra time period so he can be sure not to miss anything.
This would let anyone else in the class who might want to spend more time on the subject to take advantage of the extra instruction the professor is offering.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: Every student pays tuition. My tuition is decided by the classes I take. Therefore, how I see it, I pay my teachers to teach me. This is their job. They are held to a certain standard. If a Professor is covering new material, scheduling tests, or giving out mandatory homework (that you might have an online turn-in deadline for, etc) in this 30-45 minutes after class has ended, you should absolutely be outraged.Perhaps discuss with your professor directly during office hours and explain why it isn't okay with you. I wouldn't have a problem emailing the head of his department, or whomever appropriate, about it either. Careful in starting a grudge-match with your professor though. And remember that your class room isn't a democracy. Majority doesn't rule when it comes to other students having no classes or obligations in the time after that class. If he's hosting study periods everyday after class that way, I'd just ask a friend for any helpful notes. Rehashing the material is good, even if you do have to miss it. Now it's just two study groups conflicting. But if he's introducing new materials, that's not okay.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: This question demonstrates that neither the students nor the instructor are familiar with scheduling regs at virtually every University in the US (and it sounds like the questioner is from a US school).
The professor does not have the authority to schedule classes beyond the allotted time. If the faculty member feels students need more time to digest the material, and is willing to stay longer, and the room is open, then the extra time MUST be
1. Optional, with no new material presented
2. remedial/review to help students digest the material that was covered 'too quickly' in class
My take on the whole thing is that professor is very understanding of students difficulty with the material and is making themselves available out of concern for student learning.
What the students and this student in particular wish to due once rules are followed is a personal choice.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I would say, if your professor is reasonable, he will listen to you if you bring it up with him, say something like "hey, I have other commitments after this class, and I'm missing them due to this class staying way longer than was promised on paper. Could you try to fit material into the time slot you were given? Because while I'm missing a club, in the future, you may have students who have other classes, or a job. Please consider this." Try to avoid accusatory language, framing the situation in a way that paints the professor in a negative light. Accusations tend to make most people behave defensive or even hostile, so try to have a polite conversation about the issue you have with his schedule keeping (or lack thereof), I would bring this up via email first, and if he doesn't respond, then I'd bring it up in person. If he responds negatively, I might make a formal complaint, depending on the severity. If a negative response is not bad enough to warrant a complaint, I'd talk to him in person, and communicate that you didn't appreciate the way he spoke to you over email, then go from there.
Upvotes: -1 |
2014/09/10 | 1,062 | 4,620 | <issue_start>username_0: Once a tenure-track professor finishes their initial 6 year evaluatory period, I imagine their publication/teaching/grant record should pretty much speak for itself to a tenure committee. Apparently, as I have recently found out, some departments additionally require a tenure defense talk at the end of this period. It seems to me that this talk is something akin to a dissertation defense, only on a grander scale of all the research I've done over the initial 6 year period.
But my question is:
**Why is it even necessary?**
What could be expected from such a talk that wouldn't be readily and easily obtainable from the submitted tenure package? Is it just a formality or does it really hold an important weight in the tenure committee's final evaluation to keep me?
Should I just rehash and summarize what is already in my tenure submission package? Is there something more to it that I should emphasize in my tenure defense talk?<issue_comment>username_1: I haven't heard of such a thing, which suggests a simple answer: an oral tenure defense is not necessary. But regardless of whether it's necessary in some abstract sense, it might be a requirement wherever you end up.
It's possible that your tenure defense would be a grueling affair, with the audience trying to poke holes in your research or dispute its significance, but I very much doubt it. At worst you could expect the same treatment as an outside candidate giving an interview talk.
The tenure defense is presumably intended to give you a chance to explain your research program, specifically what you have done and why it matters. This is in principle redundant (your tenure file should already do this), but adding an oral presentation could help. It's often inspiring to see someone present their own work, and it can be valuable to have a chance to ask questions. In cases where tenure seems likely, the presentation could also play the role of an inaugural lecture, highlighting for the department the work of someone who is about to become a permanent colleague.
This practice seems uncommon enough that I doubt there's a clear standard for exactly what it means. Anyone considering taking a tenure-track job with a tenure defense presentation at the end should ask how it works at that particular institution.
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> I imagine their publication/teaching/grant record should pretty much speak for itself to a tenure committee.
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Publication records can speak surprisingly unclearly. A non-expert reading through someone's papers won't necessarily appreciate their novelty or how they contribute to the big picture, and may not even understand clearly how they fit together into a coherent research program. Keep in mind that most people evaluating a tenure case will be non-experts: even other department members will typically have different specialties, and that's not counting university-wide committees or administrators.
One crucial part of preparing a compelling tenure case is sorting out these issues and framing everything appropriately. This is done partly by the candidate, partly by whoever is overseeing the case (typically the department head), and partly by the letter writers.
So from this perspective, something more than just a binder full of papers is definitely necessary. However, the added context is typically supplied through written documents; if there is an oral presentation, then it is just to supplement the written file.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I've not seen any case (in my U.S. -based experience in mathematics) where the junior faculty person up for tenure had to present a summary of their own work, in effect "defending" it as one "defends" the Ph.D. thesis.
However, I have witnessed many cases where a more senior person with expertise in the tenure candidate's work was asked to describe/explain it, or, really, its significance, to the tenure committee (prior to having the full math faculty vote). But in all the cases I've seen, from both sides, the tone was informational, not confrontational or adversarial. And the candidate was absent.
The necessity of *that* sort of tenure-defense talk is exactly that the body of work itself is hard to understand, the letters of recommendation are inevitably severely tainted by political gamesmanship and circumlocution and conceivably bias, and, thus, in the end, a local opinion+explanation from someone trusted by the tenure committee is highly desirable... despite all the formal procedures.
I'm inclined to wonder whether the question's premise is partly based on inaccurate gossip.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/10 | 948 | 3,846 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a 2nd year graduate student in physics, at one of the top 20 universities in the US. This semester, I am supposed to start a research project with a professor who agreed already to be my thesis advisor.
So, I emailed her at the beginning of the semester -10 days ago- but I didn't get a response yet. Nothing. I emailed her again yesterday and I hope for a response. I tried to go to her office, but I couldn't find her. She comes to the university only to teach and then she disappears.
I am really worried. Is this normal or is this a sign that the advisor doesn't care at all? Should I try and change advisor? She is a top scientist but I am very disappointed...<issue_comment>username_1: Flippant version: It is normal AND it is a sign that the advisor doesn't care at all.
Less flippant version: I would wait a couple more days. Then, if still no response, I would ask around to see if the professor is sick/having a major life crisis/etc. If not, then I would conclude that they do not meet a reasonable standard of availability, and I would choose to work with someone else. There are few things more depressing in academia than colleagues who drop the ball and ignore you, especially when they are senior to you and you rely on them to make progress on your work. Life is too short to be working with someone who is not interested in working with you.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This is, unfortunately, a not too uncommon occurrence in my limited experience in top US graduate schools. Some professors are over committed;others might be having a real life emergency/crises - yet others are just not good at replying to emails. There are a number of different strategies that you could employ at this juncture.
**1. Email again, early next week:**
There are a few variations to this strategy. First, if the professor has just missed your email due to a veritable deluge of emails in her inbox then this could be a timely reminder. Second, if there is another collaborator, temporary graduate chair or other, initial faculty that you worked with (since you mention that you are a second year graduate student), then an email with such a person cc'ed is usually good incentive to get at least, an initial reply.
**2. Meet with the department chair/other goto faculty:**
Every department will usually have one faculty who serves as a point of contact for students in any kind of a predicament. This is a predicament. You need to kickstart your research agenda with this professor (***potentially***) but have not been able to do so. In our department, we call them "***Director of Graduate Studies***". Your department might have a similar or different nomenclature for such a person. An email sent from this person (cc'ing you) is usually enough to get a reply.
**3. If all fails, lie in wait to surprise them IRL:**
Figure out their office hours. If they teach, then they must have office hours and usually, a website for the course that they are teaching. Ask their TA's (if they have any) when the office hours are. If you see this faculty in the corridors then stop them and chat with them.
I am a fifth year graduate student and over the years, I have had to (unfortunately) employ most variations of the three broad strategies I mentioned.One reason why I chose the dissertation committee that I have is that these professors always make time for me if I want to chat with them about some academic (and sometimes non-academic) issues.
I hope you succeed in your quest to locate said faculty. Good luck!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: The important thing to always to remember here is that in fact the Advisor/Supervisor is also as interested in his/her students finishing their studies as students themselves. Mutual Benefits and Mutual Respect.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/11 | 3,612 | 15,550 | <issue_start>username_0: Ok, here is a major issue I have with much of my work (which is experimental/computational research): I am a graduate student, and spend much of my day doing 5, 10, 20 and 30 minute experiments (both biological and computational), which require set up and monitoring, but result in small to medium size hunks of time when I'm really not doing much (essentially just checking every 1-2 minutes to make sure everything is still working). During these periods of time I either a) attempt to do other work or b) procrastinate. Both are not great, since either a) I'm constantly shifting my focus from the latter project and end up making mistakes in it or b) I'm procrastinate (usually by reading articles, twitter, etc.)
Does anyone have advice for how to deal with these small, awkward period of times (< 30 minutes) - is there something which you find useful to do that you can also shift your focus from incessantly?
As an example: <http://xkcd.com/303/><issue_comment>username_1: Given that you can't do something that requires your full attention during this time, I would at least advise to follow [Matt Might's advice](http://matt.might.net/articles/productivity-tips-hints-hacks-tricks-for-grad-students-academics/#procrastinate-productively) to *procrastinate productively* on meta-work:
* Read articles (or answers on Academia.SE!) about how to be more productive as a grad student.
* Read a few pages of a book on data analysis, visualization, academic writing, or some other research skill.
* Use the time to review your schedule, make to-do lists, schedule a meeting, etc.
* Try a relevant Coursera course that has video lectures broken into small bits
* Put some thought into a tiny bite-sized aspect of your research or research presentation: How should I organize this manuscript? What is the best way to visualize this data?
* Unfocused literature search: check in on your favorite journals or conferences and identify interesting papers (to read later, when you can give them your full attention)
* Do a favor for someone else: Even if you're not teaching or grading this semester, I'm sure *someone* in your department is, and would be happy to give you a pile of quizzes to grade.
* Update your CV and/or web page.
* Start preparing a presentation on your current work. You'll present it to someone, somewhere sooner or later, right?
* Think about your ultimate career goals.
* Use the Internet to look for promising potential collaborators at other institutions.
* Try out a new programming trick, LaTeX package, or software tool.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: A great deal of things we have already learnt are slowly being lost by our brains. **Small chunks of time like this are ideal for a bit of memory consolidation**. I would suggest a quick revision session on things you want to know better.
It's best to select knowledge that will be **most useful if remembered**. Ignore any knowledge that is easier to just look up on Google (e.g. 5 Biggest Cities) and focus on knowledge that will help in your day-to-day (e.g. Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts).
**How to create a summary of key information for learning**
* Keep the 'bits' of information small and 'easily learnable'
* Write a dot-point summary of a topic you wish to understand better
* Highlight favourite passages on your Kindle then download them from [kindle.com](https://kindle.amazon.com/your_highlights)
* Look up book summaries from websites like getabstract.com
* Use Evernote to collect information you wish to learn in notebooks (their Web Clipper is awesome)
**Once you have a summary**
* Use small chunks of time to review the material
+ Don't spend too long or your brain will switch off
* Use Spaced Repetition methods
+ Material you find **hard** to learn should be repeated more often
+ Material you find **easy** should be repeated less
+ You need to wait between sessions to allow it to sink in
Good luck!
**Disclaimer/Self-Promotion:**
I am the creator of [www.revisy.com](http://revisy.com/) - a tool that helps automate all of these steps.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: username_1's answer is awesome as usual, but the core problem for you may be that most of these suggestions are not, or at least not directly, useful to your research. If, as you say, **most of your day** is spent in this way, even "productive procrastination" may be too much procrastination and too little actual progress.
In that case, you have two options:
1. **Learn how to get actual work done in those short chunks.** Being able to context-switch without getting thrown off completely is definitely a skill that can be learned. You will probably never get as efficient as when you can devote your full attention to the task, and you will likely need to double-check what you did while multi-tasking, but getting things done slower than usual is much better than not getting anything done at all.
2. **Automate better** (and, hence, increase the time between needing to check up on your results). In my experience, if you need to actually check every other minute or so what your experiments are doing, then your tooling is not good enough. Many things can be scripted so that they basically run from beginning to end on their own. Further, you can configure a system monitoring tool so that it (for instance) sends you an email when something abnormal happens. Of course this requires non-trivial IT skills, but in my experience most students working in experimental sciences are able to grok these things quite quickly if they devote a few days to it (believe me, the time necessary to learn how to automate pays off manifold in the long run).
In practice, you probably want to go for a combination of both of these options. Try to increase the time your experiments are chugging along on their own. In parallel, train making the best use out of this time.
**Edit:**
This question has been added by the OP in a comment. I think it is interesting, hence I added it to my answer:
>
> what can you do in the case of active code development? For example, when I am actively developing a piece of code to analyze data, that code may take a few minutes (up to 10) to run, after which I assess if it is working. How do you automate that process?
>
>
>
This has actually more to do with standard software engineering practices than the sciences, but I think it is a helpful concept nonetheless. When you are trying out different implementations, with a large possibility of error, make sure that your application **fails fast**. That is, make it so that your application does *not* take ten minutes to fail, but does the complex, error-prone stuff directly in the beginning. Two simple examples from my own research:
**Example 1:**
Say you do research in Machine Learning. Your application first trains an [artificial neural network](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network) (ANN) on your data (easy as you are using an external library, but takes ~15 minutes due to algorithmic complexity), after which you do some postprocessing (trivial, executes fast) and a statistical analysis of the results (executes fast as well, but relatively complex, error-prone code). If you now always run the entire application and have the code fail during the statistical analysis, you are always losing 15 minutes for every run for a step that you already know works. A better solution would be to train the model once, and store it to disk. Then write code that only loads the ANN from disk and *fails directly after that*. Almost no dead time anymore. When the statistical analysis is working, you can revert to do everything in the expected order.
**Example 2:**
You have written a complex, multi-threaded testbed, which is running distributed over multiple physical servers. You know you have a synchronization issue somewhere, as your application non-deterministically dies every couple of minutes. You have no idea where exactly. Hence, you repeatedly execute the entire application, wait for the error to happen, and then debug from there in different directions. Given that the error only happens every few minutes, you spend most of your time waiting. A better way is to take a page out of good software engineering practices. Make sure to [unit test](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_testing) all components in isolation before throwing everything together. Specifically try to cover exceptional cases. Learn how to write good [mock objects](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_object). Some amount of debugging of the integration system will still be necessary, but you will not spend hours debugging components that are fundamentally broken.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: If you are
* a) Constantly shifting your focus from the latter project you overcharge your brain with additional tasks in the moment and possibly what your brain really needs from you is some rest, that's why you end up making mistakes because by the time you get to the lab projects your brain is already preoccupied with new tasks and have used up a lot of memory doing new operational memory tasks
* b) If you procrastinate by reading NY Times and Twitter you are also overloading your brain with new information that requires some analytical work(although it is of course incommensurate with the amount of work you need for academic journals, but precisely because the Times loves using such words as *incommensurate* on its pages you have to constantly query your memory and thus, keep your brain busy), so here we are, getting back again to the same problem-you are using your operational memory, the brain gets tired and by the time you get back to the lab work it is nearly impossible to focus.
* c) I hate to suggest that...but...is there a possibility of a short nap or just sitting quietly in your office and not exposing your brain to any additional flow of information? Plus, Twitter, email checking, Facebook, are all good examples of instant stimulation but that's a topic for another conversation.
* d) In a nutshell, trivial things like smells, sounds from the street, someone's voice etc. are all examples of additional information that you are exposing yourself to that inadvertently bombard our brains on a daily basis and they make it even harder to focus and get back to the actual projects.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I'd like to add a point of view from experimental science. I do spectroscopy of biological samples and I have experiments like that as well.
Abstract:
* do not underestimate how strenuous experiments can be: if done well they often require you to keep up a high level of concentration. This is exhausting, and particularly if awkward timing is involved.
* Decide your priorities: do experiments only or start an experiment whenever that fits your other work schedule.
---
My experience is that there are some people who cope with such situations relatively calmly: they vanish into the lab, do their experiments, don't go into fits because of the lost time, and reappear after the experiments are done. Other people (e.g. I) absolutely hate the situation, because tons of other stuff needs to be done, and don't get done while you are there waiting for the experiments in minute time chunks that don't relly let you do anything.
Personally, I found 2 feasible ways of dealing with these situations, and the big idea is to decide beforehand where the priority is.
* Experiments have high priority: In that case, I consider the time and concentration being reserved for the experiments. Any other things that happen to get done are a surplus. I find that most items from @ff's list shift my focus too much. Which in the end leads to chaos in the experimental data (e.g. slightly differing names of files which require manual adjusting afterwards etc.)
But setting up the measurement schedule for the next experiment, getting the notes and the samples ready for the next experiment, etc. is OK. (Though many of my experiments are in the dark, so preparations to be done in the same lab are not really feasible). Other than that, I do things like checking (e)mail, schedule meetings, preparing TODO lists and working off tiny tasks. If the waiting time is more like half an hour I may clean up my desk/the lab, but e.g.
I don't like reading papers or doing a literature search on an alarm-clock schedule. Such work I do only when
* Experiments have lower priority: I often have experiments where I need to change samples after measurements are finished after, say 30 min, but nothing really bad happens if I change the sample 30 min or 1 h later. In that case, I often decide to run the experiments on a lower priority, while reading or writing papers, doing literature search, etc.
So I do something, and when a natural break occurs after a chunk of work is done, I go and change samples before I start the next chunk of work.
This way, I get maybe only a third or a quarter of the experiments done compared with the "high priority" experiment situation, but other work is possible as well.
All in all, the first scenario is the more emotionally exhausting the more you dislike the breaks and fret about all the work that doesn't get done. It is the more feasible the better you can arrive also mentally in a state where you concentrate on the experiment *only*. Experiments are serious and exhausting work as well. One reason is that you have to be far more concentrated than at the computer\*: If I make a typo, there's backspace. If I type an awkward sentence I can change it later. If I pipette wrong, I have to start from the beginning or even take out everything and clean my instrument. And this is the more strenuous if awkward schedules are involved. And weird little waiting times are in my experience as exhausting as an experimental schedule you can barely keep up with.
\* most times: obviously, data analyses need to be set up correctly. But even there, e.g. literate programming allows to double-check later that everything was done correctly. This is not possible for the experiments - there I have to be concentrated so I'm sure afterwards that I did everything correctly even though I have at most very limited possibilties for double checking.
If you have to do your experiments in that way, then the best way to deal with it is to also mentally accept this and make it your task. Make sure that the experiments really stay top priority if you decided that way: don't read SX if you realize that this in fact leads to the experiment waiting for you when you decided that you should wait for the experiment.
The second way is of course only possible if if the experiments allow this. And if the lab has low enough use so your colleagues don't kill you for not making fullest use of the vaulable lab time you reserved.
---
In terms of automatization of (biological) lab experiments, I for example print out "experiment forms" that have a predefined structure for my note taking so don't forget any of the parameters. This helps me to make fewer mistakes.
In some cases I even write custom measurement programs, but this effort is usually only worth while if you know that large series of experiments follow (for totally non-scientific and awkward reasons: the instrument software often allows only very restricted programmed interaction, and if there are not many experiments following, it is not worth while to go down to the low-level control the SDK offers - if there is an SDK available at all).
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/11 | 602 | 2,539 | <issue_start>username_0: I had contacted a potential supervisor and got a positive response from him. He said that he is interested but he said we should do a skype interview first. He also stated that he is moving to another university in 4 weeks and explained a few conditions and asked if I am still interested. I had no issue with the place or university since I am interested to work with him so I replied and sent my skype id for interview. Its been a week and I haven't heard back from him. I think he might be busy as he said that he will be moving to some other university.
Shall I write him again and if yes how do I start the conversation again or shall I wait for his response?.<issue_comment>username_1: Wait a month before asking again, maybe longer because he is moving. Generally a month is a good time to wait even if he wasn't moving.
There is still plenty of time to get your application in and have a Skype interview.
The start of the semester is one of the busiest times in the year for an academic.
He probably gets a lot of emails from prospective students, plus he has to set everything else up.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I cannot agree with username_1: one month is awful long time in any conversation, and I would take that long wait only if explicitly said to contact months later. Long time is a problem because 1) he forgets what was it about, 2) it can give the impression that OP is maybe not that enthusiastic about the opportunity, 3) in a month a lot of things can happen with an open position....
People can forget mails, or not answer even if they not forget them, especially if he is busy and not you are his first priority. Just send him a polite follow up email: remind him in the first sentence or two about your discussion and he was positive about you. Then ask about the Skype interview, how you can roll this etc.
If you are afraid that he is busy and you are too pushy, you can just state that you know he is busy so if he wants to postpone this conversation / scheduling the interview after his move, you are totally fine (are you? do you have any deadlines to care for?). If this latter happens, still ask that you will follow him up a month etc. later, if it is good for him. Busy people dont like to be pushed in a schedule, but if no one sets expectations for a schedule (any schedule that convenient for him), nothing will be done and also kind of unprofessional.
(I assume this story is about US. Different countries call for different level pushiness.)
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/11 | 913 | 3,714 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to know, since I am not a native English speaker, whether or not it is appropriate to reply to a thank-you email from a professor?
For example, if every time you get an email from a professor saying "Thanks," you reply "no problem" or "you are welcome."
Could it turn out to be annoying or offending if one replies to every "thank you"?
I realized sometimes misunderstanding may unnecessarily arise because of cultural differences. If one does not reply to a thank-you email from a professor, then would the professor be accordingly offended? On the other hand, if one constantly reply "you are welcome" or something like this, would he be instead considered prudish?<issue_comment>username_1: **EDIT**: Apparently, I'm wrong, and some professors write a lot more "thank you" emails than I do.
I think you mean "Is it appropriate to send a thank-you email in response to every email from a professor," and I'm answering that question.
It probably depends on the professor, but I think it's a reasonable approach toconsistently send a short reply to acknowledge emails from a professor. It doesn't have to necessarily be a thank you (for example, if setting up a meeting, you can just write "See you there.", but it's always helpful to receive a reply showing you an email was read.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Email exchanges need to end at some point.
If the professor's email is a simple receipt of correspondence, then I don't think there's a need to reply. However, if the professor has initiated a larger email then a reply is probably appropriate. See these examples:
Thanks sent as a form of receipt:
---------------------------------
>
> **Student**: Hi Professor Smith,
> I've run the analyses you have suggested (see attached),
> Cheers,
> Mike
>
>
>
Then the professor replies:
>
> **Pofessor Smith:** Thanks for that
>
>
>
In this case, I think there is no need for the student to reply "You're welcome".
It wouldn't be a big problem, but it would be mildly distracting for the professor. Email exchanges need to end. The professor's "thank you email" was already a confirmation email indicating receipt of your original message.
Thanks sent by professor as part of a larger email initiated by the professor
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imagine the professor sends you an email that provides detailed information that also includes a thank you.
>
> **<NAME>:** Hi Mike, well done on your work in the lab the other day. You did a really good job of fixing that equipment. I really appreciate it.
> Cheers,
> <NAME>
>
>
>
In that case it might be appropriate for the student to reply: "you're welcome".
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: If the entire content of response is "*thank you*," there is absolutely no expectation that you will respond to those emails with "*you're welcome*" or "*no problem*" or anything else. As I've used them, the point of the "*thank you*" email is usually just to acknowledge that the email being replied to you has been received and read. There is no need to acknowledge the acknowledgement.
In this sense, an email reply that consists only of "*thank you*" can be used as an invitation to end an email thread. Saying your "*you're welcome*" will be read as polite but it might get annoying if it seems like you are always trying to get the last word on every thread. If it's really just "*thank you*", you can safely skip the reply.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I'm not a native speaker either but generally speaking "thanks" does not mean "please waste another 2 minutes of my time".
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/11 | 1,608 | 6,828 | <issue_start>username_0: I work in a field that heavily uses arxiv.org and posts papers before submitting them to journals, so it's common for people to send a citation request when they see a preprint that they think has overlooked their work. I do this pretty rarely, because I think it's often abused by people looking to pad their citation count by asking for citations from work that's only marginally related. Still, when I see work that *very* closely resembles something I've done, I generally send an email.
My question is what to do when a paper appears that is very closely related to my work, has not cited me, and it was clearly *intentional*. In this case one of the authors had a previous paper that followed up on--and cited--one of my papers, so I know they were aware of my work in the past. Furthermore, in their current paper they use a technical term that I introduced. There is no possible way that they could have written their current paper without being aware of its close relationship to my work, but they haven't cited my papers.
In this context, the usual email of the form "I have read your interesting new paper and wanted to make you aware of my related work" would be so disingenuous as to be ridiculous: they are clearly already aware of my related work. I can only conclude that they have intentionally chosen not to cite it. All of my encounters with these authors in the past have been friendly, at least from my perspective, so I can't imagine any interpersonal conflict that's behind the omission.
A similar thing happened to me once before when some authors wrote a paper that had enormous overlap with one of my papers, which they cited, and they corrected, in passing, a minor technical mistake that didn't change any significant conclusions. Subsequently they built a minor industry on this work but never again referred to my previous work, with the result that their papers that were only a very minor improvement on mine have been cited several hundred times more than my paper has. So I may be overly touchy about this sort of possibility.
At the moment I'm inclined to do nothing, because any message I could imagine sending them would come across as either disingenuous or combative. But I wonder if anyone has a suggestion for dealing with this situation.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know the details of your case, but in any case like this I tend to liberally apply *[Hanlon's Razor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon's_razor)*:
>
> Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
>
>
>
It does sound as if they know about your paper, but it seems to me entirely possible that they could have intended to cite it and accidentally omitted to actually do so. I think you can contact them tactfully and point out that the original source for the technical term is your paper (give the complete reference). They will probably reply with an apology for the oversight.
If you want to be even more circumspect, you could ask a colleague in your subfield to contact them. ("I saw your preprint and it looks interesting. The paper of Anonymous looks very relevant. Do you think you should cite it?")
I've been guilty of such an accident myself. I use BiBTeX to manage citations. I have a large file containing an entry for every paper I've ever considered citing. Then for each paper I write, I include inline citations where they belong, and BiBTeX automatically picks the papers I've cited and generates the list of references. In the case in question, I wanted to cite paper X in two places: in the introduction (as background) and in a specific technical passage. I neglected to cite it in the introduction, but since it was also cited in the technical passage, paper X still appeared in the list of references, so when I saw it there I thought to myself "Good, I remembered to cite X." Then in a later edit I changed the technical passage in such a way that X was no longer directly relevant there, so I removed that citation, thinking it was also cited elsewhere in the paper. It wasn't, so BiBTeX accordingly removed it from the list of references, and it might certainly have looked to anyone as though I had intentionally failed to cite X (which was a well-known paper and clearly relevant). The omission made it into a public preprint and was pointed out by a colleague (though not the author of paper X; he is long deceased), fortunately before the paper was submitted.
It was clearly my responsibility to have caught this and cited X correctly, and technical issues do not excuse my failure to do so, but I mention this as a specific example where such an error was due to stupidity rather than malice, and as evidence that the former could be an adequate explanation.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: I feel like the best you can do is send them a note while it's still at the pre-publication stage. If it appears in a journal or you are asked to review it, you should note it to the editor. Given that you invented the terminology, I'd be surprised if you weren't asked to review it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Assuming you are right about the authors' behavior (like @NateEldredge, I am skeptical) then you have nothing to gain by bringing the subject up. However, if you inform the authors that you enjoyed reading their work, maybe they will be nicer to you in the future.
If I received a request for a citation, I would include the citation if it was relevant but my view of the requester's motivations would decline. Collecting citations is not the goal of science.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: There are three options:
1. *They overlooked it.* Then it's fine to contact them.
2. *They intentionally did not include it.* Then they are deliberately obtuse and the mail can't change anything at all.
3. *It's only you who thinks that the citation is proper.* I know you crossed out this option. Yet, since then the mail could hurt your relationships and reputation, I suggest that you **first ask a 3rd party (your colleague) for their opinion.**
Then you can IMHO **simply contact the authors,** of course politely, maybe showing some passion, pointing out something interesting you found there etc. The level of politeness is up to you I'd say.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: If the article went to referees in your field who should know of the work, and didn't point the authors at it, perhaps their work indeed stands alone, or the refs just didn't seem to think it was important that your work be cited.
Whether that is the case, or not, try not to let it get under your skin. If somebody in your community chooses to look silly by allowing themselves to appear less than aware of the latest work, that's their choice, and the community will eventually recognize this.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/11 | 640 | 2,733 | <issue_start>username_0: I am now working towards my PhD degree. In the very near future, I will have a citizenship change, which also leads to a name change. In detail, I am adding another given name to my current name with the original surname and given name untouched. So it's like going from
```
FirstName1 LastName
```
to
```
FirstName2 FirstName1 LastName
```
I already have some publications under my current name, `FirstName1 LastName`, which I do not wish to lose after my name change. At the very start of my PhD, my supervisor has advised me to stay consistent with the name for a better recognition in the field.
Is there a way to minimize my loss of recognition in the academia? Will the publication stats tools, such as Google Scholar, include my publications under my new profile?<issue_comment>username_1: I would recommend sticking with what you started using, since there is no real advantage not to. That said, if you really want to change I don't think a change in *first* name will affect you much. Depending on the citation style, the name change won't even be visible. I don't think this particular change is anywhere near a change of last name in terms of impact on your popularity.
With regards to Google Scholar: you can always add your new publications manually to your profile in the unlikely case that scholar borks, so that's not an issue.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I'd go for the change. Firstly, you want it, so if you stick with the old it's always going to bug you. Secondly, if you don't, you're stuck with a professional and a personal name. Imagine, for instance, that a friend of yours meets a potential contributor and tells him to google you. If the friend doesn't know your professional name, you miss out on a possible network connection. The damage goes both ways. If you change, you only have to worry about past publications.
You can mitigate the damage by maintaining a well-curated list of publications:
* Sign up for things like a scholar profile, and Mendeley profile. These pages will be spidered by other services, and used to correct their databases. Just add the publications manually.
* Find a curated database of publications for your field (like [DBLP](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBLP)) and make sure that all your publications are linked to the same person in there. A decent database should be able to hold aliases for a person. Basically, if you make sure that the most authoritative source gets it right, the information should trickle down.
If you show some diligence in maintaining this data, and letting people know that some publications are known under a different name, it shouldn't impact your career noticeably.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/11 | 2,860 | 12,038 | <issue_start>username_0: I was torn between workplace and here, but I think the question is better here.
I have an assistant researcher that I have indirectly worked with for 3 months, and for the past month have hired directly for a research project full time (they are not taking classes for 6 months to work on my project). Recently the student informed me they have narcolepsy, and feel it may interfere with their work but would 'like me to understand'.
An important aspect to this is, I do not need advice on legal matters in terms of workplace disabilities etc. (which is why I believe this is not appropriate for workplace), as I have already spoken with HR and I am in a country in which an employer has the power (ie. they told me I can just fire the student, in fact, they were a bit too keen on this, not that I agree with this system at all).
This is a bit different than a physical disability in terms of accessibility, and I don't think it is that comparable to a learning disability as they have no understanding or application hindrance with this one caveat of random extreme lethargic feelings or tiredness. The closest I can think of is insomnia. In that type of situation, I could encourage the student to work hours that benefit their sleep schedule as long as they are responsible with it.
Has anyone had experience with a student researcher with this type of disability? Are there strategies that can help the student perform well?
Update:
The type of work is programming and algorithms. There are no safety concerns relative to the lab work.<issue_comment>username_1: This may be no direct help, but I knew a narcoleptic in high-school. This is a serious condition. Because of the main symptom, excessive daytime sleepiness, it is very hard for affected individuals to remain alert and direct their focus to tasks such is studying. reading, etc. For comparison, wikipedia says, that narcoleptics feel during the day "comparable to how non-narcoleptics feel after 24 to 48 hours of sleep deprivation" (try to imagine how it would feel like to perform under those circumstances). This is obviously a great hindrance to people in general, but perhaps even more so for academics.
Furthermore, it is very important that affected individuals manage somehow to cope with the condition (which is very hard, serious lifestyle changes/adaptions are necessary), as an excessive use of stimulants may worsen the condition over time. I find this an important point, since people in academia are known to be subjects to stress, depression, feelings of being overwhelmed, imposter syndrome, etc, which all could push the student in question to increasingly use the therapeutic stimulants.
So, in my opinion, if the individual is responsible and has a relatively stable personality, I see no problem in supporting them in their endeavor, by trying to (reasonably) adjust their working environment to their needs.
I'm a strong proponent to inclusion of disabled individuals, so I suggest you should let the student finish the said project, so they might get a feel themselves, if that is really their future. A career in academia isn't for everyone, so there is no shame in quitting and moving on, regardless of any medical condition.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I have had Narcolepsy for ten years now. I am also currently an undergraduate at university. In my opinion, based on personal experience as a person with narcolepsy, there are a few things important to consider.
1. **Firstly, the severity of narcolepsy is different for all those who suffer it so abilities vary**. I am at university full time and whilst I am offered accommodations to assist me, on the whole, I produce high quality work.
2. **Secondly, a person with narcolepsy may doubt themselves regardless of their abilities because others around them are quick to doubt them**. This is why, on most occasions, I have not disclosed my condition to employees. Once I am employed, the quality of my work speaks for itself and then I disclose it for safety reasons. This is an internal battle because I fear that I am being untruthful to start with. At the same time, I know the stigma narcolepsy brings and that given the choice between a candidate with narcolepsy and one without, I would lose. If this person has told you about their narcolepsy it means they trust you and respect you and feel compelled to be completely truthful with you. They probably don't want to let you down so they will probably downplay their abilities in fear of this.
3. **Whilst narcolepsy is characterised by 'sudden uncontrollable bouts of sleepiness', it's usually brief and full alertness is resumed after a short nap.** Narcolepsy occurs because the hypocretin/orexin have been fought off by an autoimmune disease. This means sleep/wake cycles aren't regular. A person with their hypocretin intact do all their sleeping in one block, usually when the sun goes down. A person with narcolepsy sleeps in smaller blocks of time and stays alert for a shorter amount of time. Theoretically then, a person with narcolepsy can be awake and alert for the same number of hours a day as a non-narcoleptic but needs to do this by by breaking it up into smaller blocks. (You could liken this to differences in diet - some people eat three big meals a day while some people eat six smaller meals a day.)
To conclude, yes narcolepsy makes my life more difficult. I wouldn't be able to succeed at university without the support and understanding I get from the staff. But life is full of challenges and it is the way in which we deal with them that sets us apart. If you have developed a good working relationship with this person, then they already fulfil one important aspect of those needed for the position. A person with narcolepsy is aware of their shortfalls and given the chance, will do what is needed to overcome them. Don't let a diagnosis change your perception - just because a person doesn't have a medical label attached to them, doesn't mean they don't have other relevant faults or issues.
My advice is to write down what is required to fulfil the needs of the research - do it in measurable terms. For example., how many hours a day/week is sufficient? Then sit down with this person and discuss it with them. Approach the requirements as you would anyone else. (For eg. Can you commit to these requirements? etc) If you were happy with their work previously tell them that. Also admit that you don't know much about narcolepsy but you know that everyone is different. Tell them you want them to succeed and you have faith in them. Tell them how important the work is to you and if you think you are a good team, say so.
I hope this has been helpful and thank you for not listening to your human resource department who clearly lack knowledge and empathy.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: As a doctoral student (and research assistant) with narcolepsy I will echo much of username_2's answer. After outlining the responsibilities and expectations of the job, I recommend meeting with the student to discuss possible accommodations which may allow them to conduct research without creating undue burden on your lab and project. As you mentioned, a flexible work schedule that accommodates their sleep schedule is one option.
Personally, I've worked with my mentor (the PI) to create a very flexible work schedule and we focus more on the outcome of my work than the hours I spend working on it. There are rare times when (due to health insurance glitches) I can be without my medication for a few days up to 1 week. When this happens I make my mentor aware of how this is impacting my functioning; at times we've had to re-prioritize projects during those "med gaps" because I am unable to work as intensely as I normally would. Similarly, because narcolepsy medication can include stimulants, if I catch the flu my physician advises I skip my narcolepsy medication in order to allow my body to naturally rest. So, my mentor is also aware that if I catch the same flu bug as everyone else in the winter, it might knock me out of commission for a few days. Once I am back on my feet (or have received my meds from the insurance company) I make up the hours I missed in the following week.
As mentioned in the other answers, narcolepsy has a range of severity and so the accommodations needed will vary as well; you will have to decide what works for your lab. One last note: as a graduate student there is often an emphasis on working excessive hours or going without sleep to meet the demands of research, classes, etc. This is not an option for me and at times my work output has been compared to classmates who sleep 5-6 hours a night to "crunch" large projects. I think sometimes with "invisible" disabilities or illnesses it is easy to forget the subtle or significant ways it can impact that person's life. The fact that you are seeking information on this topic and investigating ways to be supportive of your student is great.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I don't know if anyone is still keeping up with this chain but I just wanted to say to the original poster that I am a bit surprised that your HR Dept. encouraged you to just fire the employee. I was diagnosed with narcolepsy over 10 years ago and spent about a year and a half working for an employment lawyer as a paralegal. While every state is of course different, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a part of the Code of Federal Regulations (in other words it applies nation-wide), and it states that an employer must make "reasonable accommodations" for an employee with a disability who is otherwise qualified. It is likely that in your position you could have fire the narcoleptic employee for his or her condition with no consequences, but there is also the possibility that the employee is aware of the ADA and will consult with a lawyer on the matter, causing you to incur unwanted legal fees at the very least.
In my opinion, for the benefit of all involved, a person in your situation should always make an effort to reasonably accommodate before considering termination. It could be as little as something like providing a place for the employee to put his or her head down to take a 15 minutes nap during the day. Considering that the steps of research are typically planned out in advance, I would say that it is probably one of the more manageable jobs for a person with narcolepsy as opposed to something unpredictable.
Of course this is not legal advice but just my individual understanding of the situation.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: I have narcolepsy and I am a doctoral student. I don't know about for your student, but for me, praise is more productive than empathy, but empathy is much more productive than judgement. Your student will probably benefit more from encouragement and understanding mixed with praise than he/she will if they feel incapable and overwhelmed.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: As a grad student with narcolepsy, I was originally super nervous to talk to my PI about it. Once I got up the courage to do so, I was able to get a number of small accommodations that made things so much better.
1. Because I am waiting for medication to kick in, mornings are tough. My PI worked to avoid scheduling meetings before 10am. There are many situations where this might not be feasible, but when it is it can make a huge difference.
2. Sometimes during the day I get extremely sleepy. I used to spend hours trying to fight the sleep off, but now that I have permission to go nap in the breakroom, I can take 10 minutes to nap and reset my body, avoiding the hours I used to spend working inefficiently while struggling to stay awake.
3. Now that my PI knows, I have also been able to share with her what tends to trigger my cataplexy, which helps me avoid it.
The accommodations themselves are not that big, but they have allowed me to be a much more productive student.
Upvotes: 1 |
2014/09/11 | 569 | 2,511 | <issue_start>username_0: I am reading the guidelines for authors on a research journal which is part of Wiley. In the guidelines for authors it is only mentioned it should be submitted in Word format but nothing about font, font size, and if it should be already in two-column format.
Also it says figures should go at the end of the Word file, but I want to insert two figures in the same page to avoid paying twice the color page charge.
How is this supposed to be done?<issue_comment>username_1: The review formatting and the final, camera-ready formatting are often quite different. You will probably get a chance to reformat it for publication after it is reviewed. If you have any doubt about that, you should contact the editor.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The most common and universally acceptable formatting for scientific manuscripts is Times New Roman, 12 point, 1 inch margins all around, one column. Certainly don't attempt two-column format! That happens much later, during the typesetting process.
Regarding figure placement, that is also something to discuss with the editor or copy-editor much later, after the paper is accepted.
Right now you are preparing the paper to be read by reviewers. They don't care what page your figures are on, and they certainly don't want to deal with two-column formatting!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Journals typically provides guidelines as to what formats are possible, for example, Word and/or LaTeX for text, eps, pdf, TIFF; JPG etc. for graphics. Wiley, for example, provides a [guide line](http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/illustration.asp) for graphics that is general in their [Author Services section](http://authorservices.wiley.com/default.asp).
Adhering to the requested file formats may be quite important although with Wiley, I have noted that they accept common formats for graphics although they are not specifically mentioned in the general guide line. As for formatting of text, I would (as editor for a journal) argue that
* you should keep it as simple as possible
* do not attempt fancy formatting, keep it tidy and readable
* make sure your figures are of good quality and reproduced well in the files you provide
* follow any *instructions for authors*, or equivalent, the journal may provide (if such IFAs do not exist, then use a standard font and make, for example headings clearly visible against the main text and check the journal for reference system and formatting)
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer] |
2014/09/11 | 914 | 3,662 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a masters student in Computer Science. I also work for a software development company which happens to sponsor a scholarship that I want to apply to.
I was concerned about the ethical aspect of applying to this scholarship, I contacted the communications department via e-mail and asked if it is illegal and/or unethical to apply. Response said that company employees can apply, which means, I can apply. The answer did not state anything about the second part of my question - would it be unethical?
I also know that the CEO of my company will be the head of sponsorship committee.
Should I just ignore this weird circumstance and write my motivation letter as if there was no connection between my employer and the scholarship? Or should I not even apply?
**Edit:** My initial question had 2 parts so I split it into separate questions. The other question, [How would applying for a scholarship sponsored by employer affect my employer's perception of me?](https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/33588/how-would-applying-for-a-scholarship-sponsored-by-employer-affect-my-employers "How would applying for a scholarship sponsored by employer affect my employer's perception of me?"), is posted on Workplace.SE. It is a different question and I expect an answer from a different angle to it.<issue_comment>username_1: Companies funding their employee's studies is common and I believe not considered unethical. If you worry about whether employees will be given preferential treatment over non-employees, I'd say it's the scholarship committee's problem, not yours.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It wouldn't be unethical or surprising if, on receipt of the company's scholarship you were offered a work placement with them. For that reason, I don't think you should be concerned about applying *through the normal means* as if you were any other applicant.
What *would* make this unethical, would be to turn up for work and:
>
> Morning CEO! How's the wife and kids? I just got back from my holiday in Scotland, and I thought you might enjoy this whiskey.
>
>
> Oh -- by the way, I heard about the scholarship you're offering, I'm really interested in applying for that, so I just thought I'd drop off my application. I'll leave it over here with the whiskey.
>
>
>
In short, if you just apply through the normal process, I do not think anyone can complain of any wrong-doing. I'm sure there's *at least* one stage to get your application through before anyone even realises you work there.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> "I contacted the communications department via e-mail and asked if it is illegal and/or unethical to apply. Response said that company employees can apply, which means, I can apply."
>
>
>
I think that answers the ethics about it as well. As long as you are open about the fact that you are a company employee, *there is no scope for you to violate any ethics*. Any possible violation (which I don't think there are any) would be in the company's hands.
Think about this - why is the company offering a scholarship? They probably want the recipient to graduate and then work for the company. Thus by attracting top students to apply for an attractive scholarship, they gain a highly skilled and motivated employee. Sure, the fact that you already work for them might give you an advantage in the application process. But this is a private company giving out privately earned funding. They should be able to pay whomever they choose, for whatever reason.
In the end, there is really little difference between this, and an internal hire.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer] |
2014/09/11 | 1,411 | 6,037 | <issue_start>username_0: I've heard from people that generally, it's a bad idea to go to the same school as your undergrad to get your graduate education.
However, in the situation that you get into only your undergrad school and a few much-lower ranked grad schools, what would be the better school to pursue?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I've heard from people that generally, it's a bad idea to go to the same school as your undergrad to get your graduate education.
>
>
>
I think the underlying, and unmentioned, assumption on this statement is that you should not go to the same school as your undergrad, but rather you should go to a BETTER one. This would be consistent with my experience that many, possibly most, faculty at departments that consider themselves to be the best, do not often recommend their students to take a step down to study elsewhere (and if you consider yourself the best, everywhere else is lower).
That said, graduate school ranking, especially for PhD studies, is a little ridiculous. More important than the rank of your university, school, department, is the reputation of your primary advisor. But even that is not nearly as important as the quality of your research. While better ranked schools/departments/groups tend to have better faculty and resources there is considerable variation.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I've heard from people that generally, it's a bad idea to go to the same school as your undergrad to get your graduate education.
>
>
>
The word "generally" is commonly used in two rather different senses. The first sense is "typically", "most often". The second sense -- perhaps more common in mathematical and scientific writing -- is "always", or "in the largest possible scope which might be applied". The quoted advice is valid if "generally" is construed in the former sense, not the latter. To briefly explain: on the one hand, there are advantages to acquiring a diversity of experience. "Great University X" will do its business in a way which is slightly different from "Great University Y". Experiencing this is very valuable, because if you stay in academia you will probably be affiliated with several more universities, different from each of these. If all of your student experience is at a single place, you will have subconsciously internalized the universality of your experience, and you'll be in for a rude awakening when you learn that what is obviously best to you is not the practice in your new environment. Then too, by going to different great universities, you meet different great people (many of whom will know each other and will be in transit to/from other great universities), both students and faculty. This is also very valuable.
On the other hand, there are situations where it is most advantageous to stay where you are. For instance there are sometimes personal, family or financial considerations. Even neglecting these, there are times that the university you attended as an undergraduate is truly the uniquely best option for you to continue your studies, or the best option among those available to you. If you are an undergraduate at UCLA, if you want to study analysis, and if you did not get admitted to Berkeley, MIT, Chicago, Princeton or Stanford, then staying where you are sounds like an excellent (perhaps optimal) choice academically. If you've already done successful research with a top faculty member at your current program and you truly want to continue that research most of all: yes, think seriously about staying right where you are.
The other answer says that graduate school rankings is "a little ridiculous". While I don't really disagree, let me try to put a finer point on that: grad school rankings are ridiculous if you take them *too* seriously, and especially if you regard them as a strict linear ranking. It does not matter that US News and World Report currently thinks that MIT is the best mathematics department in the US whereas in past years it used to think it was some combination of Harvard / Princeton / Berkeley. It would be more honest and more helpful if they simply recorded that these departments and several others (Chicago, Stanford,...) are in the **uppermost echelon** of graduate programs in mathematics. Asking whether Harvard is better than Stanford *is* ridiculous: it depends upon what you're studying. (If you want to study analysis, don't go to Harvard unless you know you want to work with the one faculty member there who does that.)
Students should be thinking of departments in terms of echelons. Within a given echelon, ranking is not helpful. However, barring some truly exceptional circumstances you want to go to a program in the top echelon that accepts you. As a corollary to this: if your undergraduate institution is in the top 10, and every other program you've gotten into isn't in the top 30, then **yes**, I think you should stay where you are, unless you have a very good reason to go to a lower-ranked department (best reason: there is a superstar there that has agreed to work with you).
Finally though I have to say that I find it slightly odd that the OP has apparently gone to a top department, been admitted as a student to that top department, but not at any other department of comparable quality. That suggests to me that her application is not as strong as it could be, as those who know her in real life apparently value her more highly.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: In a forced choice, I'd go to the same, rather than inferior school.
"Diversity" is a good idea when you can get into a comparably good school, or better than the one where you did your undergraduate degree. Then you will get a choice of viewpoints that will (hopefully) make you a broader, more qualified candidate.
These advantages (mostly) disappear when your additional choices are all worse than what you have. This is what master investor <NAME> called "diworsesification," which you might not want to do.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/11 | 275 | 1,071 | <issue_start>username_0: What is a reasonable percentage salary increase for tenure and promotion from assistant to associate professor in the US?<issue_comment>username_1: Data on faculty salaries is available from the AAUP survey:
<http://chronicle.com/article/2013-14-AAUP-Faculty-Salary/145679/#id=table>
Associate professors make, very roughly speaking, 10% more than assistant professors. However, since professors get a few percent raise a year, you can estimate that the difference between the most experienced assistant professor and the least experienced associate professor is about the typical annual raise. So, I think the answer is "not much." However, it varies widely by institution, school, department, governance model, etc.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: At my institution, for CS, I got 5% raise from promotion from assistant to associate prof (about $4500) and a 10% raise (about $10K) for associate to full prof. Not sure how it compares to other schools. I know this is a late answer, but hope it helps others.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/12 | 971 | 4,412 | <issue_start>username_0: **Background**
I graduated with a BS in math about a year and a half ago from a not well known school and with a less than stellar academic record. I did not go to graduate school (I was not accepted). Since then, I have improved my mathematical ability considerably, but I have not kept in touch with my professors. I can demonstrate this improvement in many ways, the most obvious of which is by referring to my subject GRE score.
Given that I was a mediocre student, I assume that my professors' letters of recommendation did not paint me in as positive of a light as they would have if they knew me now.
I am now interested in applying to graduate school again but this time I would like to secure stronger letters of recommendation.
**Question**
Is it appropriate to ask a professor the following question:
>
> "Is there any way I can demonstrate my current mathematical ability
> and thereby improve your letter of recommendation for me?"
>
>
>
If so, how should I ask this question?
**Further Considerations**
If the answer to the above question is "Yes", then for at least two of the professors, I can suggest showing them my typed solutions to every question (save the trivial ones) in the textbook used for their class. These classes were both upper level classes (second level Linear Algebra and second level Real Analysis). With the last professor, I can demonstrate knowledge of Calculus of Variations (a subject that this professor is interested in) as well as Functional Analysis. Should this be my approach?<issue_comment>username_1: I think it is okay to ask the question. However, I do not think you should suggest that professors read your solutions since they are likely very busy.
You may do better to tell the professors what you have been working on, including your GRE score, and then ask them if there is anything else you can do to prepare yourself for graduate school. Then follow their suggestions. Essentially it is the same question, but I think it could show you are a "deep learner" rather than a "strategic learner" who only cares about the letter.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You're thinking about the problem a little bit sideways, as do many students.
First, when you originally request a letter of recommendation, ask the person your asking to support you if they can write you a strong letter. If they say no, they can write you a letter but they're not in a position to write a strong one, you can either move on to the next person (if there is one), or have a very mature conversation where you ask what's the best portrayal you can get. For example, if you feel like there's a hole in your application portfolio that this person can help fill, ask about it. Sometimes, if a student with average grade performance is a stand out in terms of writing, communication, leadership, I can focus on that and come out with an OK letter.
Now, to new recommendations from your original references: If your original recommenders have had no interactions with you that would change their opinion, its probably already too late to get a better recommendation. If there's something about your overall package that would change your likelihood to be admitted to a grad program, then you should be able to dig up a new reference to support your application. Your personal statement should be carefully crafted, stating very clearly what's changed about your situation, why you're a better candidate than you were originally, and some evidence to support it that an admissions committee can understand. A recommendation involving a recent interaction from a new person would be extremely helpful.
For what its worth, the admissions committee will be very interested in how you've spent your time since your BS. They might expect you to be showing maturity not typical of recent graduates. If you can show a solid understanding of why you are now seeking a graduate degree and how you expect it to impact your career in your application package, that will prove very helpful. If you've been twiddling your thumbs since you graduated, and that's apparent in your package, that will not go over very well. If that's the case, you might consider delaying your application until you can make your application package look right, and spend six months working very hard just to develop those good recommendations.
Upvotes: 3 |
2014/09/12 | 779 | 3,357 | <issue_start>username_0: I am rather disappointed by the existing research in my area of interest. There is a big disconnect between the solutions practitioners need and what researchers look at.
* I have read everything available on the subject in e-journals.
* I have many ideas which I believe can solve some small problems in my field.
* I also have ideas for paradigms (or major expansions of existing paradigms) which I believe can help the researchers and practitioners look at the problems in a different light.
* I am not in a PhD program, so I lack the advice, time, resources, and know-how for setting up controlled experiments to validate these ideas, so I can only address them as thought experiments or identify the nearest related experiments not directly testing my ideas.
Can I publish short here-is-an-idea paper (e.g. “Proposed Solution for X” or “(new) Model for Y”) well before having any means of providing some proof?<issue_comment>username_1: Generally, no.
Insights are a dime a dozen. Insights with *evidence* are how science (social and natural) proceed.
Proceeding through your bullets:
* You mention e-journals. Have you read the "literature" in traditional journals/books/whatever the field's standard is? There's a lot of good reason to be suspicious of e-journals, so you may not have a full view of the field.
* Belief in ideas doesn't make them true(r). Sorry.
* Is there a reason that you think that these expansions of paradigms haven't been considered? Are you *sure* that they really have never occurred before?
* Perhaps that's the argument for obtaining a Ph.D. or research master's --- to demonstrate that ideas have empirical heft.
If you really want to make a difference, you will have to offer evidence that your ideas work or have worked, beyond the logic you offer.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In order for a work to be scholarly, the content has to be reviewed by a group of experts in your field, tested by those peers for accuracy and then you have to find someone who is willing to publish your work. You don't have to have proof of your findings for them to be published, but the work wouldn't be considered a scholarly document. Just remember that theories aren't just ideas, but concepts that have been tried and tested to be logical and accurate. Whatever you do, make sure that your experiments can be repeated and that you get the same "Proposed Solution for X" every time. Remember that every revolution begins in the mind of one man, and that your "proposed solution" might possibly be the right one, with or without proof.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Sure, one can publish ideas before properly evaluating their value. But it depends. Your area of research might be different from mine, but I have written "position papers" papers in the past where the main purpose is to generate discussion. Then you usually have to go to the conference and workshop your ideas with other participants.
So if there really is a big disconnect between practitioners and researchers, do some groundwork, maybe interview those practitioners so that you can back up your claims when you meet the researchers. Then propose improvements to current research so that you can work on your ideas and study them properly. You may also find help and advice and co-authors for the future.
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/12 | 2,929 | 12,170 | <issue_start>username_0: I am not a psychology major.
I came across [this paper](http://www.ucd.ie/artspgs/semantics/ConsequencesErudite.pdf)
that shows that using erudite vocabulary will not do one good.
What makes me want to ask here is a case study in the paper. Long story short, a bunch of admission officers, unaware of being tested, reviewed the application documents such as statements of purpose and were asked to rate them. It turned out that those documents using big, learned words instead got somewhat lower rating than those using simple, direct words.
Though this research seems convincing, my concern is: Is this phenomenon general enough to suggest one should avoid using erudite vocabulary if one does not use the erudite words in an affected way?
If you are experienced admission reviewers, would you please throw some light or insights on this issue?<issue_comment>username_1: Your question reminds me of the days when I was a young schoolkid and had barely started composing articles, essays etc. I had a habit of picking up the dictionary and learning a new word every day, writing it down somewhere, and (embarrassingly) also revising my notes every weekend or so. Invariably, it got to a stage where these fancy words started entering the articles and I started getting appreciated for it. Since I wasn't the only one in my class doing it, soon it got to a competition of sorts - who can use more fancy language and impress the teacher and ''*awe*'' the (misguided) audience. In the process, we got to a stage where we were bending sentences to accommodate our *sweat-and-blood*, or worse still, writing sentences according to the new word. I'm sure this isn't too uncommon.
But now we look back at this and think that we were stupid (of-course we were schoolkids). Why would anybody do that? The purpose of having a good vocabulary is to have at your disposal the most-appropriate word for the intended purpose. And nothing more.
So, coming back to your question, the purpose of a statement-of-purpose is to convey certain information to the people on the other side of the table. They want you to convey this information using minimum clutter, and be as to-the-point as possible. Use the most appropriate words for the intended purpose - think over it and take your time in composing the SoP. It is extremely unlikely that any sensible person sitting on the other side would be so impressed on reading exotic, but inappropriate-as-per-the-context, words in the SoP that he will count that as an advantage over the others. However, it is more likely that if he will have the same impression of you as you get by reading my first paragraph. I don't think that's an advantage at all.
Hope that helps :)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Erudition and eloquence are useful tools for academics to possess.
However, excessively erudite writing can become opaque. That's *not* what you want to achieve in scholarly writing. Scholarly writing should be lucid, informative, and as direct as possible. Thus, using "five-dollar" vocabulary when "fifty-cent" words will do probably distracts from your writing overall. On the other hand, if that five-dollar word is *exactly* the word you need in a given situation, don't be afraid to use it. It's better, in my opinion, to moderately challenge the reader in a concisely written text than to be long-winded.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: >
> The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the
> difference between lightning and a lightning bug. - *<NAME>*
>
>
>
What You Shouldn't Do
---------------------
As I explain below, the article does a good job of illustrating what you should not do: do not, under any circumstances, write out a statement of purpose and then have a computer blindly replace words with longer synonyms taken from the Microsoft Word Thesaurus. A word is not better merely because it is longer - but sometimes a longer word is the better word. Your goal is to communicate, and you should seek to impress with your message and communication skill - not your ability to find really long words and use them poorly.
Problems With Interpreting the Research Article
-----------------------------------------------
First of all, I must say that I love the title of the article you linked: "Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective
of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly". From a psychological/cognitive perspective, however, it is not sufficient - or even suitable - to use to draw a conclusion on how one might wish to write a statement of purpose.
An excerpt from Experiment 1 I think will help to understand this. Which of these following sentences is best?
1) I desire to go to Graduate School so that I can learn to recognize literature satisfactorily.
2) I want to go to Graduate School so that I can learn to recognize literature well.
3) I want to go to Graduate School so that I can learn to know literature well.
Here's the problem: these sentences, while similar, *do not convey the same precise meaning and attitude!*
In the first case, the sentence gives the impression that a person wants to "recognize" literature "satisfactorily". This sounds like a person aspires to be able to read something and say, "Ah, this is definitely a kind of literature."
Moreover, they want to be satisfactory at this skill? If a person wrote a letter of reference for you that read, "This student's skills in English Literature were satisfactory" you'd be damned by faint praise! Here, satisfactory sounds an awful lot like "average" or "met minimum expectations".
This is all for an essay to try to get into Stanford - by any measure a competitive school. You don't need to go to Stanford to be satisfactory at a minor skill. Next applicant!
The next sentence is a little better, as a person wants to be able to do something "well". This is a conservative, but still potentially ambitious, way to say that you want to be actually good at something - superior to the average. "Well" and "satisfactory" may be synonyms (and thus how the word was chosen), but they don't have the same precise meanings or connotations in every context.
The final example sentence says that they want to "know literature well." Knowledge is a higher goal than mere recognition. Compare the phrases "I recognize her" with "I know her" and you get the idea - similar meaning, but not at all the same.
The funny thing is, sentence 1 is marked as "highly complex", 2 is "medium-complexity", and 3 is "original" because word length was used as a proxy for complexity. The originals tended to be marked higher than their "more complex" counterparts, but in every case included in the appendix I found the originals were superior to their algorithmically-derived versions.
At least in Experiment 1, the research shows that replacing words blindly with their longer synonyms results in a poorer quality product than that produced by an intelligent human writing a statement of purpose to try to gain admittance to a competitive University.
Before I go on, I wish to point out that this article is good research and interesting, and helps to build the field, and I do not criticize the authors for trying something and reporting their findings; these findings are a step on the road to greater understanding. But this paper alone is not suitable for drawing conclusions.
How You Should Actually Write
-----------------------------
In most fields the goal is actual, genuine communication. Most professors and admittance personnel aren't looking to recruit low-quality bullshitters - they surely think they work with enough of such people as it is! So you need to decide what you are: a brilliant bullshitter with an extraordinarily artful grasp of the language and rhetoric, or a genuine communicator. There is a demand for both sets of people (in some fields more than others -*cough*-), but you need to decide: which extreme are you closer to fitting?
If you choose to showcase your genuine communication skill and interests in your statement of purpose, write it out from the heart first, and then you can go in and agonize a bit more on word choice. Some things will inevitably need to be made simpler, while sometimes a few big-money words will suit just perfectly.
What always dominates an appraisal of writing is the *appropriate* words. If I say "I'm going to peruse your missive and aggrandize some terminal verbiage" ... those are big words, but they are also supercilious, awkward, and downright poor choices. It would convey the meaning that I am trying to compensate for a lack of actual intelligence and understanding by trying to baffle you with more obscure parts of the lexicon. [Great, now I can't stop doing it...] Or I'm trying to be funny. Or I'm a bit of an ass... thanks in part to the [fundamental attribution error](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attribution_bias#Fundamental_attribution_error), such inappropriate word choices can doom an application.
Get Advice and Feedback
-----------------------
Statistically, only [1 out of 10 people are in the top 10% of ability](http://xkcd.com/703/) in written communication skills. Even for those in the top 10, advice and feedback from others on their actual written work is invaluable and there is no perfect substitute. This applies equally to native and non-native speakers - don't stumble in the dark when you can just turn the light on!
Asking someone to review specific word-choice and phrasing is great, and some people have greater editing skills than others so you'll likely need more than one or two pairs of eyes. A good rule of thumb is if someone is willing to spend the time to write a letter of recommendation for you, they are probably willing to spend a little time going over a letter of purpose with you. After all, they wouldn't want their own words to fall on deaf ears, would they?
Career centers, student-employment departments, English tutors/clubs/Professors, and college application workshops are all potentially great sources of help and review, and if you can bring a written draft of your statement with you then the time might prove extremely productive.
As a parting word of advice, I find that busy people who only spend a few minutes with your writing can be very good sources of help on matters like this, because if they can't understand something or don't like the wording in such a quick read the people who actually read your application probably won't either!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Two things are important here: 1) having control of vocabulary, however plain-spoken or erudite it is, and 2) writing in such a way that your meaning is clear and your statement effective.
If you have control of your vocabulary, you will not use "erudite vocabulary" in an affected way. If you understand the connotations and denotations and idiomatic uses of a word, you will use it correctly. Don't use a word because it sounds impressive; use it because you know it's the right word in the right place. If you have questions about vocabulary in your statement, run it by your academic advisor or a faculty member you work well with.
More important: Make your writing as powerful as it can be. Whatever vocabulary you use, choose strong subjects and active verbs. Seems elementary, but it's essential. Examples:
* One reason I would be a good fit for your program is my background in biophysics.
* My background in biophysics makes me an excellent fit for your program.
I must offer a correction to the previous poster's [quote from <NAME>](http://www.twainquotes.com/Lightning.html) -- the difference between that quote and this is like the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning:
>
> The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: To quote <NAME> in *The Bed of Procrustes*:
>
> An erudite is someone who displays less than he knows; a journalist or
> consultant, the opposite.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 |
2014/09/12 | 1,084 | 4,567 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm currently an M. Phil student in Math and I failed a course last semester because I was not able to hand in a home work assignment (which was worth 40% of my grade) on time (I was 30 minutes late).
Apart from that I'd say I'm a fairly decent student, I got an upper second class honours bachelors degree, I have a B+ and A's for all my other courses in my current programme and I'm almost finished with my first paper to be published.
I've however been deeply worried about this failure as it would reflect poorly on my transcript if I were to apply to a Ph.D or another Master's programme.
Will my failing grade affect my chances of getting into a competitive programme or greatly lower my chances of getting a scholarship?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Will my failing grade affect my chances of getting into a competitive programme or greatly lower my chances of getting a scholarship?
>
>
>
Unfortunately yes, this is quite possible and, at least in certain contexts, rather likely. Most good graduate programs in mathematics (and presumably elsewhere) see very high grades in general from their applicants. One or two imperfect grades can be easily dismissed (still, better is better...) but a **failing grade** is a big red flag. In many (American, I don't know how it is elsewhere) graduate programs, the minimum GPA required to maintain good standing is 3.0. Thus a lackluster performance in a graduate course often results in something like a B/B+. There is a lot of variation here and many problems make a *de facto* distinction between lower level / core courses in which "grades count" and higher level / optional courses in which it may well be expected that everyone gets the highest possible grade more or less automatically. Either way, a failing grade in a graduate course looks especially bad.
The more courses you take, the more one can discount any one grade. But if as you say you will be applying for admission and/or scholarships with one out of four grades a failing grade: well, I'm sorry to say it, but that doesn't sound good at all.
What can you do? First I would look into the prospect of getting the grade changed (though of course it may not be possible and in certain circumstances it may not even be appropriate to ask). If that's not possible, the matter becomes how to *explain* the grade in a way which makes it minimally alarming to people who are evaluating your application. In this regard I have to be honest again and say that your given explanation is not a great one: there was one problem set that was worth 40% of your grade, you didn't turn it in on time, and there was no way for you and/or the course instructor to rectify the situation? Not good. Your perspective may well be that the course instructor was an extremely unreasonable, ungenerous individual. And you may be right, but that doesn't really fix the fact that you didn't meet the course requirements. Maybe your entire program is somehow off...which is still not great.
I would try to have at least one faculty recommendation letter explicitly address this situation and explain it in a way which somehow allays the above concerns.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: **It's not a deal breaker.** I had awful grades in many courses but I got offers with TA/RA-ship/fellowships from a couple of top 25 US PhD programs in Math. The reason, I think, was that I had very high GRE scores, I had participated in undergraduate/masters "research" projects for a few years with professors at my schools, and I had pretty good recommendations. My research statement was normal and earnest. I didn't have any extraordinary ideas nor some well defined research agenda in it. I think that, overall, the rest of my portfolio made up for my awful grades.
In your case, it's just one course. That does not signal any systematic problem. If you feel particularly insecure, you can address it in your personal statement but don't talk about the professor in question negatively, instead you can focus on how you were tardy once but it does not reflect your work usual work ethic. I cannot speak for top 10 schools. They may have a sufficiently large pool of applicants who may beat you on every metric.
Also, Math departments at large public Universities generally need lots of bodies to TA/grade their numerous remedial and baby-calc type undergraduate courses and generally do the culling at the qualifying exam stage. You may find their standards for an incoming PhD class to be more forgiving.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
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