texts:
I plan to do my PhD in Computational Linguistics in the near future. As one would imagine, it requires a bit of knowledge in Computer Science as well as Linguistics. Particularly, I enjoy French and Japanese.

The problem is that I want to teach too many topics at the university level. In my imaginary world, I would teach courses in Computer Science that overlap with Computational Linguistics (e.g. Structure of Programming Languages, Artificial Intelligence, etc.), as well as French and Japanese.

As far as I know, we have only one professor at my university who overlapped topics - the Russian department needed a temp, and one of the Computer Science professors was a Russian native; he filled in for a semester.

Presumably I would only teach courses that overlap with my research (the Computer Science courses I listed, French/Japanese Syntax/Morphology, etc).

Granted this is pretty specific to my case, so how about I generalize: how plausible is it to teach multiple subjects that are inter-departmental at the university level? If it is indeed plausible and is something that I can specifically work toward, what steps are necessary to be able to do so?

Edit: To clarify, this would be teaching as a postdoc, not particularly during my PhD. I think my brain would explode if I tried to take on that kind of workload.


texts: What does this mean, "We recommend that you consider submission to an alternative venue"?

texts:
Recently, after submitting a manuscript for publication, I received the following response:

  Your manuscript, referenced below, has been considered for publication in XXX: "Article Title"
  Unfortunately, this manuscript on a fundamental topic does not fall under the range of topics that are covered by XXX, which focuses on the applied physical sciences. We recommend that you consider submission to an alternative venue.

My question is, what is the meaning of the sentence "We recommend that you consider submission to an alternative venue". To me, it sounds like a terse "good luck with that!" sign-off. However, that's an odd sentence, as they usually just write "no" in those cases. Does this imply anything particular about my submission?


texts: How do I sign a letter of recommendation, if I've left academia?

texts:
I recently left academia. A former student of mine asked for a letter of recommendation for graduate school applications. I've typically seen references sign with their title, to provide context. Should I sign mine as follows?

My Name
Former Thisorthat Postdoctoral Fellow
Former Institution Name


texts: How common are 'monitors' (class leaders)?

texts:
I have found that in Asian universities, there is a concept I am unfamiliar with: The monitor. The monitor here is not someone who monitors but rather one student, usually elected by the other students, to speak for the group and to perform administrative tasks. This is a position of leadership and signifies that this student is special (and might get preferential treatment from the teacher).

From my other university teaching experience (outside of Asia), I have never seen this. I'm wondering, is this common across Asia to have these 'monitors?' Is it common in other (non-Asian) parts of the world?

Does anyone have any insights on things to be concerned with (for someone new to the idea of monitors)?

Note: It seems the monitor position starts in the earliest years (pre-K) and are not just at the university level but they also go up all the way to graduate-level classes.


texts: What should I do when a predatory conference will not listen to us and the journal might retract our paper?

texts:
I was in my first semester that a professor asked me for a collaboration with someone else. We have started the project but because of Mr. C bad behavior and lack of contribution our professor fired him from the project.
Consequently, we had published a paper 2 years ago based on that project. After a few months, we have accidentally found out that the initial draft of the paper in another language has been published at a conference with Mr.C name and his wife on the conference proceeding. It is worth mentioning that we kept our data and updates of drafts in a shared Dropbox account that Mr. C had access to. We emailed to the conference and told them to remove the conference proceeding because it had been uploaded without our permission, so they removed it from the conference proceedings. Few days after that the journal that has published our paper sent us an email saying that someone (that we know its Mr. C) told them that our paper has published before and it is a case of a redundant publication and plagiarism.
Then we have told everything to the journal about the situation.
Unfortunately, because Mr. C have powerful connections in government he was able to make the conference proceeding available once again! now the conference won't listens to us and they don't answer us.
The conference proceeding is in another language but the context is about 80% the same as the journal paper that is in English!
We don't know what to do.
We did not hear about this case from the journal for 3 months now.

Is it possible for the journal to retract our paper at this point because of the duplication and redundancy or plagiarism? What should we do?

UPDATE: The conference website is down known and not available anywhere at the moment but the conference has sent the proceedings to an indexing website which is only available in our native language. Also in that website proceedings can be bought only with the X currency and it is not an international indexing website.

Still, I am scared that there might be a possibility for the journal to retract our paper due to duplication! Is it possible?


texts: Will taking basic courses missed during undergraduate now as a non-degree student help for my PhD applications?

texts:
I am an international master student and I have an unconventional background. I want to apply for PhD programs in field X, which is closely related to my degree now, but not exactly. I missed some basic courses during my undergraduate in field X and I want to show that I have the knowledge covered in those courses.
One way to do it is to take those courses now but due to language problems I can't. Another way seems to be to get a good grade on upper level courses. But it is not really an ideal application and also I am not sure I can get good grades. So I decided to take those basic courses as a non-degree student somewhere after I graduate.
One thing that concerns me is that most of the schools I want to apply for PhD set their deadlines in December, while I don't know if my transcript will show that I am doing these basic courses. Even if it shows, no grades would be in there. I can't wait till the next year due to personal reasons, so I am afraid it isn't worth the money and time to do a non-degree study.
So the questions are, can taking courses as a non-degree student really increase my chances of success, and how would the selection committee view students who have taken courses in this way?


texts: Is it ethical that the PhD student is not offered a chance to become the communicating/ corresponding author?

texts:
Usually a supervisor has to focus on many project at once but the PhD student on the other hand has only his project to focus on, PhD student is the person who usually does all the literature work as well as the experiments, so technically he is the master of that particular project then why the PhD student is never offered a chance to become the communication/corresponding author of those manuscript that are published by him on his work. One could argue that in the first 2 years of the PhD work he might have less command over the subject to which I might agree but what about in the last stage of the PhD program or after the PhD program for that matter. Why is he never offered a chance to become a communicating/ corresponding author?

Communicating/ corresponding author here represents the person who would respond to queries and reply to emails, where as the last author is usually the supervisor who wrote the project or took the lead.


texts: Scientific output of researchers in industry and academia

texts: How does the scientific output of PhD’s who work in industry compare to that of PhD’s who stayed in academia (professors, mainly). I mean, in terms of number of publications, conferences, etc.


texts: Discussion of hiring practices and underrepresented groups during interviews

texts:
I am searching for a job at a small liberal arts college in the United States, and I was recently interviewed via Skype by a search committee.  One of the questions I asked was "What things are your institution experiencing/initiating with regard to recent trends in the STEM fields?"

The interviewers covered a variety of topics in their detailed response, and one in particular stood out to me: "We are really trying to hire from underrepresented demographic groups in our discipline, for instance, someone that is X, Y, or Z."

That statement led me to the following questions, which I would like to pose to academia.se:

While I wholeheartedly agree with the principle behind their statement and I realize that most departments have this objective, is it considered appropriate for an interviewer to be so explicit about that preference?
Given that I was doing a Skype interview, it was fairly obvious that I did not fall into any of the categories named by the interviewer.  What would be the best way for me to respond to a statement like that?


texts: How to write an email to a professor to inquire about a visiting researcher position?

texts:
I am currently a postdoc and plan to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship as the funding to be a visiting researcher in other institutes. However, to be eligible for applying the fellowship, I would need an invitation letter from the department or institute. I have written about 30 emails from 2 months ago but haven't received any reply. I know that generally postdoc researchers are not so prominent or influential in the academic world so that many professors would not easily accept such requests. And I also understand that it would be more difficult if I do not know the professors personally through conferences or other social networks. But there should be at least a reply of refuse due to any kinds of reasons.

I wonder if there is any serious problem with my email. I would be very appreciated if anyone could kindly find any problems in it.

  Dear Prof. XYZ,

  I am writing to inquire about the opportunity of serving as a visiting researcher in your lab next year (Jan, 2020−Dec, 2020). The funding will be totally covered by the XYZ.

  I am currently a postdoctoral fellow focusing on research associated with human health risk assessment of environmental contaminants at XYZ. My major is nanotoxicology and environmental risk assessment; my minor is physiologically-based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling. I have enormous interests in your research after reading your articles regarding toxicities of TiO2 NPs.

  I have written a research proposal regarding pharmacokinetic and human health risk assessment of food-grade TiO2 NPs as attached in this email. It would be my great honor and appreciation if you could find time to read this proposal at your convenience and I hope my background in mathematical modeling and experimentation could help me to have a valuable contribution
  I have attached my CV and representative research to this email to provide more information about myself and my academic records. I have also provided the document of the fellowship for visiting researchers as the reference. There will be no expenses required during my visiting except for an invitation letter after your valuable permission to allow me to be a visiting researcher in your research team.

  If you require additional information, I would be pleased to provide it at any time. I am eagerly waiting for your kind reply and greatly appreciate your attention and valuable time to read this email.

  Yours respectfully,

  XYZ, Ph.


texts: How to automatically add articles in Google Scholar profile for journal?

texts:
Is it possible to automatically add publications to a journal's Google Scholar profile?
I know this is possible for a person's profile, because Google automatically find and adds the publications where that person is an author.
But in the case of a journal, there are numerous publications with different authors and I don't know if Google can recognize that they belong to that journal in order to automatically add them. The common criteria for automatically adding the articles should be the journal's name.


texts:
What is Springer's “version of record”? Is it the final originally published version of an article or book?

According to the answers that I received, yes it is.


texts: Is a Master's thesis considered 'published'?

texts:
I'm currently applying for PhD positions in the US, having completed a Master's degree in Engineering in the UK and then working in Industry for the past 13 years. I'm a bit confused as to the extent to which (if at all) a Master's thesis is considered to be 'published'?

To my knowledge, my Master's thesis was not officially published on the University website. However, I have seen some cases where Master's theses at some institutions are available online from the affiliated institution's website. To what extent are these 'available online' Master's theses considered to be published?

If they are not considered published then, if someone completes a Master's thesis and publishes it online, but doesn't follow-up by publishing it in a journal (perhaps they don't go on to do a PhD), then what is to prevent another academic taking those results and publishing them as their own? Is that considered 'fair game' in academia?

The background to this on my side is that my Master's thesis was a very successful project and was received very well at the time by the faculty in the Engineering school I studied in. It probably could have been turned into a research paper; however, given that I made the decision to start a career in Industry, I didn't push to publish the results in an academic journal at the time.

More recently, I have come across a paper that was published a few years later by researchers I am not familiar with at another institution, which seems very similar to my Master's thesis (I'd say ~75-80% the same content). Now, I am not accusing them of plagiarism - it's quite possible they may have discovered the same thing independently. However, I am just wondering, in general, to what extent a Master's thesis posted online is considered to be 'published' and how it is perceived in Academia if someone was to 'plagiarize' a Master's thesis.

I guess a follow-on question relating to my situation is: how much of this (if any) should I mention in my applications for PhD programs?


texts: How does an engineering undergraduate apply for master in humanities?

texts:
I am doing undergraduate in engineering but I want a transition to humanities for masters (history, anthropology).

How do I do this?
Should I take  prerequisite courses at a community college or through online/distance education?


texts: I want to reuse a figure from research with an Attribution 4.0 International license; I want to contact the author to ask his permission. However, I couldn't find any way to contact him. What should I do?


texts: When writing a letter of reference, is there any reason not to show it to the student?

texts:
I only agree to write a reference letter if I can write a positive one. Although it is only hypothetical at this point, I would hesitate to write a reference letter for an individual who chooses not to waive their right to see it. That said, I have sometimes shown students my letters for them since I feel it is useful for them to know what I have written. It also provides them a chance to remind me of things I may have forgotten. I do not do this consistently, but am considering making it a personal policy.

I guess I have two questions. Is there a reason not to show a student their letter of reference? Just to be clear, this is for a letter I have written for the student and not for a reference I have recieved. The second question is, is it reasonable to refuse to write a reference for a student when the student does not waive their right to see the reference.


texts: Completed a review article based on supervisor's request but then it cannot be published due to lack of funding

texts:
Six months ago the PhD supervisor of a friend of mine asked him to write a review article. After a hard work of 4 months he finished an extensive review article. Another two months were wasted correcting the figures and text of the manuscript as the supervisor is a perfectionist and doesn't know where to stop... Well finally it's finished and now the supervisor is saying that he doesn't want to publish it as he does not have enough funds for it. Can anyone suggest what my friend could possibly do now.

Also my friend tried to find some free journals to which the supervisor didn't agree saying it not up to the standards of the group to publish in such small journal.


texts: Do you need to state that you have written permission from the copyright holder of the image I use as cover

texts:
I am using a picture for the cover of my thesis. I received written permission from the copyright holder of this picture that I may use it for this purpose.
Do I need to make a comment somewhere in my thesis that I have this written permission and if so, where shall I make this comment? Or do even I need to include the entire written permission, perhaps in an appendix.


texts: Part-time PhD workload compared to part-time undergrad workload

texts:
Does a part-time PhD workload differ significantly from part-time undergrad studies?

I'm intending to go on to postgraduate studies next year. I'd prefer to go straight to a PhD if possible, but will consider Masters if it looks like the more tenable option. I've worked full time for the past 9 years while completing first a certificate, and then a BSc which is currently being wrapped up, both via the Open University in the UK.

During this time I haven't found my studies to be overly burdensome, even when taking two or three modules concurrently. I don't mind spending evenings and weekends reading, researching, and performing practical coursework. (Don't get me wrong, it's hard work, but worth it!)

This question: Is it possible to work full time and complete a PhD? discusses the relative difficulty of working full time and pursuing a PhD. My question is slightly different, though, as I'm already used to having less personal time than others might expect.

Should I expect my personal time to diminish significantly when I continue on to postgraduate study, compared to life as a part-time undergrad student?

I'd particularly value answers from previous full-time-working part-time OU students who continued on with a part-time PhD.

My intended discipline is Computer Science, and I'd like to attend a University in the UK, particularly Sheffield, but as I haven't completed my BSc and begun applying for postgraduate positions yet, I can't be sure of the location.


texts: Transitioning from Electrical Engineering to Physics *after* graduating

texts:
tl;dr: Graduating from EE with Ph.D. offers, but thinking about shifting to physics.

Hi Everyone,

Background: I'm an Electrical Engineering and Chemistry major (weird combination, I know). I am now in my final undergrad semester and have 2 Ph.D. offers for EE.

Explanation: EE and chem is because of the way majors are "given out" in India based on your grades/ entrance scores. I never really enjoyed chemistry much but as I said, it was given to me. I did enjoy the solid-state and devices part of EE but never VLSI, circuits, etc. Now that I'm about to graduate, I'm recalling a time back in school where physics was the one thing I enjoyed most.

Question: Do I leave the Ph.D. offers and learn physics by somehow becoming a project assistant? Or do I convince my potential EE Ph.D. advisor to let me take up Physics courses while working for his project (which will certainly be very tough in the first 2 years), and possibly risk being miserable through my Ph.D.? Also, is it wrong to assume that if I liked physics in school I'd like it now?

Explanation for this sudden shift: I find upon introspection during this quarantine that I'd like my life's work to be related to the fundamental nature of things, not to some gadgets that us humans use to make our lives better.

Edit: Courses done before: Mechanics, Oscillations & Waves, Electromagnetic Theo I, Quantum Chemistry I & II (Average grade), Photochemistry & Laser Spectroscopy, Solid State Electronic Devices


texts: Can a national annual data report be reworked as an annual journal?

texts: I have some questions regarding developing an academic journal. We produce a comprehensive annual scientific data report once a year. We are looking for a way of making our report data more accessible through online bibliographic services. We are exploring the possibility of developing our annual report as a journal published by us and containing articles that contain the data findings of the annual report. Our annual report is already peer reviewed and the articles are written by different authors, so we see we can at least fulfil Pubmed’s journal criteria if we were to adapt it into a journal. However, we do not want to open the journal to external manuscript contributions as this would stretch us beyond capacity! Basically, we want to produce an annual journal containing articles on the annual report only. So, I was wondering if anyone could tell me if this would constitute a journal? And if you know of any journals that have developed from an annual report and are dedicated to only producing journal articles based on this content? Any advice, guidance and/or suggestions would be very much appreciated.


texts: Is there a professional virtue in independent research and reviews?

texts:
Is there a tradition for independent researchers to conduct, ie. write, and review others research on their own? That is to say, is such work outside the institutional and established realms something researchers consider to be of professional value career-wise?

I have recently finished my master's thesis and am - like I imagine other students who also finished a research degree - considering whether to pursue a doctorate. To avoid a "decay" in writing technique and interest in my field of study, I am considering writing independently, but still in the scientific vein to maintain these to a high level. However, I am unsure of whether this would hold a professional value - as in worthwhile to include on a resume - when written outside of a professional setting.

What are your thoughts on independent scientific writing, and its applicability to later career choices?


texts: How should I talk to professor if I have been absent from project for weeks due to mental health issues?

texts:
I am an undergraduate student. Four weeks earlier my professor asked me to work with him on a literature survey project. He asked me to update him every week about the status of the project. The project I am talking about basically marks the gender gap in an interdisciplinary field and I have to go through research papers and separate males and females, contact people rather than doing any research work. I worked on it for the first week showed him the excel sheet I made, but he didn't express any thoughts on that rather told me few other sources where I can get more data and answered the question I asked. I knew I was not very motivated to work since all I have to do was copy-paste data from sites to excel.
Then, my family members got sick(with most symptoms of COVID), I have to involve myself in that and it really brought my motivation down to zero. I couldn't bring myself up to manage time, I suffered from anxiety and depression in the second week, this disrupted my thinking I guess as I didn't inform my professor about the project. And in the third week as well I made no contacts with him and no progress in project.
But now when I think I am a little better, I see this as being irresponsible from point of professor and that unknowingly I have done a harm to my reputation since he is one of the best professors in my department and he has always been supportive to students.
I still haven't prepared enough data, what should I do now, how should I talk this out to my professor? Would an apology be enough? Should I ask him if I am still allowed to work on that project?


texts: Experience needed to transition from undergrad to graduate school of two completely different majors

texts:
I just graduated in May 2018 with an undergraduate bachelor degree in Computer Science from a pretty good university. During my time at the university, I always had aspirations of attending graduate school for a Masters (as a terminal degree). I had considered studying Computer Science, but during my final semester, I enjoyed the 400-level "Statistics and Probability I" course immensely that I had to take, making me re-think my decision of area of study in graduate school.

I focused mainly on my undergraduate courses along with becoming a course assistant (i.e. like a TA) for a Computer Architecture course for three semesters. I did not do any research or work closely with a professor in a related field while obtaining my degree, something I strongly wish I had done. Although, I have done two computer science-related internships in my final two summers as an undergraduate.

On top of this, my cumulative GPA feels incredibly mediocre at just a 3.34.

I am left with thinking of what the best possible path from here is, in the hopes of obtaining a Masters in Statistics. I have a few options I am looking at:

1.) Graduate schools across the board require letters of recommendations. Yes, I do have the professor I was a course assistant under, another professor that has gotten to know me well through course work, and internship mentors that have seen my industry intership work. However, I have been in talks with a professor on a PhD candidate board that notes that letters of recs for graduate school should come from professors you have worked closely with (i.e. through research) (he notes no distinction from masters vs. PhD).

Should I look for a research assistant position at a university institution before applying for graduate school (i.e. spend about a year doing research - spring and fall) in hopes of gaining experience and having a professor get to know me in an academia sense?

2.) Should I apply to a Post-Baccalaureate program in statistics to demonstrate a better GPA and to find a prospecting professor to do research with? I have the mathematics foundation (e.g. Calc 1, 2, & 3 and linear algebra), however, I obviously do not have a lot of statistics under me (e.g. one course as noted above).

I am leaning towards #1, however, I see the benefits of #2 too.

If anyone has any other recommendations, please send them my way. I am a bit nervous about wasting any time any one area, unless it is the right move. I would greatly appreciate feedback!


texts:
I am an international student and I received admit from X university (USA) for PhD in computer science.
I reached out to all the professors who match my research interest and only one of them responded. Now when I am supposed to fly in a month he has notified me that he doesn’t want to commit to new students.
None of the other professors are replying to my mails. I have got my visa and I am left with no funding.
What should I do now? Should I drop my plan or should I simply go for a masters or anything else?


texts: Reference manager with note-taking/quote-storing capabilities

texts:
I'm looking for a reference manager with note-taking/quote-storing capabilities. I don't need a full knowledge management suite, but I want to find a program where I can store and search long notes/lots of quotes, attached to entries in my bibliography.

So far I've used:

Bib(La)TeX + pen and paper
Zotero
Mendeley
Paperpile
(Not sure about Endnote, but at least I haven't seen it used for what I need.)

Pen and paper obviously isn't searchable, and funnily enough, neither are the notes in Zotero. All of these programs treat notes as negligible, focusing on PDF metadata import and annotations, PubMed or Google Scholar search and whatnot. Which is all fine but not what I'm looking for. Since I work in the Arts & Humanities I still have my fair share of books accompanying the PDF articles in my work routine. For those I don't need any online specialties but rather a way to attach lots of quotes, notes, summaries and so on.

From what I've heard, Citavi can do some things like that, but I'm nowhere near a Windows computer to try it out. Ideally I'm looking for Linux programs, I could try Mac, and give bonus points for a web interface.


texts: Why do undergraduates pay for their education, but postgraduates are paid?

texts:
Per title. Undergraduate tuition often costs tens of thousands of dollars per year, but postgraduates are commonly paid a stipend. Not a lot of money, but still much better than having to pay for tuition too.
Why do undergraduates pay, but postgraduates are paid? A first guess is that postgraduates contribute to the "output" of the department so they deserve to be paid, but that doesn't seem like a complete explanation because the number of students taught is also an "output".


texts: How should I apply for readmission to a graduate program from which I had to withdraw due to misconduct caused by a disability?

texts:
A few years ago, I was required to withdraw from a PhD Program at my previous institution because of academic misconduct. However, doctors found it was a result of disability. I have spent a few years publishing papers. I have also addressed the disability.
I am interested in re-applying to the same program now. The administrator told me to go through the normal admissions process again to re-apply.
I wanted to ask advice about whether this is advised. Can anyone be successful? How should one move forward?
Thanks


texts: Opportunities for physics PhD students to study/research pure math

texts:
My interest includes pure math, string theory, quantum field theory and some applied mathematical topics, so I'd like to be so-called a pure mathematician and a string theorist. Considering my performance so far, I think I will have decent chance for any physics PhD programs except for top ones, while I will not have much chance for the math PhD programs of my interest. Therefore, it seems to me that the best choice is to go to the physics PhD program with faculties influential on string theory. Fortunately, such a school tends to have a math department with decent faculties on the fields of my interest, so all of my demands seem to be satisfied by this choice.
However...

How much is it possible for a physics PhD student to interact with math grad students and professors through math courses, research and seminars? What limitation will I be likely to experience?


texts: Filling "Educational Status" in GRE subject test application form

texts:
I am going to apply for a GRE subject test (Mathematics). The application process is going to start in this July.

I want a suggestion regarding online filling of the application form.

One item in the form is "Educational status at the time you take the GRE test" and the options are :

Sophomore(second year),Junior(third year),Senior(fourth/final year),First-year Graduate student,Second-year Graduate student,Unenrolled(College Graduate),Unenrolled(Masters Degree),Other.

(Screenshot is given below)

Now I have completed 3 years Bachelor Degree and currently pursuing Masters(2 years). I am (and will remain at the time of taking the GRE test) in the final year of my Masters course.

So what option should I choose for the above item of the application form?

Please somebody help me. Thnx in advance.


texts: Pros and cons of not having PhD advisor's letter of recommendation after postdoc?

texts:
I have finished my PhD and am currently a postdoc. Since receiving my PhD, I have not worked with my PhD advisor. I am planning to apply for jobs for after I finish my postdoc — mostly tenured-track positions.

I am considering not asking my PhD advisor for a letter of recommendation. I feel this might be appropriate because I plan to ask my postdoc advisor to write a letter, because my PhD advisor may not have kept up with my current research, because my coauthors know my work better, and for other reasons.

What are the pros and cons of not having my PhD advisor as a letter writer?


texts: How to present my work experience in a PhD interview?

texts: I am going to attend my 2nd round PhD interview. There are two parts. One is about a 20-minute long presentation focusing on my work experience, motivation and anything which can prove I am able to fit this position. Another part is about a 40-minute long group discussion. So I was wondering how to prepare for this presentation. Should I present my past project in detail, like providing the graphs? May I talk about something about my interest, my hobby? Any tips and suggestions? Thanks in advance.


texts: Can phd students submit their paper on their own? I have finished writing and polishing my manuscript (with my advisor listed as the corresponding author) and then sent it to my phd advisor almost a year ago but still has gotten no response from him. I am wondering if I can say sth like 'if I don't hear from you in 2 or 3 weeks, I am gonna assume that you have no problem and I am gonna submit it myself". Is this legit? Will I get expelled? I have hearded many different answers and need some HELP here! Thanks!


texts:
Clearly the position must come with some added responsibilities. What are they?

If the extra duties are purely administrative, why does one need a professor to be head of department? Can a non-full professor be the head of department?

If the answer varies by field, I'm most interested in the sciences.


texts: Some results of my grad research have been used in a recent paper, but I was not told. Should I do something about it?

texts:
Some of the work I did during my undergrad research (before my PhD, 4 years ago), exactly two figures, have been used in a recent paper. My ex-adviser (at the time of my undergrad research) is co-authoring the paper but she did not tell me about it. We kept being in contact after my undergrad research and we had planned to write a paper, then I started my PhD somewhere else and it did not succeed.

As I keep having good relationship with her, I don't know if I should do anything about it.


texts: Incentives to read for seminar/discussion course

texts:
I'm preparing to teach an introductory course and to teach the content through assigned reading and viewing of A/V materials plus seminar-style discussion. This approach won't work if students don't do the homework. How can I design the course so that they're motivated to do the reading/watching/listening in preparation for discussion?

This is an undergraduate-level course in a continuing/adult education program at a large private university.


texts:
This question contains this:

  After months of work as an RA in a research group, at the end of the semester, my adviser informed me that he was not satisfied with my research and would not continue to fund me.

I am just curious, how do supervisors determine that a phd student is not doing great? What factors do they consider?


texts:
EDIT/TLDR: Professorships are hard to find so I’ve never expected one. With recent PhD admissions success, is becoming a university/liberal arts professor now realistic and how can I best meet that goal?

I was recently accepted into an astronomy PhD. To give a rough characterization it is ranked in the US top 10-20 for physics/astronomy, whatever that’s worth. My new department paints an optimistic future picture but I wanted to get an objective view. With this prior, what can I expect in terms of career outlook?

From my undergrad experience in physics as a TA+RA I love to teach and research, and want to do both as a job whether that is at a research university or liberal arts college. I would also be grateful to teach at a community college, slightly more so than being a staff scientist at an observatory, but would still prefer to get the chance to research as well.

My undergrad productivity was pretty good - I was able to turn all my projects into publications, so hopefully I can build up from that. What other steps should I take to improve my chances to become a professor, especially at liberal arts colleges? Should I try to TA beyond my second year?


texts: Are mathematics REUs absolutely limited to undergraduates?

texts:
I had an amazing time at my REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) last summer.  I would really love to do another one this year.

Problem is, I am about to graduate, so I will technically not be an undergraduate this summer.  I do intend to continue my education in graduate school in the Fall, and have been admitted somewhere.

I've been told that I should just kick back and relax this summer so that I'm fully unwound for grad school, but I don't have any money to travel, all my friends will have left for their grad school already, and there's really nothing that would stress me out more than sitting around and doing nothing for three months.  I love to travel, make new friends, and learn cool stuff, so I think doing another REU would actually be the perfect way for me to unwind.

At my last REU, we had a student who had graduated that year and was about to go into a Master's program.  It was rumored that she had omitted/lied about this on her application and the admissions people just didn't look into it carefully.  I don't know if this is true, though.  It seems possible that the program staff simply felt her application was strong enough to warrant making an exception - after all, she wasn't going to grad school yet.

  Is it possible to be admitted to a mathematics REU the summer between undergrad and graduate school?

If not, would offering to go without pay (for only room and board) make any difference? What about REUs in physics, or compsci, or other sciences which might want somebody with a math background?


texts: The difference in writing style between a book chapter and article in a journal

texts:
My discipline is educational technology and I have been invited to submit a book chapter about integrating technology in my region. I published many articles in top refereed journals, but not sure whether the focus, style of writing and structure of articles are appropriate for book chapters.
Anyone can highlight the main differences?


texts: MS incoming student: How to convince my department to give me financial support?

texts:
I am an international student. I have received a MS admit (Fall 2021) from X University (USA) in Y department (STEM). My initial application to this university was for PhD, but I got a reject for PhD and they offered MS (thesis) instead.
The fees of X University are very costly for me. X University also has a no TA/RA policy for MS students.
The Graduate School of the university told me that there might be some small financial support possible from the department. Thus, I emailed the department explaining my situation. Their initial response was negative, but the Director of Master's program in my department has agreed to a brief call.
I need some guidance on how to convince the department/Director of Master's program to provide me with some financial support, any amount will help.


texts: What should an unofficial transcript consist of?

texts: My university only issues an official transcript on paper ( Will take me a month to get it). However, we have a separate student's portal where my "grade history" can be accessed. It is a list of all courses along with the grades and my CGPA, but does not contain anything more than that. Would this work while sending it to a  professor that needs to see it for grad school?


texts: Can you put awards from a project on your CV, if you had help with the project?

texts:
I have a somewhat stupid question that has been bothering me for a few weeks. So, in my sophomore year of high school, I had conducted a physics research project that involved electric generators. I dedicated a lot of time to this project (around 100 hours), but I am now having some concerns. Here is what I did on the project:

  In the research investigation, I proposed the experiment, conducted the background research, developed the hypotheses, developed the procedure, constructed the generator (with the help of my father), carried out the experiment, analyzed the data, interpreted the results (with the help of my physics teacher), drew the conclusions, and presented the research.

Here is the help that I received:

  I received assistance from my father with the construction of the generator used in the project. My father helped by providing suggestions (for example, my initial idea was to construct the generator frame out of wood, but my father suggested using LEGOs instead for cost-effectiveness and simplicity; this was in addition to other suggestions regarding the generator construction). My father also helped me with parts of the experiment that were dangerous (i.e. parts that required the use of an X-Acto knife) and parts that used tools that I had no experience with (multimeters), and he supervised the experiment. My physics teacher helped with the interpretation of the results.

I was wondering if this research is my own. My main problem regarding this is that this research allowed me to win a number of science fairs, including a regional one. However, when I place these awards on a resume (for example, a college application), I do not put the "acknowledgements" down with it, so the places that receive my resume expect the research to be my own. Does this meet that requirement? I am sorry for such a ridiculous question, this has just been really bothering me (I have even considered excluding all of those awards from my resume, but that would greatly hurt my resume and it is not as if I did no work at all). Thank you!


texts:
Research reports published on the webpage of the home institution are sometimes updated during the revision process. Suppose a first version was published in 2013, and the update came in 2014, and suppose the first version is not available anymore. The web page may say something like "XYZ, 2013. Revised 2014". Which date to use for citation?

Argument for

"2013":
This may please the sensitive among the authors.

"2014":
This is factually correct as I'm citing the content of this version which is also currently online. But what if they update again?

"2013. Revised 2014":
This has its obvious benefits, but is probably too cumbersome to be consistently implemented.


texts: Why is peer-review for journals free of charge but not for other academic documents?

texts:
Peer-review is an important part of decision-making in academia. Journal reviewers do not get paid.

BUT funding agencies pay for the same peer-review (of research proposals). OR universities pay the external referees for reviewing PhD dissertations.

My question is: if peer-review is voluntary and a professional duty, why isn't it the case in other reviewing processes?


texts: How to support a student whose aspirations I don't support?

texts:
I am advising an outstanding graduate student who is currently doing a summer internship with a government agency. He is also applying for a permanent job with the same agency, for which I was quite proud to recommend him strongly. That said, his prospective employer has been the subject of recent news reports which have led me to oppose its work.

I will certainly not renege on my duties as an advisor. But I don't have a good poker face, and I'm afraid that my changed attitude will be all too clear. What would be the kindest course of action? To share my thoughts once and once only, or to keep my mouth shut?


texts: Citing an article that the journal serialized

texts:
Reynolds, Keld J. "Principal Actions of the California Junta De Fomento 1825-1827." Calif Hist QJ Calif Hist Soc 24.4 (1945): 289-320.
Reynolds, Keld J. "Principal Actions of the California Junta De Fomento, 1825-1827 (Continued)." California Historical Society Quarterly 25.1 (1946): 57-78.
...
Reynolds, Keld J. "Principal Actions of the California Junta De Fomento, 1825-1827 (Concluded)." California Historical Society Quarterly 25.4 (1946): 347-367.

This monograph was serialized in five quarterly installments. It was tricky to collate the parts using JSTOR, especially because none of the page numbers are consecutive. The middle three even have the same title, (Continued).
Should citing several elements of this paper produce multiple bibliography entries? I would rather be able to refer to it as a unitary work, but that work is a weirdly paginated, hypothetical one. If the answer is down to a difference between style standards, please indicate which styles those are.


texts: Doing a PhD in sociology as a computer scientist – is it possible?

texts:
I am a PhD student in CS. I am also interested in the humanities and I would like to pursue a PhD in sociology. I know the traditional way is to repeat the cycle starting from undergrad studies but that would require a lot of time (which I do not have, given that I have other concerns).

Is this possible (ideally online)?


texts: Applying to graduate school at my undergraduate institution

texts:
I did my undergrad at a school which is near the top in my field of interest, and I'd like to apply to its program in that field. While my application would certainly not make me a more-likely-than-not admit, I think it's competitive enough that applying is worth the time and money. However, the responses to a previous question suggest that applicants like me may be less likely to get in than comparable students who went to a different undergraduate institution. Should I take this into account when deciding whether or not to submit my application?

Some additional information that could be relevant:

I graduated last year, and have spent that time doing research at a lab which is not affiliated with my undergrad institution. I have done more research here than during my entire undergrad career.
I am not laser focused on a single research group at this institution, or even a single sub-field. Indeed, one of the reasons that I would like to apply is that it has strong research in more than one of my favorite sub-fields.
I'm also applying to a few schools in a related but different field this application cycle, and my undergrad institution has a strong program in this field as well. Does this discounting effect apply to admissions committees considering applicants who are changing fields?

Edit

In response to the opinion-based hold (which I don't disagree with), I'll try to ask a more specific question. Suppose my probability of acceptance at this top school would be p if I were coming from a roughly equivalent but different school, and my actual probability is q given that I did my undergrad there. What values of q/p are typical? I'd still like to know even if the answer is something like "it varies so much that the value could be 0 or even greater than 1", or "maybe around 0.8 but with a huge standard deviation." I have decided to apply already anyway, but I'm still curious.


texts:
I am working in a lab as a research assistant for the last 3 years.

During this time, I published three papers (1 first author) and three of them were published in good journals. In one of my published work (I am a co-author), I had to repeat almost most of the works (writing, figure, table). The project was done by another person and rejected several times. Then he went for a Ph.D. and he did not bother and did not continue with that project. As we have the same supervisor, so the supervisor asked me to work on that paper. I had to correct a lot, had to do experiments again. Then the paper got published. Even all the major corrections (that reviewers asked was done by me) as the main author had no idea at all. That time I was thinking I should be the first coauthor as I worked really hard on that project. That project was kind of dead and I started to work on that after two years and it got published.

Now I have two more projects like this (both were done in 2015 and none of the authors care about them anymore). Again I have to give the same efforts as a new project. So is it worth to ask my supervisor to make me the first co-author? Is it too much to ask for?
I am happy that I get many projects to work on, but personally I think I should be the first co-author as I have to work hard to get them in shape.

PS: My supervisor is very pleased with my work till now.


texts:
I am an Asst Prof.  I started during COVID so I know things aren't normal. I love my colleagues but I have been having problems with my chair.  This week after a reasonable request regarding my career, the chair escalated to using disrespectful and abusive language (mainly because I asked if we could discuss the situation instead of just saying yes and thank you).  This has been a pattern with him and there is no reason to think things will get better. I wish I could but I'm not someone who works well when I don't like my boss (in terms of productivity and mental health). So far I have not been in love with the job. I love some parts (research and working with PhD students) but not others. I enjoy service (as I did a ton in my PhD and UG), but at my current institution it is often useless and poorly run (i.e. more performative than focusing on real viable solutions). Also the teaching load is higher than average (with lots of pushback to buy-out if you're not part of a preferred group).
I did well on the market last yr and have some places I could call to move to, but will probably move to a research institituion/org.  I am not sure if I should give the job more time before leaving.  Again, I do like my colleagues/collaborators and the resources of the university.  However, I have also heard that being at the whim of your dept chair is a systemic issue.


texts:
So I am currently writing my thesis in nanophysics (in particular, applications of nanomagnetism). My adviser and I had a few discussions about the inclusiveness (i.e., self-containment) of the material, quality of figures, etc. He does not seem to care about neither of these points, and just wants the thesis to be done so that 'I carry on with my research'...

I am now wondering:

Is it typical (or preferred) for the masters thesis to be rigor/self-contained, in terms of literature review? (I said masters only, because I assume it should typically be the case for a PhD dissertation - no?)


texts: Switching faculties within a University in Canada

texts: If an Assistant Professor switches faculties within the same University, can this change entail a change in salary? Or since the move is within the same (unionized) University, the salary remains the same?


texts: What is the difference between research and a thesis at the B.S./M.S. level?

texts:
I will be a freshman majoring in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign next fall, and I'm interested in their B.S.-M.S. 5-year program. I ultimately want to get a Ph.D. in Computer Science so I can teach at a university. On the webpage documenting the B.S.-M.S. program it says:

  Students are strongly advised to seek faculty counsel about the 5-yr program to be sure they understand the pros and cons of pursuing a Masters degree via the 5-yr program. If their intention is to ultimately pursue a Ph.D., then it may be preferable to avoid the rapid pace of the 5-year program and instead invest time in research as an undergraduate. For admission to competitive Ph.D. programs, the expectation of publications and extensive research experience is higher for M.S. graduates. Therefore, as an alternative to the 5-year program, many top students may prefer to conduct research, possibly leading to a B.S. thesis, as a way to improve their admissions chances into top Ph.D. programs.

This paragraph left me confused, because the M.S. program requires a thesis to graduate. I was always under the impression that thesis ≈ research. Wouldn't it be better preparation to acquire experience in graduate coursework and produce a Master's thesis than to simply get a B.S. thesis? It seems to me that according to this paragraph, the only reason to get a B.S. thesis instead of an M.S. thesis is to increase admissions chances to Ph.D. programs, because more is expected of M.S. students.

So, my main question is, how is a thesis different than research experience? Why is it worse to obtain an M.S. thesis (through a 5-year program) rather than a B.S. thesis, given I will apply to Ph.D. programs?


texts: Is it possible to publish a research paper in economics at the under graduation level without studying it? I am doing BSc in physics math and statistics at Bangalore University. However I have independently studied economics and started doing research. How do I publish a paper? Please guide me.


texts: How does one ensure their knowledge of a field is complete when doing a literature review

texts:
I am a new grad student who is both excited and scared as I embark on this transformational journey. One concern that I have is establishing a current snap shot of my field and identifying boundaries that are ripe for further exploration. This seems like an impossible task given the number of journals out there and rapid pace at which new material becomes available.

I have been reading some posts on this board and it sounds like literature review is only one phase as a graduate student and then you move on. Given that you are on a time constraint one has to move from a reading focus to a doing focus eventually. My concern is I am moving forward with only half the story.

My field is life sciences, specifically gene therapy.


texts: Why is it considered sub-par to re-test something that has been shown before as opposed to addressing a knowledge gap?

texts:
Firstly, apologies if this is the incorrect StackExchange child to post this one. The only other study design questions I could find were here.

So...

Common feedback I get as I plan different projects for my PhD are "explain where the research gap is" or similar.

My question is: shouldn't it be encouraged to re-test something that has been shown before?

For instance my field is in ecology. So if someone elsewhere in the world has shown an effect on X on Y in a different ecosystem, it makes sense to me to test if it occurs in the ones near me. In some professions, e.g. clinical trials in medicine, completing the same experiments is common.

Or, am I misinterpreting this and I could in fact make the argument the gap being there is no local studies? Nonetheless, if I did this, I feel it is frowned upon to imply that the outcome of the study may already be known. But, this attitude I feel discourages re-testing ideas.

After all, if there is such a massive focus on making science reproducible, but no one ever reproduces it for fear of not doing a novel experiment, then what is the point in making science reproducible?


texts: Can I avoid getting a PhD recommendation letter from my bachelor thesis co-supervisor, if I have one from my head supervisor?

texts:
I will be applying to PhD science program in the US.

I want to avoid taking recommendation letter from my bachelor thesis co-supervisor since he might not give me the best recommendation entirely due to reasons other than work.

To compensate, I will have a very strong recommendation from the head supervisor who guided my bachelor thesis, who can write about my contribution to the same thesis project.

In this circumstance, will it look suspicious from the application point of view, if I do not have the recommendation from my co-supervisor ?


texts: Choosing an adviser based on the professor's past students' jobs

texts:
I have recently been a admitted to a top 20 math Phd program at one of the schools I really wanted (woohoo!).  The reason I wanted this school is because I have been really into a certain research topic and, after a lot of "stalking" I found a professor at this department who's research interests matched mine really well.  Now that I've been admitted and am more seriously considering my working with him, I noticed that he's graduated seven other Phd students.  After a bit more googling I realized only 1 out of these 7 got an academic job and even this job was as a lecturer at a small liberal arts college. The others got jobs in industry (rather high paying ones so good for them).

My question is as follows: Is this evidence that working with this professor would make me unlikely to get an academic job involving research (post doc, assistant professor, etc ..) after my Phd?

This guy's research is dope and I really want in on it, but I also have to take my future goals into account.  I'm pretty ignorant on the process of getting academic jobs so any extra information or clarification of any misconceptions it seems like I have (in addition to an answer to the question) would be of help.


texts: Admitted to plagiarizing (second misconduct), and afraid of expulsion. In need of advice

texts:
Important note: This was not the first time I was reported for academic misconduct. The first time was when I cheated on an exam for another class. I disclosed how I cheated and accepted the punishment. This time, I told my professor that I didn't intend to plagiarizing but ended up doing it in the end.

During my meeting with my English professor, I told her that I wasn't feeling well at the moment and when I was completing my final assignment.

(Background) Over the weekend, everyone was able to start on our final assignment - travel piece - that was due Wednesday. On Sunday, I had time to travel. Monday, I hit my head, thought it was nothing, but decided to lie down soon after it happened to forget the pain. Slept all the way up to Tuesday afternoon, went to the very last English class and worked on the final assignment in-between naps to get my mind off of the headache. Vomitted a little in the bathroom, had a hard time concentrating and thinking, maybe I over-ate before I left home. While I was working on my essay, I and other classmates were reviewing each other's works and researching on the travel destination we wrote about. In my notes, I mixed up the info I got from articles with my notes. Didn't properly cite all of the info yet, but wrote down general comments on some of the paragraphs saying which websites they came from. After much editing later, my words and words from the articles were mixed up. Yes, I f'ked up terribly. Went home, slept. Wednesday, I went to the medical center after I felt a head bump while sitting in the passenger seat. The doctor said that I had a minor hematoma, and needed to rest for at least two weeks. E-mailed the professor about that.

(Fast-forward) I admitted to plagiarism, and described what happened and why. The professor didn't take notes of my account when she was going to file a report. On top of that, she just emailed me about something that I already told her right after filing the report. Either she wasn't listening or my story seems really bogus. Right now, I'm scared of what my professor wrote on her report because she might not have mentioned anything about my health, and make it seem like I had plagiarism in mind. I might get expelled over this. I have a printed receipt of my doctor's visit. I don't know if submitting that to the academic misconduct council will help prevent expulsion from happening.


texts: Does anybody know how ResearchGate gather data? I just clicked on a scientific paper in my browser (not through Research Gate), and in less than an hour I had received an e-mail notification that the author of my recent read is on ResearchGate. Is this legal?


texts: Etiquette on requesting LORs for multiple fields?

texts:
I am completing my last semester of undergrad studies and am considering two different healthcare fields to pursue in a graduate program (nursing and occupational therapy.) Both paths can be competitive so I'd like to apply for both and decide from there based on where I get in/can afford, as honestly I can see myself in either field. I realize I am a bit indecisive, but I'm working on it ,lol...and deadlines are approaching.

How should I approach potential LOR writers with this in mind? I fear they will judge me for my indecisiveness, and writing two completely letters would probably be unreasonable to ask for. How far ahead should I request the letters, and is it ok to ask for one from a professor I took a course with a few years ago?


texts: What if I am not the right fit in a certain lab as a postdoc?

texts:
Almost everything is in the title of my question. More precisely, what if my advisor wants me to do research by using methods in a field that is not my field of expertise/interest?

Thanks!


texts: Is obtaining a MS degree in Chemistry useful to strengthen your CV if you wish to apply to a top PhD program in Chemistry?

texts:
I got admitted to a small MS program in the US with an assistantship and I still have not decided if I should accept the offer or not. The reason is that I want to pursue a PhD and build an academic career in the field of Chemistry. However, I come from a small institution in a developing country with little research, so I cannot just apply to a top graduate program such as Berkeley or Harvard because I would be in serious disadvantage in comparison to the hundreds of other applicants which have publications and vast research experience.
In your opinion, is obtaining a MS degree in an American institution, even though it is in a very small program, something that would improve my chances of being accepted into a decent PhD program in the future?

I could also try those smalls PhD programs in institutions ranked below the top 100 (according to THE or QS) but I heard from a lot of people that a PhD in such an institution would add nothing to your career, since there are many PhDs graduating from top institutions and it is already hard for them to get a job, so your chances of succeeding either in an academic or industrial career would be quite low, and most of them have to find something else to do (work at a home depot, open a clothing shop etc, just kidding).


texts: Is it worthwhile to cite documentaries in personal statements?

texts:
When writing something to be read and scrutinized by academics, like a personal statement, will academics appreciate, respect, and value references to factual documentaries?

For example, I'd like to write about how a documentary on the criminal justice system motivated my interest in law. I'll also cite books, but words fail to describe the influence of this audiovisual documentary on deciding to study law.


texts: Quantum information Science PhD position interview

texts: Recently I got in touch with a professor in the field of quantum information science. I am really interested in the PhD program. After extensively talking with the professor he has agreed for an interview on skype. What should i expect from this interview and how can i be better prepared.


texts: Thesis: supervisor's project or my project?

texts:
Two years into my PhD, I am troubled by a situation that made me having to decide on whether to focus mainly on my supervisor's assigned project or my own project as part of my thesis.

The story begins like this. My supervisor promised me a PhD project at the beginning of my PhD to attract me to join his lab (I have my own PhD studentship with all funding attached at that point). But after I joined the lab, I found out that the project is never meant to be done as no one in our lab works in that area or possess the technique.

He then assigned me a few projects that come to the lab from collaborators. The projects did not pan out well due to miscommunications with the collaborators that involve multiple parties, and I begin to lose interest in them to the point that I just want to get them over with. When the assigned projects get stuck in limbo, I started to work on my own project, as I really want to finish my PhD. Doing my own project is difficult as the project involves some knowledge that falls outside the expertise of my supervisor, but I persevere and the project starts to take shape. I am fairly confident that I can get a publication out of it and should be able to write my thesis with it.

My supervisor is unhappy about this, but he lets me do my work as he was occupied with other matters. Recently my supervisor told me that he expects me to treat those assigned projects as my PhD project and to include them in my thesis. I am happy to work on those projects as my side projects, but I want to focus mainly on my own project as it is beginning to take shape. However my supervisor wishes me to work mainly on those assigned projects, and he made it clear that he is not interested with my own project.

My impression is that a PhD student should be able to determine what projects to work on and to include in the thesis. Obviously I am happy to do some side projects to keep my supervisor happy, but I am hoping that I should be able to decide what I want to work on without offending my supervisor.

Any opinion and advice is much appreciated.


texts: What marks do academics normally get at undergraduate level?

texts:
I only know four people who have definite plans for academic careers and I doubt they're a representative sample, so I was wondering what kind of marks people here who are in academia (or plan on having careers in academia) received in their undergraduate degrees.

Note: I'm in the UK where we are awarded percentages that fall under classifications (e.g. 70%+ is a first) - not sure how familiar people outside of the UK are with our system, but this page explains. https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15857-degree-classifications I'm not really familiar with systems outside of the UK beyond knowing that a GPA of 4 at university is rare.


texts:
Please see the titled question.  Like Oxford's, Cambridge's undergraduate and first law degree  is a BA, not LLB. But SCC Justice Ian Binnie exhibits

  University of Cambridge (1962) LLB

Andrew Lewis and HK barrister Cheng Huan do too.

  He holds an LL.B. degree from Trinity Hall, Cambridge where he also completed a thesis on the legal aspects of boundary disputes between China and the Soviet Union.

Is this a typo?


texts: Why did notable mathematician Walter Rudin have so few citations according to ResearchGate?

texts:
According to ResearchGate, Rudin had about 30 ish papers and 500 ish citations.

How come so few?  I thought he was this legend of maths.

Here's his profile:

https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/21400404_Walter_Rudin


texts: Review Comments for Program Chair -- what to write?

texts:
I am preparing some reviews of conference contributions. The online review management asks me to grade the assigned papers, add comments for the authors and comments for the program chair. I cannot leave any field blank -- so I am wondering what comments I should give to the chair? To my knowledge, comments to the chair include suspected or actual cases of plagiarism.

Is there anything else, a chair might expect to read from me, the reviewer?

Should I give them a short version of my comments to the authors?

The conference homepage and the reviewer guidelines do not give any hints.
Thank you for your input!


texts: Better chances for math grad school: graduate in three years or four?

texts:
I finished freshman year of college and I am transferring from a liberal arts college to a university to study a more rigorous math curriculum. I got accepted at UC berkeley (but as a junior transfer, so I can only be in college for 2 more years). I'm going to hear back from stanford, cornell, and colubmia next week. I would choose stanford over berkeley if I got in, but I'm not sure about the other schools since berkeley is a top ranked math school.

-My question is, if I get into columbia or cornell, should I go and be in college for 3 years, or go to berkeley for only 2 years? Is it better to stay in college for 3 years to be more competitive?

Background: I took  real analysis, topology, complex analysis, algebra 2, linear programming, cryptography. I'm self studying algebraic topology and homological algebra, but recently I'm studying probabilistic methods and graph theory to prepare for an REU this summer. I'm interested in anything algebra related.

Why I am worried: I looked over mathematicsgre.com, a forum where grad school applicants post their stats and results. People who get into top math schools usually have taken 10+ grad level classes and did research, REUs, and (probably) have  great letters of rec. If I go to berkeley, I only have 2 years, actually less since I would apply to grad school as a senior so I only have full 1 year and a few months.


texts: Presenting skills in a presentation for a PhD position

texts:
I've got invited to a PhD interview in the field of computational physics. In the invitation mail I was told, among other things, that I should present my skills for about 5min. It is my first interview and I'm quite unsure how I design this part of the presentation. I thought about presenting the main skills for the position, where I learned them and where I could use them so far. But I don't know how to design the slides for this part. I would assume that it is pretty boring to simply listing them or shouldn't I do any slide at all for this part?
Thank you for any help and suggestions in advance!


texts: What are some fields of computer science where your stuff has to actually work?

texts:
I am currently a PhD student in computational social science, and I feel like my work doesn't really contribute positively to humanity.  Basically I feel like I am running analyses and producing plots to "prove a point" or (optimistically) discover new insights about the world.  But I'm not actually sure that the point is true, because if I run the analysis in a slightly different way, it proves another point entirely.  It seems to very much depend on the specific dataset you use and the specific way you conduct your analyses.

I want to switch to a field where this doesn't happen.  Ideally in order to have a publication you would have to produce a piece of software that does something useful for the world, and it would be impossible to fake its usefulness.  I am affiliated with the computer science department at my university, so I was wondering what fields of computer science are the most "legitimate" in this way, and also friendly to people with very little background in them.


texts: Should I cite the source of a definition in a thesis glossary?

texts:
I'm writing my thesis and I added a glossary at the start with the more complex terms and their definitions.

The definitions usually come from scientific papers. My question is: should I cite those papers if I use their definition? (Even though I'd say a definition is something that is global.)


texts: I am going to submit a short math paper to a journal. During the process of submission I am asked to suggest the Editor \ Reviewers. In this respect, can I write the name of my co-advisor of my Ph.D as a potential reviewer? Need to say, we have a joint paper with my co-advisor.


texts: How important is it for all recommendation letters to arrive on time?

texts:
I am applying for faculty positions this year and have asked four senior academics to write me reference letters.

Most of the applications had a deadline around December 1st, which I assume should be for the letter writers as well.

Three of my writers have submitted their letters, but the fourth said that there is a grant deadline soon and the letter will be ready towards the end of the month.

Given that

Most ads ask for three or more papers (and three are already in).
The missing letter is from my postdoc host.

  How likely is the delay in the last letter to affect my chances?

I am wondering if asking a fifth recommender (that is less familiar with my works, although we published a paper together) for a letter would help, and how much I should pressure my host to finish the letter?.


texts: I am new here and am trying to find some answers. I have finished my BEng Hons in Mechanical and PowerPlant Systems from UK. During my studies I had to go through grievance and the depression for 2 years due to the death of my grandparents in consecutive years. This affected me and my grades very badly. I had to undergo counselling at university. I even had applied for Mitigating Circumstances to do my exams. Now, I have applied for Masters in Germany. I have sent 9 applications and got 7 rejected. And am waiting on reply from the 2. I have lost hope and I have not tried to explain why my grades were low. My grade is 3 according to uni-assist which doesn't open doors for admissions. But I want to do masters in germany and already have 1 year work experience. Will be having 2years of work experience when i apply for SS2017. Is there anyway I could compensate for my grade? And will the work experience be of any good? And do they actually consider explanation for bad grades? if so how to do it? Please help.


texts: What happens if a student takes pictures of a test and sends it to classmates that have not already taken it?

texts:
My friend had to take their test separately, because of a certain disability, before everyone else had to take the same test. They were supervised by a staff member and when the staff member left the room they decided to take pictures of the exam and proceeded to send it to a few classmates that were going to take the test in the next few days. The professors became aware that the test was compromised (leaked) and made a new test in 45 min that covered harder material. The professors sent out an email saying they were tracking down the student(s) involved. Should my friend come clean or transfer before the professors are able to suspend or expel them?
Any advice will be helpful - thank you


texts: How can full-time lecturers find the time to prepare for lectures?

texts:
This question is mostly out of curiosity (at least for the moment).  I have never taught full courses but I have had to substitute many times, usually for graduate level courses.  Preparing for a one hour lecture took me 2-6 hours.

I understand that full-time lecturers may be expected to teach 20 hours per week.  I cannot imagine how one could find the time to prepare.  How do they manage?

Also, what about a freshly hired lecturer?  Teaching a course for the first time should take considerably more preparation, creating an extreme workload with 16-20 hours teaching per week.


texts: How to make a transition to a scientific position (from engineering position)?

texts:
I am willing very much to make a transition to a scientific position, but I am not sure what's the best way to do it. I would like to ask for your advice.

Let me describe my situation (it is quite specific, but it can be generalized):

I have completed PhD in Russia (at some provincial university, on knowledge representation and high-performance computing) which I am unfortunately not quite happy with (it could be better and I did it during my work at a company).
I have some publications, but none in top journals/conferences.
I have very diverse interests that span machine learning, knowledge representation, AI, algorithms, parallel programming, performance analysis, etc. I am trying to stick myself to just one direction: scalability problems of machine learning of big data sets, but well, there are so many interesting topics! :-) I visit summer schools on these diverse topics.
I live in Russia (province, so to say) and I still do some teaching and research advise in local university, but I am not a faculty staff and I refused to be one. The reason is that it only involves teaching, but I want to do research. Also, faculty members at Russia have extremely low salary that will not allow me to survive. But there is one group doing research in machine learning there (not a famous one by all means).
At the moment I am a software development engineer (in one of the top companies) doing research-like work in high-performance computing, but which is very applied. It is not always possible to publish a paper for the outcomes of this work, that's why it is not completely scientific/research. Also there are some software development tasks (previously I did it a lot, ~10 years).
I have a family (wife + son of 8 years + plan to have another baby in some future).
At the moment I am trying to do research work during my free time as much as I can, but it is not always very effective of course, because it is not my job. But I am trying to use every minute for this.

My goal: do scientific research. I believe that it is not very effective to do it as a hobby, so I am searching for a way to have a scientific position. I am ready to give a lot for it; I will be happy to have a medium salary, enough to support my family.

Possible ways to meet this goal:

Go to Europe/US and do a PhD there. Not possible, because I already have a PhD and I won't be able to support my family.
Go to Europe/US and do postdoc work. Somewhat possible, but:

Need to produce at least 2 good publications first.
Will I be able to support my family?
Postdocs are temporary positions. This could mean switching countries and it could be difficult for my son at school (due to language).

Join research group at local university. I am going to do this, but it is temporary, I wanted to work with top people in this field. But it's good for the start.
Join some research lab or faculty in university in Europe/US. Well, that's a dream, but I need to be more prepared for this.

My current plan is to do 3), do research and write papers on my own or with this group and then... I'll see. Though, doing research and writing papers on one's own is quite difficult, because you don't know what is important.

What could be your proposal in this situation?

My concerns are supporting my family and school studies of my son.


texts: What, if anything, is accomplished by formal assessment?

texts:
As a faculty member teaching freshman calculus, I was recently asked to participate in an assessment program. The aim of the program is to "design assessment procedures to measure student learning". This year's program is a pilot and they are asking for volunteers; in the future, participation will apparently become required.

To make a long story short, the instructions are intended to be simple and involve a minimal amount of hassle, but for my course would not be. (In particular, we were told to accept a homework assignment over Blackboard, which is not easy as my students work in pencil and paper and may not have ready access to scanners.)

The drawbacks of this assessment program are obvious to me: they create hurdles for me and, even more significantly, for my students. I would rather spend time on my research and on helping students. And certainly my students would rather do something other than try to find a scanner.

What are the benefits? I can think of a cynical answer: it gives paper-pushers fodder for reports, and allows them the warm glow of feeling that they are accomplishing something. Are there less cynical answers? In particular, is this type of information frequently used to identify and make constructive improvements to undergraduate curricula?


texts:
I am a undergrad student of biology, I was a computer science major but flunked out. One of my professors teaches/is learning genomics and wanted me to help him with a project since he assumed I had coding experience/skills. I told him that I lacked such skills and would not be a great fit to help him. Even as he described the project and his goals, I found myself stressed due to all the things he expected that I could assist with / do, so I am not really self-deprecating.

I am interested in genomics, but I was going to build my coding skill set slowly through following books and the like. My professor expects him and I  to tie up all of his research during the next spring, and I doubt I could learn how to work with big data and all the possible languages required in such a short amount of time(for me).

Should I try and "bite the bullet" and learn the task(s) he has at hand to finish the project or should I decline his offer on the basis of not being skillful enough to be of use?


texts: How can a Poli Sci undergrad with a CS minor improve their chances for a CS masters program?

texts:
I'm a PS undergrad with a minor in CS that's 22 credit hours and covers most, if not all, masters pre-reqs that I've seen. The only issue I forsee is that I will only be taking one semester of calculus.

I'm only a sophomore, but I have a 3.78 GPA and I believe I will maintain it at minimum above a 3.5.

I go to a school with an incredibly strong engineering program (where CS is housed), and although I've realized I want to pursue research in CS and/or work as a programmer, it's incredibly difficult to switch into engineering at my school if you did not start in it.

So, with a major in PS and a 22 hour minor in CS covering most essential topics, what can I do to stand out from other non-CS applicants?


texts:
Is there any reason to get paper reprints of your articles? Some journals charge for reprints others give them for free. Should I save the trees and not ask for the free ones? Are reprints so important that I should be paying for them?

I guess I should add I have only seen reprints offered in bundles of 100 (maybe 50) and getting 10 does not seem to be possible.


texts: Recommendation for creating a graphical timeline representation

texts: Can anyone recommend a site / program / software for sketching and creating a graphical timeline representation. In need of it for a paper.


texts: do's and don'ts of networking for a PhD student in a conference?

texts:
My field is Telecommunications (Engineering). I am going to a very huge conference in our field where I am presenting my work as well. I want to take this opportunity to hone my skills of networking, make some good connections, leave some good impression of my university and myself.

I want especially to meet professors who are elite in our field (I know few that are coming) and I am not sure if they will be kind enough to give their time to me?

How should I approach these professors?

PS.  Note that I don't expect (and don't want) to get a post-doc opportunity out of this conference, but I sure do want to make great contacts and learn skills of meeting


texts: How do I explain work experience in a different field on my SOP?

texts: I want to pursue a masters degree in Electrical Engineering. I have a bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, but I have two years experience as a software engineer. I want to state the reason for shifting from EEE to software in my SOP, but the main reason was purely financial; to clear my loans that I took up for my undergrad. The software job paid me thrice the amount of the Electrical Jobs. How do I explain this on my SOP? Can I state any other reason that sounds better compared to financial motives?


texts: Can I reliably determine the quality of a journal by checking citation numbers in Google Scholar?

texts:
I have recently come across this journal International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications(IJACSA)

The journal provides acceptance notification within 15 days. This raised red flags, but then I performed a Scholar Search for thesai.org and seems that most of their papers have decent citations. So, how reliable is scholar search when evaluating the quality of a journal or how to interpret the results from scholar search ?

EDIT: As pointed out by Nate Eldredge in Publishing again acknowledging the original publication of oneself
this journal is on  Beall's List of Predatory Open-Access Publishers. But this again raises the question how reliable is scholar search then or what are ways to search reliably for a research papers.


texts: How do I convince my school to allow me to double major?

texts:
I am currently a second-semester freshman. For the last several years of my life, I've been pondering over what to choose as my major. My last two years of high school, I took university math courses, and fell in love with math. I didn't just fall in love, I gained a deep interest in it. Working on math problems is one of the greatest joys in my life. I seriously considered choosing math as my career and was perfectly happy with doing so except for one thing: I want something more tangible as my career. Computer Science is also fascinating and interesting to me, as well as Computer Engineering. I decided on Computer Engineering, but I will not be satisfied if I cannot double major in math.

This semester was the first semester in 3 years that I did not take a math class, and as a result, there is significantly less joy in my life. I miss taking math classes. I just declared my major as Computer Engineering and am now working on gaining permission to petition for a double major (this is the procedure for the university that I'm at). The problem is the university that I'm at. It is a pretty good university, but it frowns upon double majoring. This university seems to want the students to come in, and go out. Almost like manufacturing graduates from the incoming students, in four years time. Even worse, the Electrical/Computer Engineering department especially doesn't like double majoring, unless it's in language (which majors are practically designed for double majoring). This department has not allowed a non-language double major in more than 6 years.

Even with all this, I'm not accepting no as an answer. I'm already halfway to a math major, and I'm going to continue to take math classes. Having read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, I'm taking inspiration from him that this is just a wall for me, to stop me if I'm not determined enough.

How can I convince my university to allow me to double major?


texts: Can't attend conference but would like to get copy of papers presented

texts:
There are a couple of papers to be presented at a upcoming conference that I will not be able to attend but that I am very interested in. It is my understanding that they will not be published after the conference. The field is History.

Is there an etiquette about how I could go about getting a copy of the papers or is it even appropriate for me to look for them? Should I contact the conference organisers or the authors?


texts: acceptance of a publication by the number of the citations

texts: I wrote a paper of 17 pages and containing 37 citations, could this large number of pages and citations affect its acceptance in any scientific journal or magazine?


texts: How to restart an assignment after a long break?

texts:
I usually work on an assignment in a continuous flow. I study Philosophy, so I have to read and write a little every day.

I have recently shifted place and it took a whole two weeks gap. Now that I'm back on the desk, I don't know where to start from. My already half-done assignment looks gibberish to me.

It's frustrating and very difficult for me to get past that feeling and start over again. Any helpful suggestions on what I can do about this?


texts:
My situation is the following. Last year I got a J1 (the two year rule didn't apply) and spent 11 months in Kansas as a Research Scholar. Unfortunately, I had to terminate the contract and return to my home country, where I've spent two months.
A week ago I was offered another postdoc position in the US. According to the information I they gave me in the US Embassy where I called to clarify the situation, I have a right to apply for another J1 this year already, just need to pay SEVIS again. But the lady from the International Program Office of the US University, where I worked last year, insists that I will be eligible for another J1 not earlier than in 2 years.
I'm super confused.
Could you help me with the question?
Thank you in advance!


texts: Blurry digital signatures in letter of recommendation on letterhead

texts:
My referee has issued me a letter of recommendation on letterhead in hard copy form , but with very blurry digital signatures. The letter has the university stamp on it. There is contact number and address of the university's old campus, but with current university website mentioned on it. Moreover, the referee's email and phone number are not mentioned in the letter.

I am applying for a highly competitive scholarship. The referee has sent the letter in email to my abroad university supervisor. Now I need to apply using online application by uploading a scanned copy of the letter. In this scenario do you think that there is a chance of losing the opportunity because of the blurry signature, and lack of email and phone number of the referee?


texts: Should I include high school details in Grad School Resume?

texts:
I was wondering if I should include my high school details in the resume of my graduate school application ? It's unclear about this bit since we are not actually submitting any proof of high school records during grad school application( they only ask for undergraduate details).
But my high school final examination details are particularly good (better than my undergraduate credentials infact!)


texts: Does in review mean an external reviewer is assigned ?

texts:
Three weeks ago, I have submitted a paper to a journal that has a reputation for fast publication process. On their website, they mention that decision on acceptance or otherwise are taken quickly normally within a month of receipt of the paper. One week after submission the status of the paper changed from waiting assignment to in review .  The journal use OJS for submissions. in review page something like this appear:

Peer Review
Round 1

Review Version    Final version.pdf  2018-11-24

Initiated    —

Last modified    —

Uploaded file    None

Does that mean still no external reviewer is assigned to the paper? Giving the circumstances is it too early to ask if any reviewer is assigned?


texts: Does personal use include using the data for publication purpose

texts:
I am a researcher and am interested in a weather data. I found a suitable data at Weather Grounded Organization. I would like to use this data for my research project (publication). However, I do not know whether I can use it in my publication as it will be a personal use.  At the terms of use, I found this:

1- PERMITTED USE. You may use the Site and the features, information, pictures and other data contained therein (collectively, the "Data") only for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may access, view and make copies of the Data in the Site for your personal, non-commercial use and will not publish or otherwise distribute the Data for any other purpose. Without limiting the foregoing, you may not utilize the Site to sell a product or service, to advertise or direct activity to other websites or for similar commercial activities without our express written consent. You may not modify, publish, transmit, display, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit, any of the Data, in whole or in part. Further restrictions on the use of this Site and its Data are provided in Sections 2, 6 and 9 of these Terms and in the Photo Gallery Agreement (where applicable).

2- OWNERSHIP/TRADEMARKS. Participant does not acquire or have any ownership, license or other proprietary interest in the Site or the Data. You understand that the Site and the Data are protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, patents and other proprietary rights and laws. You cannot use any protected material without the express written consent of the owner of such material except as permitted by law. Specifically, some of Data on this Site, including all data derived from the .Personal Weather Station. Network, is unique and proprietary to WUI, is not part of the National Weather Service data network and is not available for commercial use without the advance written consent from WUI. ANY USE OF THIS DATA SHALL ACKNOWLEDGE Wunderground.com AND/OR THE WEATHER EXCHANGE AS THE SOURCE. WUI will take appropriate legal action to protect and safeguard any unauthorized use of this Data.

Any help, please?


texts:
A departmental problem database will work like this: When a professor gives an exam, quiz etc. they upload the problems into the database. When the grading has been completed, they upload the scores. The software will give back some statistics. The goal is that through the years the database will grow in numbers and in quality. This will minimize the effort to create an assessment and maximize the quality of the questions, as (ideally) the professors will be revising the problems based on the feedback they get.

My target field is Mathematics.

My questions:

Is it a good idea to have a departmental problem database?
Do you know any examples where a departmental problem database has been implemented? What was the result?
Is confidentiality an issue?


texts: How should I interpret an almost-but-not-quite-alphabetical author list?

texts:
I just noticed a weird aspect about this paper (which was of interest here and recently came up again here). If you look at the author list, it reads

  L. P. Gaffney, P. A. Butler, M. Scheck, A. B. Hayes, F. Wenander, M. Albers, B. Bastin, C. Bauer, A. Blazhev, S. Bönig, N. Bree, J. Cederkäll, T. Chupp, D. Cline, T. E. Cocolios, T. Davinson, H. De Witte, J. Diriken, T. Grahn, A. Herzan, M. Huyse, D. G. Jenkins, D. T. Joss, N. Kesteloot, J. Konki, M. Kowalczyk, Th. Kröll, E. Kwan, R. Lutter, K. Moschner, P. Napiorkowski, J. Pakarinen, M. Pfeiffer, D. Radeck, P. Reiter, K. Reynders, S. V. Rigby, L. M. Robledo, M. Rudigier, S. Sambi, M. Seidlitz, B. Siebeck, T. Stora, P. Thoele, P. Van Duppen, M. J. Vermeulen, M. von Schmid, D. Voulot, N. Warr, K. Wimmer, K. Wrzosek-Lipska, C. Y. Wu and M. Zielinska

In particular, it splits into an initial, non-alphabetic component,

  L. P. Gaffney, P. A. Butler, M. Scheck, A. B. Hayes, F. Wenander

and then an alphabetic list from M. Albers through M. Zielinska.

How should I interpret this authorship convention? What fields is it used in, and to what purpose? My initial reaction would be to assign to the initial component a ranking down in 'importance' more akin to the "first author did most of the work, middle authors supported, and last author sponsored and oversaw the work" convention used in fields with smaller collaborations (at least in physics), but that leaves the alphabetic component in an awkward position, so I'm not sure my interpretation is right.


texts: How do I research about the latest developments in a field?

texts:
Say I am interested in the latest development in the field of computer vision. I am a newbie into that area and do not have much knowledge about the history or the journey of computer vision till now or the latest development as well?
So what I do is usually go to google scholar and type some random combination of keywords and filter it based on years. I take the latest research paper that catches my eye (or take the latest review paper) and just start reading it. Usually when I am reading the introduction, I get references about the past development and start digging deeper.
This is where I get lost. I dig so deep into the references (rabbit hole of one reference to another) that by the time I am satisfied about what led me down that particular hole I have already lost track. This gets compounded as I do it for every interesting reference I find in the original paper.
How do I optimise my researching capacity?
My goal is to accomplish this from my researching capacity/ literature review ?

Get important topics I can potentially look into (as I just select a topic that catches my eyes. I feel I am losing out on topics that may have more potential). How do you all select a topic you want to look into.

Optimise the time required to form an opinion.

Read literature quicker and more efficiently . (This down the rabbit hole technique I use gives me a lot of deep knowledge about a lot of aspects that I should not , my energy is expanded in an unoptimised way).

Get to know prominent players in the field who provide high quality research that aligns with what I like to do.


texts: Can we send our research paper to multiple journals at once?

texts:
I have heard that if someone sends his paper to two different conferences and is somehow caught, then there would be severe consequences for the researcher.I did not know that before but I heard two supervisors talking about it yesterday.
So is it okay to send a research paper to different journals at once?( I am talking about sending to all,not publishing in all).
My field is computer science.


texts:
I am citing a specific entry in Ramanujan's Notebooks and have a question: should I cite Berndt (the author of the aforementioned text) and Ramanujan directly (to each their own citation) even though I did not consult Ramanujan's actual notebooks?

I am asking because I saw this done in this article published in the Proceedings of the AMS, who cite Berndt's Ramanujan's Notebooks as well as Ramanujan himself (see the first sentence of the article for the relevant citations.)


texts: References of version 2 of an arXiv paper not added in Google Scholar

texts:
I first uploaded a paper to arXiv and it was correctly added to my Google Scholar profile. After a few months, I made some modifications to the article, uploading a second version to arXiv (this revised version included some new references too).
However Google Scholar, despite correctly pointing to the (revised) second version of the arXiv paper, did not recognize the new references.
How can I solve this issue?


texts: Is it worth to do PhD in machine learning/statistics for work in industry?

texts:
I am 30 years old, have Master's degree in Machine Learning from a CS department. I also have a job, which I have had for like 4 years, first as a software developer, now as a data scientist at the same company.

I have been thinking about PhD for a while now. Is it worth in the field of Machine Learning or statistics (though I think my maths might be too weak for the latter)? My prime reason to do it is that I think that my knowledge in the ML/stats field is not enough, so I would like to dedicate a few years to learning much more even at the expense of low income, and do some paper publishing to meet the quota of "strong publication history". Plus I like to do research, though I like it in industry setting more, since problems are more alive, if you wish.

My particular concern is the work placement after getting my PhD. Many people say that PhD limits the opportunities of a person holding it, but is it true if I already have some industry work experience plus going to apply for ML jobs, unless hype completely disappears in 4 years?