texts: What are the different acceptance levels in peer review?

texts:
I'm new to academic writing. I submitted a paper which I co-authored with my supervisor to an upcoming conference. I wasn't too confident that the paper would be up to scratch because I'd never submitted one before, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the paper was accepted. Of the two peer reviews, one was a "weak accept" while the other was a "weak reject".

I couldn't really find anything by Googling. What exactly do "weak accept" and "weak reject" mean, and what are the other levels of acceptance? Where do weak accept and reject fall in the scale?

Edit: The conference did state that at least three reviewers would be selected. I have only received feedback from 2 at the moment.


texts: What are some characteristics of top quality research work in math? What do papers in top notch math journals have in common?


texts: Abbreviations (abbrv.) in journal (jrn) articles (artcs)

texts:
As we all know, you typically abbreviate something the first time that particular term shows up in a paper.  However, I've been told in the past that certain things in a paper should be written in such a way that 'it stands on its own'.  One such thing would include the abstract of the paper.  So, perhaps a <STRING> appears in the abstract that I want to abbreviate.  Now one of two things can happen.

1.) If <STRING> appears more than once in the abstract, I could abbreviate the first instance and then just use the abbreviation from that point on.

2.) If <STRING> appears only ONCE in the abstract, then I shouldn't abbreviate it because then I would have defined an abbreviation that I would not have used again (given the concept of 'the abstract should be able to stand on its own).

The problem with (2) is that people will immediately think that the 'first instance' of <STRING> should be abbreviated and don't immediately consider the 'stand-alone' idea so I'm either having to revise or try to put up a convincing argument for what I did.

Also, I've been told by some that tables and figures should be able to 'stand on their own'.  So, if the abbreviation for <STRING> appears in the table somewhere (or the caption), then I should explicitly spell out <STRING> and then define an abbreviation for it right then and there, even if I have already done so earlier on in the text of the paper.

So, my question is, what is the proper way of handling these abbreviations and is the idea of 'this piece must be able to stand on its own' valid (and if its valid, what exactly does this idea apply to)?

Additional Information:

I am a computational chemist so we pretty much are forced to use the alphabet-soup of acronyms.  MP2 is preferred over "second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory" and is commonly used.  CCSD(T) is preferred over "The
coupled-cluster method that includes all single and double substitutions as well as a perturbative treatment of the connected triple excitations".  The list can go on and on.  If this wasn't abbreviated in an abstract, having to 'spell it out' even a few times would make for an incredibly long abstract, figure caption, table, etc.


texts: What happens if a letter of recommendation contains incorrect info about me?

texts:
I'm specifically talking about Ph.D. programs. One of my letter writers is a well-known professor in the field. I did a 5-month research project with him last year through a fellowship from my university, and he knows my research output well, but is a bit scatterbrained. The project in question was considered "graduate level," and took place in Europe. This professor also traveled a lot that year since he was was nominated for an lecture series that had him traveling around the world to give talks at universities and labs. This unfortunately meant that our meetings were less often than we'd have liked, and were usually strictly research focused.

Last year, he wrote a reference letter for me for another fellowship, and he sent me an outline of things he would write about in the letter, asking me to look it over. He incorrectly wrote that I was a masters student (I was an undergrad at the time, to date only have a bachelors degree) and that I spent those 5 months doing work on my masters thesis (it was just an independent research project funded by my home university). I corrected him right away on that, but as I said...he's quite scatterbrained outside of research matters.

I think this professor's letter would carry a lot of weight in the programs I'm applying to since I know he has good things to say about my research skills and work ethic, and his name is well-known. But hypothetically, what happens if a letter of recommendation contains factual errors like that? From my transcripts and CV, it's quite obvious I've never been a masters student. Would that inaccuracy hurt me? Would the rest of his letter carry less weight? I'm probably being paranoid, but I'm curious about what happens if a situation like this occurs.

For those of you who have been on an admissions committee before, how would this impact my application?

Edit: (additional info garnered from comment)

The letter was originally written for my fellowship over a year ago now, and after I corrected the professor on the masters vs bachelors issue, I was told the corrections were made. If he uses that letter as a starting point [for a new letter], I should be ok. He was just keynote speaker for a conference this week so hopefully he's less busy after and more responsive (usually is). He is a European prof and I'm in the US.

(Also adding: the reason I'm slightly concerned and asked this question is because when he wrote the first letter, he had my CV and made that mistake. He's known for being scatterbrained among the entire lab outside of research. He somehow can remember obscure details about my project without needing reminders, though...)


texts: How to achieve successful collaborations?

texts:
Quite often, at conferences or while attending seminars, I will start an interesting discussion with the speaker, first on-site, then later by email, and even though at some point there seems to be some mutual interest, it almost never gives an actual collaboration (i.e. working on an actual paper).

I have no particular problem of working with different people, so I was wondering if it was quite usual to have this huge ratio of "collaboration failure"? In particular, my problem is that, although it's quite simple to have an idea, it seems quite hard to do the next step, that is to actually work with someone you have no connection, and who might even live in a different country. Are there some techniques to make a "temporary" collaboration work, or at least to detect those which are unlikely to work?


texts: Do people want to work in overseas branches?

texts:
As an example let's take the University of Southampton, Malaysia branch. At face level, the university opened a branch in Malaysia because it's a symbiotic relationship: the university earns more revenue + spread its brand name, and Malaysia gets to leverage the university's expertise to train its future engineers + provide employment (administrators, academics, support staff, etc).

For the Malaysia branch to have some legitimacy, some of its staff must be from the main UK campus. From the branch's "our lecturers" page, this is indeed the case.

My question is, did these lecturers volunteer to go to Malaysia, or were they assigned by the university? Is it a good thing to be able to say one has worked in an overseas branch, or is it a distraction that must be endured for the sake of the university?


texts: Show accepted (but not published) paper to potential advisor

texts:
It is time for me to apply for graduate studies.

I am wondering, if I have a paper accepted at a journal or conference, is it OK for me to show this accepted paper to others (such as potential advisor for my graduate study) even if the journal or conference has not yet formally published (or made public) this paper?


texts: How much salary can I expect as a physics post doc in the Netherlands?

texts:
I am considering a post doc in the Netherlands.  I am a bit spoiled -- currently doing a post doc in the US with a salary of about $75000.  I found a PI in the Netherlands whose project sounds very interesting and it seems like I may be able to have a bit of freedom in forming collaborations.  But the PI had quoted a salary of 2000 euros (he didn't actually know, but just took a guess when I asked him to estimate).  Though I currently have no better offers, this sounds like too big a step backwards that I am wondering if I should spend more effort searching for other jobs.

I would like to negotiate a better salary when I interview with the PI.  Is 2000 Euros reasonable?  I saw a post with a salary table.  But I'm not sure where on the scale I fall.  Should I be a E10-1 because this will be my first year on this particular job?  Or can I hope for a E10-4 because this will be my fourth year as a post-doc?  Is there any way I can supplement my salary by applying for external grants? (I guess there are few of those for non-EU citizens...)  I have a husband and school-age children, and since I am not sure whether my husband will be able to have income, I want to be able cover our necessary living expenses with my salary/benefits so I can concentrate on working.


texts:
I am applying to math graduate schools this year. Hence, I had to take the General GRE and Math Subject GRE. Only recently has it come to my attention that I could have applied for 1.5 or 2 times more time on these tests due to my Dyslexia. I had no idea that was the case so I did not do so. Therefore I missed out on a huge opportunity to increase my scores. Is there any way I can salvage this situation? Somehow alert admissions that I have trouble working under big time constraints and reading fast and that I did not utilize the accommodations?  It never occurred to me to apply for accommodation as time was never a problem in college.

In case it is relevant:

Math subject 72 procentile

Quant 165

Verbal 155

I was considering mentioning it in my personal statement, or something like that.

Any advice appreciated, I feel like that was a horrible blunder on my part that could have cost me getting into a great school.

Thank you


texts: Can I include NIST data in my research software which lies on GitHub?

texts:
For some research software I have written, I needed some atomic data from NIST. I wanted to put that software onto GitHub (MIT license) but I am not sure if I am allowed to simply also upload the NIST dataset which I need. The NIST copyright page is not too helpful here, it only tells me how to cite the NIST dataset in a paper.
The source code has some comments in it clearly stating the origin of the data, same for a readme file. Would you consider that as enough?


texts: What can I do, being on a Tenure-track position and noticing that the promised start-up package, course release and ... were just false promises?

texts:
This fall I started a tenure track position. They offered me a very good start-up package. Half of it was state money for buying equipment and the other half was for course release, research assistants, travel and etc. Also I had a promise for spouse support and that had huge impact on accepting the offer (unfortunately this one was not written!).
Now, I see that the only thing I can use is the state money which is more than enough. However, the equipment is not the only thing I need. Obviously, I need students for my research too. It's my second semester and they  have not even sent me my written contact yet. Their false promises have put me and my family in a very difficult situation.
What can I do now? What are my rights? Obviously, I am not planning to stay here. But cannot leave off without doing anything. I do not want other families go through the same situation as me! Other faculty members have almost same issues but no hope for any change.
Note: for the start-package I have an email as proof. Also, initially, the university was required to pay equal amount as state money to new faculties.


texts: Do you know if Science/Nature/PNAS accept review articles that are not invited and do not contain original research?

texts: I cannot find any policy on the matter through their websites.


texts: Cover letter vs CV vs research statement at academicjobsonline

texts: I'm applying for postdoc positions via academicjobsonline and a typical call requires (1) Cover letter (2) CV (3) Research statement. Previously I was applying to an aggregate of European universities and this application form only required СV and research statement. My CV is a precise chronological summary of my academic history while the research statement describes my past and current interests and plans. What should I write in the cover letter then? I'm new to this application business and not sure what is the distinction between all these types of letters.


texts: Unfair penalization of Bachelors thesis resulting in a "downgrade" of my degree

texts:
I recently submitted my completed Bachelors Thesis. In the guidelines we were given for the thesis, it was stipulated that the thesis should not be more than a certain amount of pages long. My thesis due to the nature of the topic it deals with ended up being quite a bit longer than that.

I spoke to my supervisor about this issue and he said that it would not be a problem, and that the guidelines were there mainly to give an idea and that they shouldn't be restrictive based on length.  Upon submission of my thesis to our program coordinator, however, the program coordinator complained about the length of the thesis to me and phoned my supervisor.

The program coordinator informed my supervisor and myself that I was in a violation of the rules of my bachelor's thesis and I would be penalized as a result (in terms of the mark I would receive for my thesis).  I've since received my marks for the thesis and I've discussed the issue with my supervisor and a former head of department, they agree I was unfairly penalized and are writing to the program coordinator to help resolve this issue.

Furthermore my supervisor and former head of department made it known to me that those guidelines I quoted above were only internal (departmental) guidelines, they are not strict guidelines that our university enforces, and it doesn't stipulate anywhere in our official university handbook regarding these matters that our Bachelors theses need to be maximum of x pages. Also, it seems that the program coordinator has enforced the penalization without any external consultation.

As a result of this unfair penalization of my thesis, I will miss out on receiving summa cum laude with my degree which is the highest honors attainable. This may affect my future Masters applications.

Here is my take on the situation: Objectively I do think I was in a violation of the thesis guidelines rules, but it essentially feels like I am being punished for doing too much work.

What can I do (or what should I do) in this situation?

At the moment it seems that I cannot do much, especially regarding the issue that my applications to other universities will contain an unfairly lowered mark and degree status. I don't think I can mention to the universities I'm applying to of my situation in any case as I doubt anyone will care if one of the many applicants to these universities has had some problem like this, plus it may just seem downright odd.

Let me mention that I do not want to put my supervisor in an awkward position as I am grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to do my thesis on my chosen topic and he has been a great mentor to me and I do not want to sour our relationship by bickering over marks. The same goes for the former head of department, who is a former lecturer of mine and who has provided me with numerous opportunities, I do not wish to wish to sour my relationship with her over an issue such as this.


texts: Is dyslexia regarded as a severe disability for academic applications?

texts:
For the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) application they ask:

Other serious disability related to a physical, mental, or emotional
condition is included in my disability
(Please specify. Cannot exceed 255 characters.)

Here I listed dyslexia and the academic accommodations I receive. Is this appropriate? What do they mean by "Severe Disability".
My case is particularly harsh. In my Statement of Purpose I briefly talk about my history of overcoming this as well as how learned to capitalize on my other strengths to compensate for this deficiency. This is particularly important to me, but might not be something that should be mentioned.
This could apply to other academic applications. Is this something that should be mentioned on a PhD application, or is it best to avoid this topic?


texts: Are there general guidelines for order of front and back matter sections in a thesis?

texts:
I am writing my PhD thesis (physics in a European university) and wonder how to order the "meta-data" chapters.

My university gives very few formal regulations and my adviser wasn't sure.

What I have come up with till now is:

Frontmatter

Titlepage (position fixed by University)
Statement page that I wrote this (position fixed by University)
Disclaimer that part of this work is subject to publication
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table of content
Table of figures

Mainmatter

The "meat" - the real work

Backmatter

Appendix
Glossary
Bibliography

I know this question might come off as opinion based but I believe there are reasons for certain orderings which are based on facts.


texts: Who to cite if the original source of a citation does not contain the content that was cited?

texts:
As you're supposed to do, I looked up the original source of a citation that I wanted to work with. Only the original paper never mentions what I was hoping to find!

Do I cite the first paper then, since it must be something that the first author came up with?

Also, what do you call this phenomenon? Anti-plagiarism or something in that direction?


texts: Article: Author information when occupation has changed

texts:
I'm currently the main author of a paper. The work was performed when I was working at university X. However, I will start at a new university Y in one month, and the conference I'm presenting the work at is in two months. So, while presenting the paper I will be working at university Y (but the work was performed during my time at university X).

My question is the following, how would you present the author information:

A)

Both universities in the main information.

First name, Lastname (1, 2)

(1) University X
email@university_X.com

(2) University Y
email@university_Y.com

B)

Name and previous affiliation (where the work was completed) as the main information and the current affiliation in a footnote.

First name, Lastname
(Footnote: 'Currently working at University Y, email@university_Y.com')
University X
email@university_X.com

or C)

Name and current affiliation as the main information and the previous affiliation (where the work was completed) in a footnote.

First name, Lastname
(Footnote: 'Work completed at University X, email@university_X.com')
University Y,
email@university_Y.com

Or do you have any other suggestions?


texts: My question is pretty straightforward. I am just wondering what you think is the minimum GPA score that could keep me in good standing regarding my application for top math phd programs, such as Columbia, Princeton, MIT and Harvard, taking into consideration that I am currently enrolled at Columbia. Does the fact that I am attending an Ivy League school loosen up the implicit requirement of having a near perfect GPA? And what in general is considered a good median GPA to get into top math phd programs?


texts: contacting professors when looking for a job even if there are no advertised vacancies in their group

texts:
I am a fresh PhD graduate looking for a job. Is it a good idea to write directly to professors/group leaders, asking if there are any job openings in their group? If yes, how long/detailed such email should be?

I haven't published any papers during my PhD so I feel that my chances of getting a postdoc position are pretty slim. I would like to start somewhere as a research assistant to gain some experience, make connections with people, etc. I know that quite often RA positions are not advertised because professors just offer them to their own PhD students.


texts: PhD CV with not experience in academia job

texts:
after many years of working on telecommunications for various companies, I decided to change my career to Linguistics, and language technology. to do this I graduated from BA in Modern Languages and did a MA in Linguistics.  Just few weeks ago I saw and advert for a paid linguistics PhD position in The Netherlands. I have never contemplated the idea of pursuing a PhD, but the research project is very attractive to me.
So, I am working on my CV, however I don’t have papers published nor academia working experience.  and the only research I have undertaken was during my MA – assignments and dissertation.
I wonder if you can advise, how I can overcome the lack of academia -research experience in my CV?
Many thanks!
Sarita


texts: My group members are trying to take credit for the group project that only I worked on. How do I stop this?

texts:
Two students (who also happen to be my friends) and I were assigned a fairly difficult (I spent over 40 hours on it) group project.
It felt like they didn't care about the project, and if you looked at our group chat, it is basically me listing out a bunch of tasks required, asking them if they can do some of it, them saying something like "ok i'll look into it," and then never replying for days. Eventually, I will come back with screenshots of some of the tasks I have completed by myself and them replying with "wow nice job." This goes on for 10 weeks. I have learned my lesson now because in retrospect, I really should have told my professor about this way earlier because by the end of it, I realized they never bothered to even look at the project. The due date for the project has already passed but the final product was obviously mediocre.

The professor in charge of the project has expressed his interest in hiring 1 or 2 of us to continue to work on it, and now they're both suddenly interested in the project. They will be contacting him shortly about the opportunity (it's a paid position at the university).

I wasn't really too bothered about them getting the same mark as me despite making next to zero effort in the project, but the fact that they want to now take a job that they don't really deserve grinds my gears.

How do I tell this professor that I was the one who did all the work without coming off as tacky and desperate (I have evidence from chat logs, and our document history)? I know I'm also at fault here for not expressing my frustrations earlier, which is why I am so hesitant, but I believe this is becoming really unfair. I am also hesitant on ratting them out because I have known these people for quite a while and I consider them my friends.


texts: What should I do if a student has already done all the work for my course elsewhere?

texts:
Some background info: I'm a graduating Masters Students teaching a Web Development Class. This is my first teaching gig and this is a required course for CS students.

I have one star student who is already VERY good at web development. He overhauled three of the university's sites, making them more accessible, beautiful, and more performant. He is also pretty known among the faculty because of this. Let's just say that he knows the whole scope of what is being taught in my class, probably more.

What I want to know is if there is something that I can do to help this student? What I'm teaching him is probably just tickling his capability, and he is also very driven enough to create sites for our university. Can I talk about my department (CS Department) to let him skip my class/have him create sites for the uni instead? This student is very smart and I really feel he is much more engaged with doing real world sites (our sites) that I want to give him my time to support this instead of simple workload.

I have also talked to him about this and he really does think that developing real sites is fun.

So would it be unusual if I approach my department about this request? If not, how should I phrase this?

*Also, he closely works with me and a few other faculty for the site creation.


texts: Is there a way to save a webpage page with Mendeley Webimporter?

texts: We can save references from the page, but it will be great to save the entire page. As it may happen to the page is not accessible anymore later.


texts: Can I submit an unofficial TOEFL score report if the official one won't be received by the university before the deadline?

texts: It's been 8 days since my TOEFL scores were sent to me by ETS and I chose for them to be sent directly to the university I am applying. However, the official score reports won't be sent there before the deadline. Is it okay to copy-paste (since there is not a "print" option) and upload the scores that were electronically sent to me 10 days after the test date and notify the university about the delivery of the official score reports? Also, will I be notified by ETS when the university receives the official score reports?


texts: Mentioning courses taken on coursera.org in the statement of purpose

texts:
Is it of any value to mention a course one is following on www.coursera.org, in a SOP?

For instance, if I have a Bachelor of Computer Science and want to apply for a Geoinformatics Master program, would it help my application at all to mention that I am currently following a Geoinformatics course on coursera.org to get familiar with the field?


texts: Is it better to do undergraduate research in the summer, or during the school year?

texts: Also, if an undergrad does research during the school year, are they expected to be as productive as someone working during the summer?  Do professors calibrate their opinions of students to account for how many hours a week they've said they could commit?


texts: What should I do to get into a PhD in Mathematics in Europe without a thesis in my BSc and MSc?

texts:
I'm going to apply for a PhD in Mathematics in Europe with my BSc and MSc in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (respectively), from two top-tier (say, top 10-20) US universities with advanced courses, and good GPA. Neither of my BSc and MSc had a thesis component though, and a capstone project wasn't available to me.

I do have some research experience, but my research mostly involved computational programming and data analysis, not serious Mathematics. More importantly perhaps, none of my research experiences were independent research, meaning that I was working on a project defined by my supervisor and my work was pretty much directed by my supervisor.

I'm aware that the norm in Europe is that students write a substantial thesis for their Master's degree, and possibly for their undergrad too, and then they'll apply for PhD. I did want to do a 2-year Master with a substantial research project, but since funding was an issue, I went with the 1-year MSc program that would fund me, and that one didn't have any thesis.

Given this situation, I'm looking for a way to fill that gap in my resume to make myself competitive for a top-tier PhD in Mathematics (or Applied Mathematics) in Europe.

First - do you think I'd have any chance without doing some sort of independent research before applying to a PhD?

Second - do you have any suggestion on how I can fill that gap?! I thought of doing an MPhil or an MRes in the UK, but financing is an issue for those programs (I'll apply for scholarships, but chances are high that I won't get one). Is there any sort of program where I can just spend some time doing a self-directed, but supervised, research in Math and get paid for that?

Edit: As for the specific countries in Europe I'm looking for, my top choices are Germany, Switzerland, UK, and France, but I'm open to other options if I find a good opportunity.


texts: How to increase the odds of becoming an invited speaker at science conferences?

texts:
Invited talks are important for moving up the academic ladder, so I'd like to know how one maximizes the odds of being offered to be an invited speaker at conferences.

I am aware of the most obvious things like having important results to report. However, apparently this is not always necessary: one often sees in the list of invited speakers some fresh PhDs neighboring the really big shots. So, are there any non-obvious strategies to increase the odds of becoming an invited speaker at a conference?

I realize that the advice may be field-specific, and I am most interested in the tips for conferences in mathematics and physics.


texts: Unethical requests from the senior professors and chair

texts:
I am a new assistant professor.

Everyday I meet a frustrating situations here for about 4 months so far.  Main matters are as listed below.  I really do not understand this situation.  Any advice or suggestions to protect myself just in case?

1) without any credits, medical doctors want me to develop their research ideas (typically just have one or two keywords) and write the papers for them.

2) without any credits, they want me to analyze their data sets and write the results for publications.

3) my chair asks me (only myself in this entire dept) to report my research progress every week in a small meeting - with the reasoning that they need to know all of my research studies.

4) my chair does not allow me to do any research studies myself (I must collaborate with a medical doctor).

5) my chair does not allow me to attend any conferences in medical education because I cannot be their representative.

6) for the reason English is not my first language, my school doesn't allow me to teach/present anything here (I am teaching a class in a different dept now and have there been listed as an excellent teacher several times).  They ask me to support/do the other faculties' research studies.


texts: Google scholar change main version of paper?

texts:
I have an article on google scholar that was published with an open source journal and also put on arxiv, however google merged these two and sees the arxiv version as the main one and therefore messes up the citation.

Is this something that can be changed?

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Investigations+into+the+origin+of+Einstein%E2%80%99s+Sink&btnG=&oq=Investigations+into+the+origin+of+Einstein%27s+Sink


texts: Masters w.o. thesis on the area I'm interested vs. masters w/ thesis on a different area

texts:
I am currently a graduate student and it's my first semester. My advisor is not assigned yet and it must be done soon. There is a prof. that I would like to work with on analytic number theory, however, he says that he is so busy and already have 3 students. So, he does not accepting me with a thesis program but instead, he says that he can only accept me if I choose not to write a thesis. If I decide to work with him, I will be alone on my research. I really want to make a research on analytic number theory and do not want to make a research on something different like probability or numerical analysis even if they are also a good research option.

In conclusion, should I accept him and try to write a thesis alone or look for a different advisor on a different area? Also, is it important to have a masters degree with thesis to apply for a phD program?
 Thank you for your valuable suggestions.


texts: How to obtain an evidence of teacher effectiveness when I never was evaluated?

texts: I have spent my career working in the field and have recently been approached to teach some classes that are specific to what I do. I have been asked to turn in an “evidence of teacher effectiveness.” I do not have any evaluations or proof that I would be a good teacher. I have guest-lectured a few times and can probably get a few quotes about how I did. Apart from this, what could I use to fulfill this requirement?


texts: Advantages of different citation styles?

texts:
I find it hard to find a comprehensive overview about what kind of citation styles there are, and what should be taken into consideration to choose one.

It seems to me that the most important factor is when the journal/conference requires a specific citation style. Another factor is that it might be better to use what the people in the field are used to. But what advantages are there for different citation styles, apart from the fact that some are more established?

E.g. I see that numbered citations sorted by occurrence make it easy to find the citation listed in the bibliography while reading the paper from front to end. (Author,Year) citation styles allow the reader to recognize names but could possibly be ambiguous when an author published two papers in the same year. Why aren't both approaches combined to keep the advantages of each, and cite in-line with (Name Year [1])?


texts: How to approach Professors from other institutes (without potentially offending the ones at mine)

texts:
tl;dr - I want to rely on Tutors from other institutes without offending the ones at mine (for not turning to them instead)

I'm studying Undergrad Medicine in South Asia.

The curriculum is pretty interesting, however, there are a few problems I face.

Most of my Tutors/Professors,

Aren't exactly keen on discussing topics/information that isn't explicitly mentioned in our course textbooks (which in turn, is the work of local publishers and is regrettably riddled with poor wording, shoddy formatting and incorrect or outdated info)
Are usually reluctant to provide us with the rationale/intuition, even for stuff that is in our textbooks.
Are usually very busy. So it gives me next to no time to sit down and clear questions with them. (Texting or mailing them is just as difficult)

They're all really nice people and have been very encouraging so far, but for the reasons listed above (exacerbated by a ridiculously rigid education-system), I've found it difficult to grow as a student under them. Changing courses isn't an option I have.

Therefore, I hope to approach (E-mail?) Professors from other institutes with my questions. Assuming they're able to reply reasonably quickly (and satisfactorily), I'll seek to establish regular interactions with them.

However, there's a very real chance that they are in contact with the faculty at my institute (among others); my institute regularly holds Conventions to which faculty-member from other institutes are invited. If my Tutors were to find out that I'm actively turning to people other than themselves for my questions, they're likely to take it as a personal insult.

So on one hand, when I go Tutor-hunting, I need to make it clear in my E-mails that the resources and Tutors at my home-institute are inadequate (regrettably) for my growth as a student, lest they misjudge the gravity of situation.
On the other hand, I can't just bluntly tell them "My Tutors and I aren't exactly on the same wavelength" (this is putting it mildly), because should they end up meeting my Tutors and mentioning this, it'll cause irreparable damage to my relationship with them.

I suppose my question ultimately boils down to this:

So when I first approach a Professor from another institute (this is likely to be by E-mail), how exactly do I word my introduction?
In a way that won't potentially incriminate me down the road, that is.


texts: Masters Dilemma: Does University Reputation Come First?

texts:
I'm a political science undergrad from Canada with a very good GPA (4.26/4.33), lots of experience as a research assistant and two papers submitted. I would like to pursue an academic career, so I'm looking for a research-oriented masters. I could probably get admitted in a decent university abroad but I face a dilemma.

I was offered a complete scholarship, a 15 000$ stipend, and promised a long-term research assistant job at a local and totally unknown university.

So here's my question guys.

Should I aim for THE best uni I can possibly get into for my MSc? Is it wiser to take an offer at a lesser known university but get a director that will include me in all her research projects? Do professors in top universities even work/publish with their masters students?

Any advice is welcome.


texts: Is it appropriate to give feedback to instructor about final exam?

texts:
I wrote a final exam in a course, in which the professor said that he would not test our memory and give all the needed formulae, so I didn't concentrate on memorizing them.

Would it be appropriate to politely send the professor an email with some feedback / opinion about this situation? And if this would be appropriate, what would be the best way to express this opinion as neutrally and politely as possible? So that the professor wouldn't think that I'm mad at him or something like that.


texts: Is a graphic that shows mainly code a listing or a figure?

texts:
I am using the following (graphical) element in a document to introduce the concept of a linear revision control history:

Once printed, it is, by definition, a listing ("a printed list of lines of computer code") . Actually, three listings. But clearly it has visual elements beyond a typical listing. In fact, the source code doesn't even serve the purpose of the graphic.

So: is it a listing or a figure?
Should the caption say "Listing x.y" or "Figure x.y"?


texts: How should degrees be listed in an e-mail signature?

texts:
I have the following degrees:

PhD in Information Technology (Computer Science concentration)
MS in Systems Engineering (MSE)
MS in Engineering Management (MEM)
BS in Computer Science

What would a proper e-mail signature look like?

Examples:

Dr. Bob Roberts
PhD IT, MSE, MEM

or

Dr. Bob Roberts
PhD Information Technology
MS Systems Engineering
MS Engineering Management
BS Computer Science


texts: Is it right for a supervisor to try to prevent his students from pursuing other research directions by simultaneously working with other professors?

texts:
I have faced a problem recently with my academic advisor and I seek some advice. I have been working with my advisor for one and a half year now. No publication resulted so far.

One of the problems is that I feel unfocussed. I tried to enter a lot of subjects at once. I felt that there are many interesting approaches that I tried to learn. This led me to waste a lot of time without making a significant progress in a definite direction. My supervisor has the same opinion of me.

Recently, I suggested to him that I want to work on a problem in which he is actively working on which should shorten the time to get the degree. Now however, even if it is true that I am unfocussed, the biggest reason that prevented me from making progress on this problem is that I keep hearing from everyone that my supervisor writes mediocre recommendation letters to all his graduate students (maybe to keep them working for him, I honestly do not know). It seems dishonest to me to write lukewarm letters without warning the students beforehand that the letters would not be that good. I do not know this for certain because I did not see the letters. I did not trust these claims at first.

However, some interactions also led me to the conclusion that I do not want to work with him. For instance, he did not tell me about various exchange opportunites. When I adked him  he denied that an opportunity exist. Then  he explicitly told me that he was afraid that I might, through this exchange program, get interested in another research problem that another professor is working on and start working on that.

Is it right for a research supervisor to try to discourage/ prevent his students from contacting other professors/ working with them with other research projects and so on?

Another question is: is it normal to remain unfocussed on a definite research problem for a long time ? (E.g. two years or so)


texts: How many hours per day do I need to work to become a very good PhD student?

texts:
I'm curious about how many hours excellent PhD students work per day, especially in science.

Are there any theoretical or empirical studies on the relationship between number of hours worked and success in a science PhD?


texts: Cite in two different ways in same paper?

texts:
Can I cite in two different ways in the same paper? Is this considered appropiate?

Example.

  It was first shown in Heston (1949) that the model is complete. An easier proof can be found in [5].


texts: I am a pharmacist with MSc in Public Health. I like to write. My style of writing is philosophical mostly. I like to explore concepts. My aim is always to clarify and provide better understanding in a practical way using illustrations from nature. I am currently living in Seychelles. I have two main challenges on the road to my PhD. Firstly, owing to the nature of my work I cannot travel out of my duty post for a PhD so the way forward is online. Secondly, as a volunteer in my career path, I don't have the funds for PhD. My area of PhD interest is the interlink between Health and Religion. In general, I like to explore how religion serves as a determinant of various situations that happens in life such as the health of a nation. Can you please help me with an advice on the way forward? Thank you


texts: Can we cite/use publications from other disciplines?

texts:
I reflect about preparing research publications and possibly starting a PhD. The subject matter of my interest has connections with the social sciences different from mine.

Specialised in Law, I intend to research a topic which is closely connected with political science and sociology. Such publications, done in the sciences different from mine, would be of a great use for me as they may improve the description of the context proper to my own topic.

Therefore, it would be nice to know whether using cross-discipline sources is allowed in academia. If yes, which precise conditions would I want to respect to avoid getting my publications rejected?

Many thanks for any informative input.


texts: Do I HAVE to have a PhD to get a post-doc position?

texts:
I suppose this is probably largely lab dependent, but I'll go ahead and explain anyway.

I graduated last year with a bachelor's degree in engineering, and landed a job as a Research Assistant (negotiated up to Research Data Analyst). I was hired at the same time as a Post-doc fellow, doing very similar work together. I have done well, and for various unfortunate reasons my colleague has not done so well. Long story short, he is quitting from frustration.

In contrast, the PIs are very vocal in their appreciation for my work, allow me to take place in interviewing candidates for his replacement, and allow me to take on more responsibility and make sure I feel like a valued  member of the team. Add on the fact that I have learned a tremendous amount in the last year here, and I am feeling very confident in my abilities (after all, I succeeded with a bachelor's where a PhD struggled)

I have been entertaining the idea of seeking new employment for financial reasons. They do not pay me what I believe I deserve. They might, if I showed them an offer from another institution though, and many of the job postings I've seen would suit me extremely well - I have all of the required and preferred skills. I would need very little training and love the work.

The problem is a good deal of the job postings specifically ask for a post-doc, because the typical bachelor's degree would be unqualified for this type of work (never published, can't read papers well, and doesn't have the computer skills to survive), although a couple postings did mention they would hire based on skills.

So in your experience, if a lab is looking for a research assistant type of position, and are hiring post-docs for it, are they specifically looking for a post-doc, or would they hire a research minded 'employee' with a lesser degree?

Am I going to have to go back to school for 4 more years to apply for jobs I'm already qualified for?


texts: Does undergrad score matter very much when applying for a second Masters?

texts:
When applying for a second Masters, does one's undergrad score hold a lot of importance or does it get discounted in favor of better score in Master's?

Adding more information:

I have a BS in Mathematics from one of the good Indian university colleges. I spent a lot of time in my BS studying only my favorite subjects at the expense of others. I have a 66.67% in BS. Contrast this with the university topper who will be somewhere close to 90%.

I also have an MS in Economics from one of the good (in India) Economics grad schools. My MS score is decent (3.14 / 4.00). Though my batch topper scored 3.44, the typical top score from the school is close to 3.75.

I am considering applying for MS in Data Science (or CS with concentration in DS). I want to understand how much my bad score in BS will bring down my chances of getting a good school.

PS: I currently work as a Data Scientist for one of the leading analytics companies in India (will soon finish a year).


texts: According to Germans: Why does Germany lag behind UK in scientific publications?

texts:
Take a look at this.

Why does Germany lag behind UK in the number of scientific publications?

The answers in the other question marked as a duplicate predominantly give the views from UK. I need a German view point.


texts: Importance of individual postdoctoral fellowship

texts:
I have recently been awarded an individual postdoctoral fellowship (independent external funding for my own project) to join a research group at institution A. At the same time, I was applying for other postdoc positions, and finally I was offered a position by a professor at institution B. The group at B is more well-known and a slightly better fit for my research overall, but other than that the conditions (including salary and the institutions themselves) are similar. I cannot take the independent funding to institution B, so I have to choose between accepting the fellowship at A or a standard postdoc position at B.
Is having individual postdoctoral funding important enough to outweigh the disadvantage of being in a slightly worse group? I feel like having been awarded the fellowship is enough and I should choose the group that's a better fit for me, but people obsess over these named "prestigious" fellowships nowadays so I'm a bit worried that it'd be stupid to decline one and take a "regular" postdoc instead.


texts: How to interact with difficult supervisors after graduation?

texts:
I submitted my dissertation after several years of working. I will have my defense soon, and I reported what I am going to talk in the defense. However, my primary supervisor now refuses to give further advice or comments because he said he had spent a lot of time editing my dissertation. In addition to that, he also asks me to refrain from interacting with my second supervisor because the latter person also spent a lot of time for my doctoral dissertation.
I am not on good terms with my primary supervisor. He is fed up with me because it was very hard for him to supervise me. With my second supervisor I am on good terms personally, to the degree that he likes to invite me to have some coffee. However, since it seems that he is reluctant to advise any people, he might want to cut ties with me as well.

My question is, how I should interact wisely with these people, especially after my graduation. I do not need their advice for the moment because I can prepare for the defense by myself. However, I may be going to feel awkward if they will cut academic ties with me. I am not sure what exactly will make me so; however, I think I should not cut the ties because I see that most PhD holders around me still interact with their former supervisors.

For your information, I am an international student from Asia in a European country and going to work at a university in my home country after getting a doctorate. My supervisors are leading scholars in our small field in humanities. So, I will have some opportunities in which my papers will be reviewed by them.


texts: Listing patent applications on graduate/postbacc application CVs

texts:
I'm an undergraduate applying to graduate school and post-bacc programs, so posts like this one have been very helpful for me.

I haven't yet seen a post about patent applications, though.

So I interned at a company and they put my name on some patent applications. I asked about it here when I thought there were just 4 applications, but I signed some papers today and it turns out there are 14 patent applications that they listed me on.

I'm proud of what I did to help with those applications, but I don't think they're terribly profound observations--just some genetic targets I identified through some data analysis.

It seems like a lot to put all 14 applications on a CV. Should I? Should they have their own section?


texts: Earning post-graduate math hours after your master's

texts:
This is in the US, in case it's unclear.

I'm interested in teaching math at the 2-year college level. I have an interdisciplinary MS with a strong engineering focus. I see openings that require "a master's degree in a related field with at least 18 hours in Mathematics".

I looked around for advice and everyone's talking in terms of earning a complete degree.

Is it possible for me to earn these hours in a way that would satisfy (at least some) hiring committees, without having to get a whole extra master's degree?


texts: Can you teach in higher education with a master's degree?

texts: I have a Bachelor's degree in journalism, and I'm starting a Master's degree program next year.  I'd like to teach in a university - is it possible to do so with only a Master's?


texts: Just graduated bachelors comp sci. Didn't get into MS. Confused what to do

texts:
I just recently graduated university with a bachelors in computer science. I did not participate in the career fairs at my uni,  because I wanted to apply for MS in US/Canada, even though everyone told me to have a backup option. Unfortunately, I did not get admit for any of the MS Programs I applied to. Now I'm not sure what to do. I want to apply next year again but I'm just afraid now.

My parents told me to get a job right now - but my problem is that I have really low confidence. First, not getting an admit really threw off my morale. And also, I'm really bad with interviews. I throw up before each one. I am very socially awkward. Even thinking about an interview makes me want to puke and gives me headaches and fear. Another thing is, I haven't had any revision/practice in almost 2 years - with the DS Algo OS DBMS stuff that they ask in the interviews. This makes me hate the technical interviews even more.

I'm thinking to take a gap year... revise my courses, practice interviewing by applying for jobs, learning ML from MOOCs (and maybe write a paper), and doing some volunteer work in the following year.

Will taking a gap hurt my career or my MS application?


texts: What is a referee in the manuscript submission process?

texts:
Please submit, with the manuscript, the names, addresses (including
  countries), and e-mail addresses of five potential referees who are
  outside the authors' institutions and must not have conflict of
  interest with the authors.

Do you think I should name 5 researchers from a similar area that are not affiliated with my university and co-authors? Is this what referees are?


texts: Approaching supervisor for master's thesis when I have ideas but nothing concrete?

texts:
So I have to write my master's thesis, and I need to contact a potential supervisor. The field is statistics.

I am slightly confused by how these things work: on one hand, you often hear that you should have your own ideas and proposals for what you want to write about. On the other hand, your supervisor also needs to be able to supervise you, hence your ideas need to fall to his liking and be within his area of expertise and interest.

With that in mind, how do I approach a potential supervisor? I intend to first write an e-mail. In this e-mail, do I

merely introduce myself and my interests/coursework and then ask for the possibility of writing a master's thesis under their guidance, without getting into any specifics of what the topic should be, and then wait for their response?
or do I specifically go into details with the ideas that I have in mind?
or do I mention my ideas vaguely but stress that I am open to any suggestions that he might have for a related topic?

I am learning towards option 3) as option 2) seems a bit too much for an initial contact and option 1) seems a bit lackluster.


texts: Can a professor teach mathematics and computer science?

texts: I assume this is nearly impossible in a university with separate math and computer-science departments, due to the way funding works (correct me if I'm wrong). However, I've heard that some small universities have joint mathematics and computer-science departments. In such a case, is it possible to get a professorship with the opportunity to teach both? Would I need degrees in both to qualify for such a position?


texts: Can low score in GRE hurt the application with good GPA for top graduate school in US

texts: I wonder can poor general GRE exam hurt an application with very strong GPA (about 3.9) and good letter of recommendations for getting an admission to top graduate schools in US? meaning that How strong is effect of GRE ?can you be rejected based on your GRE result?


texts:
Last year, I applied to several astronomy PhD programs in the United States, and ended up attending a certain institution with a pretty good reputation in the field. However, in the eight months since I've applied, I've come to realize that this is not the discipline I wish to pursue for a career for a variety of reasons. Instead, I would like to pursue the field of condensed matter physics, which has many more applications. Unfortunately, these two fields are different enough that they have two separate programs at many universities, including the one I am currently enrolled in.

To make this career goal attainable, I thus need to transfer to a different PhD program. If I were to apply to my own university again, I would have no competitive advantage from what I have heard. So far, I've identified around ten different programs where I could see myself ending up. I graduated summa cum laude from my undergrad institution with a major relevant to both fields, have significant research experience (albeit in my old subject area rather than my new one), and my general and subject GRE scores are great as well. The only issue is transferring itself. Would potential institutions look unfavorably on my application since I am already in a grad program elsewhere? Is my plan feasible?

Any information/advice would be greatly appreciated!


texts: Is an academic probation for not finding a research advisor in time considered "disciplinary sanction"?

texts:
Is an academic probation for not finding a research advisor in time considered "disciplinary sanctions by any university"?  This is asked in a graduate school application.

Does "sanction" mean penalty?

Does "disciplinary" include the issue of finding a research advisor in time?

Thanks!


texts: Should one add the 4th LOR for the admit panel (PhD CS USA Fall 2022)

texts:
Background: CS undergrad
I have 3 Letter Writers whom I have done in-depth research with (published, to-be published work). But I have not performed any coursework with any of them because 2 of them are outside my university and the 1 within my university is in a different department.
I have my "class advisor" whom I have done minimal research with and attended 4 of her courses (mostly programming and 1 Software Theory Class).
Question: Should I ask her to be my 4th Letter Writer?
Many applications say that they will allow a 4th letter but one needn't submit them. Hence the question.
Do LOR writers need to be someone who's taught you a class? I am aware of the similar question here but this is specifically in regards to the 4th letter writer for course work.


texts: I recently had an essay published in a semi-academic journal. It was widely shared and consequently got picked up by a few other online magazines who republished it. How do I list this on a CV? As separate publications with the title, or a note explaining the situation?


texts: Is an invitation to 'chat' about a potential PhD position actually an interview? What am I to expect?

texts: I've been invited for a chat for a potential PhD position by a professor I'm interested in working with. He also wants me to give a short presentation on some experiments I've done in the past that I'm proud of. What am I supposed to expect from this? Is it going to be a real interview? My master's dissertation has essentially been on a similar field of study. Am I supposed to explain everything from the basics in the presentation or just talk about the experiments that he asked for and assume the professor knows/understands stuff? What am I going to be judged on? What are the right questions for me to ask?


texts:
I have two fields that I am interested in. Field A is historical and requires me to learn two new languages and I would love to focus on this first. Field B is more accessible, that is, there are no extra languages to learn or mathematical methods to comprehend. But it is a more contemporary discipline. I would like to move into this field afterwards.

How does one do this? The fields do not overlap much.

People are often saying 'the value of a PhD is to show that you can do research, so once you have shown this, there is no need for a second PhD. You can move into a new area on your own now.'

However, I feel like it is incredibly important who one's supervisor was, and I am not sure how seriously people would take me in Field B. I would be 'not really one of theirs', as it were. I am also not sure how to get a job in Field B, after having done a PhD in Field A. I could apply for jobs in Field A and try to somehow move into Field B. But then, if a university hires me, to do research & teach in Field A, which I studied for my PhD, how do I explain to them that I happen to have a paper ready in a completely different field? And how would I even find the time to write such a paper, considering that it will be expected of me to do research & publish in Field A - because, this is after all what they hired me for.

Questions, Questions, Questions. :)


texts: I am extremely passionate about entropy/physics, but I don't think I can get into grad school. What can I do to pursue these topics sustainably?

texts:
I am a recent graduate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland with a 2.94 GPA and a 3.01 major GPA and I am completely obsessed with entropy and the foundations of quantum physics. I've spent hours and hours pouring over entropy, reading all the way from its foundations in classical thermodynamics to modern bayesian entropy (Information Theory and Statistical Mechanics all the way to Entropic Inference and The Foundations of Physics). The only part of entropy I would (personally) say I don't understand is black hole entropy, but I'm working on that. I've read through much of Sakurai's Modern Quantum Mechanics and even audited a graduate level physics course at my university (the only non-engineering physics course I've taken). I just started reading Schwartz' Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model last night in fact.

I don't know what to do and I'm a bit terrified. In undergrad I had major mental health issues. I was barely functional to tell the truth, and I don't really understand how I got through my major. In my spring semester of senior year I failed all my non-trivial classes. Only within the past six months I've been able to get my life together in some fashion and been treated properly. My life is significantly improved over what it used to be and I don't have the problems that messed my GPA up so significantly.

Getting healthier has helped me realize understand how meaningful I find these ideas. I really, really want to do research on entropy and quantum physics, you might even call them my passion (yes I know, cliche). But I have a major problem: I don't think I get into research the standard way, grad school (at least right now). My transcript is terrible, I have no research experience, and what I'm interested in is barely related to my undergrad major. I do not know any professors who could give me a decent letter of recommendation. I haven't even taken the GRE. Although I believe that I am suited for research, I doubt I could convince a university of that.

I know you can publish without being with a university and that seems like a decent option since it would personally meaningful and it may make it easier to be admitted to a grad school. I even have two and a half partial manuscripts I'd like publish at some point. But I'm unsure of this pathway for three reasons:

I need an income.
I have no experience publishing
I need a long-term life trajectory.

For 1, I've thought about entering into a job, making some savings and publishing on my free time but I suspect that publishing and working would seriously conflict each other. I have minimal savings at this point, so I doubt I could work on exclusively publishing for more than a month. 2 has prevented me from even submitting my work for publication. I've never felt that what I've written is up to par with what journals want (and I only have a foggy notion of what journals I'd like to publish in). The professors I've contacted about this have either not been helpful, or have not been interested in my ideas so far. Should I just keep blasting out emails to people? 3 scares me because if I fail to get into grad school, or I turn out to be completely wrong, I might permanently impact my life trajectory in a negative way.

What are the best ways to overcome these obstacles? I'm extremely driven, so even if you think a path is difficult I would love to hear it.


texts: What should a regretful student who is caught plagiarizing do to move forward?

texts:
I'm a high school student also enrolled in a computer science class at a local college, and earlier this week I noticed that my grade for the class had dropped. I checked the online gradebook after noticing this, and there was a 0 for a programming assignment I had submitted. I sent my professor several emails (instead of asking him in person because the college is currently on break) asking why there was a 0, and he responded after a few days by telling me to wait for the disciplinary committee to contact me regarding the assignment.

And only after sending my email did I remember that I had taken bits of my program from an online one written for a problem very similar to mine--and it even used techniques we never learned in class. It was months ago, when I was really overloaded with work, and I thought I was safe because I paid to access the code online. And a lot of my friends who were full-time undergraduates seemed to be overtly cheating pretty often.

And only after he responded did the full gravity of the situation sink in on me: I had plagiarized, and there was no excuse. I had used someone else's work without much remorse while I was doing it, lacking moral responsibility just like a sociopath might. I did something might ruin my life.

At this point, I'm panicking and desperately need advice. I feel terrible, and I'm finding it hard to concentrate on my work for high school or even sleep. I had an amazing opportunity to pursue something I really loved at a higher level than most people my age, and I completely blew it. And what's more, I might not have the chance to do it again now.

I was recently admitted to my dream college Early Action, and it was the only college I applied to. But now I'm afraid that I'll get rescinded because I'll probably be dismissed from the college I'm currently enrolled in, and even if the disciplinary committee doesn't let my dream college know directly, it probably has a way to find out.

And even if I don't get rescinded, I'm worried that I'll need to send this information to all of the grad schools I apply to, or if not, they'll just have it anyway.

I know there's not much I can do until I hear back from the committee, but what should I do right now and after I hear back? If I'm brought before the committee for a hearing, what should I do? What are the chances I'll be rescinded? Will this prevent me from getting into a good grad school?


texts: Should I prepare a research statement or cover letter for postdoc ads. with general descriptions?

texts:
I noticed 1-2 advertisements for postdoc positions in which they provided the general description of what they want as publishing and improving the state-of-the-art in a more or less big subfield of Y. The ads. were generally asking for sending the documents without specifying what exact documents they want to receive. One of them contained something similar to

  The exact subject of research depends on your personal preferences, as long as it fits this area.

So, besides sending a CV and academic transcripts, I was thinking about preparing a cover letter or a research statement (or both). The problem is that they did not specify what sort of skills they need or what specific research objectives they are interested in, so I'm afraid how to tailor my cover letter or research statement.

In fact, as the research area is of interest to me I have ideas of what sub-problems are important there and how to approach them generally. However, I do not know if they fit the group's research goals.

Also, when they did not specify, do I have to prepare both the cover letter and research statement?

BTW, I apply in Computer Science in Germany!


texts: How to confront new office mate regarding personal hygiene?

texts:
I am a senior graduate student and share an office with 3 other post-docs and graduate students.  We recently had a first year graduate student join our lab for a rotation and he has been placed in our office.  This new student has intense body odor, to the point where you can smell it in the hallway outside our office when the door is open.  I have asked my other office mates what to do about it and their responses have ranged from "I don't notice it" to "Yeah it's bad but there's nothing we can do about it/I'm not saying anything".

To me, there is no way one can't notice  I have found it distracts me from my work.  I imagine my advisor has noticed, but so far no one has mentioned anything and I have been the only one to bring it up with anyone else.  I've asked friends who work in industry what they'd do, and they say "don't say anything but immediately report it to HR", which doesn't particularly help in my situation.

As the semester is coming to a close, it's only getting hotter outside and the rotating student will be present more often in the lab.  I'm afraid to say anything because

I don't want to make things uncomfortable, especially since we need to train him;
I'm afraid I'm being culturally insensitive as he is a foreign student.
He may have a medical, religious, or other reason that leads to the smell, and I don't want to offend.

Because this is an academic lab, I have no access to an HR department.  Any advice?

A related question (which was not closed) can be found here.  In this question, and those found on The Workplace SE, most answers are "tell him privately and nicely", but I'm worried about being insensitive because he is new, I haven't gotten to know him personally, and he may have cultural, religious, or other reasons for not wearing deodorant.


texts:
I've got an offer from a reputable University in the UK for a PhD in the Humanities. I've previously been in contact with the potential Supervisor. He very kindly invited me to apply but did not reply to the email after confirming I had actually applied. I did send him a follow-up asking for feedback following a notification regarding funding and got an offer a few hours later.
Is it okay for me to send a thank you or contact him before I decide to accept or reject the offer. (I've got a couple of other applications still ongoing at equally good Universities etc.)
Or is it expected that I should make up my mind first?
Thank you.


texts: How to write a statement of purpose for a PhD project you do not understand?

texts:
I am trying to write a statement of purpose for a PhD position in physics in the UK. I have a master’s degree in physics which is the standard requirement for such a position.
I have been interested in this subfield for a long time, have read many papers about it, taken all of the relevant undergrad courses, and my dissertation was also in this general area.

I have mentioned all of this in my SOP, but the problem is that because the subfield is highly technical, I know basically nothing about the actual position I am applying to. I picked several of the (hundreds of) potentially relevant papers I could find, and spent the last week trying to work through them, but any one of these papers would probably take months for me to understand in any detail.
It is not that I lack the educational background for this position, rather that it is just a very specific project in an unfamiliar topic.

I’m concerned that if I just make vague comments about why the potential impact of the group’s research is exciting, it will look like I haven’t bothered to even try to understand their work. On the other hand, being overly specific seems risky given that I know almost nothing about their research.

A complication is that I applied for a (different) PhD project with the same group last year, and received an offer which I then turned down.

Based on the 10% of what I have read that I could actually understand, the topic of the position I am applying for seems exactly like something I would enjoy, and I want to try to make it clear that I am very serious about wanting to work with this group, and have at least made an effort to understand what the project entails. But I don't want to seem like I'm bluffing, or arrogantly overstating my level of knowledge.
It might even be possible to apply without saying anything specific about the project at all, but to compensate for weaker aspects of my application, and the fact that I previously decided against working with this group, I want to emphasise my interest in this specific position.

Is there any general guidance (preferably specifically for physics/mathematics) about how to discuss your motivation to work on a project you do not understand?
While I am in the UK, I would appreciate advice based on other countries as well.


texts: Mediocre/Poor letter of rec from well-known professor vs great letter from not as well-known professor?

texts:
I'm planning to apply to graduate school next year after working a year in industry (software engineering) but have received advice to get my letters of recommendation and other application parts sorted out asap.

I'm conflicted on who I should keep in contact with for letter-writing purposes-- a professor from a top-ranked school (I plan to apply to this school for  PhD) that I did a summer REU with after my sophomore year but that I didn't see very often and where I don't think I made any real contributions even though he said I was doing a good job (my impression was that he says that to everybody who does research for him). Part of the reason I don't think this would be a good letter was because I did a lot of the work from home (he recommended I do this since I was far and I had a medical condition that made it difficult to commute) so he didn't really get to see my day-to-day work. The work that I was doing was also largely grunt work like running simulations and writing programs to handle data.

On the other hand, I have close relationships with 3 professors at my institution (I attend a small non-research-focused institution):

1 of which is my advisor and I have taken 2 courses with
1 I did an independent study with and did really well in his class, which is largely related what I want to study in grad school
1 of which is new and I'll begin doing research with him soon but hence won't have much time to do research with since I'll be graduating soon (though I do plan to ask if I can continue to collaborate with him on research after I graduate)

I also did an REU (not a well-known school or professor) after my freshman year where my supervisor said that I would do "stunning work" in graduate school, so I could get a strong letter from him, but this was a long time ago so it probably doesn't carry much weight.

So my question is-- should I take a probably not great recommendation from a well-known professor, or strong recommendations from not very well-known professors who know me well and I've formed strong connections with more recently (junior/senior year versus summer after sophomore year). Will it raise flags if I don't seek out a letter from the well-known professor?


texts:
As an American, if I get a Master of Modern Languages in Italy, how hard would it be to get into an American PhD program?

My end goal is to be a professor of one or two languages at an American University but I want to do my Master's in Italy, studying French, Spanish and German, (studying through Italian.)

How hard would it be for me, if I had great grades and recommendations, to then get into a reputable PhD program in America afterwards?

I'm thinking about somewhere in Tuscany because that's where I have lots of friends and family, so either Pisa or Siena University.

More details:

I'm bilingual in Italian, I can read well enough to read adult literature, and I write well enough to be mistaken for a native. (My accent gives away I'm a foreigner during longer conversations.)
I could become an Italian citizen, (I have all the necessary paper work, I just haven't brought it to the embassy yet.)
I want to do my Master's in Europe, because whenever I'm in America I get sucked back into my English/Spanish/Italian life, and I get rusty at my other languges, (I speak 6 "world" languages "fluently", (three languages at C1/2 and three at B2/B2+).


texts: Are pay announcements worth their price to hire people?

texts:
Recently in my university research group (scientific fields: computer science and bioinformatics) we had some open positions for PhD students and PostDoc.
For the hiring phase, we decided to insert some announcements on many free websites.
We avoided pay websites, such as IEEE Job Site or others.

Now, the hiring phase has just ended up. We've found some good applicants, but not so good as we expected.
So I am wondering what would have happened if we had chosen the pay way.

I searched for some prices for a 30 days announcement on some popular job websites, and here are the prices I've found:

Linkedin: 140 €
ACM Careers: 380 €
IEEE Computer Science Society job board: 400 €
IEEE Job Site: 212 €

Do you think that these prices were worth to find better PhD or PostDoc candidates?

Do you think that next time we should pay one of these announcements in order to get better candidates?

Have you experienced before with them?

Many thanks


texts: How to get the best of the last half of a PhD?

texts:
I'm a PhD student in Physics with one year and a half to go. My project is at the border between physics and computer science (I am developing a new method to analyse materials). I'm fascinated by computer science and I would prefer not to work in a research center, which seems to be the natural prosecution of what I'm doing. I did research in a number of different field (biophysics, x-rays, neutrons, algorithms), finding out I'm not super talented, but I learn fast and I have some intellectual stamina. I also have some experience as a reporter/journalist.

I like doing research, even if sometimes I find the academic environment a bit boring and alienating. I don't have much working experience outside academia, but I don't exclude the possibility of a non-academic job. I started studying machine learning books to expand my computer skills and employability.

Is there anything you suggest to do to maximize my possibility to land a nice postdoc (ideally in physics/computer science, which should be a way to keep open the possibility to work in the industry, and ideally in the US) or a job as a data scientist?


texts: Is it possible to download nature as a magazine?

texts: As i just want to skim over the latest articles in nature photonics, I was wondering if there is anyway to download all of the current issue as a single file (just as when one downloads Scientific American, even though these are very different publications). Still, there should be a way to download all of the current issue at once. Does anyone know if it's possible; if so, how?


texts: How do I differentiate between addressing two professors with the same last name?

texts:
I am currently taking an online course (at a university in the US) in which once a week I am in the same virtual meeting room as two professors, one male and one female, with the same last name. I am unsure in how I should go about directly addressing one of them when I typically address all my professors as "Professor <lastname>" . As a second-year undergraduate student, I have been told it is inappropriate to address both professors by their first name if they have not stated this is okay (e.g. my past professors have typically said "you can call me <firstname>" on the first day of class). Additionally, when I took a course with one of these professors last year, I (and all other students) addressed them as "Professor <lastname>". If addressing them by first name is inappropriate in this context, how would I selectively address one when both professors are in the room?
With the exception of myself and another undergraduate, all other students in this course are graduate students, and address the professors on a first-name basis. So this has not a common cause of confusion in the course.


texts: What strategy should I follow for lecturing a course in which I have only a basic background?

texts:
I am currently working in a faculty where among the courses in CS there is one about Computer Graphics. That course was taught last year by a professor who actually has retired, and who was a specialist in the field. The thing is that the Dean has talked to me for putting me in charge of that course in the undergraduate level, mostly because the other lecturers are with no available free time at all; and it will take some time to hire another professor.

The problem that I have is that even I hold a MSc in Computer Science, the knowledge that I have about Computer Graphics is basic. Only what I have followed in my bachelor's a long time ago.

Actually I am little scare of what to do, I have started compiling material for read and prepare my upcoming lectures, but I am afraid that maybe I will not be able to make a good course. In short, what strategy should I follow for lecturing a course in which I have only a basic background? Should I be completely honest in the first session and mention the students that this area is mostly new for me?


texts: My recent paper on arxiv does not appear in my google scholar account?

texts: I posted a paper on arXiv recently. But it doesn't appear on my Google scholar account. Although it has appeared on the Google scholar accounts of my co-authors. How can I link my Google scholar account to my arXiv account or should I add this paper to my scholar account manually? Thanks.


texts: Document required for German National Visa application

texts:
I have recently been offered a PhD scholarship in a funded project in University of Duisburg Essen, and I want to apply for visa for the same. the issue is the lab I want to join does not have any Non-EU student as of now and the lab's administrative staff is asking me for what document is required for my Visa application. I want to know what information should I ask for to be written in the Document. And also what other documents should I prepare.

I tried searching on google and here and could gather the following documents:

Travel health insurance poilcy
Accommodation proof
my Bachelors and Masters academic transcritps
Blocked account??? (since I have a scholarship offer do I really need this)

Thank you in advance for any help.


texts: Is it okay to consider publishing in my first year of PhD?

texts:
I'm PhD candidate in Applied linguistics, it's been almost 3 months since I've started but I'm seriously allowing for writing and publishing journal articles.

I have asked my supervisor about that, she said that I should devote my time to my thesis and wait until the second year and that writing other forms of papers generally interfere with the thesis.

However, I think I have enough time to simultaneously work on my thesis and also articles, also I have to indicate that the ideas that I'm willing to formulate in articles are not related my PhD focus.

What should I do? Should I wait until next year or just start working on articles and submit them as single author?


texts: Difference between official and unofficial transcripts

texts:
What is the difference between the official and the unofficial transcripts that are required for graduate studies?

I assume that both documents should be in English (if you study in a foreign university). Thus, unofficial means that you can make the translation yourself whereas official means that the translation is being made by an authorized person?


texts: Is it possible for an international masters student to get into teaching role in US Universities on completion

texts:
I am from india. I have a strong desire to pursue Masters in Computer Science in USA. I enjoy academia. However, I am sure that I do not want to pursue a Phd and also not attracted towards an IT Career.

I understand that teaching positions are mostly reserved for full-time Phd holders and is getting increasingly tough. So how difficult it will be, post MS, for an international applicant to secure a full time instructor job? I do not want an adjunct position as I can't survive travelling from university to university. What other degrees/certificates can help tip the scales in my favour?

I have seen certain Master students get a faculty position in the university itself where they completed the course.


texts: Should I mention that I am a tutor on Chegg on my CV?

texts: I have recently been selected as a tutor on Chegg for the subject of advanced physics and have recently also been applying to various internship opportunities as I am in my final year of undergrad. I have the experience of being an educator at an Indian organisation, and was wondering whether I can add this new part time tutoring job to my CV. The problem is that I have the opinion that professors don't look at Chegg as something good, so is there any way it could look bad on my resume?


texts: Peer review - discussing paper with the author

texts:
I am currently attending a week-long conference. A few weeks ago, a quite respected professor in my field posted a paper on an online preprint server, making a series of claims, which are quite linked to my own research. In the beginning of the conference I approached him, asking if we could discuss his latest paper. He said yes, but asked if we could maybe wait a couple of days, since he was swamped with tasks during the beginning of the conference.

In the evening, I am discussing this paper with a couple of colleagues over beer. I am quite critical about some of the claims, and I voice my criticism. After the discussion, one of my colleagues pulls me aside. He says that he is currently reviewing the paper for a journal, and since I obviously have strong criticisms, he would like to suggest to the editor that I join the review panel, if I have no objections. I agree, he contacts the editor, and I am now reviewing the paper.

My question is now: Can I still discuss the claims of the paper with the author as we initially agreed upon?

(By the way: I know that my colleague overstepped the line by revealing himself as a reviewer. This is not part of my question.)


texts: As an undergrad student, how should I ask a professor for an opportunity to do research with them?

texts:
I was wondering what I should do in this situation as an undergraduate student:

About a month ago, I applied for and did not get into a program that allows first-year students to work on research projects that professors put forward, with the intention of introducing students to research, which included a research stipend, housing, etc.

I was very interested in the professors topic of research, and was wondering if it would be okay for me to ask the professor for the opportunity to work with him essentially as an unpaid intern, as I would really like the opportunity to learn more about the topic.

Would he view this attempt to do research under him as desperate? Or would he appreciate the opportunity to have an extra research assistant?

I know that the answer would depend on the professor himself, and on my relationship with him, but how do professors in general feel about students coming up to them and asking to be a part of their research?


texts: Level of award - International/Institutional

texts:
I'm writing a Postdoctoral fellowship application. There is an online form to fill out and for each award I have received and I need to indicate the 'level' of the award. The options are Institutional, National or International.

Is an award which can be applied to by anyone worldwide but is only tenable at a particular institution an institutional or international award? For example: Gates Cambridge.

The fellowship documentation does not provide a definition. Is there a generally accepted definition for the level of an award?


texts: does my affiliation affect the decision of accepting my paper in a journal

texts:
Many times, you receive comments such as:I am unable to accept your manuscript for publication in "Journal name" The reason for this decision is that in its current state, the level of English throughout your manuscript does not meet the journal's required standard.
The work was revised thoughtfully and reach reviewing stage in higher impact journal but was not accepted because of scientific disagreement.


texts: How to deal with the fear of missing out?

texts: I will be soon starting my Ph.D. but have already experienced some of the research environment. I have chosen to work on a field in machine learning that is becoming increasingly popular. Every time I see people publish something new in this field, I cannot help it but feel like a loser who missed out or has lost the opportunity to publish that others did. I feel like when I catch up and have the necessary skills, everything would have been already discovered.


texts: Starting an REU late because of quarter system?

texts:
So I am really looking forward to participating in math REUs after sophomore and junior years in college, but I just noticed that since I am on a quarter system I will only be done with finals at around June 14-15ish. Most REUs I have seen start like June 6-7 and some even (say like Texas A&M) start May 31. Are REUs accommodating of this problem?!

Thanks!

Originally posted in Mathematics Stack Exchange: https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1801319/starting-an-reu-late-because-of-quarter-system


texts: Research experience not backed up by recommendation letter

texts:
I have done a three months independent research at a national lab in US with guidance from a scientist who was working there, but he is very busy and not much time is left to ask him to write a recommendation letter (RL) since the application deadline is coming.
I want to include this experience in my SOP, and wonder, in general, how is the reaction of graduate admission committees to research experience which is not backed up by a RL?


texts:
I reviewed a paper, which was then accepted as "presentation-only" with a possibility to submit a revised version to be re-reviewed. Upon acceptance, I was asked to be a shepherd for the paper.

What are the typical duties of a shepherd?
Which duties might seem shepherd's duties, but, in fact, are not?
Does the shepherd get any academic credit?
Do paper authors get to know the shepherd's name?

EDIT: This question is partially (i.e., not fully) covered by Thanking a "shepherd" in acknowledgments. Here, we ask for a more detailed, canonical description. In particular, feel free to add more items to this question by means of editing.


texts: Do math PhDs - post-doctoral researchers have an advisor?

texts:
Typically, well-prepared undergrad math students have summer REU advisors, masters and PhD students have thesis advisors.

What do new math PhDs - postdoctoral researchers have at the university they land at?  Do they also have a research advisor, or are they pretty much on their own, while they teach classes, publish papers and apply to tenure-track positions, before their post-doc contract expires?


texts:
I'm teaching a math course which covers several mathematics topics including differential equations (DE). In a recent exam I asked the students a question in which they are given a DE and are asked to solve it using at least two of the different solution techniques they learned in class. My intention was that asking for different solution techniques reflects fundamentally different skills than a single solution. Do you think this is true?

In other words, are there fundamental differences in the learning outcomes measured between the following two questions:

Solve the differential equation dy/dx = y/x
Solve the differential equation dy/dx = y/x using at least two different solution techniques.


texts: Should I do anything if I am cited for something that wasn't in my paper?

texts:
I’ve just read a paper in which a previous paper of mine has been cited.  The line in which the citation happens is something like:

  It has been shown that technique X is successful in this problem [citation for my paper].

However, in my paper, I never mention technique X.

Should I do anything?  The paper that cites mine is otherwise fine and really doesn’t need a reference for their use of technique X, since they spend a lot of time developing it anyway.


texts:
Once in a while I stumble over copy-protected files like this. When I try to copy the title "MetaCost: a general method for making classifiers cost-sensitive" I just get garbage:

✁✄✂✆☎✞✝✠✟☛✡☞✂✍✌✠✎
✏✑✁✓✒✔✁✓✕✆☎✗✖✘✁✍✂✆✙✔✟✛✚✢✜✣✟✞✕✤☎✗✥✛✦✧✒✔★✩✝✪✖✫☎✬✡✭✡✭✦✫✮✯✁✓✕✆✡✰✝✠✟☛✡☞✂✲✱☞✳✴✁✓✒✔✡✭✦✵✂✆✦✫✶☛✁

Why do people do that?


texts: Revised manuscript take too long to process

texts: I send out my first article to be reviewed on 12 Jun 2018 and received comment from reviewer from Journal of international quantum chemistry on 13 July 1018. Problem is, I have sent in revised manuscript to that particular journal since 8 August 2018, the publisher inform me through email will let me know the editorial decision within two months. We wait until two months still doesn't receive any news. My supervisor has sent in a requiry for the manuscript to Wiley publisher but Wiley reply that they still waiting for another review. I quite afraid my article won't be review forever if that reviewer forgets to review my article. Other things makes me worry is,  my article cannot get other places to published when being rejected after a year by Wiley due to the value of an article. What should I do? Thank you very much.


texts: Alternatives to Google Scholar for citation / lit search / BibTex entries?

texts:
Simple question: What alternatives are there to Google Scholar for finding citations, doing lit searches, and most importantly, downloading citation data in BibTex?

There are lots of specialized databases (e.g. MathSciNet, ACM, etc.), but I am not aware of any that index across all disciplines the way Google Scholar does. My research is quite multidisciplinary so these specialized databases are usually insufficient.


texts: Should I explain that I cannot finish my current master due to religious discrimination when applying for another graduate program?

texts:
I am currently enrolled in a master’s program in the Middle East, which does not seem to be possible to finish / worth finishing for various reasons. The main problem is the lack of research facilities that would allow me to generate data for my thesis. The facilities that do exist seem to prioritise students from the religious majority. As a Christian, you do not get that many opportunities in the Middle East, and there is no protection against discrimination.

So I applied to a master’s programme in Europe. Shortly afterwards, I received a personal message from one of the professors asking for my motivation to restart the master's and not run for a PhD.

My question is: How open I should be about the reasons why I will not finish the master’s I’m enrolled in already? I am not sure if I should mention the religious reasons – I do not want to look whiney, but this is the reality of being a Christian in a predominantly Islamic country. Can mentioning religious discrimination negatively (and significantly) affect the professor’s decision in accepting me, despite how real it is?


texts: "Caught" in a plagiarism program for an exam but not actually cheating

texts:
So I'm in a very strange situation.
I got a mail that said that there is a suspicion of cheating in my Python coding exam.
It said that I and two other students have very similar answers on the test so I contacted these students and compared our exams. It is very strange because this was an exam for basic Python and the questions are not very hard. The thing is that we had similar answers on a couple of questions but there are not a lot of ways to answer the questions.
I don't even know the other two students.  We will have a group meeting this week and I have no idea how this will go. How can I prove that I did not cheat?


texts: What are the flaws of working in a research center department led by young principal investigators?

texts:
In few months I will join a new research center department of an excellent university in Northern America. My field is computer science and bioinformatics.
This new department has mainly hired young principal investigators and scientists, all 35-40 years old.

I have visited the labs and clearly have seen the advantages of this new young environment: flow of new ideas, enthusiasm, friendly relationships, opening of mind.
But I am sure there are also some flaws of this situation.

So I am asking you all: what are the main flaws, defeats, disadvantages of being part of a department lead by young principal investigators?


texts: Can I copyright materials I developed if it was asked to be written by the school I'm working at?

texts:
I'm a teacher in a private school and was asked by the school to develop lesson plans for an existing text book.
Eventually that's going to be a manual for the teachers to use for that specific text book.

I am paid for my time doing this, however there are more things I was asked to help with during that the time frame I was given, mainly develop more materials for school.

The lessons plans can be used in any school that uses the same text book hence I would like to protect my rights and make sure it's not going to be used  in other different school without my permission.
Can I copyright my materials?


texts:
I would like to ask those in Academia who supervise PhD students and get to read their Phd theses. When checking on previous theses submitted to the library, I found some printed not in the more common A4, but A5 format, half the size of A4.

I was wondering whether is is more comfortable for supervisors to read a thesis of roughly 200 pages (just counting the main matter) in A4 or A5 format? My thesis would contain some "normal-sized" tables and figures.


texts: Is the Psy.D. degree (US) equivalent to the "Licenciado en Psicologia" degree?

texts:
I am not sure about this. In some scenarios, seems like a "Licenciatura/Licenciado" degree is equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree, or sometimes to a Master's Degree.

Nevertheless, in some cases "Licenciatura/Licenciado" seems to correspond to a Doctoral Degree. Examples:

Pharm.D.="Licenciado en Farmacia" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Pharmacy#Spain)
MVD/DVM="Licenciatura en Médico Veterinario" (http://www.vets-net.com/other/GlobalVetSchools.pdf)

The equivalence between a Doctoral Degree and "Licenciatura/Licenciado" seems to be particularly the case when the later "allows to practice the profession".

A closely related question would be: what is the equivalent degree of PsyD in the Spanish-speaking countries?


texts:
In my job before grad school, I could expense items as soon as I had a receipt and I knew exactly when the money would arrive (typically the following pay cycle). In grad school, it seems to be a mystery when I will receive reimbursement.

I bought tickets and airfare on day 1 of this scenario
I was not allowed to request reimbursement until 6 weeks later, after the conference
The conference ended, I requested reimbursement. 6 weeks later, still nothing!

So for the last 12 weeks, my account is down airfare and tickets, and for the last 6 weeks, I'm down the hotel, transportation, and meal costs. I've sent all the emails I can and have asked around -- the response I get is "The finance department does not give exact days of deposit."

Is this the norm in academic institutions? What is a reasonable reimbursement time for conference travel from a department?