texts: How do I add my ORCID to papers authored by myself?

texts:
I have a few papers that have already been accepted and published.
I recently signed up for an ORCID.
Is is possible to add my ORCID to these already published papers,
and if so, how do I do this?

Response to comment
Ideally, I would like my ORCID to be listed on the paper itself or on the official website of the journal article.
Nevertheless, I would consider having the paper listed on my ORCID profile to be a good partial solution.


texts: How to change to Mathematics PhD program following M.S. in Computer Science?

texts:
I wonder if anyone can give me some advice about how a computer science graduate shifts career to mathematics? I'm currently doing a Master's degree in computer science and i was thinking about doing a PhD in pure mathematics? so I was thinking is this transition feasible? how can I make this leap of faith?

Kindly note that currently -after graduation- I nearly don't do mathematics anymore, currently all what I am doing is writing software and administrating open source operating systems. In undergrad levels I took an introductory course in discrete mathematics and some calculus courses.

someone told me: Yes, the transition is feasible but it requires I take some courses and attend some math classes even as a special student (no degrees, no exams). But I thought I can get other opinions and views.


texts: should I publish in journal that has no IF

texts:
I have written an article in the field of Information Systems and Security and I would like to publish it in a journal. From downloading the Scimago journal rank, I decided to publish in a journal called International Journal of Intelligent Information Technologies (IJIIT). The scope of the journal is really promising for my paper and appears to be in the quartile Q3 of Scimago.

My concern with the journal is that it has really low bibliometrics, I didn't find its Impact Factor, and and has an H-index of 12. The only thing the journal has is something called "Emerging Sources Citation Index". Wikipedia says that most journals with the Emerging Sources Citation Index index are predatory journals.

Is publishing in journals with no Impact Factor a bad thing for my carrier?
Can I verify whether this journal a predatory journal or not?


texts: Should you cite a paper that clarifies the name of a mathematical object?

texts:
Suppose I am writing a mathematics paper and discover some object and call it a "thingy"; not knowing of its existence outside of my discovery of it.

Later while doing some unrelated research I come across a paper that uses my "thingy" and it turns out to be well known object called a "doodad".

Should I cite the paper that gave me the vocabulary to describe a well known object if it only gave me its name?

This is my first real paper so I want to get my citations right.


texts: Is postdoc experience valued by industry?

texts:
I have recently finished my PhD and am currently considering my options. I have come to the conclusion that the teaching or the "publish or perish" nature of academia isn't really appealing for me.

I have been talking to several people regarding my thoughts and I have noticed an interesting difference in opinion; senior academics have been stressing the value of doing a post-doc before a potential move to industry, whereas industry contacts say that it's much better/easier to do the move to industry within two years from dissertation. I inquired further asking whether or not the postdoc years would be valued by companies, and the answer was essentially that:

  unless the postdoc years are immediately relevant to the applied job, it wouldn't really give any seniority, as companies want to nurture their own culture and staying in academia for "too long" might lead to certain "habits" not appreciated in corporate world.

I want to get further opinions on the matter; is doing a postdoc valued by industry in general? The field is life sciences and bioinformatics, if it makes a difference..


texts: How to focus on a single area during PhD?

texts:
My PhD supervisor says that I am overly curious and spend too much time studying lots of different area. However, he does say I am generally doing well and on the right track.

I am usually keen to meet new researchers, and I also spend time helping other PhD students to understand papers, even if they are not directly related to my field. I tend to keep studying a topic until I feel I fully understand it.

This has led my supervisor to believe that I am not working up to my true potential and just moving among areas too much. I have asked him directly and he says I just need to focus on one thing at a time, which I have started doing. I am just curious as to whether it is normal for PhD students to change and be immersed in different topics frequently, or am I just thinking too much? What strategies can help with staying more focused?


texts: If I publish my PhD thesis chapters, can my thesis be later still published as a monograph

texts:
My supervisor told me that it is not required to publish my papers before submitting my thesis.
We are required (in German universities), however, to published our monograph thesis later as a book.
One of my chapters is already published as a book chapter in Routledge (it's too good an opportunity to miss). The published chapter is not entirely the same as my thesis chapter, as the Routledge editor edited it too (asking me to add this and that, which I did).
Now, another chapter of my thesis can be published in a conference proceeding too, if I so wish.
I understand that this is common practice for a cumulative thesis, but can it also be done with a monograph thesis?


texts:
How does one get involved in technical committees in international conferences or commissions? Does one need an invitation or does one volunteer him/herself? Also, why are many relatively more experienced or outstanding academics often not involved in these committees?

I think the first part of my question has been answered before in this site, but I would be interested to know the answer of the last part.


texts: Dealing with the feeling of incompetence and team competition

texts:
To preface, I imagine this might come off really immature, given that I am 30 years old. I joined a university as a PostDoc after completing my PhD 6 months ago. I am yet to publish anything after joining here, I have been feeling burnt out and disorganised. I was planning to join the industry within a year of joining (It was initially envisaged as a one-year contract, but it got extended for three more years, due to my professor getting new funding, but that's beside the point). My professor is very understanding, and he is very motivated. His team is getting into theoretical machine learning and the papers he published are already making strides and catching everyone's attention.

I, on the other hand, am just starting in the area of data science. I am an average coder, and my math skills are also pretty average. If I work hard I can crank out some papers ( that is how I finished my PhD), but lately I have been feeling very unmotivated and distracted. I have a few family problems (I am gay from a conservative family), but that is no excuse for not being motivated, I know. I tried out to be a data scientist at an internet advertising firm but was rejected after the on-site interview following a Skype interview, the reason being that my practical skills were not on par (I did a mainly theoretical PhD, and my knowledge of practical algorithms is lacking).

On the other hand, my colleague who is a PhD student under my prof (only 25!) has been publishing and his works on machine learning (also theoretical), have been attracting researchers from companies like Facebook and Google, at a recent conference. As for me, the very idea of going to a conference again gives me shudders.

I am out of ideas and out of steam to be honest, but I really want to create pathbreaking research and join a top company to start my career as a data scientist. But I feel lost.

To have a good CV for an eventual job hunt, I need at least one good publication during this year of my post-doc but all the work I have done have led me nowhere to be honest.

For context: I did my PhD on random graph analysis.

I really need some guidance. I know I should have figured this out already given I am a 30 year old graduate, but unfortunately I haven't. I can blame that on my depression, but how long can I do that for? Anybody who has been in the same situation as me? Any input is welcome.


texts: What to do when you publish a paper that accidentally included a wrong or irrelevant citation?

texts:
My paper was published and later on I found that two references were mistakenly included with the third reference, which is the correct.
My phrase looks like this:

  I am worried about this (Smith 2001; David 2006; Magnus 2007)

and this is the correct form that it had to be:

  I am worried about this (Smith 2001)

so the references "David 2006" and "Magnus 2007" have nothing to do with the cited phrase and they never did that work; and were not meant to be included but maybe it was a problem with reference management software that I used at the time.

I wonder if this will cause a problem to my paper or even plagiarism/retraction.
I am really worried about this and any advice is more than welcome.


texts: What is the standard scientific conference poster size and quality?

texts:
What is an ideal poster size for scientific conference?
Should it be printed on paper or flex or photo paper?


texts: Is it OK to inquire about paper status after 7 months (2nd round) review?

texts:
I submitted a paper to an applied-mathematics journal in May 2015, and the first round review took a bit more than seven months. I only received one referee report (there would usually be two), which was generally positive. I submitted the revised draft in mid January 2016, and it is “under review” ever since.

I inquired about the status about four months ago and only got a reply from the journal staff, basically saying that my message has been forwarded to the handling editor (nothing from the handling editor though). I am wondering if it is OK to inquire again? How long should I wait before I make an inquiry on a paper status (without being too pesty).

The journal states that its target processing time from submission to final publication is eight to nine months, and it typically gives reviewers two months.


texts: Should I provide TOEFL/IELTS results for a PhD admission?

texts: So I'm a citizen of non-English speaking country, but my master's program in STEM field is fully conducted in English. Should I provide TOEFL/IELTS results when applying for a PhD program in USA or Europe? I accept that it may vary and depend on a university and country, but what should I expect in common?


texts: Do you need to cite generalizations in introductory paragraphs and topic sentences?

texts:
Suppose Jack Smith writes an article proving that Renaissance ideology can exist in the modern era through technology, and that this proves that the ideology can be reconceptualized in other regards, too (through art, literature, etc.).

If I'm writing a research paper that at some point argues that a modern form of Renaissance ideology can exist, naturally I should use Smith's source as evidence.

This is the way that I'm presenting the material in my research below:

Introduction
1. Among the questions that this paper will answer is - can Renaissance ideology exist in a modern setting?
2. In Chapter 2, it will be established that Renaissance ideology and thought is expressed and recreated in the modern era.

Body paragraph/chapter 2
1. Renaissance ideology can exist in a modern setting.
2. Jack Smith proves this in his work entitled _____, scrutinizing the role of technology against Renaissance thought.

So, is this order of presentation credible, or do I need to mention Jack Smith the moment I even touch on this idea of Renaissance contemporaneity in the introductory paragraph and topic sentence of chapter 2? Keep in mind that Smith is talking about specifically technology, while I'm speaking in a more generalized sense of the ideology existing in various capacities of contemporary society. Is it enough to use him as evidence supporting my more generalized argument?


texts: PhD article: Structure to compare results of two algorithms

texts:
First of all, please accept my apologies if I commit any mistake when asking my question, but it's my first one on this vibrant community.

I am finishing my PhD, and I am writing an article to publish soon. Basically, this is the picture:

-There is an algorithm, "A", that is 4 years old.

-I created an algorithm, "B", that improves "A" in a %

I think the following scheme may reflect the investigation, but;

Do you feel this is a good skeleton for the article?

1. Introduction
2. Definition of the problem
3. Investigation goals
4. Classic Algorithm Description
5. Improved Algorithm Description
6. Results
7. Conclusions and discussion


texts: How can a masters student compensate for lack of solid foundation in basic math and CS fundamentals?

texts:
I am a graduate student in Computer Science (in the U.S). I did my undergraduate study in India.

My fundamentals in Math and CS importantly are shaky. I often feel insecure in class where my peers seem to understand in depth about fundamentals that I have been taught differently (now I think about it -- mediocre standard at best).

I have been working my way through math using Khan academy. For CS I study them as and when needed. But I still feel a major gap in my approach and would like to get some suggestions on this.


texts: Should I drop out of the IB Diploma Program if I am about to graduate with an associate's degree?

texts:
I'm a junior in high school who goes to an IB (International Baccalaureate) school in the US. I also have been taking enough community college classes to graduate with an AA in Computer Science before finishing high school and I believe that any damage dropping out of the program would be completely nullified by a full associate's degree. In addition to this, I am currently a software engineer (part-time) and I think that I wouldn't have enough time to manage all three things in my senior year with the EE, CAS Project, and 2 extra classes I would have to take as a full diploma student.
Is it a good idea to continue with an IB Certificate, SWE position, and Associates Degree in lieu of staying on the IB Full Diploma possibly having to sacrifice completing the degree and/or staying in my software engineering position in my senior year.
IMPORTANT FACTOR: I intend to go to UC Berkeley as my #1 choice so a fairly selective but not ultra-selective school. I don't really want to go to a private school. I am attending a California community college which gets me guaranteed 1:1 transfer of credits to any UC school. That's why the main point of contention I'm facing is that I might not be able to complete the degree and/or stay on as a software engineer (which is extremely highly viewed by companies and likely also by schools) if I stay in the IB Diploma vs dropping to the IB Certificate.
Thanks in advance!


texts:
I read the answers to this, however I'm searching for an elaborated answer on how two (or more) sencentes are oubviously from one source, and hence can be cited with one citation at the end of all sentences:

For example to reduce a really long sentences: The thing varies in dimension A, because of <long explanation with many commas>. Consequently, it is categorised as 1,2 or 3 [Mr. Twit, 2013].

Are linking words like consequently, therefore and so on enough to signal that is originates from one source? Can I swap the dot (.) and the citation [Mr. Twit, 2013] to indicate that the citation does not only belong to the last sentence?

Bonus question: If I write a whole paragraph and add one citation at the end, does this imply that the whole paragraph is quoted?

In gerneal I'm trying to reduce he-said-she-said structures, as they are akward and hinder the information flow.


texts: Possible to change supervisor for Ph.D defense in Germany?

texts:
Currently I have reached the final stage of my Ph.D study in Germany. Nevertheless, I want to find a new supervisor within the same university or in other German university for Ph.D defense, is this possible?

Long story short, due to the fact that my current supervisor could provide hardly any technical advice nor funding support for my PhD project in the last 2-3 years, the relationship between us became unpleasant and I seldom communicate with him (what can I expect?). Few months ago he told me that he would cancel the duty of supervision because of poor communication, but I can still defense my thesis under his name. I guess the actual reason why he was mad because I was not giving him the source codes of my work (literally for free).

Now my Ph.D thesis is almost finished (time mainly spent on numerical solvers programming based on open-source codes), and I want to find some professor who could at least give me some advice for my final work, and finish my Ph.D defense within 3-6 months. Assuming my future supervisor would agree with this (potentially continue working with him/her after the defense), but does this violate some regulations for Ph.D degree which requires someone staying in the university for a minimum period of time (e.g. enrolled semesters).


texts: Would creating an online flash card deck for GRE study help overcome a weak TOEFL score?

texts:
My TOEFL score is 85, but the minimum requirement of the school I'm applying to is 90. My GRE verbal score is also not very good. However, I have dedicated a month to contribute to the community of people studying for the GRE (more specifically, I have built a well-designed and information-rich Anki deck). Here is what I can sell in the SOP (they are the last two paragraphs of the What are you working on now? part):

Once complete I posted it on my website, and the result is incredible. Every month there are approximately a hundred visitors visit my site to download it, and within a couple months this popularity has pushed my site to the front page of Google*. Another good news for me is that I haven't forgotten a single word since.
Although my TOEFL or GRE score might not be high yet, the scores themselves don't reflect everything. After all, English should be a medium to communicate, not the opposite. I plan to upgrade the deck to make the it more consistent in the future.

But I'm worried that my application will be screened out before the SOP is read. Even if it is read, after all I built it to learning GRE vocabulary, not to training speaking or listening (my speaking score is only 18). I can take another TOEFL exam, but I want to make sure that my English has improved enough so that the money spent to retake it will not be wasted. It should technically not be a problem, if the deadlines are not coming.
My questions are:

In schools that care about the scores, is there a way to make the committee read the SOP first? Like the professor I'm following sending an email to them to rescue me?
After that, do my scores still matter?
I also have created a deck just for the speaking test, but haven't published yet because I still can improve it. And if I explain that I have generate a feasible, scientific plan to improve my English, with studies back up in psychology and/or neurosciences, would this helps? The only thing it needs is time.

* Just google gre anki
Related questions:
• Do admissions care how close a TOEFL score is to the minimum?
• Why do universities place a weight on GRE/TOEFL scores?


texts: Is it normal for a Professor to make unsolicited contact with potential Masters students via LinkedIn?

texts:
My friend recently moved to Canada and she holds a BSc from an overseas university. Her school wasn't world-famous but wasn't bad either. For the past year she'd been studying English and preparing for the GRE to get ready for admission into a North American university.

Apparently there is this professor in the US who'd found her on LinkedIn and is interested in having her as one of his grad students. He has been very encouraging, even keeping in touch via Skype while my friend was on vacation. He's told her that if she gets a good score on the GRE he will be able to admit her. He has also made promises of grants.

My friend is married but she is young and quite attractive. While she had a decent GPA her university wasn't all that amazing. Also her command of English isn't very good. All of this is making me suspicious about the intentions of this professor.

I have worked with some very nice professors but none of them took time on a regular basis to voluntarily stay in touch with a prospective student. I could understand why one might look for bright and amazing students on LinkedIn, but the fact of the matter is my friend did not have her full academic records published on her profile (just a few examples of her projects and volunteer work, but no grades or GPA).

Do you find this scenario normal? I am having a hard time giving this professor the benefit of the doubt.


texts: Prerequisites for RTDb (tenure-track assistant professor) position in Italy

texts:
I have read that a prerequisite to apply for a RTDb (tenure-track assistant professor) position in Italy is to have held a 3-year RTDa position in an Italian university or an equivalent 3-year postdoc position in another country or to already have received a national associate professor habilitation. Is this information accurate? If yes,

Must the three years have passed at the time of the application or at the time of the appointment to the position?
Does the habilitation have any requirements about the years of postdoctoral experience?

Also, what are the characteristics of a RTDa position in Italy and how do they differ from a postdoctoral contract in other European countries?


texts: What are the boundaries between draft, manuscript, preprint, paper, and article?

texts:
In the terminology for a peer-reviewed publication to be submitted to a reputable scientific journal, what are the differences and characteristic properties of the following?

draft
manuscript
preprint
paper
article

My own take on it would be that my text is a draft until I submit it to a journal, at which point it becomes a manuscript.  When the manuscript is accepted it becomes a preprint, and when it gets published it becomes a paper, which is synonymous to article.

Would that be an accurate summary?  Would anyone have corrections or additions?


texts: How to "become familiar with the literature", inter alia to find appropriate method to publish independent research?

texts:
This is a more basic question than, and not a duplicate of, this question. That question was answered, basically, with "become familiar with the literature in that field" and read that literature.  So that question is answered, but leaves me with this more basic one.

I'm a senior software engineer albeit with only a BS in CS.  I'm not that in touch with new ideas in such as red-black trees (not new now but newer than my undergrad degree), the latest ideas on to optimize hash tables, and the like, except as they pick up use in commonly used libraries such as Boost, or otherwise spread in the industry. My questions are:

I'd like to be more of an early adopter.  How do I even find such journals or other publications?  Note I'm with a financial firm in Japan and I doubt it has any journal subscriptions.  I'm not sure how to see if any local universities make their libraries open to non-affiliated independent researchers.
I've developed a new type of memory pool that can maximize locality of reference of allocations.  That should allow an application to substantially improve performance.  I'd like to publish it, if 1) it's not "too practical" for a research journal and 2) if a survey of the literature shows no-one's already invented it.  OTOH, I don't know how to do that survey.

Alternately, is simply trying to put something like this in Boost or GNU libraries or on github the most reasonable approach?


texts: Using typographical variants of the same letter as mathematical symbols in a paper

texts:
Sometimes I struggle in choosing notations for a mathematical paper. There are probably no explicit rules, but unwritten conventions. In a discussion, is it proper to use different typographical variants of the same letter to denote different variables?

For example, is it acceptable to use an italic K (), an upright K (K), a blackletter K () and a calligraphic K () for four different variables in one section?


texts:
I have a hard time understanding statements such as:

  Scientist X discovered Y in 1960 and was subsequently rediscovered by Scientist Z in 1980.

How does one prove that plagiarism has not taken place? This is also extensively observed in some really old math theorems, chemistry and so on. How does one prove that the similar work produced was as a result of one’s own independent work and not resulting from another’s. Even if something was re-discovered subsequently, why is it even given merit?


texts: Does disability impact on prospects of employment in academia?

texts:
The impression I get in my field of research (theoretical chemistry) is that candidates for postdoc and more permanent research positions are judged partly upon their publication record. I suspect this is true of other fields, particularly the sciences.

I suffer from a long term chronic illness which means currently I cannot work full-time. I manage 75% of full-time hours  working on my PhD currently, so while I am well enough to do research, I am not well enough to do as much as I'd like. I am concerned that, should my health not improve, this will prove problematic as I try to move from being a student to an employee. My academic output would likely be less than an able-bodied person in the same position. While it may be of the same quality, there would be less of it.

There is legislation in many places that prevents discrimination against disabled people, but I suspect this would not apply where candidates are being judged based on previous academic output. My worry is that because academic employment seems so performance/output-oriented, I will be left behind, even if my work is of good quality.

Thoughts and experiences regarding how disability is treated in academia, particularly with regards to selecting candidates for a new position, would be greatly appreciated. I would also welcome advice on how to mitigate the possible issues arising from this.

I was initially unsure whether to post this, as it would be possible for potential employers to identify me from this posting. However, I think this topic is important to discuss and there are potentially other PhD students in the same situation as me.


texts: Should I give up on trying to get into a PhD program?

texts:
I majored in philosophy, Late in my undergrad career, I decided I wanted to get into linguistics instead, so I applied for PhD programs. I had a 3.95 GPA, had taken around 15 graduate-level courses as an undergrad (5 in B and 10 in A), good recommendation letters (I think) and an interesting writing sample. In linguistics, publications don't really matter much in PhD admissions. I was also at a top 10 institution for linguistics as an undergrad. I applied to 8 schools, got rejected by 6 and waitlisted by 2 top 20 programs. By strange luck (they said so in their emails), despite both schools having gone into their waitlists in previous years, they did not do so that year.

I decided to take a year off and do some research in order to write a better writing sample, which I did. Everyone told me that was the main weakness of my application. I figured I should have a better chance then. Strangely, I did even worse (better in one regard, actually): I reapplied around 6 months ago, and I got rejected by 8 and waitlisted by 1, which is ranked 2 in the world in linguistics and literally my dream school. Again, despite them having gone into their waitlists in previous years, they could not accept me because they weren't able to go into their waitlist again. I even got rejected by the university I did my undergrad in, by the professors who wrote me my recommendation letters, even though I was a perfect fit for their program and they knew how I could handle the coursework and do independent research.

I've enrolled at an unfunded (for the first year, apparently I should likely be able to work as a TA during the second year for funding) MA program since I have no other choice. I'm going to have to live on graduate PLUS loans for at least one year. My question is, should I even bother applying for PhD programs again? Maybe I'm just not good enough. Should I just look for a job instead and ditch my masters program? I know for a fact that this is the only thing I want to do for the rest of my life, but if I can't do it then I might as well give up now before going into debt. I can't even imagine doing anything else with my life though.


texts: A professor invited me to their seminar when I enquired about working on a master thesis with them: did they reject me?

texts:
I am a master student. In the next year I need to start my work on master thesis. I have sent letters to two professors in the same group, stating my interest, and have asked if they have a suitable project for me. One said that he is retired and cannot take long term responsibility, but he invited me to join a seminar (closely related to my interest), funded by their group. The other professor also invited me to the seminar, but said nothing about the project.
I mostly believe that the latter professor has rejected me, but I am not sure, is my intuition correct?


texts: How should I let a professor know that I don't want to work for her?

texts:
I am interested in the research of two professors, (one more so than the other) at a university I am applying to for PhD (let's call one Ms. E - less interested and Mr. K - very interested). I met both the professors and both seemed to be interested in getting me on their research team. I had a second meeting with the Ms. E and she asked whether I was talking to any other professors. I told her about Mr. K and that was it.

Next thing I know, Mr. K under whom I was actually planning to work, emails me saying I should continue my application under Ms. E.

Now I am confused as to how to navigate this problem. They both had planned to pull some academic strings to get me in as soon as possible (I am an international student) and both have promised me funding. I had not verbally committed to anything with either but only told them that I was interested in their research and wanted to talk to them about it further.

How should I let Ms. E know that I would rather work for Mr.K?


texts: Does the time taken to do a PhD affect post doctoral applications?

texts:
I am a non EU PhD Student in Germany in Global Studies. I am now in my 8th year of a PhD program, which is quite dysfunctional. However, with a lot of difficulty, I am about to complete the PhD and hand it in.
I am looking at post doctoral opportunities but am worried that the long time I took to complete the PhD would affect me negatively. I have published quite widely, presented work at international conferences, and am in my late 40s now. I began my career as an academic (masters in 2008) after a long career as a journalist.


texts: What is the difference between a teaching assistant and an instructor?

texts:
It seems to me that the terms "Teaching Assistant" and "Instructor" refer to a variety of positions. At some places, a teaching assistant is responsible for things like helping the actual lecturer by handing out papers, grading homework, etc., and instructors hold recitation sessions.

At other places, I saw the term "instructor" referring to the lecturer giving the course, while a teaching assistant is the person doing anything else (recitations, grading etc.).

Is there some widely accepted definition of the two positions?

For context: The question arose because I wasn't sure whether I'm using the correct terms in my CV -- I am a math graduate student, and I would like to make a distinction between jobs in which I only graded course assignments/final exams, and courses in which I held recitation classes* (and also participated in grading the final exams). Is it OK to use "Instructor" for the latter? What should the former be referred to as?

*In the course I'm currently teaching, the recitations are planned and written by the ones giving them (without the professors' supervision). Also, the people giving the recitations are not necessarily grad students (some already hold a PhD). I'm elaborating on that because from what I've seen, some of it could be relevant for the definition of the job.


texts: Does any publication venue make rejected papers available for download?

texts:
Is there any publication venue that makes rejected papers available for download?

I am most interested in the field of computer science, and English-speaking venues.


texts: Conflict of Interest statement for journal submission

texts:
Does anyone know what "Conflict of Interest" is? I am submitting a paper to a journal, and they ask me to attach a Conflict of Interest. Is it the same as Cover Letter?

Thanks in advance for any help!


texts: Alternatives to sewing (or any habit) to stay focused in class

texts:
I struggle with staying focused during lectures. However, while listening to online lectures, I started sewing and it has made life so much easier. I am able to listen and follow along. When the time comes to do practice questions, I do a lot better than I usually do.

So the problem is, I cant take my needle and thread into an in-person lecture. Are there any alternatives that I can try? Or should I just talk to my professor and see if I can sit in the back of the class and sew? I don't want to seem disrespectful, but I've tried so much to improve and this has been the most effective thing by far.

Taking notes doesn't usually help. I get so caught up in taking notes that I miss the material. If I just try to listen, I zone out.

Edit regarding duplication:
I saw a similar question someone posted asking how to focus in class. I found the way to do that. My question is more like, "What is an alternative I can do that won't make my professor think I'm being disrespectful? (Looking for something that is academically acceptable) " Or is it appropriate to go to my professor, explain the situation, and ask to do what helps me?


texts: Working with PhD student instead of professor

texts:
I'm currently an undergrad, and our university has a research program that I'm taking part in. I was hoping to get the chance to work with a professor, but in reality I just worked with the professor's PhD student. In fact, throughout the whole semester, I've only met the professor once at the start of the semester. I have other friends who joined the same program under other professors, and they also shared the same experience.

Is this normal for undergrad research programs? I'm just concerned because for example if I need recommendation letters in the future, I don't think the professor knows me that well (and I don't think the PhD student is allowed to write one?)


texts: Admission into top engineering graduate programs with a GPA just below the cutoff

texts: I'm applying for a master's degree at top graduate schools for robotics, such as MIT. However, I've heard that the recommended minimum GPA for these schools is 3.5. My GPA is actually 3.45. I know the supposed "cutoff" isn't rigid, but I'm worried because I don't have any publications either, although I have several years of highly relevant experience working in a number of research labs. With a difference of 0.05 points, will it be rounded to a 3.5 in the admissions reviewers' minds, or is this the final stroke that would send my application straight to the trash bin?


texts: Location, life and applying for faculty positions

texts:
I am 5 years into my postdoc, which has been up and down but I now have a decent publication record. I like what I am doing, am ready to manage people and can't wait to get out of the lab and no longer be a postdoc. I have many ideas and not enough hands. But, it is becoming clear that to be "successful" one has to be willing to look absolutely everywhere for a faculty position. I am in New York City, I moved here for my postdoc from London, UK, and love it here. I have friends and a support system, a husband, a great apartment. Aside from that it is relatively convenient for flying to the UK to see my family - who have a lot of problems, which I am struggling to deal with. Although I think I might want to have a faculty position, I want to be here more - and I think I need this to feel happy. My family problems has taught me that life is too short to be miserable and do things that will make you unhappy.
My boss is going all out promoting me to her PI friends and telling them how great I am, asking around for positions and introducing me to people - which is incredibly supportive. But she keeps suggesting places I just can't see myself living in, and says I need to be open minded. The fact is that I simply do not want to.  What would you do? If I tell my boss this, I feel like I'll lose her support and need her on my side for the next step (which also I wouldn't mind being in industry). I am really confused and don't know how to have this conversation with my boss or if I should at all. Any ideas?


texts: I have been accused of copying two lab reports from the previous year even though I had done everything by myself

texts:
Today I got accused by my professor of cheating and copying two reports I submitted. I had a formal meeting with the professor where he tried to push me into admitting I cheated by showing me the surprising similarities. Even though I continuously denied it, he went forward to go to a formal hearing in the university where a panel will judge the outcome. I am currently freaking out. I know I did not cheat from anybody and I feel like the similarity could be due to a similar thought process (which sounds ridiculous). Should I just say that I did not cheat and stick with it? Or should I ask if I can redo the reports (though it sounds suspicious)? The reports were 68 percent similar and I feel like the odds are against me even though I did not do anything.

Edit: the software used was turnitin and I do not hav access to the original files to get time stamps. I literally can only deny the allegations. The only reasonable explanation is that the professor taught us in a similar manner and our report writing manner was similar due to the fact we have taken the same courses a year apart and had the same professors who molded our report writing skills.


texts: Potential conflicting grad school interview events

texts:
I've applied to several programs at several different graduate schools, and if shortlisted for interview, I expect to receive invitations by the end of January and most of them hold their visit and interview event on just two weekends in Feb. I already received an invitation, but the date will have a conflict if I receive an invitation from a few schools that I actually prefer over this one. I expect to hear from those school over the next week, but I don't know if it is ok to keep them waiting for my response to interview invitation. Is this ok to respond for making arrangements a few days after receiving the invitation?

Note 1 - The event is a 2-day event, so it is not just a short interview with me, so I am worried they might not be able to rearrange a different date only for me.

Note 2 - I have already read this and this, but my question is different! It is about whether I should keep the first one waiting to avoid a potential conflict with the interview for a preferred program.


texts: How to obtain Microsoft code signing certificate for signing supplementary material for scientific article?

texts:
Our research results (mathematical models) can be supplemented by rather convincible and impressive visualizations of both scientific concept and experimental data. We produced this demonstration material in the form of executable files that could be downloaded from our website to run locally. The material is written in real programming language, not a wrapper around some third party tool. They were initially written as Java applets, now we converted them into stand alone executables.

To look somewhat "correct", the executable to share in these days must be digitally signed (here is the full explanation). Unsigned Java applets cannot run at all in these days. Unsigned MSI installers still run, but display various nasty warnings that may scare of half of the audience.

Our research group is not a company like AG or GMBH, so it is not included into databases where that allow true companies to be verified and obtain certificates rather easily. We really cannot register a commercial company just to sign our demonstration material.

This only leaves an option for the researcher to obtain the certificate as individual. While theoretically the procedure exists and appears simple (just present a few documents to the Notary), in reality we failed multiple times because for the certificate issuer such a researcher is a "strange person from the street" with not enough trust to issue this electronic document. One of the main they argumentation was that my citizenship does not match the country of the residence (that is, I would say, very common between scientists that move between positions over the world). Also they said they do not like how the Notary has done his job with document signing, while it was an official Notary, and I am not sure if any other could do better. I am in German speaking country, the instructions were in English and the Notary even said he is unable legally follow them. Finally they asked me to hire a true lawyer rather than just a notary, and at this point we were forced to withdraw.

After the long pause I have applied for the certificate for the second time, but to avoid wasted time and useless expenses with the Notary, tried to discuss these two problems with the provider in advance. As a result, my application has been immediately cancelled. Rather tough approach, I would say.

How is this problem supposed to be solved? Is there any institution or process that would allow researcher to sign his code for online sharing, using his academic identity as part of the trust? Random providers offering to issue such certificates rather cheaply basically do not want to go into any talks if you are not a commercial company.


texts: Books/resources about how to write a good Thesis introduction

texts:
I would like to know if there is any reference book about this topic.

I found the "They Say/ I say" book useful to write the Thesis discussion, but feel I need some guidelines on how to tackle this other part of the Thesis.

Thanks


texts: I am nearing the end of my Ph.D. I need to publish a bit more, but am unsure what to do. So far I have published two rather large articles with my supervisor, where we develop new methods. I have also published a smaller article along with an external collaborator, where some of the new methods are used. My supervisor thinks we should publish another large article together, while I lean more towards two small ones alone. I am not guaranteed a post doc anywhere yet, and will most likely have to write my own grant application. What would be the best thinking in terms of securing external funding afterwards?


texts: Realistic time frame for GRE scores to appear in My GRE account

texts:
I'm looking to take the GRE soon, and wondering what is the realistic timeline in your experience for the scores to appear in the My GRE account.

ETS states scores take 10-15 days for scores to appear. I've read on other forums that it takes considerably less time than that.

My program allows reporting of the official score, and allows ETS to submit the GRE upon admission.

Thanks


texts: How many online courses have been removed due to accessibility laws?

texts: Is there any research/study/survey/database that tried to quantify how many online courses/videos/audio lectures/other educational materials have been removed due to accessibility laws such as the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (mirror)?


texts: Workshop(s) for application to Marie Curie postdoctoral Fellowships (formerly IIF, IEF and IOF, now just IF)

texts:
I believe there are workshops offered to people who want to prepare application to Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowships (now part of the Individual Fellowships offered by them). I am trying to find out when the next workshop is or the general schedule of such workshops over the year.

I tried to find online information on them, without much success, I noticed some heavily charged workshops that happened before. My questions are:

Where can I find information and schedule of such workshops?
Are they always held by the authority/organization offering Marie Curie fellowships? Or, there could be other universities wanting to get Marie Curie postdocs and hence could offer a workshop?
Is there a "local" workshop for a region, for example, people from Spain might not want to travel to Germany etc.
Are there free ones, or is a fee always required?


texts: Do UK universities have a special obligation to advertise jobs externally?

texts:
I often hear it said that all jobs have to be advertised externally before anyone can be appointed to an academic post in a UK university. However, this rule about having to advertise externally is certainly not true in general in industry where the only obligation one might have to avoid discrimination claims is to advertise the job internally.

Is there a special obligation on a UK university through some public sector regulations, maybe, to advertise all jobs externally?  I'm asking about UK universities in particular.


texts: How to call colleagues who was once your professor or advisor?

texts:
After finishing my PhD in the US, I am now working in a university in an Asian country where I studied for my master. All of my colleagues are 20 years senior than me and are full professors except one. I am wondering what I should call my colleagues. Should I address them as "Teacher" if I've ever taken a class from them? (One of them is my master advisor which is especially awkward for me to call his name.) Or should I address them by their "First Name" to emphasise that our current relationship is not teacher and student anymore? (They usually call each other by First name since they are all in similar age group, seniority, and male?)
By the way, I've been in this position for 1.5 years but I never call them by their first name, it's usually ‘Teacher’ if they previously taught me; or "Teacher xx(Last name)" if they never taught me. Would that be awkward if I just change how I call them now?


texts: Is this our fault? corringendum vs erratum

texts:
We have been advised that a recent article of ours was incorrectly published as article type y instead of article type x. Article type x and y are very similar, having the same word counts, similar structure, and the same fees. It is just that the name of the article type (x vs y) is different.
It was our error for selecting the incorrect article type when submitting the article, but the article's title and some of the responses to the reviewer made it clear which article type we were aiming for.
The journal would now like us to issue a corringendum that states 'This article was supposed to be published as an x type article rather than a y type article'. However, I am wondering if this is more suitable as an erratum? i.e. that the journal was to blame for this error.


texts: Should I inform other project's members about my work on an idea which they are not initially interested in

texts:
I'm a PhD student working on a research project consisting of 2 teams. My team (team A) is on the practical side, we provide the problems related to our research and evaluate the theoretical solutions provided by the other team (team B).

Few months ago, I had an idea related to the work of team B and thought it would help to improve the quality of our research. I raised it during our project meeting but everyone was not interested and decided not to pursue it further. So, I decided to do it by myself. As the research was not in my supervisor's research interest as well, he did not pay much attention to it but still encouraged me to do it and publish a paper if possible. I occasionally gave him a brief progress update.

My effort paid off. I manage to publish a paper (in which I am the only author) and am planning to apply it into the project. At the recent meeting, members of team B were furious and accused me of bad teamwork as I did not inform them while working on something related to the project, especially when the idea belonged to their work, not mine.

I wonder if they are right and I should inform them my research, even though they were not interested at the beginning.


texts: How likely is for the head of some University/Institution to ask other professors for further details related to the candidate?

texts:
I am thinking of applying at several Biology PhD programmes and for this I need several recommendation letters. Have you experienced the situation where the head of the targeted Department asked the person that recommended you further details about you, even though the letters already contain references to your work/behaviour in the lab? How much does the content of the letters count?
Any shared experience will be greatly appreciated!


texts: Lecturer with anxiety. How to survive in academia?

texts:
I've been a long time member of academia.SE but I created this alt account because the question is a bit embarrassing. I finished my PhD 4 years ago and after a 2 year postdoc at a different university secured a contractual lecturership. During my PhD I never realised I had fear of public speaking, because I always felt secure presenting in front of my supervisor. Even at conferences, his presence in the audience was enough to keep me relaxed.

Fast forward to my postdoc, I was mostly working and publishing by myself. So, even if I had to present something it was to my coauthors, with which I am okay. But as a lecturer doing research part of my time, I am involved in projects and seminars where I am expected to present my latest work. Being on my own has brought out my inner anxiety, so much so that I choked during a presentation, had to drink water to calm my nerves and apologise for my breathlessness and slurred speech. That was the most embarrasing thing in my life. Please note that the anxiety is not the result of me not publishing or doing research. I have published more than most in my department. Knowing that hasn't helped with the anxiety though. I am constantly making excuses to get out of project presentations and seminar talks. Fortunately, the anxiety is less intense in teaching and I am able to manage.

How do I survive as an academic? Now even conference presentations seem daunting. I can publish exclusively in journals, but how do I get out of giving project and departmental presentations? How can I politely refuse to present without revealing my situation? Or better yet, how do I fix the whole thing? That one bad presentation has really messed me up.


texts: Is experience as a Lecturer in Europe/UK considered relevant in Indian inst. (IIT/IIIT/NIT) for Assistant Professor positions in CS?

texts:
Is a Lecturer in the UK or Europe considered pretty much the same as an Assistant Professor in the US, considering the fact that this Lecturer position involves teaching, research and service?

Do Indian institutions (IIT/IIIT/NIT) consider the experience as a Lecturer in Europe or the UK equivalent to the US for Assistant Professor positions in CS?


texts: Can you get a Mathematics PhD if you're an engineer?

texts:
I'm a Software Engineering and Mathematics student. And I'll probably get my engineering degree much sooner than my Maths degree (I'm not sure I'll get it, but I'll try, as Eng. takes a lot of time off my day).

So, my question is pretty simple: Can an engineer get a Maths doctorate?

For further details, my engineering course has pretty basic maths stuff: Calculus, a bit of logic, introductory number theory, graph theory, some numerical analysis, etc.

However, I'm enrolled in a pure maths course which covers pretty 'advanced' stuff, will it matter that I passed these subjects even if I don't get my math degree?

E: Please consider reopening this question, I've added details that may be relevant to this particular scenario.


texts: What are the negative effects to the first author when adding coauthors?

texts:
There are many questions on this site which involve authorship disputes and ethicality.

In fact, there are often people who are greatly distressed when their contributions to a paper are "lesser" than they expected, for whatever reason. This could range from having a co-first author added, or having other secondary authors added to the authorship list. Another famous example woudl be the Alpher-Bethe-Gamow paper regarding Big Bang nucleogenesis, where the first author Alpher greatly resented the addition of Bethe to the authorship list.

However, I do not understand why adding co-authors would be a bad idea. Surely, the fact that you were helped by another person means that they should be co-authors on the paper, as long as they made significant intellectual contributions.

None of the fields mentioned in this question regarding authorship norms had any explanation of the potential detrimental effects additional authors have to the first author.

What, then, are the possible negative effects that the first author can suffer if other authors are added to the paper?

Note: I do not intend to ask regarding issues where the original author is removed from consideration, only those where the first author is kept, but other coauthors are added to the authorship list.


texts: Reference manager that sorts by number of citations

texts:
This question is related to: How to sort search results from SCOPUS or Web of Knowledge by number of citation in a specific field?
but a little bit different.

Is there a citation manager that keeps number of citations current for articles that are found in common databases? I have looked at popular ones like Mendeley, ReadCube, and others but haven't seen this feature.

I think that if number of citations was a field in a manager database, it would probably be easily sortable.


texts: What do I do if I feel there are many things which need to be learnt to do my research?

texts:
I am a second year PhD student in probability from the UK. I enjoy what I do, but here is a problem:

as I dig deep into my study, I realize I have to read a lot of stuff I do not fully understand and they often arise in fields of study which are not probability, but related areas: e.g. PDE theory, functional analysis.

I have a basic understandings about some of these things, sometimes I might even feel I have enough to get by, but I am unsatisfied. This is perhaps due to the fact I never studied some of these topics as an undergraduate, but to be fair, no one told me an understanding of PDE theory is very useful to probability (I even think this only depends on what you do)

I do want to know more and previously I tried to attend multiple courses in a term to make up for some of this - this was not effective. Going to 1 or 2 courses a term is fine, but doing any more is a big drain of time if I want to fully understand the material lecture.

So have others experienced this? What is the best way of getting around this?


texts: Should I put reading group coordination / participation on CV?

texts:
I am an active participant in an academic reading group. I am co-coordinator, meaning I help pick topics, schedule talks, coordinate food, update the website, send emails, etc. I've also presented a couple times when we can't get presenters at the last minute. I think a link on my website is fine, but does this activity warrant a place on an academic CV?

(EDIT: I'm a second-year PhD student if that matters.)


texts: How to improve self-learning as a PhD student?

texts:
As a doctoral student, you take some classes, but most of what you do needs material that you must gather from papers, conferences, and other sources. With limited possibilities for communication with authors and such, what's the best way to learn these necessary concepts?

For example, I read a paper (from a big name publication) presenting a novel approach to SVMs with new constraints on the objective function. The description of the optimization was vague, but I needed to use this technique for my own work and my optimization skills are limited at best. I'm sure to a reviewer with the right expertise, the description was fine though.

As a PhD student, one can only take so many courses in so many subjects. Nevertheless, some things (like optimization theory in the above example) are not exactly easily self-taught, and surely not in a few weeks.

So I ask you, what is the best strategy to fill these gaps without devoting entire courses to the subject?

Additionally, how do you do that without just learning things piecemeal? Learning something useful for a hyper-specific case is essentially worthless once circumstances change. How do you balance the need to know both these hyper-specific examples and the more general ideas while doing this gap-filling?


texts: How to remove a co-author from an article published on arXiv?

texts:
I have published an article on arXiv. I associated person X as co-author whereas he didn't contribute at any step of the paper. Note that he is not registered as owner of the article on arXiv and I didn't give him the password to access as author.

When I wanted to submit the paper to a journal, X began to do some harassment. After that, I decided to remove his name from the article on arXiv.

Questions: How can I remove a co-author from an article published on arXiv? Can he claim that he is the co-author on arXiv or for a journal submission?


texts: What is a professor called who teaches only one class and who works in the industry during the day-a visiting professor still?

texts:
She teaches a class at night and she works in the industry during the day. She has a PhD though.

Is this still called a "Visiting professor" (which I thought meant you were permanently employed at another university as opposed to a job)?

Moreover, is there a distinction made between a visiting assistant professor vs visiting associate professor vs just visiting professor?


texts: Fiancée has a position lined up, but none of the universities in the area are hiring. What else can I do to get an academic position in the area?

texts:
I find myself in an unfortunate two-body problem situation. My fiancée got two offers earlier this year, one a post doc and the other a tenure track position. She deferred the tenure track for a year and is currently halfway through her post doc. The university she got the tenure track position from was happy to do this for her so she could broaden her teaching and research skills.

I am a PhD student who is finishing up in May, but I find myself not having many good options for employment. The area in which she got the tenure track position is very small and there are not many options for people with a math PhD outside of working for one of the universities. Obviously I knew this already. However, none of them are hiring for this coming year.

The two body problem in academia is a classic problem and it's not one that is easily remedied. I'd really hate to be a lecturer because that's a really rough lifestyle and I have a lot of research I want to do. I have at least three or four papers lined up for the next year or so in addition to one I have published, two that I have submitted, and another I'm submitting in the next week or two. I'm starting to feel a lot of dread about this. What should I do (or even my fiancée do) to get an academic position for the fall (ideally in the area she will be in)?


texts: Should I correct a single trivial typo in a submitted manuscript after they rejected the first submission for having too many typos?

texts: I sent a paper to a journal and they replied that there were many typos that needed to be corrected. I tried my best to fix these errors, and, after reading the paper numerous times, I resubmitted the paper. Now, however, I found a trivial typo in a comment. My question is : should I wait for their response or tell them about this typo now?


texts: How to motivate students to complete low-point homework?

texts:
I teach a course consisting of about 50 assignments. These include readings, many short writing assignments, and group projects. Additionally, students complete 2 large projects as the mid-term and final, entirely covering all of the material.

I noticed many students skipped lots of homework. Some skipped 6 weeks of work completely. I assumed the workload was too high, but I surveyed those who did the work and nobody reported spending more than 2-3 hours per week. Some students had determined that each assignment had such a low value, they did not bother to complete the work. These students all did very poorly on the final.

My supervisor will not be happy to find that I am failing 25% of the students. For future terms, how can I motivate students to complete everything?


texts: All three of my professors asked me to write the first draft of my Letter of Recommendation.

texts:
I just finished writing for one of them but I still have two more to write. Though my interactions with all three of them have been on different occasions, there are still limited things I can write about myself without overdoing things.
I am just not sure how should I approach writing the rest two? Should I just repeat everything I wrote in the first one?
I am quite sure they will add/remove a couple of lines only. So if I just copy the contents, they will look all the same. If I don't then I fear I will miss important points about myself.


texts: TVöD pay scale for 1st year PhD in Bayern

texts:
In my contract, it says salary is according to "TVöD level 13". Can anyone tell me which table belongs to this category from all the tables in öffentlicher-dienst.info. There are many TVöD tables and I don't know which one is mine.

My tax class is 1 and working hours is full time and position is in Bayern.

Thanks for the help in advance!!


texts: How can I switch from an MBA to a Masters program in a different subject?

texts: I am an international student currently enrolled in a MBA program. This is my first semester here and I want to transfer to a different program in a different college. I have a 3-year BSC (Honors) in computing but my grades weren't great. I want to transfer to a MS in Computer Science. However, it seems that most programs require me to have taken certain classes like data structures and statistics, which were not offered in my bachelors program. My plan is to transfer from my MBA program to a bachelors program, take those classes, and then take the GRE and apply for MS. Is that possible? What other options do I have?


texts: Software that skips pauses in lecture recordings

texts: I enjoy listening to lectures at 1.5x speed because I retain the same amount of information while saving time. I find that 2x speed is usually too fast except when the speaker pauses. I'm curious if there is a video playback software that plays at 1.5x speed, and skips pauses at 2x speed. A pause could be any stop (or substantial decrease) in audio for 1-2 seconds while the same image is displayed on screen.


texts: Are there any careers in psychology, where you don't have to interact with people, for most time?

texts: I am a psychology student, just finished my BA. I like the subject psychology, but i just don't like interacting with people. I would prefer to work alone. I wouldn't mind once in a while interactions such as once a month but being around people everyday is too draining.


texts: What's behind the teen prodigies inventing things?

texts:
Every once in a while you see a headline similar to "17 year old student finds a cure for cancer!". Here are some examples too.

What's behind this? I find it hard to believe that a teenager without any academic education (or minimal education) can solve a problem that many experienced, well-funded, scientists have been working on for years. Or make a technological breakthrough that billion dollar international tech firms could not reach by themselves.

Are they really teen prodigies with brilliant minds or are they working in a team of people who know what they are doing that actually do all the work?


texts: If I delay my graduation for one semester and get accepted to a Phd program, can the submission be delayed?

texts:
I'm in my third year, and I was originally planning to graduate end of my 5th year, but now I changed my plans, I'm going to graduate at the end of my 4th year.However, there is a pair of courses called Turkish I and Turkish II that every students needs to take in Turkey in any university, and I didn't take the first one the fall semester. Now, the next fall semester, I'm going to study abroad for one semester with Erasmus (hopefully).

If I apply for a Phd program next year, and get accepted, at the end of my fourth year, practically I'm a graduated, expect officially I still need to take Turkish I course, which I'm hoping that I can take it in the summer term at the end of my 4th year (or maybe the fall semester of my 5th year). In such a case, is it possible for my submission to be delayed for one semester ? What are my options in this case ?


texts: Is it useful to add excerpts from teaching evaluations in a teaching statement?

texts:
Is it useful to add excerpts from teaching evaluations in a teaching statement included in a faculty application?

A fair amount of teaching statements seem to contain some, but since excerpts are  typically cherry picked I wonder whether the admission committee cares about them.


texts:
I'm an African American. I had all my degrees here in the United States, my Bsc and my two masters degrees. Guess what? I was refused a diploma for my EMBA bcos i couldn't pay a just bal of $1050 on my student account. Of course it was "pay from the pocket option". I paid off the outstanding balance yet i could obtain my diploma because i did not apply for a graduation at the year i completed my program. Therefore, i was told my diploma will be dated current yrs (2 years after) despite i took graduation foto and attended the graduation ceremony. I'm still confuse i can be denied of my diploma even after paying off the balance. I'm in search of a lawyer who can help me with this case. Why will this college refuse to issue me a diploma stating the year i complete the course after paying off? As for the graduation application, i did sunmitted it of which i called their attention to check the email. Unfortunately, the school said they can not retrieve two years back email of a student. Can you imagine?
What should i do if my college refused to issue me a degree after paying off my debt?
 Pls i need your advice on this issue folks. Thnks


texts: Is there a chance for a new university in another country to accept my passed courses/classes?

texts:
I'm looking to transfer to another university in another country - University of Geneva.

Is there a chance that they will accept my passed classes in homeland university as all/most of my classes are the same with the one I'm willing to transfer?

I'm looking to finish the last year in University of Geneva.

Thanks


texts: Viability: Physics undergrad to Neuroscience/Psychology PhD?

texts:
I'm currently an undergraduate physics major entering my senior year in Fall 2017. However, I've had a change of interests and I wish to pursue something along the lines of psychology or neuroscience for graduate school. I've only had the scantest formal psychology education, but I do have a 4.0/4.0 overall GPA in my favor (as a different major, but I've also consistently done well in my humanities electives).

How viable is such a transition from the point of view of a potential PhD advisor in these two fields? I know that there is cross-pollination across fields such as physics and engineering, but do PhD programs in neuroscience, for example, offer similar leeway?

PS: I should also mention that I'm an international student studying in the US, and I would also want to do a PhD strictly within the US.


texts:
My question is about sharing code in my thesis. I ran simulations using ready data in my field from a book. After that, I compared the results with those from the book. Do I need to share my code or is sharing it optional? Because I already explained the methodology that I used for my thesis.
Looking forward to your answer. I tried to find a proper answer but I couldn't find it.


texts: Citing a work authored by “A. Smith with B. Jones”

texts:
I have a book, for simplicity’s sake let’s say it’s written by “A. Smith with B. Jones”. Note the with, not and. This how the authorship is credited both on the cover and inside the book.

This is because one of the writers did by far the majority of the work. So, how should I cite it? I am considering the following options:

In-text citation:

  (Smith & Jones, p. 11)

  (Smith with Jones, p. 11)

Reference:

  Smith, A. & B. Jones 2020. A book's title. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

  Smith A. with B. Jones 2020. A book's title. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.


texts: How to speak fluent English being a mathematics teacher?

texts: I am an assistant professor of mathematics (and pursuing in service Ph.D in mathematics ) a non native English speaker. I was not bad at English during my school days. Gradually, my effeciancy in speaking English seems to have gone down badly through years of pursuing mathematics (a dry subject without language). How do i improve myself now with minimum time and effort?


texts: How to recruit strong REU (undergrad research) students from other institutions?

texts:
Occasionally we find ourselves with some REU (research experience for undergraduates) money in hand for summer research on a particular project. This funding is allocated for undergraduate students who are US citizens or permanent residents to gain research experience.

Sometimes we can not find eligible students at our own institution who are both qualified and interested in working on the project, and we would like to recruit some strong candidates from other institutions.  (Or, even if we do have qualified students locally, we want to give opportunities to qualified students at other institutions.)

However, we are not an "REU site" with a regular program in place for recruiting undergrads, handling applications, etc. Rather, we sometimes apply for and receive "REU supplement" funding for a particular project. Then we are left with a recruiting problem.

How does one go about finding and recruiting strong undergraduate students from other institutions, when there's no pipeline in place?


texts: Improving chances of selection into a course at university

texts:
I am currently entering my third year at university, unfortunately my grades in the second year were lower second honours (which places me in the bottom 40 percentile) putting me at a disadvantage when picking my major subject module for this upcoming year.

We are not asked to submit a CV or attend an interview for admission into major subjects for the third year.

Students who pick a specific major subject are also asked to pick a minor subject - selection for minors is usually not deemed to be competitive. However, it turns out the minor subject I have chosen (entrepreneurship) was actually over subscribed and thus allocation has been delayed for the course organisers to make a choice as to which students are selected.

For the past two years at university I have spent a lot of time getting involved in, and reaching elected executive positions within entrepreneurship societies and groups (very rare for an undergraduate).

I feel like if the course organisers were to know about my additional interest, I would easily be accepted into the course. Every other student I know (in my academic year) does not show an active interest in entrepreneurship except for a few who only picked the course as a minor subject.

However I believe the course organisers are forced to make their decision based on grades alone, this may result in my rejection.

Would it be acceptable for me to email the course organiser and explain my situation (and interest in his course) or would that be deemed as an unfair attempt to skew the decision making in my favour?

EDIT: As well as undergrads studying my subject the course is open to other undergraduates (in other subjects) MBA and Ph.D students. Making it difficult for the course organisers to make a decision based on grades alone (as many MBA or Ph.D students will have received their honours at a different university where the honours system cannot be objectively compared).


texts:
I'm a PhD student, nearing the first half of my PhD.

The domain my advisor works in is not really something I love, and I'm more interested in different subjects.
I see now that I didn't invest enough time studying what she does, and it's starting to bite me back.
I didn't study her subject that much because I sort of tried to stay close to stuff I'm more comfortable with, and this results in me not doing much advanced stuff, and not getting results.
But I often regret that what I'm doing with her is not my cup of tea, and try to find ways, or dream of finding ways, to do stuff that's closer to my heart.

I think the situation I'm in right now is kind of a "worse of both worlds", since I think I don't have the full gains of being right in the domain of my advisor, she can't help as much, and we can't really collaborate as much as if I were doing exactly what she does.

My main fear is that I will spend my time doing stuff that I don't really care for, while losing sight from what I would hope to do.

I'm essentially asking the following question:

  Should I bite the bullet and invest myself fully in doing what my advisor does, or try to reduce damage by trying to change direction somehow?

The pros and cons that I see are the following:

Pros:

There is hope that were I to really invest myself in her discipline, I might come to enjoy it (I have the fuzzy idea that everything can become fun if you go far enough).
Also, maybe I could still direct it in directions closer to my heart (same problems, but approach it the way I like).
Even though I might not like it, maybe once I got a result or two, I could feel OK-er about trying to change subjects, have more liberty.
It might be that the subjects I fancy from my position would actually be too hard, or boring once I started working on them.

Cons:

Big time investment, with risks that it doesn't pay off in terms of results, and enjoyment.
I'm not that good of a researcher, so it might be that I spend my PhD doing that, and find no time later to work on stuff I enjoy more.

edit: My position so far is quite strongly on the "bite the bullet" side since it seems that's the option that would be least regrettable, and I have a pretty good relation with my advisor.


texts:
Is it ethical for a journal to cancel an accepted review request when they have obtained sufficient number of reviews to make a decision?

This happened to me recently and I think this is not the first time. They set a deadline for submitting the review, and sent a reminder. I did not reply, as I felt that I should be able to meet the deadline and even if I couldn't, it should not be a problem to submit my review slightly later. I am in the midst of reviewing this paper, and have spent some time on it, when suddenly they told me that my review is no longer needed.

I cannot know for sure if the way they work is as I described above, but that seems to be the case.

Edit:
Sorry my mistake, they had actually sent only one reminder, not a few reminders, as I stated earlier.

Update:
This is from the cancellation email I received earlier (note that I had accepted their request to review the paper less than a month ago):

  We have now received sufficient peer-review reports from other
  referees and would like to cancel our request for you to review the
  following manuscript:

  ...

  However, if you have already started your report, please forward any
  valuable comments you have as soon as possible. We apologize for any
  inconvenience this may cause and hope that we will be able to call on
  you to review for ... in the future.

Since I have started reviewing the paper, I wrote to them saying that I would like to send my review as soon as possible. The journal agreed to accept my review. In their reply, they say

  Since we have received enough review reports and have processed this
  manuscript further, the link to submit your review report was closed
  automatically. We have reopened the link for you.

I finished my review today and just submitted it to them. I could see from their system that there are two other reviewers, and both of them recommended minor revision.

I know that I should have informed them if I missed the deadline, but other journals seem to be OK with this. I think a 2-3 week deadline that this particular publisher gave is a bit short. In my field, 3 months from submission to acceptance is really fast. The average is more like half a year. Some can take more than a year.

Additional point:
In this journal/publisher, communication with reviewers are not handled by the editor.


texts: In a PhD program of study, what does "emphasis on descriptive material" mean?

texts:
For example, an interdisciplinary PhD program that I am reading about says this about their program:

"The program differs from the regular departmental offerings in science mainly by its interdisciplinary approach and emphasis on mathematics and physics, with less emphasis on descriptive material from any one discipline."

What does descriptive material mean here?


texts: What is the "books received" section in journals? Is it the books that will be reviewed later on, or the ones that were not reviewed? Who can send their books to the "books received" section, and what's the point of it?


texts: Is there any way to detect high tech (e.g. cell-phone assisted) academic dishonesty?

texts:
Over the last few years, our university has seen a rise in high-tech academic dishonesty.  We have a no electronics policy, except calculators when needed (even those now are provided by the school, and personal calculators are not allowed).  However, students still sneak cell phones into the exam and use them in a very inconspicuous way.

We have had students take pictures (presumably with a cell phone) during an exam and have someone outside the room sending them back solutions. We have had them communicate with classmates somewhere else in the room (some have been caught this way giving the right answers to the wrong exam).  We have had numerous students using their phones to store notes, copies of old exam solutions, etc., and use them as an aid during the exam (this is the most common).

We have caught some students, but I know it is a small fraction. Students will tell us they see cell phone use routinely during exams, but don't want to squeal on classmates because of anticipated reprisal.  Our instructors are quite vigilant in watching the classroom, but it is very difficult to watch 30 to 70 students constantly.  (Larger classes have multiple proctors.)  Instructors have been informed of the classic cues as well.  Our penalties are stiff (first offense, F in the course, second offense, student gets the boot from the school). However, students are still getting away with high-tech cheating.

My question is, does anyone have any sure fire ways of identifying students attempting to use cell phones or other high-tech cheating devices during exams? I'm looking for methods, electronic sniffers, etc.


texts: Editor asks for π to be written in roman

texts:
My paper is accepted at MNRAS and in the stage of editing.
There is a section where I wrote an equation using the Greek letter π as to indicate the mathematical constant π.
The editor wrote:

Author: When used to mean the numerical value 3.14, the Greek letter pi must always be written in roman. Please check all the notations throughout the text carefully

I think this request is canned, so I doubt there is any typo or similar here.
What  exactly is π in roman? Shouldn't it be written in Greek? Is it a mistake of the editor or a misunderstanding from my side?


texts: Am I obligated to finish my post-doc term before starting my tenure-track job?

texts:
I am currently a postdoc at a research university. I had originally intended to stay at my postdoc for two years, and this was the understanding I had with my postdoc adviser.

However, I decided to speculatively apply for a few faculty jobs, intending to defer any offers for a year. I have now obtained a faculty job offer to start at the end of one year of my postdoc.

After much reflection, I believe that it is better for my family life not to ask for a deferral and to start the faculty job earlier.
In the event that I take the faculty job offer,
I still intend to continue and finish the research work
which I have started with my postdoc adviser,
so I will not be hurting my adviser by starting but not finishing my postdoc work.

Question: Do I have an ethical obligation to stay at my postdoc for two years, because that was my initial plan and was what I told my postdoc adviser?
Should I expect him to be understanding when I choose what is best for my family?

The following timeline may explain the sequence of events more clearly:

March 2014 I was applying for postdocs, and I told my potential postdoc advisor that I was intending to stay for two years at the university if he were to give me an offer.
April 2014 I was hired with a one-year contract starting August 2014. My adviser explains that there is a good chance my contract will be renewed at the end of the year.
Sept 2014 I decide to apply opportunistically for a few faculty positions just in case I can get a good offer, and intend to ask for a deferral, so that I would only start my faculty job in August 2016.
I told my postdoc adviser that I was applying opportunistically only for a few jobs,
and that if I got a job offer, I would ask for a deferral.
Jan 2015 I get a faculty job offer to start in August 2015.
By this time I changed my mind and feel that starting in 2015 is better for me and my family.

Additional relevant details:

My research area is applied mathematics,
so the only requirements for my research are
a decent computer and an Internet connection.
I can collaborate productively with my postdoc adviser effectively
even if I am not physically in the same location as he is.
I did tell my postdoc adviser that I received a job offer.
However, my postdoc contract has not yet been renewed for the second year,
and we have not yet had a conversation about when to renew the contract.


texts: My supervisor does not believe my abilities

texts:
I am a third year PhD student, I have got a problem with my supervisor, that I think I cannot continue working with him.
My problem is that he keeps insisting this fact that I need to switch from PhD to Msc. He thinks always negatively about my personality and my abilities. My supervisor was nearly 1 year on sabbatical, and I had no support during 1 year, and this is only 4 months that he has come back from sabbatical. Although he admits that I had good progress, but he keeps treating me negatively. I have reached to this conclusion that I need to change my supervisor. I cannot work with a supervisor who keeps thinking about me negatively. How should I deal with this?


texts: Can I submit application on the deadline?

texts: If grad schools says the deadline is Jan. 15th, do I have to submit application before Jan. 15th? Or I can still submit on Jan. 15th?


texts: What is the most effective and efficient method of searching multiple journals for multiple keywords?

texts:
My goal is to find articles related to invasive species management on a monthly basis. I have a list of species for my region (i.e keywords) and a list of journals. Although I enjoy combing through new issues of each journal, I'm wondering if there is a more automated, and less time consuming method.

I've tried using Boolean operators in Google Scholar, but this limits the search to 2019 (not monthly) and isn't journal specific. I have also explored some programs (e.g. Stork), with limited results.

Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks!


texts: I have been on both the author and the referee sides, but I was wondering how editors approach their task. In particular, to what level of detail do you read the paper you assign to referees, and when (i.e. before or after receiving the reviews)?


texts: Printing a poster near a conference location at a cheap price

texts:
For travel convenience, I prefer to print posters near the conference location. How can I efficiently look for the best poster printing price near a conference location?

(In my experience, conference organizers sometime point to a printing business, but they typically tend to be not price optimized, far from it)


texts: Wrong font used for statement of purpose and résumé

texts: I used wrong font for my statement of purpose, rather than the one prescribed under the department’s specifications. Will this hamper my chances of admission into that university?


texts:
I'm writing a research paper in my native language, Serbian, on a specific electrical engineering and applied mathematics topic. Moreover, there are two published papers in English that hold much of the information I need.

Now, the topic itself is quite new and is unknown in Serbia, and consequently at my university. My plan is to sum up the results of the two papers, further expand on the theory behind it (which is only arbitrarily mentioned in the English papers), and finally encapsulate the whole idea.

So, strictly speaking, I won't be doing any original research, in terms of experiments or mathematical breakthroughs, but rather synopsize and provide a desired perspective on a modern topic that is novel to my national academic environment.

Q: If I reference the two English papers and their authors at the end of the paper, do I commit plagiarism?

For example, if I see a nice sentence in one of the papers, and I translate it into my paper, are the references at the end enough for crediting the author?

Finally, is using the pictures from the two papers (with referencing them naturally) accepted practice? Or do I need to get the authors' permission to use them?

Furthermore, does my paper still hold some kind of value, even though it doesn't provide original results? At the very least, it introduces a new, and very interesting topic to my faculty, and is generally a field I'm interested in researching, and eventually achieving some real and relevant results.


texts: What is the proper way to ask a professor to be your PhD supervisor?

texts:
I sent an e-mail to a professor that I did undergraduate research about 9-10 years ago wondering if he could write a letter of recommendation.  He replied saying that he didn't think he would have anything meaningful to say, which is completely understandable. I didn't really do any publication with the undergraduate research, but I did something that he called a sanity-check, which was work on a coding assignment on developing a Distributed File System using FUSE.  The idea was that if an undergrad can do it, then the grad students should be able to do it.

He also asked if I submitted anything to him.  I sent a reply on two e-books I published.  One of the e-books was referenced in a Russian Defcon (I didn't write it in Russian).  I also sent him a link to my blog.  After that, I asked if he could be a Ph.D supervisor.

I should have asked here before sending him the e-mail though.  I'm not really sure if this is the appropriate way to go about finding a Ph.D supervisor.


texts: Who owns the intellectual property for work you do on weekends?

texts:
I am an academic at a UK university and have been asked to do some consultancy work for a company who wants to own all the IP for that work. I would only do this work on the weekends.  Would my university have some claim over this IP? My university's written rules only say that the ownership of all inventions will be determined by Section 39 of the Patents Act 1977. This,  on the face of it, seems to suggest they wouldn't have any rights over the IP.

I am reluctant to ask my university until I am clear what the right answer is as their initial reaction to all enquiries is just to say no.

Section 39 Patents Act 1977

  (1)  Notwithstanding anything in any rule of law, an invention made by
  an employee shall, as between him and his employer, be taken to belong
  to his employer for the purposes of this Act and all other purposes
  if—

  (a)  it was made in the course of the normal duties of the employee or
  in the course of duties falling outside his normal duties, but
  specifically assigned to him, and the circumstances in either case
  were such that an invention might reasonably be expected to result
  from the carrying out of his duties; or

  (b)  the invention was made in the course of the duties of the employee
  and, at the time of making the invention, because of the nature of his
  duties and the particular responsibilities arising from the nature of
  his duties he had a special obligation to further the interests of the
  employer’s undertaking.

  (2)  Any other invention made by an employee shall, as between him and
  his employer, be taken for those purposes to belong to the employee.

  (3)  Where by virtue of this section an invention belongs, as
  between him and his employer, to an employee, nothing done—

  (a)  by or on behalf of the employee or any person claiming under him
  for the purposes of pursuing an application for a patent, or

  (b)  by any person for the purpose of performing or working the
  invention,

  shall be taken to infringe any copyright or design right to which, as
  between him and his employer, his employer is entitled in any model or
  document relating to the invention.


texts: Undergraduate visiting student advantages

texts:
I have been recruited by a professor on a well-known university in the US east coast for a visiting student program during the summer (it's an only-research program). Since this program isn't an all-costs paid one, I'm deciding if I should go.

Which are the advantages of being a visiting student? How can this help to have a better graduate application even if I apply to a different department (from this program's department) but at the same university? How does the impact differs from a REU?

I've read this Quora reference, but I want to have an insight from this particular forum. Thanks in advance.

Btw, I'm a foreign student.


texts: Dear PIs: How can a new hire politely probe you for details?

texts: How can a new postdoc joining a lab probe their PIs for more information concerning the project they are going to be working on, what skills they need to acquire to prepare for the job, ...


texts: What do I need to include in a tenure-track assistant professor job application cover letter?

texts:
I am currently applying for tenure-track assistant professor jobs.
One of the positions requires me to submit a cover letter,
in addition to a CV, research statement, and teaching statement.
(The application is online)
I am thinking of writing the following:

  October 1, 2014

  Dear faculty committee

  I wish to apply for the faculty position
  in the Department of Mathematics
  at Stanford University.
  Currently, I am a postdoctoral fellow at
  the University of California at Berkeley
  in the Department of Mathematics
  under the supervision of Dr. James Moriarty.

  Enclosed are my curriculum vitae, teaching and research statements,
  and two research papers.
  Please do not hesitate to contact me if further information is needed.

  Yours truly,
  John Watson
  Department of Mathematics
  University of California at Berkeley
  123 4th Street, Box 5678
  Berkeley, CA 12345-6789
  (123) 456-7890

What is the purpose of the cover letter?
Is it just to indicate what are the documents included in the application?
I ask this because most of the other positions for which I am applying
don't require a cover letter.
Should I include a brief summary of my research interests and teaching experience, one paragraph each, in the cover letter?

Edit:
In reality, I am not in the field of mathematics,
nor am I a postdoctoral fellow at Berkeley.
The details in my cover letter are fictitious
and meant only to illustrate the structure of the cover letter
which I will write.


texts: When and why did journal article titles become descriptive, rather than creatively allusive?

texts:
In 1926, the article titled “On a certain minimal problem” was published. Nobody could guess what it was about, from the title alone.

Nowadays, one may expect something more descriptive, such as "Workspace Augmentation of Photon Impingement Through Impurities Removal".

I'd be interested when and why did the titles change, from the allusive style of the early 20th century, to the descriptive titles of today.

Was it a gradual change? Was it prompted by some notable event or influence? Was there a period when journal articles (or "letters" as it was then) did not have titles?


texts: Is it good to join industry in middle of phd?

texts: I am a third year phd student. I got an offer for an industrial job which is very tempting. The salary is competitive and much higher than my phd salary. I already worked there as an intern, so I know the environment. The only problem is that I am involved in multiple projects in my phd. If I leave the group, someone has to take over those tasks, but there is no such a person in our group yet. What is your suggestion?


texts: Etiquette/social norms for a grad student toward a faculty going on sabbatical

texts:
I took a class with a professor and really liked his teaching.  Since then, we've had several conversations and I've gone to him for advice once.  While I don't work with him and I don't know if he'd necessarily consider me a friend, I do feel like we've had a number of positive interactions.

He's going on sabbatical within the next few months, and I'm (crossed fingers) on track to graduate this next May, which means that there's a fairly high probability that I will be gone before he returns.

It feels premature to be saying goodbye to him now, around a year before I'm (possibly) leaving.  If I graduate on time and he isn't back, do I just shoot him an e-mail which seems a little impersonal?  Leave a handwritten note in his mailbox?  Or is that really weird?

Is there a standard way of saying goodbye when I know there's a decent chance that I won't get to do it in-person a year from now?  Or is it just normal that professors don't expect/aren't surprised when students they know are gone when they come back?


texts: How can I justify my skills against the required person specification?

texts:
I am applying for a faculty position. My academic career so far was very straightforward, which is well reflected in my CV. The job advertisement instructs that applicants should explain how they meet the requirements specified in the job description. One item in almost any faculty job is

strong communication skills

I understand the importance of communication for a faculty position, but what can I say about my communication skills? What sort of evidence can justify my skills?


texts: Getting the results of an arXiv keyword search in my email

texts:
I'm not sure if this question would be more appropriate here or on SO. My hope is that someone has already had this need and found a solution.

Periodically, I search for a specific research topic on arXiv. Unfortunately it doesn't correspond to a specific arXiv subject: papers of interest can be found under very different subjects, since it's somewhat multidisciplinary. Currently, arXiv only supports sending periodic emails concerning either an entire archive, or one or more subjects inside an archive. There's no way I know of to receive only the results of a specific keyword search. However, I've heard of someone who has been able to get that, but I couldn't get them to explain me what they did.

Have you ever had this need? Did you find a solution?


texts: How should I choose which graduate programs to apply to for the PhD?

texts:
This fall I will be an senior mathematics major at a small public liberal arts university. I'm trying to finalize the list of schools to which I will apply (to PhD programs in pure math), but I am finding it somewhat difficult. I know that I am not a candidate for admission at top-tier universities. My school is relatively unknown outside of its state, and the professors who will write my recommendation letters aren't very well-known either (although they do publish somewhat frequently in their respective fields). I have taken two semesters of abstract algebra, one semester of real analysis, and two semesters of topology, and received an A in all. By the time I graduate I'll have taken another semester in real analysis and a course in complex analysis, plus several other applied and discrete math classes. I haven't taken any graduate courses since my school doesn't offer them, but I have completed a research project with one of my professors in the area of math which I hope to study in grad school. My GPA is around 3.85.

I think (and please correct me if I am wrong) that I should focus on applying to "mid-tier" programs, but I find it very difficult to determine which programs are at this level. I know that one student from my school was accepted at a program ranked in the 40's by the U.S. News math grad school rankings.

Essentially, my question is this: Do the U.S. News rankings accurately reflect the selectivity of programs, and if so, is there some point in the rankings at which schools become "mid-tier" or at which I would be competitive for admission?


texts: In APA style, How should rough financial numbers be written?

texts:
If I have approximately five million dollars, should it be written as such? Or is one of the following more appropriate?

5 million dollars
$5 million
$5,000,000

4.31e stipulates:

  Use numerals to express numbers that represent time, dates, ages, scores and points on a scale, exact sums
  of money, and numerals as numerals.

(emphasis mine)

As this isn't an exact sum, I might be more inclined to spell it out.  This would also play along with the exception listed right below 4.31e:

  Exception: Use words for approximations of numbers of days, months, and years
  (e.g., about three months ago).

Is there another option I'm not considering?  Is this addressed somewhere else in the guide?