texts: What to do if one of my recommenders has commited a plagiarism violation that has been publicized online?

texts:
I plan to obtain a recommendation letter for PhD from a recommender with whom I have worked a lot during the course of my bachelor's. However when I accidentally typed her name in Google, a copyright violation notice by IEEE in her name shows up (sample). It identifies the paper that included the copied text, says something like

  After careful and considered review of the content and authorship of this paper by a duly constituted expert committee, this paper has been found to be in violation of IEEE's Publication Principles.

  This paper contains portions of text from the paper(s) cited below. A credit notice is used, but due to the absence of quotation marks or offset text, copied material is not clearly referenced or specifically identified.

and specifies the original source of the copied text. This violation has nothing to do with my work with her.

I am afraid this shall reduce the credibility of my work. Besides, I am loath to approaching other professors because I have worked much less with them and do not know them as well as this recommender. What should I do? Go ahead with her recommendation despite, or seek another recommender?


texts: Is it bad practice to submit the entire manuscript for an initial book proposal to a publisher?

texts:
In a previous book I wrote, I submitted the entire manuscript along with a couple page proposal to a few different publishers. Both editors never responded to me.

In my current book, I sent the entire manuscript with a short description to an editor at Springer, and it has been two weeks, and I have heard nothing, not even an acknowledgement of receipt.

Am I doing something against proper procedure?

Update: I emailed the editor again asking her if she received the manuscript, and she said she did. She was just on vacation. (I guess Europeans take longer ones than those in the U.S. are used to…)


texts: Retyping some material to obscure source of a textbook with a solution manual?

texts:
This is my first time teaching mathematics. I've been giving lessons based on a certain textbook which contains excellent exercises (not just the exercises, but the order in which they appear leads one to discover mathematics for yourself). However, the textbook has a solutions manual, and I am certain that if the source was revealed, then students would purchase the manual and defeat the purpose of the course. I am wondering if it is ethically acceptable to retype myself some of the exercises and exposition from parts of the book in order to obscure the source (and perhaps reveal it at the end of the course)?

My intentions are solely to create a joyful mathematical experience for the students. There is no intention of plagiarism.  My only worry is that the exposition is so good that I don't see how much I can deviate.

Clarification: The course is not intended to have students master a technical subject and then solve problems under a time pressure.  This is not a mathematics course for engineers or scientists.  Rather, problem sheets are given each week, with the requirement that at the end of the week the student turns in 10 solutions to their favorite problems.  The focus is on quality of writing and clarity of though.  In fact this entire issue is now resolved as I have communicated with the author.


texts:
I'm a first year PhD student and the last month has been nothing short of a crucible of stress. I had to do 2 exams, wrote a 3k approval thesis, finalise my research objectives, plan the project and prepare a 30 minute presentation for a Q&A session. And I've had to write a bunch of code to produce the plots needed
The presentation is due to be done next Thursday but in the meantime I need to find the time to get a new desk because mine is falling apart. I'm at the point now where I'm feeling incredibly burnt out and I'm balancing so many plates.
I'm pressuring myself to work over the weekend even though I've drilled the presentation and know it'll fit precisely in the time I'm allocated. How do I stop my project taking over my personal life?


texts: Applying for post doc position when letter of recommendation from PhD advisers not available

texts:
I did my PhD in Electrical Engineering with supervision from three people. Very hard times during PhD as there was not much supervision from the three. Presently, I am working in an industry doing R and D, but look forward to apply for post doctoral positions. One of my advisers have told me he won't recommend me for any university in the foreign country, the second one is not reachable and the third is very rude fellow. In short, I wont get recommendation from any. What are chances for a post-doctoral position in a reputed university.

I have 3 international journals (2 Elsevier and 1 IEEE) and 3 conferences from my PhD work. I also have a Best Paper Award from one of the main IEEE conferences (EMBC 2014). I can manage reference letters from my masters advisers. Will recommendation from my masters advisers sufficient for applying to post-doctoral studies? Chances of getting a recommendation from any faculty from the university where I did PhD is very low.


texts: Error on FastLane (NSF) letter of Reference System for the NSFPF

texts:
The NSF postdoctoral application is due in less than 2 weeks and I am trying to send out invitations for my reference letters.  However, for the past week (on fastlane.gov) I have gotten the same error.

"A database error occured while performing fastlane.pdoc.ProcessReferenceLetter."

I contacted the NSF by email and by phone and haven't gotten any response by either format.  Is there anyone getting this?


texts:
I have taken 12 credits total in CLEP (College Level Examination Program) exams on order to bypass some general education requirements in humanities and basic sciences. I am in a program majoring in Physics and Engineering with a minor in Geosciences at a well-known state university.

My question is: How will my CLEP credits be viewed academically (i.e. when apply for grad school)? By potential employers? Will they be considered an asset or will they be seen as an inferior source of credits?


texts:
Fifth year math grad student as of this Fall. ABD, currently on target for six years in total.

I have very strong feelings about the way courses should be taught, graded, and organized. I have thought extensively about this issue and experiment with my teaching every chance that I get.

I teach my own course, and spend lots of time on teaching it the right way (according to me). This includes designing my own course plans from scratch, planning engaging lectures, writing my own problem sets, projects, and homework assignments. I also tend to give too much individual attention to students, like holding extra office hours when students have schedule conflicts.

My teaching philosophy is fundamentally at odds with the majority of the lecturers in the department. It makes me feel like a pariah, and privately makes me feel incensed when I see others teaching in a way that I consider unethical. Though I'm not vocal about my disagreements, I have been consistently passed over for teaching awards, despite constant effort, innovation, and shining student evaluations. I wish I didn't care about this.

I know I'm being paid the same as other apathetic TAs who give every lecture off the cuff, assign whichever book problems are easiest to grade, and contribute as little to the education of their students as their contracts will allow. I'm not being paid to be a lecturer, but I'm giving at least a lecturer's effort to this job.

Most importantly, I know that putting this much time, effort, and emotional energy into teaching is taking away from my research. Sometimes I feel terribly guilty after a big exam or project because I realize I haven't even looked at my research in a couple of weeks. My advisor hasn't said anything negative about my progress, but I know I could be doing better.

Every time I try to pull back and adopt a more traditional model, I get depressed and frustrated, because my students aren't learning anything, I'm as bored as they are, and I wonder what the point of my existence even is if I'm just going to give up and be another trash teacher who goes through the motions all day. Especially when I have the ability to be the change I wish to see in academia. (Which maybe isn't my place, but then again, everybody passes the buck, that's why we have this problem.)

How do I get myself to step back and refocus my efforts onto research?

Please note that this differs from this question in that I am not asking whether or not it is possible to balance teaching and research, but specifically on how, emotionally, to scale back a focus on teaching for one who has begun to let it eclipse his research. I know I am making a mental error due to idealism, and I'm trying to figure out how to break out of it.


texts: How do I salvage a 1-week old research internship offer, if possible?

texts:
I'm a pre-university individual.

About a week ago I cold-emailed university professors inquiring about interning at their biology research labs. A professor replied on the same day expressing possibility of an interview. He also made it clear it would be unpaid - which, after some thought, I've decided I'm fine with. Long story short, I was stupid and indecisive, and only emailed him back a week later, with an email looking along the lines of:

  Dear Associate Professor X,

  I'm really sorry for the delayed response; I’d hoped to get back to
  you sooner. I've thought about this. I very much am grateful for your
  kind willingness to consider and would be pleased to meet up with you
  to better present myself, and work something out together.

  If it's not too late, when would you be free to meet? I promise not to
  dillydally again. I am free this entire week. Just let me know a time
  that works best for you.

  Yours sincerely,

  Las Nons

It's been about 2 days since I sent this reply, and he hasn't gotten back to me. When he first replied to me, it was on the same day I had sent him my first email.

Looking at my reply, I realize I forgot to thank him (for his time and consideration) at the end of the email. Ending my email off the way I did could have made me seem entitled/presumptuous.

Dear reader, was my reply rude/presumptuous? I'm really worried I've offended him somehow. I'm thinking of waiting a day more, then sending him a follow-up email that includes an apology or something. Should I?

Is this a gone case? What could I do to salvage this?

Thank you all for any input.


texts: Reasons to do MS before applying for US PhD?

texts:
I'm a Software Engineering (BS) graduate with first class honors, and I want to attend a US PhD program on artificial intelligence (international applicant).  I know MS is not a prerequisite for a PhD in the U.S.

However, I'm considering doing MS at a local university (not in US) for the following reasons:

Publish some papers under my name during that time
Get recommendations from good professors (Currently I don't have anyone who is aware of my work)
Obtain good mathematical background
As sneak peek on doing "independent research"

Do you think the above given reasons are good reasons for me to follow MS or do you think that is a waste of time?

Appreciate your opinion as I'm confused on making a decision.


texts: Asking a Professor for a review of a university application research supplement

texts:
As part of the application to a particular university, I can submit a research supplement which is a paper I have written which will be reviewed by the university's faculty. However, it must be accompanied by a letter from a 'research supervisor' regarding the work.

The paper I have written is based on a paper written by a professor from another university, and as I am currently in high school and none of the staff here can review it, I thought it would be great if I could get said professor to write such a letter.

Firstly, would it be appropriate to send such a request, and is it likely to be fulfilled?

Note: For the purposes of your answers, you may assume the paper is in fact correct, and a serious piece of research, which although it presents original results, is 'orthodox.' I am aware professors sometimes get sent crazy letters from people with wacky theories (I've even seen some crop up on the physics SE).


texts: What to do with students requesting deadline extension due to the death of a relative (but without a doctor's note)?

texts:
I am currently working as a teaching assistant for several courses in STEM in the US at the college level.
During the past two semesters since Covid19 started, I have noticed that whenever a deadline is approaching, on or close to the day of the deadline, a student will inevitably email the instructors (including the TAs) an email requesting deadline extension due to the loss of a relative, which in turn has affected their mental states ("feeling stressed or depressed").
Note that the death of a relative is a common but not the only scenario. We had another student who claimed to test positive for Covid on the due day, but curiously only requested a 48 hour extension to a deadline...While other students simply said something about being stressed out (by jobs, by other courses) and then immediately followed up with some suggested due dates which we should accommodate for the student (or the entire class).
In all these cases, the student has not obtained a doctor's note, which is the appropriate/standard way of requesting for extension. There has been no change to this policy since Covid.
Since we need to approve the extensions and quickly, these sorts of emails always put us in a very tricky situation:

it seems inappropriate to question about whether if a death has actually occurred, how the person is related to the student, or when it has occurred. We just take these claims to be true despite the scant details.
since the situation affects a relative, but not the student him/herself, therefore, this situation is often not distressful enough to have a formal doctor's note, i.e., serious depression or disability. So we would seem rude to send the student to go through this formal and often lengthy process, especially at a time where reaching a doctor is probably inconvenient for many.

I am not sure what is the most appropriate way of dealing with these situation. And I have to stress we have not had this issue before Covid (I've been doing this for years). But this year we're dealing with this on a biweekly basis.
Can experienced instructors chime in on how we can be considerate to the student's personal lives while also hold on to our standards and be vigilant with academic dishonesty?
Should we just let these things go?

Thanks all for the replies, here is a follow up:

it is multiple students, at the beginning of the year it would be 3-4 students per course, but now I guess when the semesters are heating up, its up to
8 - 12 students (for the two courses combined).

it is different students. With about 3 "recurring" students this semester. I haven't paid too much attention to their names.

the problem here are not the medical concerns or emotional stress, but the lack of formal certificate or a proof. We have been giving these extensions like freebies throughout the semester(s) but the assignments now have more weights and we want to be vigilant.

one of the course is my PI's course and I'm sort of the main contact person and we have been conducting this course for many years. The other course I'm the "lead" TA, so again I oversee a lot of these issues. The impact ultimately hits the TAs, as we need to account for all these asynchronous extensions/grading/accommodations.

For one of the course, we have a "we will aggregate the skipped assignment in your exam" policy. Students know this. The reason why they are requesting extension is because they do not want it to be aggregated. The other course we have been giving them 1 time extensions (even though its not in the course policy) and at least one student is requesting extension after the 1 time extension has been used.


texts: Are there any high profile cases of conflict of interest in research?

texts: I am going to do a presentation about academic ethics for my class, and one of the themes are conflict of interest. As of now I have found only generic examples, such as research done with corporate funding, but never concrete examples. In addition, most concrete examples, I presume, are dull and minor. So are there any high profile case I can refer to as demonstration?


texts: Is it possible to outsource some tasks of thesis writing? How and what kind of tasks?

texts:
I think that thesis writing is a big project which can be divided into several small-scale tasks. The contribution of the thesis must be done with student himself/herself, but other tasks such as figure preparation, writing in LaTex, editing, training, advising, etc. can be outsourced. Am I right?
In your opinion what kind of tasks can be outsourced and how?


texts: Etiquette of applying to current institution

texts:
I am a postdoc and am currently applying to tenure-track faculty positions. I am unsure whether or not I should apply to my current institution.

On one hand, I would be happy to get a permanent position where I am. However, it seems like this might violate some social norm or custom. If I were to be rejected, that would feel rather personal, given that I see those who decided every day. Also, sitting through the competing job talks and meeting other candidates would be rather odd.

What is the standard etiquette for this situation? Should I ask someone before applying? If so, how should I raise the subject? I assume the answer also depends on the area and country -- this is computer science in the US.


texts: Can I call myself an assistant professor without a PhD?

texts:
I've recently gotten a job as lecturer and economics course module developer at a new university this fall. The position is intended as permanent. There is opportunity for funded research but that isn't an objective of the chairs due to the newness of the university.

What is strange is that the position is called "Assistant Professor" which  makes no sense due to the size of the institution and the lack of research required by it (It is a private university).

I am currently enrolled in a PhD program but have some time to defend my thesis. I'm wondering if it's fair to call myself an "assistant professor" or not being that I haven't been endowed with my PhD yet.


texts: After my employment ends, can I keep working without pay at my current research center, on independent research?

texts:
I have a bachelor degree in Computer Engineering. I worked as a Research Engineer in a Research Center. It was a fully paid Engineering position funded by European projects.

However, my contract ended, and because there are not any more projects available at the moment, I can't be re-contracted.

My question:

Is it possible for someone to work as a freelance researcher? I have an idea of a platform I would like to work on. The idea, I think, could easily even become a paper. Is it possible that I could continue to work in the research center without being paid, and try to perform some research of my own? Of course I could ask my supervisors about it, but the thing is, I don't know how to ask it.

What I was thinking was they could provide me tools like the computer, mobile devices and a working desk to develop my idea (things that I was provided while working there). In the end it would be something that the university could present, but I would get credit for it for my CV, and it could be especially helpful in getting a good candidate position next year, in a Masters program I am aiming for.

How could I present an idea like this to my supervisor? Is it something that actually happens?

Some notes in response to comments to clear things a bit: The problem is not that I need any kind of equipment to make my idea reality. At work I was provided a simple laptop and some mobile devices, that I can easily have access on my own, so nothing special there.

The reason why I would like to continue work there is as simple as that:

I want to propose an idea of a platform that I would like to create and according to my estimates would be 9-12 months of work. I could do that from my house or by going to work at the research center. However, I need my supervisor to draw public/scientific attention, make a paper with him out of it etc. I want to be able to write in my CV that the last 9-12 months I was working on a project at "that" research center in cooperation with "that" researcher and not that it was a "home" project that I developed.

I haven't made the proposition to my supervisor yet for the following reasons :

I am afraid that my supervisor could simply use my idea with the engineers that still have a contract there.
What I would like is to be the only one working on the project. Like a PhD thesis. I want to get credits of it. Not the research center. I want to get the credit as the main developer/author of this thing, and of course my supervisor be the one that would present it and his name next to mine. Is this even possible? I mean I don't want any other engineers sniffing their nose on it, I don't want my supervisor to demand things on the project. I am thinking of proposing  a complete solution of exactly what I have in mind, let me work on it with my time, without any funding, but the supervisor be the one to present it and draw attention on it.

In the end all I am saying is to have this project on my CV to open some doors on the future and my supervisor being the mentor of this thing.


texts: Is providing an unpublished dataset worthy of coauthorship?

texts:
I’m working on a paper and I realized I do not have an adequate dataset (for reference, this is in a subfield of machine learning), nor do I have the time to personally go and create one. A colleague and friend of mine offered to collect the data and give it to me, as it would be useful as a benchmark for some of his own experiments later.

In this case, “collecting data” means finding and equipping participants with technology to monitor them perform a simple task for a brief amount of time (5 min).

Since this colleague is a personal friend whom I’ve worked with in the past, I have no qualms about listing him as a coauthor (and will most certainly do so, unless it is unethical for some reason). I am curious as to the general case of whether providing someone with an unpublished dataset is insufficient, sufficient or should guarantee coauthorship. I should emphasise that in my field, data is not something that begets the results but rather serves as a test to determine if a proposed technique or algorithm is well-suited to the task outlined by the data.

To put it simply: is providing data enough of a contribution to warrant coauthorship? Would it be unethical to list someone as a coauthor if they only created the dataset?


texts: Does one usually get a notification of receipt of a PhD application?

texts:
I sent a PhD application almost 3 weeks ago on a thursday afternoon. As it happened, the next friday was a holiday. Something I noticed after sending the application.

Does one get a notification of receipt after sending an application?

My fear is that I sent the e-mail on thursday, when the PI and professor were already out. That, together with the 3 day weekend, and the mountain of mails probably coming on monday, buried my application and it went unnoticed.


texts: How to stay in connection with a professor when you want to apply for the position in his group in next quarter?

texts:
I got a strong recommendation from my former supervisor. He wants to recommend me to one of his former colleagues who happens to have no position now. So I have to wait until the Spring Quarter. But I want to stay in contact with him because everything could happen during this period from now to next March.

Basically, in that university, the professors have the absolute power. If I can get permission from him, I can secure this position. And I really value this opportunity as he is like among the top 5 in our field.

How should I do? I have no idea what should be in the email which could increase my admission chance and would not bother him. I guess he must be busy every day.


texts: Repeating abbreviation in body text if already in chapter/section title

texts:
This is a follow-on question to Is it reasonable to use full word and abbreviation in parenthesis in a chapter title?

One answer to that question indicates that in some cases, using an abbreviation in a chapter/section title is acceptable, other times not.

In the cases when it is acceptable, should you redefine the abbreviation before its first use in the chapter/section?  Here is an example:

  Chapter 4 - Results of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)

  The apparent crystallographic phase transition of the sample material suggested that Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was warranted to determine the phase transition temperature and heat capacity.  The results of the DSC measurements follow.


texts: Can it be disadvantageous to actively publish in completely different fields?

texts:
I'm a researcher in a STEM field and work at an institute where research staff salaries (including mine) are dependent entirely on third-party grant money. I've already successfully obtained research grants and served as the PI for a few projects.
In my spare time (i.e., after I go home for the day) I very much enjoy reading and writing about topics in the humanities, and I have recently had contributions on these topics published as peer-reviewed articles in humanities journals. In retrospect I wonder whether having published in these venues was a good idea.
The problem has to do with my current and future grant proposals; some funding agencies require proposals to include a CV listing all of the applicant's peer-reviewed publications in the past n years.  (And even for those agencies without such a rule, the reviewers can easily find all my publications online if they care to look.)  I am wondering how the presence of my non-STEM publications will be viewed by the STEM proposal reviewers.  Are these publications going to be interpreted negatively, as a lack of research focus on my part?  Where feasible, should I include an explanation in my proposal CVs that these publications were avocational (and if so, how should I word this)?  Should I entirely give up my beloved hobby of writing for humanities venues in order to better secure my funding prospects as a scientist?  Or are my fears here entirely misplaced, there being no downside at all (or maybe even some benefit) to having the occasional humanities article in my publications list?
Two further things to note:

I realize that there are a couple possible workarounds that I might try, such as using a pseudonym when publishing in the humanities, or simply omitting the humanities publications from the CVs I include with my grant proposals.  However, both of these necessarily involve some deception or bending of the rules, and in any case won't take effect for the proposals I've already got under review.

There are already a couple of questions here about publishing in foreign fields (Can I publish in a field completely unrelated to my present field?, Is it good reputation for a researcher to publish an article belonging to different research field?), though these are from students who haven't yet started their PhD.  My question is more about how an unorthodox publication list will affect STEM research grant applications specifically, for an applicant that already has a doctorate and some project lead experience.


texts: What can I do if I still have not recieved the rights review from ACM?

texts: We finished shepherding a paper recently and we still have not received the Association for Computing and Machinery (ACM) rights review to finalize our camera-ready which is due very soon. Our hotcrp page says accepted and we are cleared but we still have not received the rights review. I have reached out to the publicity chairs for the rights review email and they claim to have sent it but I have not received it. I don't know who else to ask because they have yet to reply to my emails where I ask again for the rights review link. I also do not want to turn in a not ready camera ready, what should I do?


texts: I suspect someone deliberately ruined my experiments by poisoning my lab insects. What should I do?

texts:
I'm a graduate student who's currently working on an experiment involving some animals. I have two separate places where I keep my animals, and one of them is in a locked section of a lab (which is only accessible by myself, my PI, and a few other investigators).
A few weeks ago when I came into the lab, I noticed that all of the animals in that locked section had died. Without going into too much detail, after a quick investigation I found that a gas valve must have been opened to kill the animals, and then closed again. It is impossible for the valve to open spontaneously, let alone open and close. I also determined that it couldn't have been a gas leak because I have a habit of always setting the valve to a certain position after closing it, and it wasn't exactly in that position when I checked it, so it must have been physically moved.
I thought that maybe the stars unfortunately aligned and I had gone wrong somewhere for this to occur, so I left it alone and kept it to myself but have been careful to check the valve everyday afterward.
A few days ago, the animals were dead once again. The valve had also been moved. Although I don't have concrete evidence, I'm strongly suspecting that either my PI (who I don't have the best relationship with) or another investigator in the lab is deliberately killing the animals. I don't know what to do now, who to approach, and what to say. My entire experiment is now also in jeopardy. What steps do I take?
Clarifications / responses to comments:

The "animals" are insects, so "animal care regulations" are limited
No one has commented on the deaths. My section of the lab is rarely used, so they may not have noticed.
There are no security cameras.


texts:
To help finance my studies, I have been offering tutoring services for other students throughout the past year. Business has been good and students have been grateful for the help I have given them.

Today, a student I tutored one year ago e-mailed me and asked me to write an online exam for them, saying that they would compensate me financially for this "service". I was quite frankly offended that they could think, that I would go along with such a scheme.

Obviously I will reject the offer, but how should I go about doing this and what additional steps should I take? Should I simply not respond, or should I follow my inclination to chastise the student for even making the suggestion? While they have yet to actually cheat, I am strongly considering contacting their professor to alert them to the situation; if I reject the offer, the student is likely to contact someone else with lower moral standards.

Below is the full e-mail I received with identifying information redacted:

"I don't know if you remember me, but you help me with [Course 1] during summer 2019. I am taking a [Course 2] deferral exam [on date] and due to the situation right now and the fact that I moved back home temporarily, I am not going to have enough time to study. The exam will be fully online and based on multiple-choice and short-answer questions. That said, I was wondering if you would ever consider taking the exam for me, I would never ask this if the exam will be in person, I am lacking time and I know is feasible because it is only.  You will only need to login into my [student portal] and perform the exam. I will compensate you of course and I am open to the price.  I left a copy of the textbook online and the final exam 2019 ( The professor said that it will be very similar). Please let me know if you decide to proceed with this or not."

Edit 1:
Believe it or not, I have just received yet another request from a different student independently of the first one.

Edit 2:
I gathered the evidence I had and reported both students to the university administration.


texts:
I am doing a PhD and I have submitted an article to be peer-reviewed 9 months ago to a certain journal. I haven't got any response yet from the journal, their server indicates the "Under review" status.
The problem is, I cannot wait more longer since the acceptance of the article is a requirement to validate my PhD.

Do you think I can stop the reviewing process and send it to another journal?
What if I sent it to another journal at the same time?
Or, would the reviewing process speeds up if, e.g. I pay for the open access?

EDIT:

I forgot to mention that the status cited above stipulates that:

  At least one Reviewer has accepted to review the submisѕion, however the required number of reviews for the submisѕion have not yet been received.

I have provided 5 names for the peer-reviewing process of my article, and mentioned that 1 potential reviewer from another university should not review it (because of competitive reasons).


texts:
Assume that a given postdoctoral position does not require teaching/laboratory.

  Are there postdoc positions for someone who wishes to stay in his/her country and just be in touch with the post-doc advisor by e-mail or/and Skype?

Perhaps communicating only by e-mail may be slightly annoying for some people, so I also suggested Skype.

In my opinion (but correct me if I am wrong), there should be no difference between live meetings and Skype meetings.

Remark: Truly, I am asking about a post-doc position in mathematics, but I guess that my question is also relevant for other fields.

Edit: I wish to thank all the people answering (or commenting on) my question.


texts: Interview for a faculty position after accepting a postdoc offer

texts: I recently talked with a professor about his offer to me a postdoc position. Later on I was notified about an interview for a tenure-track faculty position. So, I am wondering, if I have accepted the Postdoc offers, can I still proceed with the faculty position interview? I don't want to lose the postdoc offer, and also the opportunity of the faculty position. How should I deal with the situation without causing any ethic issues?


texts: There is a paper in which the authors find a compound that is antimicrobial. I would like to experiment with it (I haven't yet asked the authors for it), but I'm anticipating the worst, that is that they will refuse. What can be done there? Are they obligated to provide the compound besides requesting being paid for postage and other expenses?


texts: Enter academia with no undergraduate degree (only professional experience)

texts:
I'm wondering whether there's any way to enter the academic world, do research at a university for a living, without an undergraduate degree, but instead with several years of experience in industry (the same field of the research).

This is actually my situation. After 8 years of software development in several professional environments, I want to enter the academic world. But I'm frustrated about having to go back to the basics.


texts: Research in computational neuroscience or computational medicine in Europe

texts: How popular is research in computational neuroscience, or computational medicine in (mainland) Europe? I'm aware that INRIA in France does some good work, but do you know any other such groups and what kind or topic of research do they so? Many thanks!


texts: Is it common to work concurrently on projects with PIs other than your advisor?

texts: Is this a common occurrence? Or is there some expectation to remain loyal to one's advisor and only do projects related to his/her vision. Field is computer science.


texts: Releasing all lecture materials at once vs. releasing materials lecture by lecture

texts:
Some teachers decide to release all lecture materials (e.g. prepared lecture notes, slides for presentations) at once at the beginning of the term, while some others release their materials gradually (i.e. releasing the lecture materials a few hours/days before the corresponding lecture), even though all materials are the same as the previous year.

What are the pedagogical advantages of not releasing all lecture materials at once at the beginning of the term?

I am especially interested in graduate-level computer science (machine learning) education in the US, in case the answer is country, field or level dependent.


texts: How do I modify the abstract in Arxiv (without changing the paper)

texts:
I recently changed the location of a link to be in the abstract part. While it works perfectly in the paper, the link doesn't work of Arxiv (the main page) because it's in the end of a sentence and they added the "." to the link instead of realizing that it's the end of the sentence.
Do I need to resubmit even though i'm not changing the actual paper? How terrible is increasing the version of a  paper (I'll probably have to change it again in a month or two)?


texts: Asking the other professor (as other paper's co-author) to cover the conference expenses

texts:
I've just prepared a paper in cooperation with my own supervisor, in addition to the other faculty member at our department. Recently, my supervisor has just declared that he can not cover the registration and travel costs to attend the conference. Furthermore, I have no chance, currently, to apply for any financial fund from the university.

My last chance is asking that faculty member (is who the paper's coauthor) to pay for, but I am not sure about the credibility of such request. Is it?!

I am also concerned that if I ask the co-author such a thing, she might think that our cooperation with her was just solely due to finding someone else to pay for the paper (which is a totally unfair and wrong argument.)


texts: Should I mention strong engagements on the CV which are not related to the domain

texts:
I want to get in touch with some professors for PhD applications. Thus I will send them my CV and I am wondering if I should mention achievements and engagements which are in general strong, but not related to the domain of the PhD. (I want to do a CS related PhD)

E.g. organizing conferences, McKinsey distinguished, Delegate at International Relation conferences, Banking Conferences, etc.

Is it beneficial to mention it or in contrary even counterproductive?


texts: Plagiarism or self-plagiarism, when there are multiple non-coinciding authors

texts:
How plagiaristic is it when one of the authors A,B or C, who wrote together a paper, reuses part of this paper in a second publication, written with D and E?

Is that still self-plagiarism? Is that worse than when a single author plagiarizes his previous work?


texts: Is your peer-reviewing service ever important for career advancement?

texts:
Recently, there have been a couple of active questions on Publons (e.g., Publons - is it a serious thing? and Is it worth creating a profile with Publons?).  One of the supposed selling points is that it allows people evaluating you to verify the peer review work you've done.  At least one user says your peer-reviewing is one criterion used for promotion.

I am in pure math at a public research university in the US, somewhat senior, and I don't recall ever having seen any real discussion of a job/tenure/promotion candidate's peer-reviewing activities in the evaluation process.  It is a given that you do some refereeing, and it counts as part of your service to the community, but unless you state that you do an exceptional amount of refereeing or consistently referee for the very top journals, I probably won't even notice your reviewing activities.  If I do notice, I will quickly forget.  (I don't list the journals I review for or how many reviews I do on my CV, and I believe this is reasonably common in math.  So I wouldn't even know if someone I'm evaluating isn't doing any reviewing.)

However, the nature and expectations for peer review for pure math seems to be quite a bit different from other fields.

Question: Are there departments that, say for hiring, tenure or promition, use candidate's peer-reviewing activities in a signficant way in the evaluation process?  If so, what kind of departments use this and how?

(While "significant" may be somewhat hard to pin down, two examples are: peer reviewing regularly gets discussed when evaluating candidates, or if there is some formula for numerically scoring faculty which incorporates peer-reviewing activities.)


texts: How do I find graduate level topics and textbooks after graduating?

texts:
I've recently finished a MS in computer engineering and long term it's likely that I'll look into doing a PhD. One of the reasons I didnt do it straight away is that I dont really have a clue what I'd like to do it in. I enjoyed parts of EE, CE, applied mathematics, and CS.

Both to maybe look for what areas I'd most like and just for general knowledge, I'd like to buy a few textbooks and self study topics. However, I've got no clue what's... next?

Where can I find what's next, if that makes sense? Like, in undergrad, you take an intro circuits class, then Electronics 1 which introduces transistors, then Electronics 2 which has advanced amplifier circuits etc. It builds. I'm not sure what builds on what I've studied from here. I understand these topics "build" in undergrad in a cleaner, linear way since they're designed to, and now theres a plethora of options, but what are they? Where do I start looking?

By the end of my degree, I was just reading course descriptions and taking whatever sounded interesting/applicable to my thesis. This worked extremely well. Now that I'm graduated, however, I dont have easy access to up to date course listings. I've been reading random course listings at universities, but they're not helpful, and dont always list textbooks.

For reference, my favorite courses at the end of my degree were:

Digital signal processing, Dynamic optimization (optimal control), Linear systems theory, Intelligent systems, Compiler theory, and  Nonlinear optimization

Let me know if this would fit better elsewhere.


texts: Is being a volunteer useful for academic prospective

texts: Is being a maths "tutor" volunteer at sites like MATHNERDS useful in terms of "good impression" for future academic prospectives?


texts: JCR publication required to enrol in PhD program - is it common?

texts:
I've been told (by unreliable sources) that many universities are now requiring their PhD applicants to have published something at a good venue (good conference or JCR-listed journal) prior to enrolling in their PhD programs. Is that true/reasonable?

More generally, are master's students normally expected to produce publications?


texts: Focusing on GRE, subject GRE, TOEFLS, IELTS before applying?

texts:
Applying to the US:

I just finished my master's in mathematical finance. I want to apply for a PhD in math (but not in mathematical finance).

Can I start applying this year while studying and taking exams (GRE, subject GRE, IELTS, TOEFLS), or might my time be better spent on the latter?

I'm fluent in English, it's my only language, and I have a master's in math so I don't expect the GRE, IELTS or TOEFLS to be too difficult, but I may have to spend a lot of time studying for the Math GRE, which appears to be the equivalent of an LSAT/MCAT for master's or PhD and a bar exam/USMLE for bachelor's or master's.

What is the common practice in this matter? Do graduate school applicants first focus on studying and taking GRE, subject GRE, IELTS, TOEFLS, etc and then worry about applications after?

Suppose a graduate school applicant intends to study for one of those. On average how long does it take to study for, apply for, take one of those exams once (for the sake of example) and get the test (just one, for example) score?


texts: Including Patients' Pictures in a Manuscript

texts:
I am going to include some pictures of patients in my manuscript, which will be submitted to a scientific journal for peer review. In order to keep the subjects’ identity and following the data protection act, I need to hide their faces.

My question is to know whether to put a black rectangle over their faces, especially their eyes or pixelising their faces. I have been told that putting a black rectangle is not recommended for this purpose, but I have never been told the reason.

Could somebody please let me know first that:

Which method is better?
Is that the case that blackening the face is not recommended. If true, why?


texts: Lack of team support in post-PhD Mathematics career

texts:
I received my PhD in mathematics about ten years ago. Despite my preference,  desire, and attempts, I was not offered any postdoctoral positions. Part of the reason was (I think) that my dissertation topic was outdated, as opposed to being trendy. Since then, I have accepted a couple of tenure-track positions in teaching-oriented institutions, the second at a two-year Community College and in two years from now I will most probably be tenured. However, I constantly struggle with existential questions. I am not where I wanted to be. Granted, I have a job, but if my goal was to have a job, I was totally capable of aiming at a higher-paying job, instead of mathematics, when I was deciding what to study at college. As a teenager what intrigued me about mathematics (and still does) was its beauty and the opportunity it provided me for being creative through research and continuous learning. However, since my PhD the processes of research and learning have been very slow, despite my continuous attempts. For a long time I used to think the reason was lack of time due to heavy teaching load. While that may have contributed to the problem, I now think a bigger reason is lack of team support. There is a disconnect between my job and my research. I don't have people (graduate students, researchers, etc.) around me to whom I can talk about my research, everyday or every week. Consequently, the ratio of outcome to the time that I spend on research and learning new things is very small. So what are my questions?

Ideally I would have liked to be part of a team, a lab if you like, consisting of one or two senior mathematicians (lab leaders), research assistants (mathematicians like myself who are not young enough to be postdocs, but still need to develop their research plans), postdocs, and graduate students. My question is, does such a model exist anywhere?
Are there any options for mathematicians who really are not after a secure job and prefer to work as research assistants (paid less), rather than tenured "calculus teaching" faculty who do not meet age requirements to be considered for postdoctoral positions?
Suppose someone (e.g., myself) didn't know better and did his dissertation on a topic that was not trendy and because of that couldn't secure a postdoctoral position. Is that the end of their career as a research mathematician? Are there any other options? What would you suggest?


texts: During a UG physics degree , what other certificate/diploma courses can i simultaneously pursue which would be of use in a physics career?

texts:
During a UG physics degree , what other certificate/diploma courses can i simultaneously pursue which would be of use in a physics career ?

I hear many colleges offer such optional courses along with main course.


texts: Producing a bibliography by chapter – have one reference in two chapters

texts:
I am organising my bibliography by chapter to make for easier reading.

However, I have one source that I use in two chapters. Do I just include the reference in the bibliography for this in the first chapter it appears in?


texts:
I am desperately looking for a sense of direction. I am about to start a career in academia and I am..I guess scared. My Ph.D. was something, it was enlightening, to say the least. I do not have too many publications, just 6 to 7 in total.  In my second year of Postdoc received an offer for this tenure-track faculty position at a teaching-intensive university.  Here is the problem:
1. The start-up money is pretty small, I don't know if I might be able to get my research up and going(even for preliminary data) They do not have a Ph.D. program, only masters.
2. I don't know if I can get a grant from the NIH based on having my publication number. Also, some NIH grants are not for H1B visa holders.
3. I cannot use my postdoc to generate data (That was one of the things that someone suggested to me). Not all PIs like that, also my postdoc funding agency doesn't include a portion for research, only stipend.

Did anyone make it through with something like this? How did you do it? How and which grants do you think I could apply to bring money in for a lab?


texts: Is it worth applying for a job to community colleges in the US as a foreigner (no visa)?

texts: Would a small college (e.g., community college) in the US be interested in employing some PhD graduate (as an instructor) that does not already have a visa? Would they bother do the bureaucratic work needed?


texts: My supervisor said they are working on my offer

texts:
My proposed PhD supervisor told me the department is currently working on my offer.

Does that mean my admission is guaranteed? And what can they be doing?


texts: Who gives a consent for data publication?

texts:
I spent a year in a foreign country. Now I am at home.

The problem is that my advisor and me did not prepare any research publication. My project was to arrange for some experiments which my advisor wanted to publish together with the other researchers' experiment. These researchers are not in the advisor institution.

I finished my job successfully but the second party did not (their explanations are like they are not satisfied with the results). My input looks publishable as a separate paper but my advisor does not give their consent. Despite almost a year passed from the initial deadline of our coworkers, they are unable to contribute.

Is there anything I can do to publish the results of my own work?

Please do not suggest writing regular reminders, I do this routinely, however, it seems that this project is not on the top of the priority list of anyone except myself. Sorry to be verbose...


texts: As a background, I am a PhD student in Physics. I have published 3 papers with my supervisor and 3 without my supervisor,as an independent work. After all these, I reached a point where I don't have any good ideas anymore. I don't know what direction I should approach. I have some ideas, some of them are not so good being too simple, and others too complex and might be done in long periods of 2-3 years. the question would be on how to increase productivity and find new good paper ideas?


texts: Research Associate job reposted, shiould I reach out to the PI?

texts:
I applied for a research associate position when I was at the final stage of my Ph.D. The job description matches my profile with 80%, the 20% included some scientific skills that I didn't have, but they said that they're considering applicants who are willing to learn. This was perfect for me cause this is I have seen those concepts that they're asking for when I was a Master's student, I just didn't have a detailed knowledge of those concepts.
I have prepared hard for the interview and even started reading some research articles. Basically, I started working on my own cause I loved the project. But the surprising thing is that I didn't hear from them at all!. When I reached to the HR team, they said that 'they raised the bar pretty high and only choose candidates who are a close match', my initial reaction was laughing but I decided to take the L and move on.
A few days later, I noticed that the job is re-posted again (previous applicants will not be considered). I also completed my Ph.D and I am available immediately. The job description is still the same and it's really frustrating cause I deserved an interview at least. I want to write an email to the PI, is this a good idea?


texts: Is it okay to change advisors in the same university between Masters and PhD?

texts:
I have almost finished my master's in Computer Science the only reason that I don't want to directly continue with a PhD is my advisor and co-advisor. I was left out during almost all my master's projects and it has been a bad experience.
Is it okay to finish a master's and look for another advisor from the same university? How can I explain my decision to my advisor?


texts: My PhD supervisor want to add his name on a paper from my MSc work

texts:
I just started my PhD and I was planning to submit a paper from my MSc work to a conference soon. The paper was finished before I join my PhD program.

Now my new PhD supervisor want to add his name and his post-doc name on the paper. He asked me to send the paper for his post-doc to review and then add both their names. Although my previous supervisor already reviewed the paper.

How should I proceed? My new supervisor definitely has no contribution in the paper and feels like he just wants his name on more papers with no regard to how he contributed.


texts: Applying for PhD programs abroad while doing one in your home country

texts:
In September I am starting the second year of PhD in my home country. At the same time, I am also going to apply for foreign PhD programs in the same science this year. It has always been my intent to apply for PhD in a prestigious American or European university. The reason I didn’t do it one year ago is that I wanted to gain some more working experience and knowledge before leaving to work abroad. Now I feel that I’m ready. What is more, now I have publications and good CV with talks at conferences, short research visits and such things.

I would like to know, what is the general point of view on such PhD applicants as me? Should I mention in my applications that I want to do double PhD or maybe not even mention this at all?

I should say that applying abroad, I don’t intend to leave the PhD program I’m currently doing. I know many students who obtained their master’s degrees at my university and then applied for PhDs abroad and left to other countries and at the same time were accepted to continue our PhD program. Now they are doing double PhDs, you could say. Of course, their situation was slightly different at the moment of applying, as the universities that accepted them didn’t know if they were actually interested in doing double PhD. However, practically it doesn’t seem to make any difference now.


texts: Can a postdoc apply for a standard NSF grant as a PI?

texts: I have been searching for an answer, to no avail. I would like to apply for a grant for preconference funding. I know NSF has awarded such grants in the past, but I don't know if they will award a grant to a postdoc. My advisor would not be involved in this application, but other faculty at other institutions would be involved. So another option would be to write the grant myself and have someone who is faculty be the PI and I would be the co-I. But I want to know if that's necessary. Yet another option could be to have a faculty as the co-I and me as the PI, which may be more strategic than me doing it alone, but again, not sure if this is even possible.I have tried to reach out to the program officer but she has been unresponsive. I know they are busy but I wrote a very concise message with an informative subject line and she seemed to just assume I was looking for postdoc funding and sent a link for that. :(


texts: I want to apply for a Masters degree but have a low average, what can I do?

texts: I´m a recently graduated mechanical engineer, I  want to apply for a Masters degree but my average is quite low for a lot of universities requirements, what can I do in order to be more eligible?


texts: Can I directly start a French Masters 2 with a UK 4 year integrated masters?

texts:
I'm currently in my fourth and final year of my UK masters degree in Physics. The course is accredited as an MSci, equivalent to doing a 3 year Bsc followed by a 1 year Msc.

I'd like to apply to study nuclear engineering at Universite Paris-Saclay in France. The masters available there consists of a Masters 1 and a Masters 2, 2 successive years of study. I'm trying to find out if it's possible to start directly in the Masters 2, but it's difficult to figure out what exactly my MSci will be equivalent to. The course states it requires a Masters 1 or equivalent, but with no information on what it considers sufficient.

Under the bologna process, the UK masters is equivalent to the French (nominally), so in theory I'll already be above the required level.

Does anyone know of a student starting a French masters in the second year?


texts:
Is it considered rude to point out typos, by sending an email to the reviewer, in a MathSciNet review?

Will they be able to correct the typo, easily, with out involving MathSciNet technical team?


texts: Why is it disadvantageous in graduate admissions to have a higher degree?

texts:
JeffE's answer here indicates that holders of a master’s degree are held to higher standards when it comes to graduate admissions. The stated requirements for some graduate programs (example from UC Berkeley) also outright exclude applicants with doctoral degrees. These seem to be saying that holding a higher degree prior to application is a disadvantage (a fatal one in the case of a PhD).
This also applies to private universities: Stanford apparently has the same restriction (at least in computer science); same goes for MIT.

I don't understand why:

If there are two applicants, Alice and Bob, who have achieved largely similar things, it seems logical that both should have a roughly equal chance of being admitted. However, based on JeffE's answer, if Alice has a Masters degree while Bob does not, it's Bob that gets admitted instead of Alice. JeffE's answer even indicates that if Alice has achieved slightly more than Bob, it's still Bob that gets admitted.
If graduate admissions is looking for students that are capable of succeeding in its program, then Alice should be more likely to succeed than Bob since she's already had some experience of graduate study. This should be even more the case if Alice already has a PhD – if she can do it once, she should be able to do it again.

JeffE's answer indicates that since Alice has had more opportunities than Bob, she should also be held to higher standard. However it should also be true that Alice has already achieved what Bob has yet to and in fact might not be able to achieve. Further, JeffE's answer seems to be saying that Alice should do the academic equivalent of financial engineering and pass her graduate-level courses & thesis without getting a master’s degree even if she qualifies for it, which sounds silly.

As for applicants with PhD degrees, my first guess would be that this is because multiple PhDs is not a good idea, and the university is acting in the applicant's best interests. However if this is the case, then this is effectively telling the applicant "I know what you want better than you do", which also sounds silly. UC Berkeley's requirements also seem to be saying that if someone with a CV worthy of a tenured position were to apply for a PhD student position, the university will say "no" even though it's clearly better in their best interests (in terms of research output) to say "yes".

Presumably I'm misunderstanding something because if this behavior were irrational, it would already have been changed. What am I missing?

EDIT: I wonder if things are different in programs where the student is involved in research directly without spending time on coursework?


texts:
I have completed my PhD in chemistry in an area which doesn’t have scope to get job or a postdoc position.

Now I’m at the age of 29–30, I’m not eligible to write CSIR, a public eligibility test for lectureship and PhD admissions in India, but I’m eligible to write GATE-2016, (Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering) another public test whose score (valid for 2 years) is also considered for PhD admissions in India and some other countries like Singapore. Shall do another PhD with a valued GATE score again, in my selected field of chemistry?
The only stipend available for me is from GATE score.


texts:
As the title says, I'm writting my thesis and I am looking through many reviews, since they easily collect all the useful information that is general and it would take me too much time to find by my own. They also have a nice structure and "storyline", which makes it easier to read (and I doubt I could improve, despite connecting the different fields that are relevant to me).

My question is, if I follow the structure of a review, many of their citations, but I don't copy their sentences (I reformulate most of them when possible, skip some and add some extra from other reviews), is it considered plagiarism? Should I cite the review(s)? And how? Should I forget about all I've done and start from scratch?

Thank you!


texts: Is it wise/ethical to take up a TT position with a desire to leave?

texts:
I'm currently deciding whether to take up a tenure-track faculty position. It's a good position (R1, top-50 department in USNWR ranking), but I'm not very excited about it. In particular, the location is not to my liking. So I would seek to move elsewhere if I took up the position. That is, I would conduct another job search in 2-5 years.

This seems to me to be potentially unwise (as I have been told that it is hard to move between TT positions) and it also seems potentially unethical.

My alternative is to do another postdoc and try the job market again in 2 years or so. That also seems potentially unwise, as I have no idea what the job market will be like then and I may end up with even worse options. I'm also worried that I'll start to look "old" as a candidate, as I'm already 2 years out of my PhD.

I have talked to a few people. They have given me conflicting advice and they are not particularly able to relate to my situation, so I want to ask for some other perspectives.

My specific questions:

1) Is it unethical to take up a TT position with a desire to leave it? I.e. would it upset people when I end up searching for another job.

2) When evaluating TT candidates, does it look better to have 2 more years of postdoc or a few years as an Assistant Professor?

3) In general, is a second job search usually more/less successful than the first one? What factors might determine this?


texts: Should you talk about your other research areas in a tenure-track job talk?

texts:
I'm invited to give a seminar talk on a topic of my own choosing during my tenure-track position interview. Am I supposed to make it a "true" seminar talk about one specific topic, or should I also (briefly) discuss other areas I'm working on?

(The other research areas are somewhat remote to the actual topic of the talk, so it's not easy to naturally integrate them.)


texts: What kind of Visa is required to work in Academia in Japan?

texts: As from title. What kind of visa class do I have to apply for, in order to work as an academic in Japan ?


texts: Should accomplishments be included in a CV? If so, how?

texts:
I imagine most academics have done a number of unique things that are noteworthy, but might not clearly fit into the standard CV categories. Such things might include:

Being featured in a high-profile documentary about one's research
Discovering asteroids or exoplanets
Significant contributions to open-source software
Designing/maintaining a public-outreach website
???

Should these be featured in a "Miscellaneous" category, or somehow massaged into an existing category? Or, should they be omitted entirely? (If something should be omitted, what is the criteria for keeping/omitting it?)


texts: What do I write as response for an academic misconduct investigation?

texts: I am a first year student at a UK university and submitted an essay for one of the courses a couple of months ago. Now, I received an email in which I am informed that some passages of my essay are too similar to the sources, and that the sources were not satisfactorily referenced. I have never worked by a reference system before, because my country doesn't use any. I have 10 days to write them back, and if I don't, a formal investigation will be carried against me for possible academic misconduct. What should I say in the written statement and is my lack of experience a good enough motive?


texts: Is PhD worth it when considering your career in industry

texts:
I'm a beginning doctoral student in the field of Machine Learning and I've been given several contradicting opinions on whether a PhD is worth it or not. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in front of a desk doing research, but I would like to deepen my understanding on my field. I am interested for a career on industry. Some people say I'm wasting my time for doing the PhD and some people say it is worth it. My plan at the moment is to finish PhD as fast as possible and then continue my career in industry when I'm still young. Any opinions or recommendations on what I should do? :)

P.S.

I want to add to this that I have already 2,5 years of work experience on industry (IT) already. For example I designed and implemented an online language skill tester for my university and have worked as a software engineer. So I wouldn't be entirely newbie in programming after I finish my PhD...

My subject is about applying the techniques of Machine Learning on Big Data.

Thank you for any suggestions and guidelines :)


texts: Letter of Recommendation Without Contact from the Student

texts:
On my web page, I ask students who want a letter of recommendation to talk with me about it.  I also ask for specific information, such as what classes they took, how they distinguished themselves, etc.  The purpose, of course, is to write strong letters for the good students and to encourage others to ask someone else.

Today I received an automated letter of recommendation request (from the institution to which he applied) for a student who graduated years ago from a different institution.  I know from my own records how he did in my classes, but I have no other information available.  I have no contact information for the student.

I can write a semi-strong letter based on grades alone, I can ask the institution to which he applied for contact information, or I can continue to try to track him down some other way.  (I've already tried the usual methods of Google, Facebook, etc.)

Should I write the semi-strong letter, contact the institution to which he applied, or do some third thing?


texts: Should I contact a potential PhD supervisor who strongly encouraged me to apply after not having heard from my application?

texts:
I have applied to an interdisciplinary program in a very top US university. My undergrad is in one of the fields involved. Back in November, I contacted a potential PhD supervisor (sending him my CV). We had a chat over Zoom, and he told me that I "will get offers". He told me has spoken about me to a Prof at my current institution who knows me, and based on my background, we started discussion potential projects and co-supervisors. He encouraged me to chat with one of his current grad students, whose undergrad is on the same field as mine. When I chatted with the PhD student, he was really trying to "sell" me the university. He told me that it was very likely that I will get invited for an interview and get offers. It's now February and:

I haven't heard anything from the program
In gradcafe, at least 2 students mentioned that they were invited for interviews in December
I asked the PhD student if he knows anything, he said he doesn't.

Should I contact the potential supervisor, in case my application was overlooked and he can still do something? (He is not on the main committee of the program, though.) On the other hand, I am afraid of looking impatient or unpolite, and ruining my remaining chances of getting in.
(Note: I am an international student, studying outside the US. Is there any chance that international applications are processed later, or don't get interviews because of timezones?)


texts: How much time should someone take to respond to a PhD admission offer?

texts:
I have received an admission offer for a PhD at a prestigious US university. However I am also currently working in another lab outside the US with a potential to also receive PhD admission there.

I think the deadline to respond to the US school is April 15 but the professor asked me politely to give an answer within a reasonable amount of time, also my former supervisor (which has no interest in the matter) suggest not to string along the US school and try to make a decision well before the deadline.

I feel it might be unethical to wait the last minute because I respect the professor and he might lose good potential candidates. On the other hand I want to wait and see if there is a concrete possibility of pursuing a PhD at this other place.


texts: Can a professor refuse to introduce any textbook for a course?

texts:
In a technical course, our professor refused to introduce any textbook. He officially stated (included in the course syllabus) that all the course content will be discussed in the class, and cover all questions in the final exam.

I think this is a trick to bring the students to the class instead of relying on self-study.

I do not have problem with this method, as I regularly attend the class, but it would be easier to have a textbook.

My question: can a professor do this? Isn't it the essential right of students to have appropriate textbooks for each course?


texts: Practical implications of noting "equally contributing authors"

texts:
I was recently reading a paper on which the author list had an interesting twist: both the first and second author had an asterisk next to their name, with the footnote "these authors contributed equally."

I'm curious about the practical implications of such a scenario. Obviously, one is listed first and one is listed second (in this case, alphabetical, by last name), and that's how it'll be displayed in citations. However, can the second listed author—who is supposed to be given equal weight to first author regarding credit—list their name first on their CV, even though its listed differently in the journal? Are there any other implications I'm not considering?


texts: Should a research statement for a faculty job have references in it?

texts: If you are applying for a faculty job in computer science in a US university, should your research statement have references to research papers in it?


texts: If a potential professor said he did not accept any more PhD students this year, could I reach to another professor?

texts:
I applied to a PhD program. I contacted one professor and told him that I would like to join in his research team. He replied to me that he was unlikely to take on any direct advisees this year. He also said:

  It is not necessary to be adopted into a specific research group in order to be accepted into the program; you can be accepted into the program, assigned an adviser, and then work with some other professors. I will keep an eye out for your application.

What can I do now? Do I need to contact another professor?


texts: How to prepare for STEM graduate program while in industry?

texts:
I recently graduated with my bachelor's in Electrical Engineering and started working in industry. During my undergraduate work, I had always planned on going back to school, but it wasn't until shortly before graduating that I realized that I really wanted to pursue academia and become a professor. I only applied for the graduate program at my own school during senior year, since I didn't have connections anywhere else at the time. I wasn't accepted, but I recognize now that I'm not quite ready for grad school.

Now that I'm in industry, I've been working on goals to help prepare me for grad school in 3-5 years from now. I've been going over my old math courses to crack down on the basics, reading academic journals in my area of interest, and using my remaining free time to study and work on projects in areas that will make me more knowledgeable.

This is something I’m really driven to reach, and willing to put in the hours to accomplish. What other things can I be doing in this time before reapplication to better prepare me and make me a more competitive candidate for grad school? (Besides the obvious, like a good GRE score)


texts:
I am expected to finish my Ph.D in mathematics (if relevant, more specifically - in commutative/homological algebra) by the end of this academic year. I am studying in a somewhat minor university, although my supervisor is a well know figure in his field.

Following my supervisor's advice, I submitted applications for postdoctoral positions in about 20 top level universities in the US. As most of these universities already finished hiring for this year, I suspect I made the mistake aiming too high, and would probably get negative answers from all the different employers.

Assuming this is the case, I am now wondering what should be the next step in my academic career. One option is to stay at my current university for another year (but with a much lower salary, as my scholarship will come to an end). I should mention that my supervisor highly discourages this option, as he thinks that I should get more involved in the research community of my field, and my current university is a poor place to do so.

Alternatively, I am wondering if there are any other opportunities for postdocs in Europe or the US for the 2013 academic year, in my relevant field, of which the deadline still did not pass.

Any advice or idea for my situation would be helpful.

Thank you


texts: How to list this accomplishment on my vita?

texts: I just saw that one of my research articles was the most-read paper in one of the top journals in my field in February of this year.  What is the appropriate way, if any, to list this on a vita?  It's not an "Award", strictly speaking, so would it be best to just list it as a comment next to the paper?


texts: Joint authorship for rewriting and extending an existing article

texts:
I have got into contact with a fellow researcher at a conference, discussing a preprint of his. It turns out that his research complements mine, and I would like to see his research published so that I can (officially) use it.

However, the draft needs some reworking before published. He offered me to make this a joint authorship if I would finish this work. Having taken a look, the topic intrigues me - I could probably rewrite it considerably and contribute some additional results.

Is this acceptable by academic standards? -or- How can I ensure that my contributions are strong enough so that joint authorship is rock solid justified? Is it recommendable to note the original preprint explicitly in the final draft or to the journal editor? The field is pure mathematics.


texts: How to decide whether the amount of study material provided to students is enough?

texts:
Arguably the most time-consuming component of teaching is preparation of study material (especially when in comes to a fresh lecturer of a new module).

First of all, every presentation should have slides. Who takes a lecturer without slides seriously? (with the only exception of, perhaps, really senior professors). If one dares to use a black- or whiteboard, students will take pictures on their iPhones instead of following the lecture, pretending they will follow it at home, which they never do. And students who miss the lecture will complain, since the slides are not available.Secondly, some question / exercise sheets are important to keep students entertained and busy in class / tutorial. Question sheets imply answer sheets, with (some) of solutions worked out, to help students prepare to the assessments. Lecture notes, to collect all relevant information in one place, and save students some trouble looking for it in various textbooks. Helps with those students who are hip enough to never use a library. Practice instructions, to carry out lab classes.

This is just a basic list, which comes to my mind, and I'm sure that other types of study / supporting materials are used in teaching.

I've heard rumours about some loci amoeni universities in the US, which provide their lecturers with all (or most) of these materials, professionally prepared by academic publishers. Apparently, this is not the case in the UK, at least not at every university. And I can now appreciate, that preparation of all these materials to every lecture / tutorial class can take a very considerable time.

Question: How do we decide, which materials are the most important for the class, and which are not? How do we assess, that the amount of materials prepared is sufficient?

Specs (by popular request): I am teaching Maths at BSc and MSc level in the UK. However, I would appreciate answers regardless your discipline / profile.


texts: How to write teaching philosophy and research statement?

texts:
I am applying for faculty positions in the US. Almost all of them require teaching philosophy and research statements. I have read some examples, but still do not understand what should I write.

Should they be about my past experiences or future plans?
Should they be evidence-based or just my ideas?
How they should be categorized (e.g., different topics that I
taught or my teaching methods; different research topics or
research strategy)?

I know that this question is too broad, but honestly I am deeply confused. How can I highlight my teaching/research potential to attract their attention?


texts: Who might lose a job in academia due to covid19?

texts:
With covid19 continues to spread, this might affect the universities in the next semesters as the number of students might drop and many universities are offering cheap online degrees compared with the expensive traditional degrees. Who can lose a job due to covid19 in academia? Instructors with annual contracts, postdocs, adjunct-faculty, pre-tenure faculty, tenure faculty, or even all and many could universities shut down.

Universities Issue Hiring Freezes in Response to COVID-19
Some offers were withdrawn and one case of layoffs- see comments


texts: How can we find who owns an old book's copyright?

texts: How can we find who owns an old book's copyright today, especially if the publishing company who printed said book no longer exists? This would also apply for other (non-book) publications.


texts: While doing PhD I did not consider the job prospects or requirements in my field. Will it be alright to ask my advisor for help with career path?

texts:
I made a huge mistake while doing my Ph.D. I did my Ph.D. on a topic that I was excited about but did not feel confident in. And lo behold, I got a Ph.D. in 5.5 years with skillset, which is not at par with the requirements of the openings in my area of research (computational modelling of the additive manufacturing process).
My research involved fairly simple methodology. I can publish many papers on my topic or research area in decent journals as there are several open ended questions, but that won't get me any tenure track position or industry job.
The majority of publications or grants in my research area is for experimental research. Computational research is not that hard to do and also does not get standalone grants. I should have carried out some experimental research during my Ph.D., but I was always hesitant to propose it to my bosses.
Now after graduating, I am realizing the slim prospects of landing a job with my skillset and CV. I want to do some experiments in my Postdoc position with my Ph.D. advisor. Also, I need some contacts for my next move. Will it be alright to ask my Ph.D. advisor (now postdoc advisor) for help with defining my career path?
Edit: The reason I am asking this because I am hesitant to blurt out my insecurities and my issues to my professor. I have good relationship with my advisor, I don't know if I should bother him with this.


texts: When changing fields, should I focus more on describing past research or connecting it to the new area in my statement of purpose?

texts:
I want to change my field from molecular biophysics to theoretical ecology. While they are basically required some same basic background (physics, math, programming), the rest is quite irrelevant. In my current draft of this part, about a half is about this the problem and the result of the work, another half is for my contribution and what I've learnt. Having said that, should I focus less on describing the work and leave space for the thing that will be useful for the next research?

Below is copy from Choosing research ideas to include in a statement of purpose.

  What have you already done? What problems have you solved, or at least worked on? What independent projects have you been part of? What were your key contributions? What did you learn? What did you teach the world? How do your results compare to what was already known? What original ideas are you most proud of? Be specific, technical, credible, and confident (but not arrogant). Refer the reader to your web page for more details. Have a web page with more details: preprints, project reports, source code, videos, etc.


texts: Is it fair for me to drink caffeine during tests?

texts:
For some of my more difficult and early morning tests, I will buy coffee and bring it with me into the exam. My hope is that the caffeine will help me be fully alert, think more clearly, and write answers more quickly.

However, I know that drinking caffeine puts me in a slightly different state of mind physiologically than my classmates. Is it fair for me to drink caffeinated beverages at tests? If it isn't, is it merely something rude that would be nice for me to stop, or a form of mild cheating that I would be wise to admit to and discuss with my professors?


texts: Can I present my submitted work for publication as a poster in a symposium?

texts:
I want to know that if the work presented as a poster in a symposium should be a work in progress or could it be a published work or submitted paper?
The field I am concerned with is biophysics.


texts: What is the proper way to ask for an unpublished paper?

texts:
I want to get access to a paper which hasn't been published by the scholar and I decide to write an email to him. What is a proper way to ask ?

My intention is to help myself formulate the scope of my next paper in the same  field.


texts:
My advisor sets the problem. I implement the solution for this particular problem and for the set of similar problems using a programming language.

My question is, can I put the code in the public domain, if I decide to do so. And can I run the code for other people in exchange of co-authorship for their papers?

Again, my advisor did not ask me to write the code, he asked me to solve the problem.


texts: Which kind of undergraduate course is better for a student wishing to do research in physics?

texts:
I'm interested in theoretical physics and would like to do research in the same field. I have completed my high school and have decided to take a BSc in physics. My question is about the type of BSc course that I should get into. There are courses in which the syllabus includes a lot of other sciences like chemistry,biology etc and other type in which most of the course deals with physics(along with small credit courses on other sciences).

So, which one should I opt?
Will the second type help me more during my MSc and PhD?


texts: Is it ethical to use past years' final exams that the professor hasn't explicitly given, to study for a final in the same class?

texts:
This happened to me in my 2nd year of grad school, in a STEM field. As many do, our professor gave the class the last year's final, to give us an idea of what areas to study and what to expect, etc, which he obviously isn't required to do and is very nice of him.

Now, the reason he gives us last year's one is because, at the end of the year, he returns your test, so he knows that most of the ones floating around are the ones from last year.

However, as many older professors (in my experience, but maybe younger ones too) do, he also reuses exams from previous years (not even concepts or the same problems with different parameters, just literal copies), since the material and curriculum of this course is very well established/so old that nothing needs to change. I don't blame him for this; if you teach the same course on and off over 20 years, coming up with good exam questions over and over again would be annoying.

Now, what my question regards is, I realized a student in my class had past tests from not just the last time the class was taught, but literally the past 5 years. I don't know how to say this part as diplomatically as possible, but this student came from a country that about nearly half our program comes from. The other half (aside a few outliers) is from the U.S. I don't mention this to demonize or stereotype anyone; I believe it's relevant because the students from this country (in my program) are almost uniformly very tight knit, and seem to often share resources between each other and across years more than is normal amongst everyone else. The relevance is that one group has resources that others don't.

So my question is, is this ethical (for the student to do, I mean) ?

Just to put some relevant ideas/arguments/details down:

Assume (and I believe it was the case) that in the scenario I've written, the rest of the students (the ones who don't have the past tests) don't know about the students that have the past tests, so they can't do something simple like ask them.
I think many will argue that if the professor didn't want this happening, he wouldn't reuse tests, or at least as exactly as he does. However, I don't think this changes the ethics of the situation: the point is, in this situation, you can get away with it, but is it right?
I imagine the professor would not approve of this (actually, recently, another professor said in regards to his final "I know there are past ones floating around, please don't look at them", so at least he disapproved), but an argument could also be made for the possibility of him approving: It's not as though having the previous tests just makes it a given that you'll ace it, it's still a lot of work to figure out all the problems such that you can reliably do them later (he doesn't give back the answers to the tests, only the tests themselves). I could imagine a professor being okay with students getting a better grade on the final if it meant they learned more and worked to get it.
This professor never actually said not to, so the student wasn't explicitly disobeying anyone.
This question really has two subquestions, but they're very similar: a) Would it be ethical if everyone had these pasts tests (that the professor did not know about/give)? And b), Is it ethical if only a subset of the class has these tests. Obviously if you say no to (a) you say no to (b), but you might feel as though the concept of using past tests isn't wrong, but some students having an unfair advantage is.


texts: How to deal with a student who most likely has a mental condition, and keeps arguing with me in class?

texts:
I am a TA for an introductory computer programming course at a university in the US. There is one student in particular who, during lecture, will argue with me about every point I make, which eats up a lot of lecture time and becomes un-enlightening for the students, as I am mainly repeating myself to answer the question/respond to the argument.

The student doesn't have previous knowledge in the programming language, so I don't think he's some conceited maniac trying to prove that he's better than me. Simply put, I think the best inference is that he has a sort of mental condition.

For instance, if I show an example on the board, he might blurt out that it's wrong, and try to explain why. While I appreciate students double-checking me, almost 100% of the time, the examples and points that I make are not incorrect, and after explaining it, he becomes quiet for a little bit to process what I said, and tries to point out another flaw. Essentially, he would try to challenge me if I said "1 + 1 = 2", if he could.

These debacles can go on sometimes for up to two minutes before I have a chance to move on. Very frequently, he asks questions/challenges me on things that I just explained or went over, so the class doesn't benefit from this, and it's generally a non-productive use of time. Often times, I will say something like, "If you'd like to discuss this more, we can during office hours," which is a statement that he seems to ignore completely, and will continue his questioning even after I've said this.

Additionally, when I am helping individual students in the classroom during work time, he will shout out to me from across the room to tell me something or ask me a question, and when I say "I can help you shortly when I'm done with Sally here," he will sometimes leave his seat and approach me directly, interrupting my conversation with the student.

How do I deal with a student like this? It seems like he has a mental condition of some sort, based on his interactions and mannerisms, though I've never received a notice from the university's disabilities department. The reason why I bring up the possibility of a mental condition is because he is set off very easily, so I'd like to handle the situation as delicately as possible.


texts: If you're given an hour, is it bad to finish a job talk in half an hour?

texts: I am applying for postdoc this year. I was given standard one hour for my job talk. I prepared for a 45-50 minute talk and 10-15 minutes for Q & A. But probably I spoke bit too fast and also people didn't interrupt me, my talk was over by 30-35 minutes. Is it really bad for getting a job?


texts: Is starting a sentence with "Let" acceptable in mathematics/computer science/engineering papers?

texts:
I received a comment from a colleague that starting a sentence with "let" is not good practice. I know that starting a sentence with "let" is grammatically correct, so that is not the question. My question is if starting a sentence with "let" is good practice and acceptable in technical writing.
Here are a couple examples:

Let scalars be denoted by lower case letters.
Let x be a real number greater than zero.
Let the set of real numbers be denoted by R.


texts:
I'm not so sure what to do in this situation. I'm a final year PhD student who submitted a manuscript for publication in a clinical journal (paediatrics) about 5 months ago. I've been tracking the online status of the manuscript and as of February 2016 it indicated "all reviews complete". Its been over 1 month now and I've tried calling, sending e-mails, no reply whatsoever. The phone keeps ringing and I've also left messages (Its based in the US-I'm in the UK). There's only one e-mail address provided on their website and I've struggled to get contact details of any of the other academics on the editorial board.

I'm just getting a little concerned by the lack of feedback or update regarding the manuscript-has anyone experienced this before? What would you do apart from keep waiting?

Edit: Just to let you all know that I heard from them a day after this post!


texts: How to Proceed: Journal Agreed to Publish, 6 Months Later Reneges

texts:
I would like request some advice regarding my situation.  Here is a summary: I submitted an article for review for publication in an upper-tier academic journal.  I have been published in this journal before and thought I had a good relationship with the editor in chief (EIC).  Six months after submission, I received an email from the EIC, telling me that the article was excellent and after I made one small change, they would agree to publish it.  I made the change to the EIC's satisfaction and the EIC agreed to publish the article.

Six months after this, I unexpectedly received an email from the EIC telling me that, upon further review, the journal would not publish the article.  The EIC then listed three "incorrect" words (yes, words) in the article (it is 20+ pages in length) as the reasons for not publishing it.  The EIC stated that publishing the article in its present form would damage my career goals.  The EIC also informed me he would not work with me on the article any longer, as he had "spent enough time on it."  The EIC then stated that I needed to re-do the entire article and work with "experts in the field."  After this was completed, the EIC stated I could resubmit, if I wanted.  Again, all of this is completely out of the blue.

Needless to say, I am stunned.  Also needless to say, this situation is unacceptable.  How would you suggest I proceed at this point?  In my opinion, the EIC made a commitment to publish my article in its present form and the EIC should honor this commitment.  Should I attempt to contact the EIC's superior(s) about this behavior?  It is very strange, and is a huge breach of academic standards.  Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.


texts: I have published all my PhD papers independently, how get a postdoc position?

texts:
I have a PhD in organic chemistry from a top-tier university and published 5 papers in good journals. My PhD advisor was very helpful and helped me a lot but she is not in any of my papers as she believed her contribution is not enough for co-authorship. I thought it is a privilege that I can get all the credit.

Now that I apply for postdoc positions, it is a downside to my applications. In two phone interviews, I was specifically asked why my advisor is not in my papers. One told me "she probably did not like/approve your work" and the other said, "I am not satisfied that you can collaborate with your future supervisor".

Although she had complimented my publications in her letter of recommendation, nobody likes my sole authorship.

How can I apply for a postdoc as I feel I am stuck in my career because of a mistake.


texts: How to deal with classes that I must cancel due to conference travel?

texts:
I will be teaching a course which is made up of 13 weeks of classes
in the Fall of 2016.
Unfortunately, I will also be travelling in the middle of the semester
to a conference in the US from my home university located in Asia.
This means that for one week, I will not physically be in my home university and I will have to cancel classes.

Unfortunately, we cover quite a lot of material in the course. Therefore, I am afraid that if I cancel one week of classes I will not be able to cover all the material.
What are my options in such a situation?

I was considering recording a video of my lectures just for that week I am away.
Assignments can be submitted electronically so I could assign work for the students which they can complete and submit online.

What have other professors/lecturers done in such a situation?


texts: Research article inspired by a question on MSE?

texts:
This question has been migrated from the MSE.
I am writing a short research article that was inspired by a question posted on the Mathematics Stack Exchange. Is mentioning this in the article viewed as unprofessional/undesirable?
I specifically mention in the introduction that the paper was motivated by an MSE question and provide a citation to the question but am not sure how an editor may view that. Is this a generally acceptable thing to do?


texts: Trimming my CV; or, what is appropriate to have in a CV at a given career stage

texts:
I've been more or less adding material to my CV since I started it while in grad school.  As I am now a much more senior person, I am starting to feel it is a bit cluttered and perhaps larded up with inane facts about my (academic) life.  For instance does it really make sense to continue to include a prize I won as an undergraduate fifteen years ago?  Did it ever?

I'm curious what people think is an appropriate amount of information to include at each career stage: PhD student, Post-doc, Tenure-track, Tenured or if it doesn't make a difference.

I'm in math if people think the subject area matters.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do you judge the quality of a journal?

How to evaluate the genuineness/authenticity, impact, significance & reputation of an open access journal? The prestigious journals have Impact factor & various indices, What about open access journals?

EDIT: Although a previously asked question has garnered many responses, this question is only toward open access publishing.


texts:
I'm at a conference and I really enjoyed a plenary lecture by a speaker.
His work resonated with some of the stuff I have been working on myself.

I have a Journal Club presentation coming up soon in my lab and I'm planning to present a few of his recent papers along with other perspectives in the field. Would it be ok to ask for a selfie at the conference dinner to put in the presentation?

In general, is it acceptable to ask scientists for selfies? I doubt that it matters, but the field in question is protein chemistry.


texts: What would be the acceptable procedure (if any) for creating a Google Scholar page for someone else?

texts:
When doing research to answer this question, I would have loved to see the Google Scholar page of Nobel Laureate Martin Karplus. However it does not exist. There is a Google Scholar page for Richard Feynman, and for Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, most likely not created by themselves. Clearly it's possible to make a Google Scholar page for someone without a "verified email". How does one do this?

I understand that the examples I gave were not for living people, but I wonder if there is a way to make a page (or to request a page) for a living person, without using a fake email address.

I did search online before coming here, and the best I could find was the article "Can I create a google scholar profile for someone else?" and this did not satisfy me as being a complete search.


texts: How does one define a non-biased, citation-worthy study?

texts: On Skeptics Stack Exchange I recently asked a question where I specifically asked for a study backed by a university, and someone edited it, changing it to the phrase "peer reviewed study." If I say "peer reviewed study" does that describe a study that is accurate, reliable, unbiased, etc? Is there any better description for the type of study I'm looking for?