texts: Strategies to strengthen self-discipline as a PhD student

texts:
The main troubles in my academic experience can be summarized in two popular (if somewhat cheesy) sayings:

"Careful what you wish for" and
"With great power comes great responsibility"

Throughout my high school and undergraduate education I kept (naively, I now reckon) chasing the dream of ultimate academic freedom, where I would be able to study freely and learn at will, unencumbered by artificial constraints like scheduled classes, deadlines, curricula, etc. So I went after it, first getting a master's and now a pursuing PhD, but now that the classes and assignments are finally over, I find myself unable to handle the freedom I wished for. It wasn't even a sudden change: at each step, as the external support/control structures grew thinner, I had to rely more and more in self-discipline, but I failed to recognize my ineptitude on time.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that this issue isn't new or unique (indeed, the two most voted questions on this site deal with this kind of problem), but here's why I'm still asking this question: what I'm aiming for isn't tools or best practices;
todo lists, well-defined schedules, website blockers, I've tried pretty much all of those, and I've also read a lot about procrastination, motivation, flow, etc. I've been battling these issues for several years now, and I've been through this cycle many times, attempting new tools and techniques that work for a while, only to find myself back in a self-defeating loop of procrastination. I recently decided to seek psychological counseling precisely because I recognized I wasn't able to deal with this alone.

Essentially, I recognize my dependence on a structured environment to be productive, but also (due to attempting and failing many times) my inability to create and maintain such external structures. I'm therefore looking for strategies to improve my ability to motivate myself to actually follow the rules I try to impose on myself. So rather than creating friction in trying to control my behavior, I'm seeking strategies that make it the path of least resistance to be productive and organized. My hopes, since all else has failed so far, is to use the fake it till you make it approach to eventually become an actual organized and self-disciplined person.

As an example, I have suppressed all sorts of notifications (a common advice), and don't keep my email or any such pages open in the background, to minimize the chance of interruptions. I also changed the chair in my desk to one that makes it less easy to slouch, based on the principle that body posture affects mental state. Setting defaults such as these essentially "outsources" decisions I would otherwise have to make consciously, thus depleting my willpower. I also use Beeminder to "outsource motivation", but it doesn't fit perfectly to every case. I'm interested in hearing how others dealt with the need to gradually develop the ability to self-regulate, particularly in the context of academia.

EDIT: I think my question was a little more pessimistic than it should (and definitely too verbose, sorry!). To be clear, my previous attempts did lead to some long-term improvement, but in a rather slow, two-steps-forward-one-step-backward kind of way. I'm not claiming those techniques don't work, but I believe it would be useful for many people to have a compiled list of environmental changes that "outsource" the need to make small decisions that otherwise have to be made each time, since most productivity advice focuses on the latter.


texts: How do I get into a Computer Science Masters without an undergrad in CS?

texts:
I have discovered that I enjoy computer science immensely and I would like to pursue a masters degree in computer Science.

My undergrad was Neuroscience (biology) with a minor in Bioinformatics. I have a 3.2 gpa, and an 77 percentile GRE, which I understand is not amazing but ok.
But, I've gotten all A's in any computer science class I have taken, (data structures, algorithms etc.)

I would like to get into the best possible program, for example MIT, I understand this may be unrealistic with my grades and would like to ask what are my options and what should I do to get ready?

Ideas:

Retake the GRE get better score
Take a Comp Science GRE subject test
get real life experience
put code online, open source
Get work experience
Screw the masters get a job

I'd love to hear what you think is the best choice for setting up a successful career in computer science. Thanks!


texts: What Math Courses are required for pursuing Economics Phd in US?

texts:
I have completed the following mathematically inclined courses offered at LSE:

1) Mathematical Methods (Which includes Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus)

2) Elementary Statistical Theory

3) Principle of Econometrics

I am planning to apply for a Phd program to universities in the United States and I've read on some forums that taking challenging math courses might improve one's chances of getting in highly selective schools. So I was wondering if these courses along with usual Econ courses demonstrate would enough rigour to the admissions committee. I am asking this because I have a chance to specialize in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics in my final year and so if I'm missing some math courses, I might be able to cover them up by choosing this specialisation.


texts: PhD Perfect fit topic + insecure funds vs. non-optimal topic + secure funds

texts:
This is probably more of a request for an advice than a pinpoint question.
Nevertheless I'm interested in hearing the take of others on the topic.

Background:

I have graduated in Germany, 2 years ago, with an excellent master's grade (converting to GPA: 4.0)
in theoretical physics (c.f. Alleviating Dunning-Kruger effect without running into impostor syndrome)
My work has no practical applications but I liked the theory and math. It took a while to
get started looking for a PhD position, but I've been looking for one for ~ 1 1/2 yrs,
first for publicly listed ones, then actively suggesting research topics myself.
Unfortunately those who were interested in my suggestions had no funding available.
Since my former adviser had no real external relations he could not suggest anybody to
me to check for an open PhD position and I've been looking on my own.

Status:

Over the past months I have found one position in Austria where the topic fits to a T.
It will be very mathematical and concern fundamental research (light-space-matter) with no immediate practical
applications and possibly no immediate experimental verification (unless I can find
collaborators to perform some experiments).
Simultaneously I got an offer for a PhD at a large research association in Germany (Helmholtz society)
in a field I am not familiar, but am interested in. I got the offer after expanding my criteria
though. This position would require a very nice mix of theoretical physics,
mathematics and talking with experimentalists to compare theoretical predictions
to experimental results.

Problem:

The position in Austria fits perfectly to my interests, although I have (and always had) doubts as
to whether I can handle the math. BUT funding is definitely available only for 1/2 year. Afterwards
the continuation would be conditioned on a) the adviser being happy with my work and b) whether
further funding will be available.

The position with Helmholtz does not fit perfectly to my physics interests. The funding and
additional benefits are available for 3-4 years and I have no doubts that I can handle the topic.
Its major "Pro" (apart from job security) is the active collaboration
of different research fields, something I've been trying to foster during my M.Sc. (in vain I think).

I can not guarantee, that I will be able to supply the funds (self-fund a part of the PhD) should
the funding run out, so my ideal position becomes quite a risky option. Given the assurance
of availability of funds I would take that position without a second thought, but
I very much want to avoid having to stress myself out after 6 mo. looking for a new position - again.

Query:

Is it advisable to choose a PhD position where the topic fits, but the financial security
of the position is questionable?
Or would it be more prudent to select the more secure position even at the cost of it not
being a perfect fit?
How easy/hard is it to get a post-doc position in a topic which is not perfectly aligned (still physics though)
with the PhD one has done?

Complication:

I might be able to secure some funding through an ongoing collaboration
on a different topic (a pet project), but that will definitely not be 1 FTE (maybe 0.25-0.5 FTE).


texts: How to handle a student who will not accept that he is wrong?

texts:
I am a university marker TA, and after midterm exam I met with a student who would not accept that he was wrong. He thought his answers were correct but didn't explain to me why his answers were correct. He just didn't accept my explanation. He also blamed me marking his assignment wrong, but later I found out it has nothing to do with me. It is my first time being a TA. Should I just tell him to talk to the instructor, and that my job is just marking?

Actually, I didn't explain too much because I don't know how to help him understand he is wrong even though he read the sample answer. And he didn't tell me why he is right.


texts: Manuscript was "unsubmitted" because the manuscript was deposited in Arxiv Preprints

texts: One of my manuscripts was "unsubmitted" and potentially rejected by the journal for the reason that it was submitted to a preprint server. Is it normal for the journal to reject a paper that was submitted in a preprint?


texts: What can cause the date of submission status to change without a change of status "under review" for Elsevier editorial systems?

texts:
I have a paper submitted to a journal of Elsevier.

From "Manuscript Submitted" to "with editor" took one day; then it was  "with editor" for five days, and then "under review". One and a half months later, the status of the paper was still "under review", but the date of status has changed.

What can cause the date in the submission system to change in the absence of a change in status?


texts: How to get rid of annoying graduate student "supervisor"

texts:
I am an undergraduate student who has developed a novel new model which according to my PI (principal investigator) will have a high impact.

My PI assigned a grad student to supervise me. Supervision consisted of meeting once a week to update him on my progress so far. Sometimes he would provide certain helpful suggestions(none that are actual innovations just slight fixes/alterations that would improve the model).

During the course of the year he (the grad student) has become more and more annoying. Unhelpful suggestions/requests, etc.

During our last meeting the grad student made some bold claims on the model developed by me claiming to be an equal author/developer. He made it clear he wanted to get a large amount of credit for the model (co-authorship).

I do not think that he has done enough meaningful work to deserve credit for the model (although he would be listed in acknowledgements). Knowing his intentions I wish to distance myself from him(including not having him review the paper), as to lower his chance of becoming a co-author.

I would like to achieve this in such a way that does not negatively impact my relationship with my PI, as grad schools require reference letters.

EDIT:
I don't think I have been very clear and for that I apologize. I acknowledge that he has contributed to the work. I also understand that having more authors doesn't reflect badly on me(I didn't even know about the score system). I just have problems with his claims of equal authorship. As we are nearing final results/submissions of paper and he has better relation with the professor he may try to take the first authorship position.

Additional: By my university guideline policies about co-authorship he has not done enough to deserve even a co-author position.


texts:
I'm looking at a few "fully" funded PhD's in the UK. Now I understand it is a terrible timing with the whole Brexit travesty. But disregarding that, I'm failing to understand a few things and I hope you may be able to assist.

1) "...first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualifications), as a minimum, in science or mathematics..."

What nightmarish system is this? I tried converting my Masters Degree in Science(2 years), which by the Danish system has an average at 10.93. Now according to a conversion guide I located, a 10 is 2:1 whilst an average of 12 is a first-class(Which is unrealistic to obtain by the way).
Am I right to assume an undergraduate degree would be equivalent to my bachelors in science(3 years) and won't matter? So if I only look at my masters degree average, then what am I? First class graduate or 2:1 graduate? Who determines this when applying? What about honours? This doesn't exist in my country at all. I also found something about some information about early courses counting less, than harder courses later on - where as we count everything by the ECTS system.

2) When finding fully funded PhD positions, it often says that as a non-UK citizen, a fee is applicable. However, I cannot find anything specific detailing this. I find this concept slightly difficult to grasp, as any EU citizen that comes to my university here in Denmark, and is accepted into a fully funded PhD, will have no economic expenses and will be paid very VERY well every month. Generally regarded as an employee.

I hope my questions was specific enough. I appreciate you taking your time to look it through.

Best regards.


texts: Concerted efforts to digitalize MS and PhD theses?

texts: Some universities digitize their masters and doctoral theses already and some of them even share them for free online. However, there are enough that are not digitized that inter-library loan remains often necessary for literature searches. Obviously this is just a matter of time until the librarians catch up with the modern era. However, government funding is often involved and could be leveraged towards progress in those instances. Has this been proposed already? Have similar mechanisms been proposed?


texts:
I am thinking about going to graduate school soon after getting my B.A but I don't know if my background will let me in/what I can do to get in.

I have an A.S and almost a B.A in marketing. Since High School I have worked in a corporate office in the marketing department. I have had to pay for college myself because my family and I don't have a lot of spare money so the entire time I'm in college I'm working a full and part time job, otherwise I wouldn't be able to stay. My grades aren't the best B-C average because of everything I have to take on just to go to school.

I also never took the official ACT or SAT. I have severe ADHD so the longer a test is the worst my grade gets. I took the practice SAT exams in High School and did beyond horrible but once I got it back and it showed all my wrong answers I was surprised by how simple the questions were and that I got it wrong when I knew the answer.

Anyway, my main questions is that I've seen people get in to grad programs without a GRE before but they were 4.0 students with 2 B.A's. I know I can take the GRE but I'm sure the test results won't show my true academic knowledge. Does anyone else suffer from ADHD in this way that can give advice or even the likeliness of getting into a grad program without the GRE?

EDIT: I was confused by the SAT and GRE. SAT was changed to GRE


texts: What journals should I submit my paper to?

texts:
I have a bachelor degree, but am currently not enrolled in a university. I am finishing a paper that I would like to publish in a fitting journal. Of course the ideal outcome would be a highly respected journal, but it seems to me that the odds of getting published are higher in a less well known journal.

I am considering just submitting it to the most highly respected journal, then going down the list until its accepted. Is this the optimal strategy?

The downside might be that the odds of those highly respected journals accepting my paper are very slim, so that the process will take years.

thoughts on this?

(as a side question: I did the research mostly during my bachelor degree, but I wrote it down, and finished it up after finishing my degree. Would it be fraudulent to name my university as my affiliation?)


texts: Will my submission be rejected if I accidentally submit the non-blind version to a conference with double blind review?

texts:
I recently submitted a paper for a conference, I'm pretty confident about the topic and contents of the paper, but I just realized I sent the copy where the authors' names are in it, i.e. not the "blind" version that the conference requires. And I realized this a few days from the notification due date, which is today. I cannot change my submission from EasyChair.

Do you think this will get me rejected? And what should I do now? Should I e-mail the organizer and send them the blind copy?


texts: Pros and cons of booking a hotel through the conference website versus finding your own hotel

texts:
I am going to an overseas conference this year. The conference organizer provided two hotels that we can book from. But after a round of Internet search, I found generally better prices at other hotels that are closer to the conference venue.

Obviously, I do not want to book so far away from everyone else that I cannot join any activities.

What are other pros and cons of booking a hotel through the conference or on your own that I may have missed?


texts: How to refer to a university that changed its name?

texts:
More than 10 years ago I went to University A School of Engineering, in the USA and used this name on all resumés, etc. Now, I am applying to attend this same school again (for another degree).

Over a week ago, the university changed its name to University B School of Engineering (due to a hefty donation). Even the name outside the University (I pass by it everyday) still says University A School of Engineering, and so do places like LinkedIn, but the University website changed its name.

My question is: How do I address the school on resume, essays, etc? Do I say University A School of Engineering or University B School of Engineering? Because by reflex, I still say University A School of Engineering, because that’s its name for over 100 years.

By the way, my references already uploaded letters of recommendation to the university’s online system, and they referred to it as University A School of Engineering.


texts: What should I do if I accepted a review request based on paper title, but then found out it touches on topics I don't know?

texts:
I am a Phd student from Algeria, and I received an invitation to Review for the International Journal of Adaptive Control and Signal Processing. My Phd supervisor advised me to accept the invitation to review the paper, so I accepted the invitation.

Now from the title of the paper, it looks to be in the field that I am working in. However, when I accepted the invitation and they sent the manuscript to me, it is much more complicated than it looks from its title and touches on topics that I do not know.

What are the best responses should I give in the reply?


texts: How do I find a job that actually uses what I learned in school?

texts:
Many of my peers in my program, Computer Engineering, are of the opinion that what you do in school is a "head-fake", that you take all this intense math and science essentially to prove that you can accomplish difficult tasks quickly. A "real job" doesn't actually use any of that junk except for a few select classes.

I suppose I understand that sentiment, but my issue is that after something like 20 years of math, Stockholm Syndrome has kicked in and I really enjoy it. I will miss it. I just finished one of the hardest classes at my University with an A because Fourier Transform just makes sense to me. Learning how to operate some software program is not the same as learning how to build a differential amplifier. Not all learning is equal. I have had two fantastic Co-Op (internship) rotations with some big name companies working on great projects, but the most intense math I used was division and that makes me sad. While my peers cannot wait to graduate and start their lives, it feels like it is the end of mine.

It seems that industry, for every 1 person actually producing something, there are 20 people doing documentation, management, talking to the customer, supply chain, etc etc. (edit: and I do not mean that in a derogatory manner, I am actually getting an MBA as well at the moment. I just mean that the one person who uses their academic knowledge is followed by a slew of people who do not use it).

So, the obvious answer is to go through a PhD and enter Academia but I do not think that is the right path for me considering I have no desire to teach and I also really enjoy making the money I do now. Putting my fiscal life on hold for another 4-5 years seems like quite a lot as I am already in debt.

My question then, is, how do I use what I learned in school while in industry? Or should I leave industry and pursue academia? Should I still go for a PhD but do industry research? How can I continue to learn while I am working in industry?

Apologies if this question is unclear, it's very nebulous and if this gets removed or -1 I understand.


texts: How do I, or should I, bring up research that I did under someone who was fired for another reason?

texts:
I worked under a professor whose research was funded by a non-profit organization. They were released from the university for some inappropriate behavior. The research that they have been publishing has been solid so, were it not for this incident, I would happily put it on a resume or application. The incident does not involve plagiarism or really anything that would make someone suspicious of the validity of their findings or published works. I understand that this is vague, but it is intentionally so for privacy and security reasons.

Until now, I have been putting down the name of the research program that the professor led that I was a part of. However, I am worried that employers may research the program, the professor, and the incident that resulted in their termination and make judgments about my character and work.

I am trying to finish the work that I started either alone, or with a professor at another university. I plan on acknowledging the university that I am enrolled at and the non-profit for providing the equipment and grant money, respectively.  If I am able to continue the work with another professor at another university or simply publish on my own, then I may just discuss that aspect of the process in applications and interviews, but until the work is completed, any advice on how I should proceed?


texts: How to keep discussions with supervisor on interest?

texts:
I am a Master's student. I have one problem. I have regular meetings with my research supervisor, but during the discussions he takes me in the wrong direction. This often leads to him coming to the wrong conclusions about my work.

For example, he will read half of a statement and try to conclude something (wrong) from that half statement. I try to correct him but he doesn't listen. So far I have not seen any benefits for my research. How can I deal with this situtation? I know it is research and some times we need to go in the wrong direction.


texts: What are the main practical complications/challenges to using Linux as your full time OS, particularly as faculty in Biology/Ecology?

texts:
I am an ecology post-doc and considering switching from Windows to Linux for my main work computer (I am not a mathematical modeller).  I have used Linux before and I am aware that, with effort, one can accomplish most any task in Linux that one can in Windows but I have not tried to convert my whole work computer over.  And sometimes making a specific type tool/application work or share files with colleagues' tools (likely Windows based) can take a lot of effort/time or be error prone.  As academics we all have limited time to troubleshoot issues that might appear optional.

So, my question here is for people who have made this switch or seriously considered it: what are the specific main challenges you encountered (which types of applications/tools or other issues) in making this switch?

I'm especially interested in word processing, spreadsheets, databases, statistical software, plotting and presentation software, reference management, communication, and any other applications that allow you to fulfill key responsibilities as biology faculty. I know there are various ways to port/emulate/etc Windows applications into Linux (e.g., Wine), but I'm interested in approaches that don't simply use that for every application I'm used to in Windows. And I'm asking about what challenges you had transitioning (or why you choose not to) rather than just asking for a list of Linux applications that fulfill these needs (that said, do mention specific applications if you think they are less well known).

(I'm trying to keep this narrow and not about the benefits of either OS over the other - no need for a Linux/Windows flame war.  I've also tried to prevent this from being an opinion oriented question by asking for specific problems, but please let me know if I should modify to improve further).


texts: Student caught cheating when leaving class after handing me the exam

texts:
Usually I am quite clear that cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable. Although every semester I have to deal with several cases of plagiarism, I had not expected students to brazenly cheat in exams. A few seconds after one student handed me the exam, as she was leaving, I noticed that she had written answers on her hand. She was showing it off to a classmate and laughing as they left. In my country, just writing anything on the hands or anywhere they can read (including the table) is usually considered cheating. Students can check their answers when they are given their corrected exams back.

I know I could have created a scene on the spot, prevented the student from getting out as she was leaving the classroom, provided evidence of cheating, and graded her exam as 0. But other students were handing me their exams at the same moment, and many others were still writing down their answers. That would surely cause a commotion. I was paralyzed and did not know how to react. I am still not sure how I should have reacted, or how I ought to react in the future. I feel being aquiescent may have an impact on other students' behavior, and also on my feeling of self-respect.

Now I'm facing a dilemma. The student was not caught in flagrante delicto. The evidence for cheating is also gone. If it matters, the student's grade wasn't great either (4,8/10). I cannot decide myself between leaving the issue alone and forgetting about it, grading the student more severely in the next exams, or somehow lowering the student's grade (the last option is a little risky as the student could denounce me).


texts: Contractions ("can't", "don't") in a mathematical paper

texts:
I am refereeing a  paper (a good one) for a mathematical journal. The author repeatedly writes like this: "we can't do", "we don't know" etc. He is not a native English speaker, and this paper is his first paper in English.

Question. I am going to ask the author to change "can't" and "don't" to more formal "cannot" and "do not". Is that a right thing to do?

I am not a native English speaker either....

(Since a referee is supposed not to disclose their identity, I ask the question anonymously.)


texts: "Post-Postdoc" Independent Researcher with Office in University?

texts: I knew a foreigner in the astronomy department at the university here who was a "post-postdoc" independent researcher. How could she have her own office in the astronomy department as an independent researcher?


texts: The number of retractions in some scientific fields like medicine, life and material related science seems rising in the past years. However, retractions in mathematics seem rare because of its rigorous nature. I wonder if there are retractions in mathematical journals.


texts:
I want to cite a senior project of a student in my thesis. However, I don't really have much information about the student.

I know, the title of his work, his name, his university and the link to the pdf file. I know that it is a senior project, because the link is something like

university.edu/.../SeniorProject_NameSurname.pdf

What should the BibTeX code be for this situation?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Who gets accepted to top universities to do a PhD (STEM fields)?

texts:
I would like to ask what are some general requirements, level of know-how, etc. that students must fulfil/have to get accepted in the top universities? I'm particularly interested in the STEM fields.

While I understand this varies per position, I would assume that this can be answered with either statistical information or experience.

For example, assume that a student has good grades, a publication or two, 1-2 letters of recommendation. Any chances?


texts: How do I deal with the overwhelming ambiguity of my project?

texts:
I have a bachelor degree in applied mathematics and I'm currently doing a PhD in molecular genetics as a computational biologist. I started in my thesis lab in January and since then I've had serious problems understanding exactly what my supervisors expect me to do.

Here are a few of the underlying issues:

I've had to transition from a first principles based approach to problem solving to a top down, data-oriented worldview - something that has not come easily.
There are no upper-year students doing a project similar to mine that I can shadow while I learn the ropes.
My supervisors talk about my project and direction at a very high-level, so the details of what I should be doing or how I should be doing them are unclear.
I face a constant stream of discouragement, be it my peers succeeding while I don't, my supervisors just expecting me to 'figure it out' when it comes to the details, my unsupportive family, etc... and it's affecting my ability to work.
I did a number of very technical projects in my undergrad and I enjoyed them immensely. I have little love for my current project - likely a symptom of not succeeding.

How do I deal with this? Is it a normal part of the process to feel lost and hopeless - even this early on?

Most importantly: At what point should I cut my losses and drop out or switch departments?


texts: How to get the published version of my own article?

texts: My article has been published in "Sensor Letters" journal in September 2016.  But, we have not yet received the published version of the article. Since that time, we have sent several emails to the  editor-in-chief of the Journal. Also we even called him, but I haven't received my article yet. What can I do about this problem (getting the article from the journal)?


texts: Transferring Computer Science graduate school

texts:
I have been admitted to University of Texas at Dallas for Master's in Computer Science program and have joined in Spring. Although, I want to have second opinion and was wondering if it's possible to transfer my school. I have some queries in the same regard:-

Do I need to apply from scratch to the new school that I intend to apply into?
Are the credits, that I gain in this term, transferable to the new school?

Any help would be really appreciated.


texts: Informing your advisor that you are changing disciplines

texts: As a sort of follow up to a previous question, what is advice you would give for telling my MSci advisor I am switching disciplines (pure maths to statistics) for doctoral work? I will presumably ask him for a letter of recommendation. I do not want to come across as ungrateful for his work with me, but the direction of my current research with him has come to bore me. How do I tell him that is a major reason I am switching disciplines? Do I even need to disclose such? I am closing in on completing my work with him, so anything dealing with changing advisors right now is not an option.


texts: Query about Visa for a E13 TV-L position (19.9 hours of work per week)

texts:
I am student from India and finished master's this year. I secured a PhD position at the Gottingen university in Mathematics. In my offer letter it is written, I will be employed from 1.10.2018 to 30.09.2021 as a research assistant at the mathematical institute of the George-August -Universitat Gottingen. I will be hired in part-time (19.9 hours/week) and paid according to E13 TV-L (minimum 1758.68 Euros per month).

Here someone have written that, with a TV-L position, getting student visa is not only problematic, but also something can't be fixed later. But it looks like I have a 50% position. In Germany people are are considered as a student from the perspective of social security (health insurance, pension, unemployment insurance), if work is less than 20 hours per week (for my case it is 19.9, as per contract). So I could be considered a student as well. I don't understand which Visa I should for. In India, the available long term Visas are the following: https://india.diplo.de/in-en/vertretungen/generalkonsulat3/-/2001158. I guess it should one of Student, Employment or Guest Scientist Visa. But I don't understand which one. This seems to be a very complicated stuff. Kindly look into this matter and let me know what should I do.


texts:
I'm trying to cite an online image that I am using for a chemical literacy review. It is required to use ACS style, but the style guide makes no mention of images per se. I therefore tried to cite it using the "General web site" format. Is there a correct way to do this?

Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slaapbol_R0017601.JPG (accessed April 15, 2016).


texts: Protecting unpublished or under review papers from theft

texts: Would you please guide me how can I protect my under review or under revision papers from theft. It is possible that my papers have been stolen and they will be submitted to another journal. maybe a person want to disturb me and submit my papers as I have submitted them. Is it possible to save my papers in a site that demonstrate they are my own papers and I haven't submitted them to another journal simultaneously?


texts:
I have a Master's degree, two years of research experience followed by an industry job for a few years. I had always intended to do a PhD eventually but the jobs were interesting, and later COVID messed up things. I now have a research heavy industry offer where I'll get a rare opportunity to help build up a lab from scratch, but I'm nervous about giving up on applying to PhD positions.
Will lack of a PhD harm my career later on in spite of research experience? If I were to apply for a PhD position later on around the age of say 35, will my age work against me?


texts: Purpose of IP address and timestamp on open-access full-text article

texts:
I understand that some pay-walled journals include timestamp and IP address and/or institution to full-text PDFs to track copyright violations.

However, I also saw an open access journal doing the same despite allowing non-commercial, attributable redistribution and modification.

If that journal grants such rights to readers, then why does it include IP addresses on the copies they download?


texts: How to cite three things in the same sentence

texts:
If all A, B, and C are from the same reference [1], what is the shortest way to cite them? Is this clear?

  I use A, B, and C [1] in my paper.

It is concise, but it is like you are not giving a reference for A, and B. How can I have a better sentence?


texts: How to judge a Ph.D. applicant that arrives "out of thin air"

texts:
I just received an email from a student from a distant country, asking me to accept him as a Ph.D. student. I do not know this person, his advisors, his references or even the university he studied in.
His master's thesis looks good at first glance, but I cannot be sure since it is not in my field. He still wants to do Ph.D. research in my field.
I asked him to send me some refereed publications, but he replied that he has none yet, and then asked me to give him some work by which his application can be assessed.

I am very unsure about this - I am afraid to get stuck with a bad student that takes too much time to supervise. On the other hand, I do not want to block him entirely. So my plan is to give him an open problem that I and some colleagues tried to solve in the past but failed. If he fails and gives up, then he will have to look for another advisor;
if he does manage to solve the open problem, then I will be more than happy to be his Ph.D. advisor, and his solution will be a part of his thesis.

My reservation about this plan is that it might be unethical/unprofessional to give him such a difficult problem to start with. But, he asked for it, and of course he is not obliged to take it if he does not want to.

Is this plan reasonable? Is there a better plan?

UPDATE: based on the answers, I changed the plan as follows: (a) referred the student to register through my university's system; (b) asked the student what papers he has read on my research field, and what ideas he has for extending them; (c) Based on the student's answer, I decided on a research problem that was not solved yet in a publication, but for which I already thought of a solution, so that I can guide the student in case he gets stuck; (d) scheduled a video call. My plan is to start working together remotely in parallel to the registration process, and see how it goes.

Thanks a lot for all the insights and ideas!


texts: Where can I do a research paper or thesis without enrolling in a college or university?

texts:
I am not seeking a masters or PhD degree, but I would like to do a  research paper and have it peer reviewed academically?  Is this possible?  If so, where and how to do it?

Addendum:
Thank you for all your comments and answers.  These have clarified many aspects to this project.  I have several research projects to pursue.  The one where I would need the most specific direction would be the following.

Feasibility of using mosquitoes for large scale inoculation and/or medication of mammal (hopefully human) populations.  We all know how effective these insects are as vectors for spreading disease.  There is no reason I can think of why this ability cannot be exploited for said positive benefit.

I approached a local pharmaceutical firm about the research project but have not received any response.  I don't think most pharmaceutical firms would be interested in this research unless they can figure out a way to eventually get compensated for the gratis mass distribution of their pharmaceuticals if the project goes beyond research and successfully applied.  Although these and other challenges are significant, none are practically insurmountable and can be resolved.  The potential benefit from eventual application of the project should make the research worthwhile.  Indeed, part of the research would be the cost/benefit analysis from several perspectives.

I have searched on the Internet and have not found such a project.  I have found some information on genetically engineering mosquitoes for faux mating to eliminate mosquito populations such as this one .

Genetic engineering should not be necessary for said project since we are utilizing the already natural modus operendi of this insect, but another aspect of the research would be the potential benefit of GE for said goal.
one would be marking the mosquitos genetically to distinguish from the rest; making them glow maybe.

I hope spelling out the specifics of the research didn't compromise the scope of topic for this forum.  If so, I welcome comments from moderators as to which SE site may be more appropriate.  Thank you for your comments and answers.  I look forward to reading more.


texts: Evaluating a salary for a physics postdoc in Canada

texts:
I recently received a 1st-year physics postdoc fellowship offer at a university in Canada for two to three years. The annual salary is 55,000 CAD (44,000 in USD). I haven’t worked in North America at all. I was just wondering how good this salary is.

I vaguely remember some new law-enforced minimum postdoc salary of 47,000 USD in the US. Does it mean it’s not that good? Any information will be greatly appreciated.


texts: Do universities prioritize research experience over industrial experience for master?

texts:
For PhD, it's obvious that since you'll be doing research, prior research experience would be a larger plus over industrial experience.

But for a non-research (course-based) master's, do universities still prefer candidates with more research experience or would they prefer candidates with more real world experience?

Assuming both research experience and industrial experience are rather entry level (e.g. junior research assistant vs junior developer).


texts:
I am an undergraduate student who has been admitted to three universities with full funding it is almost two weeks that I am stressing over my choices, therefore I decided to post my situation here to have your thoughts as well. I have been admitted to:

A high-rank Canadian University in Chemical Engineering MSc and my research will be related to Oil&Gas related fluid mechanics and simulation

A low-rank US University in Chemical Engineering MSc and my research will be about Oil&Gas related Molecular Dynamics and CFD simulations

A high-rank French graduate school in Renewable Energy Master

I am just left undecided between going to the US where a lot of opportunities are, or going to one of the top schools in my field in Canada or going to France but specialize in a rapidly growing Renewable Energy sector.
Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!


texts: In computer science, what does winning a Sloan research fellowship say about an advisor?

texts:
Some background: I'll be starting my PhD in computer science this fall and just noticed that my prospective advisor won one of the 2015 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships.

Obviously the standard caveats apply: a good researcher can be a terrible advisor, and my success in a PhD and beyond will depend mostly on me.

But, even though it feels a bit petty: I know advisor reputation and network matters both during and after the PhD. Can I talk this as a positive sign for both, and how positive? More practically, how well might a Sloan fellowship track with making tenure? Having my primary advisor not make tenure would be dicey.

Thanks!


texts: Do I need to go to grad school to make the largest potential impact on the field I’m interested in?

texts:
I have a dilemma of deciding between grad school and industry. My undergraduate major is actually unrelated to what I want to do yet useful for everything these days. I want to learn about the scope of the field, but I’m not sure if self study or graduate school is the best way to learn.

I’m also taking into account opportunity cost in terms of time and money. I will say that I’m so passionate about the field I’m interested in that I would take working in it over somewhere like Google or a hedge fund. As long as I can feed and house myself I’m fine I think. I also have the option to just start my own project in this field, but I wouldn’t do that until I learn about the field first.

My major is Computer science at Georgia Tech, and I want to apply data science to the problem of reversing the acidification of the ocean.  Thus I’m considering a masters in environment engineering and then a PhD in CSE.


texts: How to quickly assess the legitimacy of a conference?

texts: Academics commonly get invitations to conferences. Some of these are legitimate, but many are simply scams or bogus. How can you tell at a glance which is which?


texts: Are physics and natural sciences considered liberal arts?

texts:
I was surprised to see the description given for "liberal arts education" in Wikipedia as follows:

  Liberal arts today consists of four types of areas: the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Its central academic disciplines are physics, biology, philosophy, logic, linguistics, literature, history, political science, psychology, mathematics, and many others.
  Liberal arts education (Wikipedia article)

I'm obviously talking about the modern usage of "liberal arts", not the ancient or historical term (trivium and quadrivium). I had in mind something more akin to humanities, so excluding natural sciences like physics, chemistry, even astronomy. My conception seems to be right at least by some definitions of the term. The first result I get when I search for "liberal arts" is a definition by Oxford Dictionaries:

  North American
  Arts subjects such as literature and history, as distinct from science and technology.
  Oxford Dictionaries at lexico.com

It's defined by Collins as:

  (Education) the fine arts, humanities, sociology, languages, and literature. Often shortened to: arts
  Collins English Dictionary

It's possible that the British English definition and/or the meaning of the term outside North America or USA is different. Two of the most common online American dictionaries seem to emphasize "general knowledge" as opposed to professional knowledge:

  2 : college or university studies (such as language, philosophy, literature, abstract science) intended to provide chiefly general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities (such as reason and judgment) as opposed to professional or vocational skills
  Merriam-Webster

  pl.n.
  1. Academic disciplines, including literature, history, languages, philosophy, mathematics, and general sciences, viewed in contrast to professional and technical disciplines.
  American Heritage Dictionary

I'm not sure whether things like physics and chemistry fall within the American dictionary definitions above, but the Wikipedia article clearly says that the natural sciences and life sciences are part of the liberal arts, and gives examples of physics, chemistry, geology, biology and neuroscience.
Liberal arts education: Modern usage (Wikipedia article)

Notwithstanding that many American dictionaries don't mention the natural sciences by name, at least the one below does:

  n.pl.
  1. academic college courses providing general knowledge and comprising the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
  Random House Kerneman Webster's College Dictionary

Does anyone know whether even in America there's consensus among academics and institutions that "liberal arts" include things like physics, chemistry, geology or neuroscience?


texts: Can I quote from my interviewees before the methodology section in my dissertation?

texts:
I would like to use a couple of quotes from my interviewees (primary data) before the methodology and results section. Is there any hard and fast rule about not introducing research data before the methodology used for data collection is discussed?
In summary, can I use quotes from my interviewees in the introduction section to advance a point?
edit: I have permission from the interviewees to use quotations and approval from the University ethics committee to conduct research. My question is to do with methodology.


texts: Asking my Professor to create a Google Account to submit a Letter of Recommendation for me

texts:
I requested a recommendation letter to a professor and he agreed to write one for me. However, the application  (a Google form) to which he needed to upload the letter required a Google account to sign in. He didn't have an account, so he emailed me what he should do, so I kindly told him that he needed to create one, detailing the steps he needed to take. This is when my professor emailed me back rather harshly, asking why he couldn't just submit using just his faculty email. I had to then email the program, and I was told to ask my professor to send the letter directly to the correspondent.

I understand that this is not that big of an issue, but I would like to know whether it was wrongful of me to have asked my professor to create the Google account. How can I be more careful in the future so as to prevent negative responses?


texts: Postdoc: internal v. external candidates. Can I expect a fair process?

texts:
I have recently interviewed for a Postdoc position in a Scandinavian country, where the short-listed candidates have access to ranking and comments on how they were selected. I saw that the other person selected for the interview, already works there as a Researcher, probably on a temporary contract. Given the transparency of the process, I assume this would not matter much. However, it is human to be unconsciously biased and I have a fear that the professional intimacy shared by the candidate and members of the committee might not be in my favor.

The interview was really nice, a positive experience where I felt I connected with the committee, smiles were exchanged and my overall gut-feeling was that I could get the job. I can't help thinking, however, that I might lose over this detail.

Any thoughts and experiences?

EDIT: I do have another question, related to the selection process in Scandinavia: has anyone experienced a situation where 2 candidates are promising, and the PI or university opens another job or simply, they hire both? In my context, I know the PI has funding and could do this if they wanted. I wonder how common this is?


texts:
According to Wikipedia, Samuel Johnson

  was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1765 by Trinity College Dublin and in 1775 by Oxford University.

Also, apparently people referred to him as "Dr Johnson" back then.

May I put "PhD" after his name now, for example, in a caption?  Like this?

  Samuel Johnson, PhD (1709–1784)


texts:
I'm asking this from the perspective of the future supervisor. After a round of interviews I approached the highest ranked candidate. My error was not including a deadline in the initial email.

Now a week has passed from the last response I got from the candidate. I have sent another reminder recently. However, my patience is running out. I understand that of course the candidate might be trying to buy some time to make up their mind, and probably waiting for other offers.

Are there any other options apart from sending an ultimatum? If so, how much longer should I wait to filter out external reasons for the lack of responses? I.e. sickness, unforeseen events, etc.? This is in Europe.


texts: Defining employment on grad school applications

texts:
I'm not sure whether/how to include specific things on a graduate school application (biophysics) in the employment section

a) Unpaid lab work. I worked as a research assistant in a lab as an undergraduate, participated in field work, presented a poster at a conference and will be an author on a lab paper. While I will definitely include this in my application, is it misleading to not write that it was unpaid?

b) The application specifically says to include part time jobs and I wonder whether my lack of them will raise flags. Should I include the fact that I received a special stipend freshman year which had several requirements - one of which was that I not hold a job freshman year?

Some context: I was lucky enough to receive a full (need-based) scholarship all four years of university. This allowed me to focus on my academics. I began doing unpaid lab work and then stopped for a time to do paid work in a lab that ended up not being a good fit. I returned to the unpaid work which was more interesting and provided more opportunities for growth (the lab funded the fieldwork experience and conference travel/fees).


texts: Efficient ways to find the original paper which introduced a novel concept/algorithm?

texts: Many times while reading papers (especially engineering), many concepts, algorithms or results are taken for granted because they are already established in research. Sadly, at this point, many are not even referenced directly or some authors refer to other publications which use them. Is there a good and a fast method to find the original paper?


texts:
General-purpose word-processing programs are OK for academic writing. But I feel the experience can be much improved with some specialized software that takes better care of the special needs of academic writers, such as version control, collaboration, reference generation, in-text citation etc.

Is there any such software (either web-based or desktop-based) created specifically for academic writers?


texts: Does a recommendation have to be from a professor from your university?

texts: Suppose I want to get letter of recommendation for a PhD program. Could this letter be from someone not from my institution? Could is be from someone I have collaborated with online? Or generally do schools want recommendations from professors from a student's home institution?


texts: Etiquette in asking for funding proposal example

texts:
I'm a postdoc and I have never submitted a research proposal.

There is a funding project at my current University open to postdocs. I have a list of past winners and I'm tempted to ask for their proposals to give me some guidelines in writing mine. Obviously I can just ask and I know that professors share winning proposals, but usually, they know each other. But I've never met these people and the only thing I have is their contact information.

What is the correct way to ask for sample proposals and is it considered good manners to ask such a thing?


texts: What questions to ask a famous mathematician

texts:
A famous professor mathematician is coming to my city next week and will be doing a lecture with a Q&A session afterwords. I’d like to ask a couple of questions afterwords but I’ve no idea what to say and don’t want to look silly in front of everyone else.
Do I ask them about things they researched? I’m really not sure.


texts: What is meant by a "permanent working paper"?

texts: I just came across an Oxford University Associate Professor's personal webpage. After the sections of "publications" and "working papers", he also happened to have a section (with only one paper in it), titled "Permanent Working paper". While I do have a guess, I was hoping if someone could shed some light on the meaning of this. I imagine it is a paper that the author thought does not publish well, or that it has some interesting ideas, but it is not worth publishing. However, I may be wrong.


texts:
I sent a article for reviewing before publication.
In the review I received, I had the following comment:

From very similar studies this reviewer knows well that [...]

This is the first sentence of a bullet list, with each item being largely independent of each other.
There was no mention of a reviewer earlier in the review.
I have two questions:

It seems to me that "this reviewer" refers to... the reviewer her/himself.  Am I correct?  Of note, the reviewer may not be a native speaker.
Is it widely used?  Especially compared to using "I" (just like other reviewers do)?


texts: What's the point of publishing your peer review report along with your new paper?

texts:
One journal that I think of, for example, is Nature Communications.
Why does the author choose to publish the peer review report of their new paper?
Is it to educate others who are submitting papers to the journal?
The peer review reports are pretty interesting to read: some are short and to the point (mostly flattery, with some short recommendations for revision), and some are very long, detailed, and maybe a bit harsh or rude.
A related question, reviewers, e.g. for Nature Communications, have the option of being named in the peer review report, for recognition of their review efforts.  Are their names known in advance, during review, before the paper is accepted or rejected?  I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but just wondering.


texts: Can I use a section title from another paper as my paper's title?

texts:
I recently read a paper which had a really interesting section with a very interesting title. I google'd it and it seems that they just made it up and it's not a common term.
Can I title my paper that? I will mention in the introduction that x et al. calls this practice such and such and that's what we'll explore and expand in this paper.
I'm asking if it is allowed, but also if it is not frowned upon etc. It's sort of an homage & it's a catchy title.
Thank you.


texts: Can I share our AIAA journal article on ResearchGate?

texts:
This website contains information about sharing but it’s not clear for ResearchGate.
Can I share our publication which is published on AIAA journal and costs money for reading?
I understand I can’t share published article but I wonder accepted manuscript.


texts: Approaching someone outside my department for work experience

texts:
I am a masters student at my university within the school of mathematical and science.
Within this school there are two departments, the maths department and physics department.
These two departments are very close and tight knit especially at the postgraduate level.
I am within the mathematical department.
Within the physics department there are many professors that are part of a world leading research group at a top experiment and research centre in the world.

This research centre offers work experience/ internships.

I want to ask these professors for work experience at this research facility.

How can I approach them and ask them for this?
How long shall I wait after the start of term to ask them?


texts: How is the transition from computational to experimental scientific research?

texts: I'm thinking of transitioning from computational fluid dynamics research to doing experimental fluid stuff. How would you contrast the workflow and the big challenges between computational scientific work and experimental scientific work?


texts: Will anyone know if you fail out of a master's program?

texts:
Suppose that someone enrolls in a master's program but then fails out. Will future employers be able to find out about this? Or can this person just pretend it never happened, and there will be no blemish on their record.

If this person applies to other master's degree programs (in a different, better-fitting field) in the future, would those programs be able to find out?

A little context: this person has the option to withdraw by a certain deadline, and needs to decide whether remaining in the program is worth the risk of potentially failing out.


texts: Tenure-track reference letters: previous supervisors versus outsiders

texts:
I remember reading in The Professor Is In that the tenure-track references should be from external members, not only your past advisors/supervisors.

That book is written aimed at social sciences, maybe, so, for Computer Science, in Canada (and the US), how important is it really?

I imagine that it would not be a dealbreaker for a rockstar, and that exactly how much impact would depend on the case/institution/competition, but what can I expect the impact to be?


texts: Can I get a second masters in the same subject but with a different focus?

texts: I'm doing a ma in economics which isn't very technical. It's focused on macro and international economics. Once I finish this program I'm going to try to apply to another program for an ma in economics that is more technical with a focus in micro and econometrics. I'd be doing this to broaden my knowledge base in the subject and then teach undergrad for a few years. I could maybe pursue a phd if my employer decided to sponsor me for one. Is this something the second university would allow? How would that be viewed? Would it be suitable if my first degree was a ma in Econ but my second degree was something like an ma in quantitative economics? Perhaps a duel degree in Econ and finance/applied math?


texts: Applied for PhD, professor asked me to disclose offers from other universities, why?

texts:
I have applied for PhD student positions at different graduate schools.
During most interviews I was asked whether I have applied to other programs, which I affirmed.
One professor also asked me to inform him if I receive offers from other universities.
It seems like a sensible request to me and I confirmed that I would do so.
However I can't help but wonder:
Why did he ask me to disclose other offers?

Will it make me seem sought after and strong, if I receive multiple offers from other universities?
Or will the professor look for applicants that have not found a place elsewhere and disregard me, because an applicant who has received other offers would be more likely to decline an offer?


texts: Referencing earlier passages: Cross reference or "as discussed earlier"

texts:
I am looking for stylistic advice regarding the (over) use of cross-references. For instance, using cross-references in Latex through \ref{...} for major structural blocks like chapters and sections certainly is a good idea. But when it comes to subsections or subsubsection that are only one or two pages long, technical cross-references begin to feel a little over the top and I prefer using phrases such like as mentioned earlier or as discussed in the previous section (while possibly actually meaning a latex subsubsection). I also prefer it this way, as I don't like numbered headings for subsections and subsubsections, for the same reason: It looks overkill. But numbered headings are requiered for the cross-references to work.

So, should I rather use technical cross-references with \ref{...} throughout the text? Are the more or less agreed upon stylistic rules for this in scientific writing?


texts: What to do about an ongoing research project that does not work?

texts:
First of all, I am sorry if this sounds like a simplistic question. But I am a first-year PhD student and this is really troubling me.

As per the requirements of my department, all first-year PhD students have to complete a research project by the end of their first year. When my advisor pushed me to pick a topic to work on in fall, I have half-heartedly committed to an area that I had previously worked on in my undergraduate institution and therefore was no longer super-excited about. But it felt like a safe haven, and I didn't want to undertake a very ambitious project right in my first year.

But the research project I developed has failed to provide results, sadly. The experiments I conducted did not yield any interpretable results and I don't know at this point whether it was because of a design flaw or whether the hypotheses that we were testing need revision. But at any rate, my gut feeling is that the experiments are not salvageable and that it would be much better for me if I switched to a different project for the upcoming years. (Thankfully, my department doesn't seem to mind lack of clear results for the first-year project - what they care about in the case of newbies is that they completed a project, with or without publishable results.)

But I feel very uncomfortable about this and don't know how to broach the subject. My advisor wants me to continue working on the same topic in summer as well, and I don't want to give her the impression that I am a "quitter" - but at the same time I know that it is pure folly to pursue a certain research project that is hopeless. I've lost a year already, and if I stick with the same project because of my advisor, I'm afraid I might lose another year which would cost me dearly.

How can I tell my advisor that I would rather start working on a different topic?


texts: Is getting into MSc programs in Europe easier than PhD in US?

texts:
PhD programs in US usually include an MSc degree and many of the admitted students don't have an MSc. In Europe however, with just a few exceptions, everywhere requires an MSc for a PhD. There are also quite a few differences in the structure of the undergrad in US and Europe.

I was wondering if it is easier for someone with a US undergrad degree to get into an MSc in Europe than PhD in US? Are the PhD admissions in US more competitive?

If I have an offer from a couple of top US schools (by "top" I don't mean Harvard and MIT, I mean around a dozen (national) ranks below that... say, top 30-40 in global rankings), should I be confident that I can get into one of the few MSc programs in Europe I've applied to? (The programs are top/best programs in Europe, but the universities are essentially on par with the US school in global rankings. Perhaps some of them have a better global reputation in the specific field.)

Note:

1 - By Europe I am referring to Western Europe, excluding UK. More specifically, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Holland, Austria.

2 - The field is Mathematics, if that makes a difference. (I think it might, given the reputation of places like Heidelberg, Bonn (Hausdorff Institute), and the universities in Paris have in Mathematics.)


texts: Where can I find templates for a mathematics research paper?

texts:
I've recently typed up a mathematics research paper, but I would like to make it appear more formal when I submit it to be peer-reviewed.

Also, how would I be able to incorporate LATEX into my paper?

Are there any templates out there that follow formats similar (maybe even exact) to examples such as this and this one.


texts: Is there any online tool where students can register for tasks/assignments?

texts:
I'm teaching architecture and I want my students to select a building that they will work with from a list. When a building is selected by one student, it should no longer be an option for the others (first come - first serve).

Is there an online tool where a list can be created and students can select their object of interest, preferably without going through a whole registration process?
Our student-platform unfortunately does not offer this functionality.
Any suggestions?

Tool could be in English or German.


texts: What are some good ways to lead a discussion session for a TA in a graduate-level STEM class?

texts:
I'm a TA for a class on graduate-level Digital Signal Processing, and one of my responsibilities is to lead a discussion session. It's a 50-minute session that happens once a week, and the professor teaches the class for 3 hours in the week.

The professor had suggested that I discuss the solutions to the homework problems in this session, so today for my first session, that's what I did.

However, I felt this was quite a waste of time, since everyone who had had problems in the homework had come to my office hours and got them cleared, and everyone else in class had managed to do the problems. While I went through solving the problems on the board, I wanted to actively engage the students by throwing in questions about details, what-ifs, some important tricks to remember, etc. But it was a mostly unresponsive, bored-looking class with frown faces.

Should I not go through the homework solutions, and instead focus on important topics covered in lectures?

Also any ideas on how to lead a discussion session in a way that the students who actually managed to do the homework (which is the vast majority of the class) don't get bored?


texts: For graduate admissions, is it better to attend a well-known undergrad program with advanced coursework or one where I can write a bachelors' thesis?

texts:
I am currently enrolled in a 4-year mathematics undergraduate program in a university (let's call it A) in South Asia and here are the circumstances:

There are very few math majors in the program. I suffer and feel the lack of peers.
Professors are extremely friendly. They work on harmonic analysis, representation theory, Fourier analysis, analytic number theory, functional analysis, category theory, game theory and C* algebra. However, we don't have people working in commutative algebra, algebraic geometry, algebraic number theory and other areas.
At the end of four years, I can at best get courses in real analysis (in one and several variables), complex analysis, general topology, discrete mathematics, analytic NT, ODE and PDE, linear algebra, groups, rings, fields and other courses from the research interests of my professors.
To get an Honors degree, I'll additionally write a Bachelor's thesis.
There are two other places in our country (Let's call them B) which are really good- their programs are tougher, they offer more grad courses, have the best peer group, etc.,have some of the best researchers in the country, cost much less. To move to B, I will have to sit for an admission test and start afresh.

However, they do not have a provision for Bachelor's thesis and are 3 year programs.

My primary concerns are:

Since I want to apply to the top universities in the US, I feel not getting courses like differential geometry, algebraic geometry, algebraic topology at my current institution A will severely affect my application. But I will write a Bachelor's thesis.
If I move to B, not writing a bachelor's thesis will make my application weaker as I will have no proper independent project or something like that to show my research potential but I will get grad level courses.

Here are two questions:

  Should I try moving to B or stay at my current institution, A?
  Am I at a significant disadvantage being at A compared to B?

I am willing to provide further details without divulging my id.


texts: My supervisor is putting my name on a paper I disagree with. What will happen if it is found to be wrong?

texts:
My supervisor is publishing a paper and naming me as the first author. I did the data analysis for the paper but part of the interpretation in the paper I regard as wrong.

I argued with him but he insists that he would not change that point.  (The point serves many of his other papers.) The paper correctly attributes that I did data analysis and he designed and wrote the paper. It also says all authors agree with the content. Because graduation requires a paper, I have to accept that.

What if the point turns out to be wrong? There are numerous records showing that I argued with him and I disagree with that point. I have done my part faithfully.


texts: Self-censorship to prevent grievance being filed by classmate

texts:
I am currently an undergraduate student in my last year at a Canadian university. Today, I gave a presentation about anti-censorship technology being developed at my institution. We were required to ask questions to the audience at the end of the presentation and one of mine was a multiple choice question that asked where the technology would not work, with answers that included "The People's Republic of China" and "Republic of China" among others.

One of the students in the class who grew up in China asked a leading question about why I had two options, to which I responded: "there are two countries that call themselves China". He became extremely aggressive at that point and stated that I shouldn't be pushing my political beliefs on the class (the class was about technology and business), and yelled a standard Chinese political line about a united China in the middle of class. In the moment, I quickly just apologized that he was offended by it and somehow got the presentation back on track.

I spoke with the professor later in the day and he said the student came to him with a list of demands, which included, among other things, a public apology in class, alteration of my slide deck before posting it to the discussion board, and a meeting between him, the professor, and I.

I believe I am in the right when it comes to this topic and during my discussion with my professor, he agreed that students have a right to freedom of speech. He left it to me to decide what actions on the demands list, if any, I would be willing to do.

I feel some remorse, as I didn't think that the question would be taken so violently by a member of the audience, but the level of intensity in my classmate is extreme. He stared at me consistently for the rest of class and, to be honest, made me somewhat uncomfortable.

I agreed to the meeting to start, but what else should I do? Disciplinary actions, like legal trials, tend to not always work out for the person who is in the right - there are many innocent people in jail. I want to stand up for freedom of speech, but don't want to be crucified under a formal review because one of the reviewers may have also been indoctrinated by growing up in China and share the same views. I'm sure just like anything, if you dig hard enough, you can find something to get me on if the administration wanted to.

The irony that I see in this whole presentation is that it was about anti-censorship, and my classmate wants me to censor myself and only accept his version of truth - which is actually a lie.


texts: How to cite/credit a photograph using Turabian?

texts:
I contacted some owner of some historical photographs and obtained permission to use them in my work.
They asked I put a line under the photograph to indicate simply author and photo number (they have assigned IDs to each photo). They said I'm free to decide precisely the wording of the credit.
My paper follows Turabian format. Does that specify the way to word the credit appearing under the photograph? In addition, should I also give a Turabian-style footnote, along with a bibliographic entry along with? The author didn't say the latter was needed, but I can't see how it doesn't get cited, when a photo conveys information just as text conveys information, just in a different way.
How do I cite and/or credit a photograph that I have permission to use, using Turabian?


texts: Is it ethical to send an unpublished draft preprint to a competitor by email to establish priority?

texts:
I am a mathematician. I recently formulated a conjecture, and was working toward proving it. Another mathematician I know only via email also conjectured the same around the same time.

I now managed to prove the conjecture. I think it is an important result.

However, my paper on this is not ready to be put on the arXiv, because there are natural questions related to this conjecture that need to be solved first (otherwise the paper will look incomplete). I know I can solve these questions, but it will take me time to do that.

From a recent preprint this person put on the arXiv recently, I am convinced that he is also not too far from proving this result (my solution did not use his results and was not inspired by them). Thus, I am worried that he will also obtain the same result.

I was wondering if it would be ethical for me to "block him" and establish priority by emailing him my solution of the conjecture?


texts: What are the benefits of serving as a reviewer, initially as a PhD/PostDoc and later as a faculty member/research scientist?

texts:
The very first thought that comes to mind is that reviewing a paper is like giving back to the academic community. After all, one's own work is published after the efforts of some anonymous reviewer.

But what are the primary incentives that motivate so many researchers to voluntarily serve as reviewers? Does it make a researcher more established/reputed? How does it differ in the case of PhD students as opposed to faculty members?


texts: How to Estimate Times for Projects in a Programming Workshop?

texts:
I am going to be teaching a workshop on Julia for data science and scientific computing soon. I came up with a plan that has a lot more than we will be able to do (just in case), but was wondering about how to come up with a good estimate for how far along we will get. I find this hard to estimate since for most of the assignments I could do them really quickly, but that's because I am experience in the language and the biggest hurdle will be learning the documentation, syntax, and all the special issues of a new language.

That said, do you have any good heuristics for how long projects will take in a workshop? It's hard to know the exact number of students right now, but I think it will be anywhere from 10~30, and I'd assume more students would make it go slower. I thought of doing something like "this takes me 5 minutes, so plan 20 minutes", but the number 20 has no basis in reality because I have never done this.


texts: Is it worth delving deep outside my field to revise a paper?

texts:
I have a paper that got lost in the editorial pipeline for about a year due to the second reviewer dropping out and not telling anyone.  During that year, I didn't revisit the paper much; it was a short, cute project that I whipped up quickly and didn't have big connections with my main body of work.

Recently, it got accepted with what the reviewer calls minor revisions.  The revisions do not seem minor to me, however, as they would require in-depth knowledge outside my main field; furthermore, some of the questions the reviewer poses would spawn projects by themselves.

The pre-print has already been cited several times, so I know the core idea has utility and appeal in the larger community.  It has also been relatively well received when presented at conferences.  It is of course in my best interests to get the paper officially published, but is it worth delving deep outside my field to appease this reviewer?

For cultural context, let's say I do numerical methods for nonlinear PDEs, and the revisions would require a dive into machine learning literature.  Also, I'm an early-career researcher.


texts: Must graduate applicants who will need funding submit financial statement for I-20?

texts: I am applying this time for graduate admission in physics at Utah.  In the online application they require a financial statement.  Does graduate admission require it too, even though I must need a TA/RA?


texts: When applying for a new job or fellowship, how to protect your ideas from being stolen by the lab you are applying to?

texts:
If you want to change fields you have to explain the reason why you want to do that. In case of fellowship, you need some professor to host you and support your application, so you must contact him by email and explain to him what your idea is.

What can you do, if your application failed, but the laboratory you wanted to work with, will carry on with your proposed idea/research? They have resources, people etc., while there is no such laboratory in your country so you are stuck.

There is no legal reason why would they let you know how do they proceed, you do not know whether you should contact another laboratory, you cannot demand that you will be a co-author in case they are successfull.


texts: Co-authors ignore comments and submit revision anyway

texts:
I am middle author of a manuscript that has been submitted and received reviews asking for some additional analyses. Two of the authors (including the PI) prepared the revision, sent it to the other authors (5-7 in total), asking for comments and suggestions.

I had a very different interpretation of the results of the additional analysis, and in my opinion, the conclusion in the revised manuscript is wrong, due to the authors (i.e. those that prepared the revision) ignored the results of the additional analysis. I pointed this out in an email to the other authors, and gave my interpretation of the results. There was no direct reply to my email, however one week later the "updated" manuscript was sent to me, and submitted to the journal the same day. There was no proper chance to react to this "updated" version, and obviously, the submitted revision was not approved by me. More importantly, the "updated" version contained the same mistakes, ignoring the results of the additional analysis, and thus, ignoring my comments.

Any suggestions how I should deal with this? It feels like contacting the PI/corresponding author won't lead anywhere. Should I contact the editor directly?


texts:
I have been approached to submit an extended version of a research paper in a journal.
The original paper is already published in a conference proceedings by publisher A.

What "degree of extension" do I have to provide so that publisher B will (legally?) be able to publish my work?

Also, does "extended version" in this case mean additional results, or purely textual extension?


texts: My advisor wants to publish my final year project; what will this involve?

texts:
I recently finished my final year of a Bachelor of Science degree in Web Development at university in the UK. As 3/8ths of the final year credit, I was required to create a Final Year Project, including ~40k word report and a software artefact, guided by a university tutor. At my graduation ceremony my tutor approached me to say he (and another advisor) are looking at getting it published.

This obviously sounds like great news, but as someone with no experience of advanced academia stuff I have no idea what this actually entails. Will this look good on my CV? Is it a frequent occurrence? When they say publish, who exactly will want to read 40k words about my final year project?

While I am proud of what I produced, I'm not entirely sure it is something I will want to brag about in the future as my skills develop.


texts: How to indicate that I am an ERC reviewer in CV?

texts:
I would like to indicate in my CV that I am a reviewer for the European Research Commission. Would something like this work?

Other professional experience
• Reviewer for Science, bla bla bla...
• Reviewer of European Research Council (ERC) proposals.

Thank you


texts:
I have struggled throughout my civil engineering PhD. My topic was away from the realm of my advisor's expertise, and as a result my research can be considered as an independent endeavor. She (advisor) was always there to guide the direction, but she didn't give any technical input to my research.

In addition, my group colleagues, who worked in topics related to my advisor's expertise, published several publications in prestigious journals (IF > 10). While, I struggled to get one published in a 2 impact factor journey. This caused a lot of anxiety during my first 3 years of PhD.

On top of this, my advisor did not proactively correct my manuscripts I had submitted her. So, lot of my manuscripts are pending her consideration. This also affected my mental peace.

Being in final year, I started looking for postdoctoral positions since the beginning of the year. Applied to many, but was rejected. My advisor said to me the other day that if I don't get a postdoctoral offer, I can stay in my current lab for next 6-8 months and search for positions.

I am all burned out and having it difficult to be optimistic about my future. I am thinking of taking some time off (2-3 months off) (I have some savings to pull that off) after my PhD to gather my composure, work on my programming skills, and then join my current lab as a stop gap while searching for positions. I am already 30 years of age and have been a student throughout.

Will it be a good idea to take 3 months off after PhD defense to improve my skillset and work on my mental wellbeing? No, I have not been to any mental health counselor.


texts: Scopus Engineering Controlled Terms - where to find the list?

texts:
I submitted an article to a research journal. In review, they asked that I use keywords from the list of "Scopus Engineering Controlled Terms" and suggested that I use SciVal to find topics. However, my institution nor any other institution I am affiliated with has access to SciVal.
I have found references to engineering controlled terms in some published articles, but I did not manage to find the list itself anywhere, including on Scopus website. Is it possible to find the list somewhere if I do not have access to SciVal?
Thank you in advance.


texts: How should I deal with students copying down the problem incorrectly?

texts:
I give quizzes in my recitation classes. I write down the problems on the board. My handwriting is okay but not great and most students can read what I'm writing but because of chalk marks, bad writing, bad vision or whatever some students copy down the problem incorrectly. Mostly the changes are trivial (I wrote a 2 and they wrote 12, but the computations are the same). Sometimes the way they copy down the problem significantly changes the problem.

I don't want to penalize the student for misreading. But I don't want to be unfair if the problem is harder or easier for that student.

How should I grade these problems?

EDIT: I have 80 students. I give 21 quizzes in a semester. That is 1680 quizzes in a semester. Maybe 1 or 2 of those are miscopied to the point of being different problems. I am not going to change how I give quizzes for such a tiny irrelevant fraction of quizzes.


texts:
I am writing my bachelors thesis and I'm unsure whether to put the total page count into the footer.
The options I consider are:

  page # of ##

  page #

  #

where # is the page's number and ## is the total page count.

While I find the first option nice for small documents where a page might get lost, I think it's unnecessary for a large and bound document.

The second alternative might be pretty but the reader should be able to infer the additional information compared to option three.

The last option is common in books and journals. Is there a significant difference to a thesis that justifies different styles?

I am pretty much free in the layout of my document and don't have to follow any styleguides.

Which style of page numbering should I use?


texts: Former collaborator presenting joint research as his own

texts:
Two years ago, I collaborated* (briefly) with a professor (whom I will call Professor Jim) on some research in mathematics. At the time, I was a PhD student and Prof. Jim was on my dissertation committee. I now work full time outside of academia and Professor Jim is looking for a new position. (Prof. Jim was denied tenure last year).

Because Prof. Jim is looking for a new position, he is interviewing for numerous positions around the United States. As part of these interviews, Prof. Jim gives a seminar talk on research. The only issue is that, instead of presenting research he performed himself, he is presenting research from my dissertation as if it was his own. No attribution is given to me on his slides (which are a direct copy of the slides I presented at my dissertation defense).** I feel that this is a clear instance of plagiarism.

My question is as follows:  Should I contact the universities where Prof. Jim presented this research?  Professor Jim has ignored my emails on the matter for three months now.

*I use the term collaborator very loosely here. Prof. Jim provided a data set for the data analysis. This was not a data set he himself had collected. Rather, it was a data set from the National Institute of Health (NIH) that he had been granted access to. Prof. Jim also attended (while nodding off to sleep at times) some of the early meetings where I presented my thoughts. He gave a few points of feedback and wedged his way onto the associated unpublished paper as an author. (Easy to do when you can leverage your authority over graduate students). I would not include him in a million years if I was in my current, unleveraged, position. The only published source of this research is my dissertation. He does not cite my dissertation in his presentation. In at least one seminar, he made no mention of either me or another colleague who actually did substantive work. (This is according to a contact I have at said university).

**Many universities publicly announce seminars on their website. Professor Jim has a rather unique real name and Google finds him relatively easily. I have traced several instances of Professor Jim presenting at seminars. Departments are usually happy to send you materials from old seminars if you just email and ask.


texts: How is a graduate school application affected if an undergrad does research in fields outside of their major?

texts:
I'm an undergraduate freshman in the United States majoring in physics, but I am also interested in several other fields of research. I find many questions in biology and geology interesting. I'd like to explore mathematics. There are questions about materials that would be answered through research in chemistry, and there are questions in astronomy and cosmology that I'd be interested in getting involved with.

However, there are only so many opportunities to do research as an undergrad. Would it be limiting at all when applying to grad schools for most of your research experience to be outside of your graduate field of study (physics)?


texts: Sabbatical disruption: common annoyance or warning sign?

texts:
I am a faculty member at an R2 institution in the US, looking ahead to a sabbatical.  On paper, my university has a typical sabbatical policy: every seven years, a semester at full pay or a year at half pay.  However, the administration has recently created policies, apparently for financial reasons, whose effect is to make it harder to actually take sabbaticals.  I may not be allowed to take a sabbatical of the length I had planned, or I may be forced to delay it to some unknown future term.  There is considerable uncertainty as to what will happen in the long run.

I am wondering whether this kind of thing is common.

Teaching loads at my institution are high, and I had been looking forward to sabbatical as a time to focus on my research, which is very important to me personally and professionally.  So I am wondering whether this is a sign that I ought to consider looking for a job somewhere else, or whether I'm overreacting.

I don't really know whether this is the sort of general annoyance that one might occasionally encounter anywhere, or whether it is truly an indication that this institution is not going to be a good fit for my professional goals.  Basically, would it be reasonable to quit over something like this?

I understand that sabbaticals sometimes have to be postponed or restructured due to operational considerations, e.g. whether the department will have sufficient faculty to teach all required courses that term, and that this could happen anywhere.  But the present case is more systemic.

Edit: I should clarify that the new policy is not about increasing academic standards for sabbaticals.  There is already a process for reviewing proposals based on their academic merit, as well as a requirement to report on the results afterward, and I have no problem with that.  The new policy is on top of the existing process, and is based purely on financial considerations; academic merit will not be taken into account at that stage.


texts: How bad would it be to graduate with a thesis not able to show positive results?

texts: I'm almost at the end of my research dissertation for my MSc program and my results could not prove any improvement in the techniques already well established. I relied too much on a paper talking about some interesting application and results but when I went deeper to apply the technique in a more careful and thorough way, it appeared to be flawed. I still think I did a great deal of work to reach these results and I learnt a lot during my path. Should I try to fix it or just show what I got?


texts: Is there a code of ethics for Ph.D. supervisors?

texts:
I'm a Ph.D. student in Germany, I got my M.Sc. degree in Finland, I have friends in different countries doing their Ph.D.s, especially in the US, and there are also my fellow students in our group. So I have had the chance to learn about people's experience with their Ph.D. And there's one thing I see frequently which is annoying and frustrating: Ph.D. supervisors (people on tenure track/group leaders/senior researchers/...) are apparently not trained for this job and the job happens to be a very difficult one.

It seems that it's quite common to hear terms like arrogance, micro-management, exploitation of students' capacity, lack of respect, etc. attributed to a supervisor. I'm personally living with it, but I would like to be able to formulate all these thoughts in a meaningful and mature way. I need to have a clear understanding of what I'm going through.

Now I have one specific question (but I'd also appreciate knowing other ways of approaching it): is there a worked and published text on the supervisor-student relationship? like a code of ethics? I don't really know what to name it.


texts:
In general, mathematics papers have no first author; instead, authors are listed alphabetically. Therefore, citing “Smith et al.” is at best misleading (it implies that Smith did all the work) and at worst insulting (Zelmanov never does any work!). Basically, all the authors are considered equal but citing “Smith et al.” messes this balance up.

The “et al.” style is made slightly more complex because it means that the “big shot” may come further down the list. For example, Zelmanov is the big name but the paper is Smith, Smythe and Zelmanov, cited as Smith et al. So you don’t realise that it’s a Zelmanov paper.

My question is:

  What should be done if a journal changes your citation of Smith, Smythe and Zelmanov [10] to Smith et al. [10], especially when Zelmanov is the big name?

Is the answer simply to ask them to change it back to Smith, Smythe and Zelmanov? I think that changing the citation to “Zelmanov et al.” undermines the equality ethos even more — it is a slap in the face to Smith and Smythe, and anyway how do I not know that Smith won’t win a Fields medal himself one day?

I should say that before today I have never seen this in a maths paper.

Added 2018: This was resolved nicely. I send the copyediting team an email asking if every instance of "et al." could be changed back "especially on line 244 because "et al." here is just a single person!", and if not can I edit the certain bits to remove the names. So they removed each et al. and it appeared online a week later. No hassle (but lots of worry!).


texts: Will I get rejected because PI cannot show funding?

texts: I applied to Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for PhD program. I have talked with PI before submitting the application. I have 3.9 GPA from Master , 2 publications and one paper as the lead author under review in a great journal and plenty of research experiences. I think PI really likes me but, he said he doesn't have funding right now. He still asked me to apply for it and is willing to seek out funding options for me. I may be a very strong candidate as the program fits me, my background and future goals like a glove plus competitive academic profile. LORs will be excellent also. I am scared that I will get rejected because PI cannot show the funding this year. He recently got hired so, he is very active academically and applying for funding actively as well. What is the likelihood that I will get rejected? Any advice on anything that I can do?


texts: Pros and cons on working in an industrial research lab without a PhD

texts: I am from engineering, and I would like to know if I am able to find a job in industrial research lab after finishing my master, will there be any advantage or disadvantage compared with entering the same lab after finishing PhD? Possible advantage may be that I have more industrial experience as I enter the lab earlier, and possible disadvantage may be that without a PhD position I cannot be promoted to certain senior positions or lead a project. Are these true? Are there more advantages or disadvantages for this?


texts: How to cite papers in my statement of purpose? The interview panel has asked me to cite the papers from which I have taken a general idea about my statement of purpose. Kindly guide me through the process?


texts: So I just read my evaluations for this past semester, and they are absolutely horrible.  The worst I've ever gotten.  I put so much effort into teaching, but almost nobody thinks I did a good job.  Do you think this will prevent me from teaching next semester? I have a 9-month renewable instructor position that goes through the Spring but I'm really worried.


texts: Submitting a paper to a conference whose scientific committee includes an academic from a grad school you want to enroll

texts:
I am planning to submit my paper to an international conference. The level of the conference might be high considering my paper and for my academic background at the moment. My paper can fit in one of the poster sessions though.

However, the scientific committee includes one academics who belongs to one of the top graduate schools in my field, which I want to apply in a few years. In case of a rejection of my paper to that conference, I do have some concerns if that academic person remembers my name, my institution etc. and hold some negative bias during my graduate application (one MPhil programme)?

Should this possibility of rejection of my paper discourage me and should not I submit my paper due to this fear?


texts: PhD opportunities in Spring in US universities

texts: I am facing a dilemma regarding whether or not to apply for Spring for PhD programs at some universities in US. What are the pros and cons of applying for PhD or MS programs in Spring?


texts: How much of a disadvantage am I in as compared to my competition as a postdoc applicant?

texts:
I defended my PhD after 5.5 years from starting. While my degree granting date is 6 years from starting. So technically, I have spent 6 years on my PhD.
I failed to secure a postdoc position before my defense. And after defense, I got tangled in visa issues which delayed the starting of an interim postdoc position in my PhD lab.
In March, with the pandemic starting, my visa got more delayed and I stopped applying for postdoc positions due to global lockdowns.
Finally, my visa arrived in May and I was able to start my postdoc with my PhD advisor in June. Now, instead of interim gig, I am considering this as an extended 1-1.5 years engagement with a goal of publishing as many papers as possible and expanding collaborations and knowledge.
During my PhD, I had published 1 First Author (FA) paper and 1 co-authored (CA) paper. Since defending, I have published 2 FA and submitted 2 FA papers. I am also close to submitting 2 CA work and working on multiple projects. So technically, I have been keeping busy since graduating.
It's true that I did not get any positions before defense. But it is also true that my initial visa issues (intensified by the covid) added to my securing a job problems.
I have started looking for positions again, albeit only locally (in my country of residence), which reduces my search pool and the possibility of securing one. And am waiting for responses to judge whether my position has improved from last year or not.
My question is, considering my total time taken to graduate, my first postdoc with my PhD advisor (albeit different topic), objectively, how much of a disadvantage am I in as compared to my competition solely based on these factors?