texts: What would it mean if a professor of interest (POI) emails me after April 15th asking if I decided where to go for my PhD yet?

texts:
So long story short a professor at a school I applied to got in touch a few days ago saying he was "impressed with my qualifications" and asked if I decided where to go for my PhD. What would this mean exactly? My assumption is that I was on the waitlist or "leftover list" and he got in touch. I replied saying that I haven't decided yet and I'd love to attend the school he's at (I didn't really receive any offers this round) and that if he wants I'd be down to discuss this further with him.
I think there's only really one reason why a professor would contact an applicant in that manner, but I'm now wondering if I may have made too many assumptions on my part. Do you guys think my interpretation was correct, or maybe I jumped to a conclusion too fast?


texts: Is it appropriate to reuse the same illustration in multiple papers?

texts:
I am a referee on a paper. I am concerned with the reuse in this paper of illustrations that appeared a year ago in a different article by the same authors in the same journal.

In the earlier article the illustration was found in the body of the paper and in the later article it appears in the Introduction section.

The illustration is of reasonable quality and it provides a concise metaphor of the framework the authors are working in, but the details of the illustration are not discussed below. I am concerned that the exact same look of the illustration might cause confusion to the readers who may come across  the two papers.

On this site I have found an excellent discussion regarding the reuse of text. The accepted answer points to COPE Text recycling guidelines where a comment suggests that the practice regarding illustrations might be different.

  In my field (Pathology), and probably in others as well, a much bigger
  problem than recycled text (probably not so bad in an invited review
  article, in which the authors are specifically invited to discuss
  their previous publication/s, obviously with appropriate citation) is
  recycled photographs, diagrams/drawings, Tables and the like. Again,
  the rule we usually follow is to require permissions from the original
  publisher/s and, obviously, citations. I must say, however, as an
  author as well as an editor, that it has always annoyed me to have to
  get permission from a publisher to reuse my own original
  illustrations.

Should I suggest the authors remove the illustration in question?


texts: Referencing Non-Equations ("See Eq. (15)/See Ineq. (15)")

texts:
When I write something like

x is a stochastic function of y:
    x ~ N(2y, 3)                      (1),

how do I refer back to that... non-equation?  Do I still put "see Eq. (1)" although (1) is not an equation?


texts: Is it OK to mention dreams and future plans for a specific company in my SOP when applying for master's degree?

texts:
I am about to apply for Master's degree at a University in US that specializes in game development. I have been playing and I am a huge fan of Blizzard games for almost 15 years and the reason I pursue a higher education is to broaden my knowledge and sharpen my skills so that I can land on my dream job.

I wanted to mention this (in a politically correct manner) because I think it shows determination. Is this a good idea or would it hurt my statement?


texts: When exactly are you “promoviert” in Germany?

texts:
In Germany, acquiring your doctoral degree usually involves the following steps (in that order):

You hand in your thesis.
The examiners review your thesis.
You defend your thesis and possibly take an oral exam (usually on the same day).
You publish your thesis (or provide proof that you already did so).
The diploma, certificate is prepared, signed, and given to you.

Step 3 usually is the big thing after which you are congratulated, celebrated, and get to wear the mortarboard, as there is hardly anything that can go wrong afterwards. Nonetheless, it is usually prominently made clear that only after step 5 you may call yourself Doktor (doctor) and you can get into big trouble otherwise. I am not asking about this.

However, in German, there is another prominent term for acquiring a doctoral degree or the process of doing so, namely promovieren or Promotion, respectively. I have some reason to believe that these terms refer to a slightly different thing, namely completing everything up to step 3:

Some people say this is the case.
When publishing your thesis (step 4) at my university, it is common or even required to write Tag der Promotion (day of “Promotion”) in the thesis with the day being the date of the defense (step 3).

However, apart from the above, I failed to find any evidence for this: Internet searches yield all sorts of unrelated stuff and dictionaries do not make such a fine distinction. Hence I am asking: When exactly can you call yourself promoviert in Germany? Be aware that I am looking for some information that goes beyond hearsay (I already have such).

For the search engines: Wann genau ist man promoviert?


texts: Is getting a GPA 7/10 worth asking a recommendation letter?

texts: I had taken a course in mathematics  previously and scored a GPA of 7 in 10. Presently I would like to take a summer research internship related to that subject and was wondering whether it was wise to try to ask him for a recommendation. The other courses I took were not in the field I want to do internship in (except one other, in which I am already getting a letter, but I need two). The reason for the low  grades was I messed up one of the exam due to lack of time, but I still believe it was one of the subjects I knew well enough. I am presently in my undergraduate third year. So what do you think is better,  not asking for recommendation because most probably he will reject it or atleast trying to ask?


texts: What is the best way to cite NCBI data for my paper?

texts:
I'm currently writing my paper, and I have to compare some DNA sequences. But I found some samples have already been analyzed.

So I used analyzed data from NCBI and my own new data (different species) for the comparison.

Now I want to state clearly that I used their data in my paper.
What is the best way to do it?

Should I write their GeneBank accession No. and put the papers in my references?

I'm worried if that is not enough. Should I contact the authors of the paper?


texts: Can I ask for a LOR from a teacher that didn't teach any of my classes?

texts: I want to do a Master's in CS, but I didn't do the undergraduate in CS, so I want to know if I can get a letter of recommendation from a professor that I know but who didn't actually teach me.


texts: As an undergraduate, how risky is it to aim for academia?

texts:
I have just finished my first year at University, and after a slight tweak to my major (two very similar degrees) I'm ready to start my second year of computer science in September.

At this point, is it reasonable for me to plan to get into the world of academia? I ask is that I've heard getting into academia is very competitive, and I don't want to end up spending all my energy focusing on something with very low acceptance rates, like a first year bio major declaring that they will get into med school. If getting into academia is very difficult and competitive, I should probably start making back-up plans.

I've also heard that my interest area (quantum computing) is getting a decent amount of funding, but I'm not sure if that will make it any easier to get into. I plan to get into research ASAP, but unfortunately I've heard from a professor that they aren't interested in anyone who hasn't finished at least three years. I've been doing self-study about quantum computing so that maybe I can get some research in this area between second and third year.

Thank you for the help.


texts: My professor uploaded an unsigned recommendation

texts:
My question is about letters of recommendation for University of Pittsburgh , graduate studies. My professor uploaded a plain PDF document of the letter over electronic recommendation. Will this create any issues? The document was not signed, but it was not mentioned anywhere to sign the letter of recommendation (which was done in the case if students themselves uploaded the letter)

I am worried.


texts: When listing faculty that I'm interested in, would it be a good idea to list faculty that are in a related department?

texts:
I am currently applying to a M.S. Statistics program and have an easy first choice (whom I will refer to as "A") for someone with whom I would like to work. At this particular university I am applying to, the statistics and math departments are separate. A has worked with a professor in the math department ("B") on a subject that I am interested in.

Would it be a good idea to list B on the list of faculty with whom I would be interested in working on my graduate school application?


texts: Is it okay to keep on updating a published paper online?

texts: Suppose someone publishes a survey paper in some journal on a topic where a lot of work is still going on. A lot of new interesting works are expected to be published every year on this topic. Is it a good idea to upload a version of the survey on Arxiv and keep on updating it? In that case, should the Arxiv version contain a note that an earlier version was published in so-and-so journal?


texts: How can I obtain an academic reference, if I have been out of college for a very long time?

texts:
I have completed my Master's degree 25+ years ago, and I decided to go back to college to further my education with a Doctorate degree. I fulfill all the requirements, except for the need to provide 2 academic references.

How should I proceed to obtain the references? Should I hunt down my former professors in their retirement and hope they retain their faint memories of me?


texts: Our NSF grant had its status date changed a couple of weeks ago on fastlane, but no change in status (it stays as "pending"). Does anyone know what that means? We submitted the grant in June and it went through a review panel in August.


texts: Does doing a PhD in a small/simple university make sense after getting a Master's from a very prestigious school?

texts:
I got a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from a school which is among the top ranked of Europe. Nevertheless, this is a pure coincidence, I did it here because it was the closest to my home.

For purely personal reasons I am tired of living in a place where there is such high population density, and having to suffer city life, crowded trains, traffic (even though I do not drive, I suffer the noise and pollution a lot), and spending so much time every day in queues is very annoying. My dream would be to return living in the countryside in a small village where people know each other, like when I was a kid (the village where I grew up is now today part of a suburb and mostly lost its soul).

I'm considering applying for a PhD position in a very small university in a medium sized town, in order to relocate and live in a rural village near the town. That university would be quite small and barely large enough to offer PhD programs, and definitely does not have much international reputation or anything. The exact opposite to the university where I got a Master's, which is high ranked and has amazing international reputation.

What I'd be doing would be the exact opposite of the mainstream, where people are always more willing to live in cities despite the disadvantages, and also are wanting to have their PhD from a school that is prestigious. I am afraid to kill my academic career because of a caprice of mine ("live in the countryside") would have taken up all the other advantages over staying here in the same School for a PhD.


texts: How should I talk to an unwelcoming future research group colleague so no interpersonal issues raise?

texts:
This year, I am going to join a research group in which one of my past classmates who used to study in the same university during my the bachelors degree years is also working. The professor who is going to supervise the position is completely supporting my attendance and likes my resume. However, that friend of mine reacts not so friendly. He does not answer my emails or even quick phone calls which I wanted to check the correct paper work or document submission process. Even the content of his conversations is not so friendly and warm.

That friend has nothing to do in my attendance (before I know he is working there, I had contacted the professor to talk about the position) and our research topics will also be different.

I am worried on how I should possibly deal with such person in a research group who seems not to be welcoming to me. I mean, how should I continue my connection with him, so that no interpersonal issues raise here which may affect my performance in that group and position.

Should I completely ignore such person or try to behave constructively; for instance, for easing the connections and trying to make warmer friendship, should I try to call him and discussing topics, try to talk about my attendance there, etc? I am worried, since it seems he is not happy with me attending that group and he is a senior person (he works there for about three years), he does not allow me to have my best performance, connections and cooperation, etc.

Although, I have a sense that I am overthinking this issue and the condition may not be that problematic since the professor likes my resume; I need to know how to successfully behave to that person so that such possible misunderstanding be solved and we have good days in our office in future.


texts: Can FERPA or privacy laws be used to censor medical information on my college transcript?

texts: I had to medically withdraw from one semester at an American university due to documented illness. My transcripts indicate that the withdrawal is due to a medical reason. Can I use FERPA or other American privacy laws to censor this information from my transcripts? The withdrawal was during the COVID-19 pandemic but the illness is unrelated to it.


texts: Spelling mistakes in published conference paper at IEEE Xplore

texts: I have published a paper in a conference proceedings of an IEEE conference. The paper has been published since December of last year. Unfortunately, I found some spelling mistakes in the text. Is there a way, how I can correct them? Does anyone have experience with IEEE. On the web I only found information about how to correct metadata (https://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/become-an-ieee-journal-author/publishing-ethics/guidelines-and-policies/policy-correcting-metadata-in-the-ieee-xplore-digital-library/) but I could not find any information about spelling errors.


texts: What do Master's scholarships look for in candidates?

texts:
I am planning to apply for scholarships to undertake a Master's course in Europe (I am from Argentina). However, in many applications I notice that students are asked to answer some questions that are not (at least directly) related to academia. Some of these questions could be:

Introduce yourself in less than X words.
What are your interests apart from your study?
How would you contribute to the institution if you were granted the scholarship?

I don't really know how to address these questions, as they are quite vague. Am I supposed to introduce myself from an academic standpoint? What kind of interests that are NOT related to education would be suitable to mention if I am applying for a Master's scholarship? How can a Master's student contribute to an institution (I get this for a PhD candidate, but for MSc...)?
Any orientation regarding any of these topics would be highly appreciated, as I don't really know how universities abroad work in these matters.


texts: I always read phrases such as "empirical data" and "empirical study." What does it mean when a study is empirical?


texts: How do I get to know research areas in Physics and Mathematics?

texts:
I posted this on the Physics Site and I was warned that I would be best fit here.

I'm a freshman undergrad and I plan to get a Physics major. I don't know actually in what area I want to follow, I do have an idea that I don't want to be and Experimental Physicist but I'm open to every experience. I know many universities offer their colloquium/talk on the Internet which most of the times I find very interesting and informative, but I find it hard to get to know many good colloquia. I will be very glad if you can recommend me anything that would help me to understand the research fields in Physics and Mathematics.


texts:
I am aware of US News which publishes the rankings for US Universities every year.
But somehow I feel that they try to emphasize more on private universities than public(state) universities.
Also they have recently stopped showing the rankings according to fields of study(CS, ECE, Mechanical, etc) without paying them.
Google also could not help me find any reliable ranking organisation.
I would like to know whether there is any respectable ranking organisation other than US News.


texts: Are there any "non-research" jobs in Asian HiEd available to foreigners?

texts:
it is me again.
If anyone has experience working in SE Asia, I would love to hear from you.
I am wondering if there are any "non-research" jobs in Asian universities and colleges. I have a Ph.D. in "life sciences", currently live and work in Canada. Unfortunately, the job market for people with such qualification is really bad in Canada (I would say, almost non-existing). In general, there are very few jobs in Canada, where pay is actually commensurate with the cost of living (which is getting higher and higher), but I digress. Sometimes, I try to contemplate some backup/exit strategies. Idea of working in Asia is one of them. To be clear, I have no other motives, except monetary. It appears to me that job market is better overseas and it might  be not as difficult to find a job in SE Asia. What I am wondering about is this: are there any jobs in Asian Higher Ed. that are between a "postdoc" and a "professor", something like a "lecturer". I do not have any energy left in me to go for a "postdoc" (it would be a torture for me) and I do not have good research record to even apply for prof. position. It would be great to know that there is something "above" the proverbial "English teacher" (I do not like children, in general).
Last, but not least: how is it financially? I understand that these type of jobs do not offer good salaries, but again, in big cities in Canada post.doc salary is extremely restrictive. But if compensation for these jobs is as bad as "adjuncting" in the USA, then it not worth it, obviously.


texts: Are IELTS past tests available for students preparing for the exam?

texts:
I want to know a way to find past IELTS questions. If they are available freely?
Are there good exams for all modules? (Specially Listening)


texts: Which license should be chosen in arXiv for a paper to be published in Elsevier?

texts:
I would like to know what license needs to be chosen in arXiv for a paper that is to be sent to an Elsevier journal. I have read the terms of both arXiv and Elsevier attentively, but I'm still in doubt.

arXiv has the following choices for licenses (from their website):

  grant arXiv.org a non-exclusive and irrevocable license to distribute the article, and certify that he/she has the right to grant
  this license;
  certify that the work is available under one of the following Creative Commons licenses and that he/she has the right to assign this
  license:

  Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY 4.0)
  Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0);

  or dedicate the work to the public domain by associating the Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0 1.0) with the
  submission.

On the other hand, Elsevier explicitly allows to publish accepted manuscripts in arXiv, provided it's "updating a preprint", not creating a new one (a really strange requirement in my view, whose motivation I've never understood, but that is the subject of a different question) and provided that this is done with a CC-BY-NC-ND license, which is none of the above. From their website:

  Authors can share their accepted manuscript:

  Immediately (...) by updating a preprint in arXiv or RePEc with the
  accepted manuscript (...) In all cases accepted manuscripts should
  (...) bear a CC-BY-NC-ND license.

How are those two things reconciled, as arXiv doesn't have the option of using a CC-BY-NC-ND license? There should be a way, as otherwise the mentions of arXiv in the Elsevier policy would be totally pointless - allowing you explicitly to publish on a site with a license that that site won't allow! Is it legal to choose "grant arXiv.org a non-exclusive and irrevocable license" and upload the manuscript with a CC-BY-NC-ND license? Would this mean that the first license is for arXiv and the second license is for the rest of the world? This is the only solution to the puzzle I can think of, but I don't know if it stands (it seems that one needs a degree in law to understand these kind of copyright conditions...)


texts: How to show the accreditation of a university abroad

texts:
I live in the U.S but got my undergrad from a university in another country.
Now I have applied for Masters in the U.S and the department of graduate studies have requested this information from me, How do I provide it to them? What are they looking for?

Also: The university is Sheikh Bahaei University

  Is the university where you obtained your undergraduate degree an
  accredited institution?  That is, is it of a reasonable quality in
  some quantifiable ways?


texts: Can a person register a conference using someone else's credit card and still get IEEE membership discount?

texts:
I am in a situation where my paper is accepted in IEEE conference and only one of the author is IEEE member. For IEEE members, there is some concession in the registration fee. Can that co-author register the paper using my credit card while availing the concession(which is only for IEEE members)?

In case, this varies then, what would be the best way to proceed?


texts: Is it okay to have an additional authors for majority of my work in my undergrad thesis?

texts:
Background: My undergrad thesis primarily consists of 4 Methods converted into individual chapters (excluding intro, results, conclusion etc.). One chapter dedicates one specific idea. Each chapter is based on a published/to be published/pre-pint "work". Basically, I have converted each "work" into a chapter.
Now, 3 out of the 4 chapters has 2 additional authors (plus my advisor) but I am the first author in all of them with the major contribution.
Questions:

Is this okay? Should I just leave this as separate papers and leave the thesis altogether? (I don't have the time to develop a separate research and form a thesis out of it.)
Should undergrad thesis work only be based on one author plus advisor?
How does this look front of a PhD CS admit panel? (Say USA).

Additional Reason to build the thesis: The 4 papers are bound by a core specific domain and are quite inter-related in there work.
Note: I have no constraint for course requirements from my university. The thesis is optional. I can drop it anytime. Even at the last second. My university if fine with point 1 and 2. I am asking in terms of phd admit panels and just "in the eyes of other academics" in general.


texts: Can I apply for an NSF grant to create a new course, and how to create a budget for it?

texts:
I just started a tenure-track assistant professor position at a historically black university (School of Architecture). I would like to create a new course from scratch, the course is offered at many similar schools but not in my school. To be able to teach this course, I need to obtain some equipment/hardware that is valued at $15000.

Can I apply for an NSF grant for the purpose of creating this course? I saw some grants that are dedicated to improving STEM education in HBCU, will my course fit within these grants considering that my course is related to building science? And what other budget items (besides equipment) I have to consider, i.e. my salary, a TA salary,.....? I'm currently finishing my PhD and never applied for a grant before, so any input would be much appreciated!


texts: An invitation from Frontiers (Frontiers Research Topics)

texts:
On 13th August 2013 I received the following email. I  have cut and pasted it below. I haven't bothered to insert back any of the links, but can do so if anyone is interested. I would not normally post private email to a public forum, but this is obviously a form letter, one step up from spam.

At the time I dismissed it as one more attempt by a journal to get me to do something for nothing as usual, but then I got a followup from the same person on 12th February 2014. It is in my experience fairly unusual to get a followup to this kind of invitation.

I thought it would do no harm to ask people here what they thought. I haven't changed my mind on it. I don't see any advantage to the proposed work. They aren't offering any money of course. It is not a publication. It isn't an opportunity to get involved in a collaborative project. It looks like a opportunity to become some kind of unpaid new-fangled Web 2.0 type editor for some kind of new-fangled web research platform. It would probably be lots of work. So, I don't see anything in it for me. I'm not sure what is in it for the journal either.

So, to summarize my questions in a convenient fashion.

Is there any reason anyone one can think of that I might want to be
involved in something like this? Note - I'm by no stretch of the
imagination a senior researcher. Such an invitation might make sense for
a senior researcher, but I don't see why such a person could not simply
create his own web site to showcase his research.
Why is the journal trying to organize something like this? I don't
quite see what is in it for them either. Perhaps just the opportunity
to make money off submissions to an ersatz journal?

  I came across[LINK][LINK] your “SNPpy--database management for SNP
  data from genome wide association studies.” published in “PloS one”
  and thought that it would be an excellent fit for the "Research
  Topics" initiative in Frontiers. We have recently partnered with
  the [LINK]Nature Publishing Group [goo.gl]  to expand our
  researcher-driven Open Science platform, and I would like for you to
  consider suggesting a consolidated topic of the latest research and
  perspectives from your field in a Frontiers journal.

  However please note that our invitation is not restricted to the
  subject of this work. You are free to propose a Research Topic of your
  choice.

  This [LINK][LINK]short video [goo.gl] gives you a better overview on
  the potential of Frontiers Research Topics.

  You may also want to browse on the [LINK][LINK]Research Topics
  homepage [goo.gl] and [LINK][LINK]here [goo.gl] to check the final
  format of a Frontiers Research Topic as an e-book.

  Like in the example above, Frontiers will create a dedicated homepage
  for your Research Topic, where you can manage contributions and
  maintain an ongoing dialogue with post-publication feedback from the
  research community.

  If you are interested in pursuing this project, all it takes to get
  started is:

   - A title and a short description of your Research Topic;

  A list of contributors you plan to contact.

  If you wanted to find detailed information on how to launch a Research
  Topic, please browse [LINK][LINK]here [goo.gl].

  Please let me know if you are interested in organizing a Frontiers
  Research Topic, and do not hesitate to contact me by phone or email
  with any questions. I’m looking forward to your reply.


texts: Does copying facts from Wikipedia, with attribution, constitute plagiarism?

texts:
I had an assignment where I had to create a web-based advertisement for a Computer that was created in the 1970 era or earlier. In my advertisement, I copied facts from Wikipedia such as "Output consisted of a row of lights", "The machine was programmed in pure machine code using an array of buttons and switches.", "The 8-bit machine offered 256 bytes of memory, implemented on Intel's type 1404 silicon gate MOS shift registers." And I cited my sources at the bottom of the site. Does this constitute plagiarism since I have copied facts and not opinions, and cited my sources?

Thank you!


texts: If supervisor has no expertise in your research work, is it possible to do a PhD under that supervisor?

texts: In my PhD, I am assigned mathematical modeling topics and my supervisor's work is related to mathematical biology. But I don't want to work in mathematical biology. Because actually there is not so much real application of that and I don't like biology. Instead, I want to work in fluid dynamics. But my supervisor's research area is totally different. Is it possible  to do independent research work without supervision of supervisor?


texts: Is looking up the source of tests and using those to practice considered cheating?

texts:
The question (Is studying past exams I found online cheating?) was sort of relevant but did not answer my question, so please do not mark this question as a duplicate:

Onto my dilemma:

I recently had a raw score 20 points higher than my classmates and was suspected of cheating. I scored almost perfect while others only got around 60-75. I actually found the test beforehand (coincidentally) because my teacher passes back old tests and quizzes (and his sources are obvious). I sought online materials because the textbook and the practice problems are utterly inadequate for relatively difficult exams. I know it gives me an advantage, but couldn't everyone just do what I did? Don't I have the right to study things that are openly accessible on the web and use that to my advantage? It's not like I hacked a school server to access materials.. I literally just found it by using some google search 'hacks' like verbatim, quotes, filetype, etc. I ended up not getting a score for that test, but did the teacher really have to do that? I didn't even copy the test word-for-word. I knew how to do most of it and just used it to make sure that I knew what I was doing. I am currently under a lot of backlash due to this incident and am trying to justify my standing. What are your thoughts and what prevents me from using those sources?

Clarification: it was not even the teacher's own test.


texts:
What citation style allows the author to reference sources with superscript numbers?

I'm at the very edge of my page limit. I'm allowed to use any citation style. I need something concise that can point to the relevant works I've listed on the works-cited page.

Anyone have any suggestions?


texts: Will my American GPA be 'transferred' to an Australian university?

texts:
I'm a first-year medical student within the United States considering a move to Australia. I am not looking at a "study abroad" or "foreign exchange student" type program. A direct move and goal to be a citizen, living there indefinitely.

As of now, my academic marks (GPA) aren't the best they can be and I am concerned that they will follow me towards Australia if I decide to move there.

If I transfer between the two countries is my United States GPA considered or used by an Australian university? If so, how?


texts: Choosing an undergraduate research advisor

texts:
I'm looking to complete a senior thesis (I would also want to do other research, but I doubt the viability of this) as an undergrad and I need help understanding how I would go about choosing the research advisor.
I am not really looking to do a masters/PhD as of right now, although this may change in a couple years. As of right now, I plan to go into the commercial market after college and would like to optimize for this.
Talking to some people in the workforce, I was told it would be very helpful to have a good thesis with an advisor that is well-known (high status) in the field. However, this seems to go against the prevailing sentiment on this site (1, 2). Why is it better to find a new prof rather than using a well-known prof?
Another problem is that undergrad research seems to be very infrequent (so there are maybe only 1 or 2 people I can ask about any specific prof a la this suggestion), so sampling bias is a large concern.
The third, and perhaps greatest concern, is I'm not sure what subfield I would like to work in (finishing all the lower division courses taught me almost nothing of actual use about the field, as there was a lot of hand-holding in those courses). Talking to some other students who went through this before me, I have heard that one should take a class with the professor before asking them to be one's research advisor (I thought this was BS and tried reaching out to profs, but got stonewalled - this seems to be systemic in my uni/dept). This only gives me a couple terms to take classes with different professors, trying to select classes where I get to both explore the field and get a good prof to research under. However, professors that tend to be more famous tend to teach more specialized classes where I don't get to explore as much. I am ok with pushing by GenEds out to take more classes in my major and explore right now, but am unclear on how to proceed beyond just choosing something that has an interesting title, hoping I'll like one of the 4 shots I have, and running with the best of the lot.
Any advice would be helpful.


texts: Fellow graduate student discusses problems but gives no credit afterwards

texts:
I am currently doing research and I know a fellow graduate student who is very intellectually curious. Let's call him/her C. However, I feel that C has a very consistent habit for not crediting people who have discussed problems with him. We work in the same lab/department, so we cannot avoid each other.

C would (very frequently, may I add) try to get people to discuss his own research problems with him, and after he has been provided tips, references or full-blown solution to his problems, he would simply take credit for them as if it was his own. Present them as if he came up with the idea. Write them and publish them as papers as if he came up with the idea. He would of course laugh about it afterwards, and talk very jovially about his accomplishments, and in the past I would have laughed along with him, because I have adopted the mindset that perhaps it is good to help out my fellow colleague. I shared my ideas generously, and promptly responded to any request.

C's habit came to my attention several month ago when another graduate student told me, that after spending a significant amount of time discussing a problem with C, C provided a solution to that problem, but nearly all the heavy lifting was done through that discussion.

Then it just happened, C talked to me about a problem a year ago, I provided him with what I thought would be a good way of tackle the problem. I just saw his publication, which was uploaded online last week, in which the paper utilizes some material drawn from what we had discussed.

This incident has left a bitter taste in my mouth, because I feel as if I had been used or exploited. Looking back, outside of accelerating C's own research career, I feel that C has no real connection with any of his fellow graduate students. While the other students would talk about everyday life topics, current events, family, etc., C would only ask us questions about his own research.

In doing so, C's behavior in some sense has cheapened my graduate school experience, and left me jaded at the fact that to in order become a top researcher, it seems that you need to exploit other people's time and intellectual energy as much as possible for your own gain. The more you do it, the more successful you will become.

It reminded me of my undergraduate days, when fellow students would try to pick your brains about everything you knew about a subject, but gives nothing in return. You have any study material out, they line up to see what you are reading. "Nosy", as some would describe this type of behavior. It just feels that my patience and kindness has being routinely exploited by people who just don't really care about other people.

  How do senior researchers deal with this type of behavior? Of course,
  research cannot go on without communication, and we all have taken
  credit for things that are not purely our own intellectual
  contribution. However, I think the person's consistent willingness to
  exploit other people's time and intellectual energy has crossed the
  line for me. I wonder if I am over-reacting.


texts:
I'm a lecturer (I have an MSc) at university. The university wants me to do my PhD at another country (the UK). However, I didn't think about PhD before and now it is a must or they are going to change my job to something other than teaching.

I'm thinking now what value will the PhD give me after I get it? I mean what are things that will become special in my life?


texts: If a specific sentence is not in-text referenced but the website used is mentioned on the reference page, is it considered plagiarism?


texts: Could I submit a paper that I'm not sure about its proof?

texts:
We (including my teacher) designed a new algorithm in computer science and my teacher proved that it is good enough about its time complexity, but I'm not sure about that and worry that the proof be wrong.

Could I submit it to a journal?


texts:
As an undergraduate, I had a problem: I could work very efficiently during the week, but over the weekend I could get absolutely nothing done. Usually my plans for the weekend would include errands, studying, working on papers and projects, getting ahead with reading, and taking care of numerous chores (laundry, bills, writing applications, etc.)

But I would end up doing none of this. Instead, I would find myself scrambling to do the bare minimum for Monday in the wee hours of Sunday night or in the last few minutes before class.

Does anyone have tips for navigating short periods of unstructured time, such as two free days, in an academic setting?


texts: Graduate Program Director Congratulating Me on Failing Comprehensive

texts:
This was a few years ago now. My PhD program had two exams. The first I passed with high marks the second I failed.

I did not really know who to talk with about this. It is common in my program for people taking their exams to fail on the first attempt. However, the nature of the way this news was conveyed by the graduate program director and other passive aggressive tenancies by another closely related senior member, really shook my confidence.

Unfortunately, I did not recover and ended up switching departments and programs, which has cost me time and money. I won't blame my failures on this professor, though I believe he seems to have abused his power in order to act out a personal vendetta.

Here is the email:

  Dear XXXXX,

  I just received the results of the XXXX comprehensive exam
  in XXXX.  I will follow up with a more formal
  letter shortly, but I wanted you to  know the basic results as soon as
  possible.

  I'm pleased to relay that you received a Fail.

  This is disappointing news.  With my formal memo, I will be sending
  feedback on individual questions to assist you with further study.

  Best regards,

So here is my question:

Is there anything to be done about this? Or is it better to keep my head down and not complain?


texts: A question regarding renewal of postdoc fellowship, and the mentor not making the picture clear

texts:
I'm a postdoc in Europe on a one year contract, where the renewal is not necessarily guaranteed. When I was interviewed, I was told that the his grant was for a year, and whether it'd renew would depend on the results of his next grant application. After my mentor hired me and things were confirmed, I noticed at least two other advertisements posted by him looking for postdocs, even with slightly increased salary. When I eventually talked to him about renewal, his response was: "I'd first like to work with you and see how you do". When I was hired by him, I was already in my third year of postdoc, and indeed in a top school in the US. Several times he had reminded me that the time is limited-one year, and pushed me to work fast.

Based on the above, I suspect that it's not the case that he doesn't have funding. Questions: Is he telling me lies? Is what he's doing a standard thing to do? I ask this, because I find this rather sketchy and selfish-the mentor wants to divide the money in more than one postdocs to maximize the publications as quickly as possible, but it really doesn't give the postdoc a stability. As you see, I cannot ask him directly about the follow-up advertisements, because obviously he'd say it's none of my business. I think I understand his view-he doesn't want to take a risk, but given that I was already a senior postdoc at a top 20 US school, was productive, switched to something very related and was the first choice for this postdoc position, I don't find a basis for his hesitation.

I'd very much appreciate your opinion and reflection on this topic. I bolded the questions so that there's no confusion of what I want the answer to.


texts:
I am currently doing a postdoc in mathematics in Europe (staying vague for anonymity...). For various reasons I am seriously considering leaving academia at the end of my current postdoc, which ends in a few months. I have some teaching/supervision left to do, but very little. My postdoc is a more research-focused postdoc, but not within any specific project, I am free to work on whatever projects interest me.

For the last few months I have been feeling extremely unmotivated to do anything related to my research. No one seems to care whether I'm doing something or not and it will most likely not have any impact whatsoever on my future career outside of academia anyway. The coronavirus situation with the requirements to work from home obviously didn't improve the situation, as I lost the peer pressure of having office mates so I don't even feel the need to pretend that I'm working anymore. Yet I am of course still being paid, but it makes me feel quite bad to be paid for doing essentially nothing.

I guess I am looking for advice for how to feel better, either by regaining some motivation, or simply by hearing that it is ok to not do research (or any other kind of related work) if I don't feel like it. I'm not sure if it's a form of the impostor syndrome, but I definitely feel like a fraud for not working and still getting a salary...


texts: How best to increase the reach of conference proceedings / papers?

texts:
I am helping to organise a conference which has been running for a number of years. Conference papers are peer-reviewed by a well-respected review committee and the conference has a good reputation and attendance within the country. However, papers from the conference are rarely cited, don't rank highly in google scholar searches, aren't included in Scopus. For for example, my papers from this conference are read and cited less than some of my (frankly, lower quality) papers from other conferences.

We are exploring ways to increase the reach and citations of the conference papers.

Currently, the conference proceedings have an ISBN but are just published on our own website. We are exploring the option of publishing the proceedings as a special edition of a journal, but this is unlikely to happen this year.

Would it help if we assign DOIs for each paper and/or the conference proceedings? Does it matter which?

How do we improve search rankings on google scholar?

How can we get the proceedings included in scopus?

What else can we do to increase our reach?


texts: What Happens When Schools Cannot Provide A Placement Exam?

texts:
I am attempting to pass a class by exam this term, due to the fact that this is an option provided by the school and I need to in order to stay on track. I did this the previous term, but due to a variety of logistical issues, it is always delayed.

Unlike the previous time, I have not heard any word back from the faculty regarding if they are able to provide a credit for prior learning exam (i.e., a placement exam) for me.

What if they are not able to do so in time? Do I (or other students who attempt this) have a right to ask that the course be waived or some other accommodation be provided?


texts: Motivations for PhD students to present at a conference session for work in progress

texts:
I am currently helping to run a doctoral colloquium (DC) for a conference that's going to happen remotely.

For this DC, we are accepting work-in-progress papers whose first or sole author is a doctoral student or candidate. Also, this DC will give the opportunity for them to briefly speak about their research or proposed research in a three-minute thesis (3MT) format/style, supported by a single slide or other visual aid, before engaging in a moderated discussion with one another and with the audience.

As part of that planning, I'm trying to understand more the side of the students to present at the DC, as would like to have them interested in joining the conference and also being engaged. What are potential motivations for a student to present their work in progress in such a format?


texts: Transitioning from languages to neuroscience/cognitive science for PhD, how to increase chances of success?

texts:
I have background in languages (BA in English Literature and Teaching in China, MA Conference Interpreting in Manchester, UK) and I am eager to do a PhD in cognitive science in the UK.

During my MA studies, we were studying fundamentals of psychology and cognitive sciences related to translating/interpreting. During the course of this study, some modern research techniques such as FMRI, EEG were touched upon but the course was not very comprehensive, as the focus of the field was never really on how the interpreters’ brain works during simultaneous interpreting or other language activities.

I found languages and cognitive sciences closely related, because it is very natural to bring up questions in one area while discussing the other. It’s close to instinct that an interest in one can seep into another, at least that was the case for me.

I am really keen to further my education in the area of Cognitive Sciences, and it's been the case for the last couple of years. But it’s a bit saddening to see that the minimum entry for these programs usually require a science degree in relevant fields, for example, CS, EE, Psychology, Neuroscience, etc. And at the moment (I'm 26), I can't really do one more undergraduate degree.

However, I understand that there are gaps to fill for a person to change their area of study. Usually in the UK, PhD programs would encourage the students to do the 1+3 program, where first years have the opportunity to fill this gap. But I fell that even for these 1+3 programs, students who have a liberal arts degree are still discouraged from applying because these PhD programs specifically require students to have background in relevant science fields.

So what should I do to be more qualified and have a better chance to be accepted as a PhD student?

My plan is to learn some fundamentals by finishing online courses in the following areas: Math (e.g. Calculus, Linear Algebra, Probability, to be more comfortable with fundamentals), Computer Science (such as basics of algorithms and Python to be able to perform some scientific computing), and Neuroscience (as it is fundamental to Cognitive Sciences). What about MOOC courses, more specifically, how are they viewed in the academia in the context of someone who is using them to fill in the gaps when changing fields?

I would like to know whether or not I have underestimated the difficulty and hard work required to put myself on this track.


texts: Should students' presentations be listed on your CV if you're a co-author?

texts:
In my experience, it is quite common for graduate students and professors to be listed as a co-author of undergraduate students' presentations. Although you may be listed as a co-author, should these presentations have a place in your CV?

I've seen undergraduate students' presentations written differently in various CV's. In some CV's, they have a separate section titled "Presentations by students", whereas in others, the presentations are just listed under the same "Presentations" heading as theirs.

Is there a convention for how to list students' presentations (posters and oral/slide) on one's CV when you're listed as a co-author? Is this different depending on whether you are a graduate student with undergraduate students, or a professor with both undergraduate and graduate students?

Also, would this convention also change depending on whether the presentation by the student is given at local, less reputable symposiums (e.g., undergraduate research symposiums) versus large scale conferences (e.g., APA Annual Conference)?


texts: When someone says a paper is published "in Nature", does that mean it's published in *Nature*?

texts:
Oftentimes, researchers talk about a paper that's been published "in Nature" (typically to establish its notoriety).  However, I would like to clarify exactly what this means.

Along with Nature, the Nature Publishing Group publishes a wide range of journals, including journals with the word "Nature" in the title, such as Nature Biotechnology, Nature Cell Biology, and so on.  Other journals published by Nature Publishing Group do not include the word "Nature" in the title, such as Heredity, Molecular Systems Biology, and so on.  (See the journal index.)  With this in mind, it does not seem clear to me exactly what it means to have published "in Nature".

  Question: When someone says they've published "in Nature", does this literally mean they have published in the journal entitled Nature?


texts: What are benefits of writing a survey paper?

texts:
Currently, I am in 4th year of my Ph.D. and my area of research is very big and quite active. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever written a survey paper that could summarize the important results of the last 20 years. A few survey papers that I have found till now, span a very narrow variety of results.
I have made a notebook for myself where I have written down all the major results that I have encountered through my Ph.D.. I find it very useful from time to time; for example when I write the introduction of a paper or look for an open problem in the area. I keep updating the notebook whenever any new result appears.
Right now, I have enough knowledge to write a survey paper. And, I would have to study a bit more to make it more complete. But I am finding it wasteful. I think that writing such a paper would only benefit other researchers and not me since I already have my personal notebook with me. Also, I think, I would be wasting my Ph.D. time writing a survey paper when I could be solving my own research problem.
Are there any self benefits for writing a survey paper? If so, maybe I can get the motivation to write one. Thanks!


texts: Are there any downsides to sharing a successful proposal with others?

texts:
Since being awarded a grant from NSF (my first!) I have received a few requests from strangers at other universities, who are themselves seeking funding, to see a copy of my funded proposal.  Initially I reacted negatively to these requests, thinking that somehow the "secret sauce" of the successful proposal would be weakened by sharing it.  However, I now feel that sharing a funded proposal has the following benefits:

It increases my work's exposure and may lead to complementary research by another group;
It may lead to an opportunity for collaboration.

The major downside is the prospect of plagiarism-- that the stranger would use my text in a publication.  Of course I am planning to do that, but they should not since I would probably find out sooner or later.

If it is appropriate to share funded proposals, then the next logical step is to make the entire proposal entirely public.  Here it seems like there is significant opportunity to weaken my chances of getting future funding-- but I can't say exactly why I feel that way.

What do other SE readers think of this?  This may be appropriate for community-wiki.

(Some related reading: http://jabberwocky.weecology.org/2012/08/10/a-list-of-publicly-available-grant-proposals-in-the-biological-sciences/ )


texts: How to best leverage resources offered at small undergraduate school to be a competitive applicant to top law or architecture + planning schools

texts:
I am currently a senior in high school, and will be attending Hamilton College in Clinton, New York next year. Though Hamilton does not have 'core curriculum' requirements and is a small liberal arts college, I want to prepare myself so that I have a competitive advantage in applying to top graduate schools. Among the programs I might be interested in are Stanford or Harvard law school -- I'm particularly interested in their respective centers for internet and society.

On a different note, I might be interested in MIT school of architecture + planning. Obviously this early in my career my interests and goals will certainly change, but my question now is how to best leverage the resources offered at my small undergrad school to get into these sort of graduate programs. A general answer for a broad question is suitable.


texts: Recommendation letter from assistant professor vs professor

texts: Which one will be given more importance? A strong recommendation from a new assistant professor or an average recommendation from senior professor?


texts: Is it normal for a Ph.D. student to spend stipend money on research related items?

texts:
I am a TA and Ph.D. student. I find that I need to purchase some items, as my advisor suddenly told me that some one is coming for inspection. So far, I was working on devices to test my system. However presenting it to a donor with my setup doesn't look good. I have to purchase some equipment and, yes I know that my school has to pay for that, but in this situation my advisor is reluctant to spend money for I don't know what reasons.

Should I purchase these items from my own pocket and hope that it will be reimbursed, or should I mention to the donors that I don't get equipment in time? That will put my advisor in a bad position which I don't want either.

What would be the best approach in such a situation?


texts: How to handle someone propositioning me to collude/cheat with them on an assignment?

texts:
I am doing my final year of undergraduate.
Mostly I am working on my Honours project
but I have a few units from earlier years that I am still doing
 as I did some out of order.

Another student, call him John, sent me a message on Facebook (via the message people who are not your friends feature.), saying basically:

  "Can you send me the solutions to the Assignment from unit X, that you
  took last year. In exchange, I will tell you what the future minitest
  questions are for unit Y that we are both doing this year."

Attempted Collusion is not explicitly mentioned in the Universities Academic misconduct guide.

Unit Y has weekly minitests, that are worth in total something like 15% of our final grade.
The minitests happen during tutorials.
There are 3 tutorials each week, on different days, with roughly a third of the class in each.
Each minitest is the same, across all streams.
They are mostly a way to check up and see that you understand the content.

They have at the top of each page:

  IT IS NOT PERMITTED TO TAKE THIS PAPER AWAY FROM THE TUTORIAL SESSION OR TO DIVULGE ITS CONTENT

John is in the first tutorial of the week.
So he would find out the questions first,
then could tell me them so I could study for them, for when my tutorial is.

What he apparently doesn't realize is that I too am in the first tutorial group (with him).

I guess Unit X is using the same assignment as last year. Or a similar one.
Or that John thinks it is.

A complicating factor is that I really dislike John. He doesn't seem to have realised this.
I find him personally annoying, and consider him a poor student.
I don't understand how he has managed to pass enough units to have not been suspended for poor performance.
It may be he is very good at exams, or it may be that he has been cheating all along.

I have a number of options, and could do one or more of them:

Ignore it, and block him on Facebook.
Tell him no, and refer him to the universities plagiarism/cheating policy
Speak to the Professor of Unit Y about it (that we are both studying).
Speak to the Professor of Unit X about it.
Speak to the Head of School (sub-department), who is above both units
Speak to the University Dean. Who is in charge of enforcing the Academic Misconduct policy. (Will probably mean going though channels)

In my case, by coincidence, Unit X is being taught by the Head of School (who I have never studied under). But in the General Case both options exist, and I can approach him, either as the Head of School or as the Professor of the unit, I guess.

I think that ignoring is probably a bad option, if someone sees that I have been asked about this, and left it without response, they might think this is normal behaviour for me.

If I go to faculty, he may be suspended.
I worry that I am a bit too willing for that possibility as I don't like him.
On the other hand it isn't my job to decide the consequences of his actions.

Update:
I have spoken to the coordinator of Unit Y.
Who said if I wanted he would take it to the Dean
but that it would involve me having to do stuff.
He also said to contact the coordinator of Unit X (who happens to he head of school).
He is out of the country for a week so I sent him an email (CCed to the coordinator of Unit Y).
I also responded to John, saying No, and referring him to the Academic Misconduct policy.

Update2:
I got a response from the Coordinator of Unit X, saying he would look into it.
Unit X coordinator is on long-service leave (Not sure how that is going with him still coordinating the unit. He may be doing only light administrative tasks. Or it may be he forwarded it to the new coordinator).


texts: Mentioning a professor's work in the statement of purpose when they aren't the first author

texts:
I am applying to graduate school (USA, computer science/machine learning), and one potential PhD advisor is Bob. Many of the papers that he coauthored overlap significantly with my interests. One of these papers is

Moving basket weaving out of water and onto land improves efficiency
Authors: Alice, Bob, Charlie

Bob is Alice's advisor, and Charlie has since become faculty at a different university.
Would it be OK to include a line like:

Professor Bob's research on the effect of the basket weaving environment is interesting because blah blah

despite Bob being second author?
This is Bob's only basket-weaving-environment paper, but he has many papers (in several different author positions) for related fields- these already received mentions in the SOP. I have not talked to Bob.
But the specifics don't matter too much, I am mainly concerned with writing "Professor Bob's research on blank" where "blank's" primary author was not Bob.


texts: What do camera ready figures mean nowadays?

texts: A journal I am submitting to requires camera-ready figures. What does this term mean nowadays? Does it imply high resolution? My figures are in png format and have 96 dpi. Enlarging it can produce some jagged edges. Should I update them to eps or pdf format?


texts: Ph.D. in engineering after Ph.D. in mathematics

texts:
I want to start soon with a Ph.D. in mathematics, though I'm not sure, that long-term I want to stay in mathematics. But I know that I'm going to like doing mathematics full-time right now and invest the effort required for a Ph.D. so this unsureness will not deter me. Additionally, because I'm quite old, I want to do the Ph.D. fast(er that usual).
[This remark is bound to generate comments, I know - as "old" is relative, assume that I am compared to my colleagues and that I am bothered by the fact that I'm lagging behind compared to them; speeding up my Ph.D. is reasonable I believe, because
1) being "older" I've had more time to make sure I have all the mathematical prerequisits needed for the subfield I want to get my Ph.D. in (e.g. where some of my colleagues learned about Crandall-Rabinowitz only after being admitted to a Ph.D program, I know about it already now. "Bang. Just like that.")
2) I want to do the Ph.D in my home university (which is in Europe), where I already know all the relevant professors, have already taken seminars with them, know which Ph.D. programs exist, how I can get into them, how the system works etc. so I won't loose time by these non-mathematical things and I'm less hindered by formal criteria.]

Ok, this sound all nice and dandy, so where's the question. Here: Given the facts, that
 a) I may not want to stay professionally in mathematics in the long-term, a Ph.D. degree from a very famous U.S. university, as they're world-wide the most well-known, could prove helpful for getting a job in the industry in a Western country later on (of course this doesn't apply to France, were you'd better have studied at ENS and not at Harvard, but I think I'm safe to chose a country were a degree from e.g. Harvard weighs) and that
 b) I also like engineering applications of mathematics and I've read for myself books in a certain area of engineering and started taking occasional related, non-mathematical courses there and like to see research in this area,
I may like to apply, after having obtained by Ph.D. degree in mathematics, at a famous U.S. university for a second Ph.D. degree in engineering. (MIT comes to mind as prototypical example.)

What effect does a previous Ph.D. (in mathematics) has for me getting accepted at a highly ranked U.S. university ?
(Good, bad, irrelevant ? It will show that I can to research, which is good, but not that good, since its research in mathematics and not engineering. If I have to do one of those pesky standarized tests, like GRE (do you know good programs, where this may be waived a Ph.D. ?), does this weigh more then the Ph.D. ?

Further reflections:

Besides the reputation of the university of the top U.S. universities, it seems that in the United States formal admission criteria for Ph.D. programs are less strict as in Europe (for an extreme example, take a look at the careers of these professors), so not having a bachelor in engineering may not knock me out from the start.)
For the nitpickers: Note that actually I'm not getting a Ph.D. in mathematics but a doctoral degree.
I also considered the possibility of directly applying for a Ph.D. in engineering in the U.S. But I doubt that I'll be able to do it as fast as the one in mathematics, since none of the reasons from 1) and 2) apply. Additionally I may have to exclude some programs, because my prerequisits aren't sufficient. So there only seem to be disadvantages to doing one directly.


texts: How many years of industrial experience needed for a Mechatronics Professor?

texts:
I have a Bachelor's in EE and Master's in Automation and 3 years experience, including 2 in software development. For me, an academic career would be both more meaningful and professionally rewarding in its flexibility.

I think someone with experience but without formal qualifications could teach a subject such as mechatronics well.

How I might switch to teaching mechatronics? Should I stay in industry for a few more years and then move straight to being a full-time professor? Or, should I work part-time for a lest prestigious college and try to progress incrementally?

Note:
I don't want to obtain a PhD. Rather, I'd prefer to obtain the necessary qualifications while part-time, while working as a professor.


texts: How often is PhD work linked to life after the PhD?

texts: So I am currently a Master's Student in an earth sciences field, looking to get into the PhD program at my university, provided that there is funding. My current adviser likely won't have funding for my PhD. Recently, my adviser told me about an opportunity with a different adviser, working on a topic in life sciences with an influence of earth science, but one which I may be qualified for. If I do this, is it likely that I can find jobs/postdocs in earth science, where my true interest lies, or would I be irreversibly altering my career path for life science?


texts: Am I allowed to provide the Camera Ready Copy (CRC) / Preprint of my paper published in Springer Workshop Proceedings online on my homepage?

texts:
my work was accepted as workshop paper and the conference was held some weeks ago. Until now, the paper is nowhere published. Last year, the Spriner Workshop Proceedings needed 6 months to publish it. I want to provide the paper now on my homepage and/or research gate and/or arXiv.
Am I allowed to provide the CRC version on my homepage/research gate/arXiv? What do I need to add to this "pre-print", e.g. as footnote? What are the typical Spriner Workshop Proceedings rules regarding providing the own work? And I am allowed to do this before it is officially published by Springer?
Thanks in advance.


texts: Dealing with anxiety about answering questions during presentations

texts:
I'm a PhD student in social science. Recently, I have been invited to present my work at a conference and a lab meeting. I'm glad about the opportunities to present my work in front of colleagues. But at the same time, I'm afraid that I won't be able to answer questions from audience and they will think that I'm dumb.
To be clear, I don't have anxiety about giving a talk per se, or at least know how to deal with it. I have a script for my talk, rehearse it so many times to the point I almost memorize it. I even practice my facial expressions and voice tone during the talk. I just learn and practice how to present my "ideal" academic self to colleagues.
However, when it comes to Q & A after my talk, I sometimes couldn't answer questions professionally. I think there are two reasons for why sometimes I couldn't answer questions.

I'm not a native English speaker. When someone asks me a question that I couldn't understand, I ask the person to repeat the question or ask a follow-up question for clarification. But this strategy doesn't always work. One time, at a conference, I couldn't understand the question after asking the person to repeat the question twice. It was so embarrassing.

When I'm under pressure, my brain stops functioning and I couldn't really think! When people suggest a new idea that I'm not familiar with, I feel like my brain stops working, my mind goes blank and I cannot really provide "sophisticated" answer, which is possible only when I fully understand what their question actually meant and when I know how to connect their idea with my work. Also, it is so hard for me to come up with a good answer in a minute. I cannot really think when everyone is looking at my face waiting for my answer.

Given that how judging academia is, I feel like people will eventually find out that I'm not that smart. My frustration is that I cannot prepare for questions in advance. They are often unpredictable and random. I'm wondering if you have any tips or advice about how to deal with questions after talk or how to overcome anxiety about questions.


texts: Software to use for creating posters for academic conferences?

texts: And how much time does it usually take? I'd like to create a poster without having to put too much time into formatting.


texts: Get citation relations from a given collection of papers

texts:
I have a pretty big collection of papers (as bibtex records) for which I'd like to add citation relations, i.e. a collection of cites(a,b) where a and b are two keys identifying the citing and cited paper respectively.

I want to avoid doing this annotation manually.
Is there some web service to extract this information automatically?


texts:
I am studying physics and mathematics double major at undergraduate level. Recently, I found out I don't have enough eager to pursue my graduate studies in physics which is my main major. I want to comprehend and obtain a realistic sight on my chance for accepting in "good" graduate mathematics department although my main major is physics. I have had several accomplishments in physics competitions but no math honor.

Thank you very much.


texts: Is it ethical / legal for a PhD student to advertise that he is awarding PhD degrees to other students that pay him 200 USD/month?

texts:
My question is based on the example of a startup.
I have come across a "company" which claims to be providing services in Quantum Computing. However, various features of this company sound fishy to me and even unethical and illegal in academia.
The company is called "Bikash's Quantum" which claims to be charging money from students in exchange of promise for 'internship'. And then spread this idea for earning more money by 'referring' to more students and presenting it as a money earning scheme (without any academic basis). According to my interpretation it is precisely the pyramid scheme in the disguise of an "internship" as the scheme asks a student to refer to this internship scheme to about 10 students each day where each new student will be charged 500 INR directly paid to this startup.
Next is the idea of awarding people with degree and making them pay for it. Even for a Ph.D. There is no idea of a scholarship or a stipend, rather on top of that the chosen candidate has to pay the fee. The question I want to ask here is more fundamental. The founder is in midst of his Ph.D. (see here & here). On top of this there is NO clue to what the company is affiliated with, in order to provide a legal degree (for BS, MS and a Ph.D.). And the payment options are quickly given even by a UPI address via the GooglePay app into a personal account. The founder is also heavily self-cited.
Is it legal to operate like this in academia? To award degree (not even clear from what affiliation)? Can a startup like this offer any desired 'degree' to anyone in exchange of money?
The main task done by this "company" is making the quantum circuits for various recent PRAs and PRL papers and try to publish them in Springer QIP journal. First and second year undergraduates are hired for this in exchange of money and they design these quantum circuits in IBM Quantum Experience environment.
(This admission information from the website was removed recently after a social media post was made against this company, and now is protected by a login. I had screenshots in my previous edits but was told to take them down, so I obeyed.)


texts: Unhelpful and Overoptimistic PhD Supervisor

texts:
I am currently in an unbeneficial situation with my PhD supervisor/advisor. At the beginning of my PhD, I've targeted non-top but reasonable venues for my papers and quickly succeeded with 3 publications. Since then, my supervisor has encouraged me to target top-10 Computer Science conferences or h-index > 100 journals for further papers. I've submitted 3 papers to such venues and have received 2 rejections and 1 major revision, which is not great, but better than 3 rejections.
In our regular meetings, my supervisor and I used to discuss the content of my papers. However, every since I started targeting top venues and trying to do research at the required level, my supervisor was clearly not able to follow/understand my work. This went so far that, now, during our regular meetings, 95% our time is spent by me (unavailingly) trying to explain my work to my supervisor.
I don't expect my supervisor to understand my papers as good as I do, yet in my opinion there should at least be a certain minimum understanding. After all the reviewers at the top venues seemed to understand the paper quite well and gave me accurate feedback.
Regardless, my supervisor keeps pushing me to submit at top venues and over-optimistically states that my work will be accepted there. However, I typically know where my paper's flaws are, and I receive no help there from my supervisor. After submission, the (meta)-reviews stated precisely these flaws as main reason for rejection.
How do I get more qualified feedback on future manuscripts before submission? Changing supervisor is not really an option, since they are my employer and since my PhD is anyway soon complete.


texts: I need to cite the appendix of a book that I already cited somewhere else in my paper, but the appendix was written by a guest author whose name is not among the author names of the book. Does this mean I should have two entries in my bibliography, one for the entire book and one just for the appendix? Or should I just ignore the fact that the appendix was written by someone else? I'm supposed to use APA style.


texts: Accepting a graduate program. Enrollment in two graduate programs? Transferring Universities

texts:
I work at University A. I applied to UA's MA program and was accepted. It starts in the summer. Because I already work for UA, my MA is funded and I've already taken several classes at non-degree status that feed into UA's MA program (I'll add, I don't have a contract saying I need to work for a certain period to have my MA funded. Unlike many corporate jobs, my tuition assistance is just a clean and simple benefit for me.) I accepted UA because that's just the next step. If I take any more non-degree courses, they don't count towards my MA and for the foreseeable future i'll be working at UA unless I get a job at UB.

I also applied to UB in my hometown because it's more aligned with my interests and is a full-time program and I want to be closer to my mother. UB starts in the fall but I HAVE to find funding to go there. I can't afford to move, loose my job and pay for full-time tuition. I am currently waiting to hear back on job opportunities at UB that would pay for my tuition. I've asked UB what the repercussions of submitting my intent to enroll and not enrolling would be and their response was basically, "whatever, you'll loose your $$$ deposit." My concern is not, "what if I can't go there" my concern is, "what if I  DO decide enroll in UB and they have an unforeseen problem with the fact that i'm already enrolled at UA through my current job).

Should I just ask UB what their policy is if someone is already enrolled?

Should I contact UA and let them know there's a possibility i'll need to relocate? Ideally, I wish I could just defer UB and then transfer if I get a job  but that's just not how the registration timeline works. So, what should my next step be to minimize impact?

Should I just just intend to enroll in both programs and cross this bridge when I actually have to register? I'm seeing a lot of negative feedback about this on other posts but people need to realize these are professional Masters programs. They're good programs but we're not talking PhD programs with tons of people waitlisted. From my perspective these are businesses that want your money and enrollment. UA will be online... I don't think they denied people they wanted to attend. And UB was reported as having been under-enrolled.... I know I can't know these things for sure; so, i'm not giving myself a pass for it but just to frame the situation a bit.  I do anticipate enrolling in both programs if timing works that way... I'm just letting the unknown make me feel really guilty about it.


texts: Can a (stapler) PhD thesis comprise multiple unrelated papers?

texts:
Traditionally, a thesis is assimilated to a monograph and comprises a unified body of work. However, with "stapler" theses becoming more common, I'd like to know if a thesis is allowed to comprise multiple unrelated projects.

To make the question more regional, assume that the country is Germany and that the subject is mathematics.

Indeed for the first few years, I have been working on several projects that had as outputs papers that are completely unrelated (except for the fact that they fall within the same broad subarea of mathematics -- really, one of those listed in the arxiv math section: https://arxiv.org/).


texts: I still do not, exactly, know my field of interest. Is it relevant while applying for PhD?

texts:
I am in my fourth year of BS-MS course in Physics in India. I will be applying for PhD next year but I do not have a specific topic in my mind.

Until now I have done 2 projects on Cosmology (related to Dark Matter in specific). Right now I have started a project on Semi-Classical gravity, which has been mostly reading work until now. I have liked both topics. I am also being introduced to QFT, Particle Physics this year which also look interesting.

So I do not know what should do my PhD in. Is it necessary for me to pin point my topic of my interest within next 1 year? or Is it fine to have  "Theoretical Physics" as my topic of my interest?

As of now I planning to do my MS thesis on Semi-Classical Gravity so that I'll be able to explore a new topic as well as do something that I like at the same time. Is it necessary for me to decide my Master's thesis based on my potential PhD topic?


texts: Is it a good idea to continue a PhD with an advisor who doesn't really know your field?

texts:
Some background:

I started my PhD in Machine Learning in April this year.
My PhD is fully funded for 3 years, I earn around 2000€/month after tax, working only on research and not doing any teaching.
I'm paid by the grant that my advisor got for his project. This grant his paid by the state.
My current advisor is a world expert in Machine Learning
I already submitted 2 papers with him and most likely submit a third one in a couple of months.

The problem: My advisor just got an offer from one of the biggest company you can think of, to do a machine learning project with lots of different world experts newly hired by the said company. It means that he is going to leave his current position at my university in 4 months.

I can't blame him to take this position because I would have done the same. It's an offer that nobody can refuse.

So in 4 months, I'll have to make a choice.

leave my position and look for a position elsewhere but I doubt I'll find something as interesting and well paid. (My advisor can write recommendation letter for me.)
to stay at the university and choose a new advisor -> the problem is that my current research is highly technical and nobody except my current advisor (and I) have knowledge about it (he was a new junior professor and the university wanted to expand the CS department). The rest of my group is working on a totally different subject and I know nobody will be able to help me for the rest of my PhD.

My advisor told me that the university will find me a new advisor if I choose to stay but warned me that my topic will most likely shift to adapt to the domain knowledge of this new advisor. It means that I'll have to give up my current topic and to tell you the truth, I prefer to quit my PhD than to continue on something that I don't like.

For info, I read this post how-to-cope-when-phd-advisor-quits-midway but I think my problem is slightly different.

tldr: Is it possible to do a PhD with an advisor that can't help you? Or is it better to just go somewhere else?


texts: Are industrial bachelor/master theses worth it?

texts:
We had a job fair at our university recently, and there were renowned IT companies like Cisco, for example, who offered us topics for our bachelor/masters theses (I'm double major in physics and math, they were interested in math students mostly).

The question I have is, are "industrial" theses made under big IT companies worth it in fields of applied math/machine learning, in case I would like to continue to do my Ph.D. in future? Or is it better to do some "academical" thesis with this aim?

Thanks!


texts:
It’s always been hard for me to stay focused and motivated when writing any kind of a longer text, e.g. an article, paper or gasp thesis, even if I’m interested in the topic and enjoy the work. The Stack Exchange and Wikia gamification systems with points and badges being awarded work well for me. I tried to reward myself for certain research and writing accomplishments, but realized early on that I’m not good at defining milestones and choosing bounties. Therefore, I hope someone else has done it.

Is gamificated thesis writing a thing?
Are there integrated software solutions to support that?

(I don’t use MS Word, but I could easily see how a plugin would detect the first quotation or the 10000th word etc. there. It would be great if it worked with Pandoc/Markdown or LaTeX instead.)

Related questions that are missing the gamification aspect

How to make thesis-writing feel less tedious? – Writing up existing results, mentioning techniques like divide and conquer or pomodoro time
Motivation to write the dreaded dissertation – What to do if you’re not interested in or convinced by the subject and degree, external motivation
Optimizing a thesis writing workflow for Bachelor and Master theses – General advice on structure and workflow


texts: How much novelty should I add to my previous paper to get it published in New journal?

texts:
I published an article in a journal, then I realized that I Can add two other ideas to it and then get it published in more sophisticated journal than previous one.
The question is : Can I publish my same previous article (same title, same sections, etc) the only diffrence would be : two added sections that represent about 30% of the article ?


texts: Writing "thank you" note to professor who will write more LOR's?

texts:
I have been working with a professor for research for over a year and will continue to for at least another year.

The professor has written several letters of recommendation for me in the past, and has agreed to submit more in the coming years.

Should I write a "thank you" note for the past letters, even though I still work with this professor regularly and will likely ask for more letters in the future?


texts: Suggesting connection to one's own paper in a referee report

texts: When acting as a referee, I frequently find that some of my papers could be relevant to the paper I'm reviewing (let's say, in a tangential manner). Is it reasonable to suggest the author take a look at my paper, or should I avoid this at all costs due to the risk of revealing my identity and sounding that I'm shopping for a citation?


texts: Does a student who graduated from a lower-ranking school in a developing country be admitted to a graduate school in a western country?

texts:
Most colleges in developing countries are sub-par by western academic standards. In one developing country, for example, professors are not obliged by law or by their institutions to pursue a doctoral degree. Even worse, this country’s state colleges lack decent science and computer laboratories, affecting in turn the quality of learning experience. No doubt, higher institutions in improvised countries have much to invest in their facilities, research, and faculty.

Having said this, does a student who graduated from a lower-ranking university in a developing country have a chance to be admitted to a graduate school in a western country? Based on your experience, do graduate schools give much weight to the reputation of your undergraduate school?  If your school is accredited in your country, will this help?


texts: Submitting a previously rejected paper to a different journal

texts:
I have submitted a mathematical paper for publication several months ago. A couple months after submission, I noticed some mistakes and things that can be improved, but while I sent the unsolicited revision, I received no confirmation on that.

Anyway, six months passed with no contact, so I emailed the editor. The editor came back after a few days and said that there was a referee assigned shortly after the original submission, and that they will see that shortly I will receive the report.

And indeed, a couple weeks later I received what is obviously the work of someone that entirely forgot about this task, and did a lousy job. It was very clear from the first paragraph that the paper wasn't seriously read into, several odd comments were made which I can only conclude were the result of skipping a line in the statement of a theorem...

In any case, almost all of the complaints of the referee are such that I considered invalid (either by the revision made, which was ignored, or by the obvious lack of attention put into the reading).

Nevertheless, a handful of suggestions were helpful, and I did make those revisions. But now it is time to submit elsewhere.

  Should I reveal that the paper had been rejected before? Should I explain why that rejection was ridiculous? Or should I just submit the paper as though it was never submitted before?

One reason to reveal the history of the paper is that it might be that the same referee will get to handle the paper again. And then there is a good chance of getting a second rejection. By doing this, I can at least make sure that the editors are aware of the situation.

One reason not to reveal this is that the original journal is not considered "top tier" (and in fact many people raised eyebrows when they heard about the rejection). So by stating that I got rejected from a B-tier journal, I might be shooting myself in the leg.

I'd be happy to hear any advice as to how to proceed, and if I should be revealing some of the history, then how much details should be enough?


texts: Re-asking a professor if I can write my thesis after I chose another one

texts:
I am currently a student in computer science. Because of my specialization, there are only two groups I could choose for writing my thesis. I spoke with both and then chose one.

But now, my current professor is very hard, unfair and personally attacking me when giving feedback. This is a known issue with him amongst the other students but until my last oral test (which was not good), I never encountered problems with him.

I want to speak with the other professor and ask whether I can write my thesis in his group. I wonder what I should answer if he asks why I changed my mind. I would answer that my professor is becoming enormously rude. But I do not feel that this is the professional answer. How can I prepare for this second talk?


texts: Should I mention in my PhD application that I'm quitting my job in a month to spend time learning about the subject?

texts:
I'm working as a software developer right now and am applying for PhD programmes in robotics and environmental conservation. I've put in my notice at work recently and should finish working there mid-February, about a month after the PhD application deadlines. I am quitting for a number of reasons, one of them including wanting to focus on learning how can I help the environment with my tech skills. One of the ways I can is to do research in a relevant field - hence the PhD.

I was wondering if I should mention my quitting in my PhD application. On one hand it demonstrates dedication to my interests. On the other hand, leaving your job without anything else lined up is an... unorthodox move in the professional world and I can see how it could be taken as a sign of volatility. What does stackexchange think?


texts: Mathjobs.org cover letter: Address to "Hiring Committee Member" or to faculty member listed on job posting?

texts: On mathjobs.org, each posting often has at the bottom of the listing "further info." Sometimes the name and contact information for a faculty member is listed. Instead of addressing my cover letter, "Dear Hiring Committee Member," would it be better if I wrote, "Dear (name of faculty member)?"


texts: How can I cite the same reference in successive sentences?

texts:
I've just read a paper that cited the same reference in two successive sentences:

  This is the first sentence (xxxx 2013). This is the second sentence
  (xxxx 2013).

Up until now, I would have cited the reference just once, like this:

  This is the first sentence. This is the second sentence (xxxx 2013).

Which method is correct?


texts: Transfering between graduate programs at the same university

texts:
I have just completed my first year of a 50/50 coursework/research masters program in physics. I have a supervisor, but have not yet started the research component, which is meant to run until the end of next year.

After a year of graduate study I've realised that a lot of the theoretical physics done at my university is still too applied and not mathematical enough for my taste. I also feel like I need significantly more mathematics to carry out research in the areas which interest me most. Also, after looking at the areas of active research in both departments, those of the maths faculty interest me much more.

Because of this I want to transfer from my physics program to the equivalent maths program (both at my current university). I dual majored in maths and physics as an undergraduate, so I meet all the requirements and have even completed three subjects that I should be able to use as partial credit in maths. My concern however, is with leaving my current supervisor. I haven't yet started on a research project with him, but I'm worried about leaving and really don't want to inconvenience or disappoint him.

Has anybody else had a similar experience, and is this at all common? How did you handle leaving your supervisor? How did they handle you leaving? Is this likely to effect me if I end up back in the physics department for a PhD (i.e. is it likely I'll be "blacklisted")?

Thanks in advance for any advice, I'm feeling quite lost and would really appreciate it.


texts: Should I mention the target audience in the abstract of a paper?

texts:
I am currently writing a paper which gives an overview over semantic segmentation. My target audience are people who are not experts, but who need semantic segmentation or who want to get into this field. The aim of the paper is to provide starting points. This means I give a very brief idea and I mention papers which introduce the idea in detail.

Should I mention my target audience / the aim of the paper in the abstract? Should it be in the introduction? Should it be in the paper at all?

Are there other ways to give readers this information (e.g. I've noticed some keywords in the titles of papers)?


texts: Can I use published data by other authors in my study?

texts:
I'm in the process of publishing an article in the Engineering field. The manuscript got a preliminary acceptance, and should be published after few modifications. However, based on one comment I got, I need to evaluate my model's performance based on certain input data. I don't have such data, but such data has been published before in the literature. Is it OK to use the date published by other authors just to evaluate my model?
What am I going to do is to digitize the published figures and use the values. I'm going to cite the papers, but I'm not going to add the figures or the datapoints to my manuscript.


texts: How to establish partnerships with a university

texts:
As a young assistant professor in civil engineering, i was tasked with building a new education program that leads to a masters degree in engineering. In order to offer the future students of this program more opportunities, I would like to establish a partnership with a foreign university, to allow the exchange of professors, students, and other types of collaborations that are usually covered in these types of partnerships.

How would you advise me to proceed ?


texts: In what tense (present/past) should papers be written?

texts:
That is, should it be present tense or past tense?

Should there be a difference between the abstract, main body and the conclusion?

Does the field of publication have any impact?


texts: How to mention one year PhD gap on a CV / Resume

texts:
I have 4 years' work experience as a software developer (industrial); then I moved to academia and completed one year of PhD study, with one publication. I want to quit my PhD and go back again to Industries because of lack of interest in the present topic. It is quite different to my previous research and work experience. I made a big mistake entering into this area. I am bit confused how to mention this (one year of PhD) gap in CV. Do you think is it good to put in CV or Just leave it as gap?

It would be great help and appreciate your valuable suggestions


texts: How can US faculty verify medical absences?

texts:
I recently received a memo stating that I am not allowed to ask for doctor's notes when students are absent from class, as this is allegedly a violation of privacy rights.

If this is the case, then how can a faculty member legitimately verify that a student who claims to have missed an exam or other activity as a result of illness was, in fact, sick as claimed? Couldn't students abuse such a policy to postpone an assessment for which they feel unprepared?


texts: How do I approach a postdoc interview when my background is not same as the professor's?

texts:
My PhD research was applied mechanics. I used commercial finite element analysis software to simulate thermal spray process. My research did not involve developing any weak-form formulations or any new theoretical model. I just implemented existing models and the analysis was the novelty of my research. My publications are in applied journals like journal of thermal spray and technology.
Now the professor who's going to take my interview works in theoretical model and formulations development. His papers are in core mechanics journals. However, the advertised postdoc position description aligns with my research experience and I believe I can be successful there. But I cannot produce papers similar to the professor's profile.
How do I approach the interview in this case? Should I tell them that my research experience is applied and development of formulations is not my cup of tea?


texts: Citing a popular science magazine article

texts:
In one part of my paper, I give a reference to a one-page article published in Science from (AAAS).
There are some quantitative statements in this one-page article. However, I could not find any reference for these quantitative results presented in the article.
There exists a DOI number of the article.

My question :  Is it acceptable to cite this kind of article in a paper to be sent to a peer-review journal ?


texts: Average rejection response time after a PhD interview

texts: More than one week ago I had a PhD interview with a British university which probably has so many applicants on a rolling basis but I have not yet received the final result of my application. I wonder if there are professors here experienced in interviewing applicants who can tell me usually at most how long should I wait for receiving a rejection? I mean, does a rejection response usually happen just a couple of days after the interview?


texts:
I have a goal: It is to be a mathematical physicist. I dream to work in field related to the Amplituhedron.

This goal is non-negotiable.

From what I've read, it is difficult for a theorist to get a job, and this field is apparently very competitive. As it stands now, my student paper-trail is bad. My physics GRE score is bad but my GPA is solid. I think I would be able to get good recommendation letters, including a very strong one from the professor under whom I currently work.

I do not doubt that, if I tried, I would be able to get into some graduate school, but I have been toying with another option. Here are the two primary possibilities:

Get letters of recommendation and apply to grad. school. Then, go to whichever grad. school will accept me. In order for this to be viable, I'd have to go to a school which would, at least, allow research in something heavily mathematical. In order to get to the position I'd like to be later in life, I'd have to excel. This is not a problem, but is unfortunately more difficult at a less reputable school.
Graduate and work for a couple of years—mostly to pay off my exorbitant student debts, get a [much, much] better GRE score, and study (I am not as good at things as I'd like to be, and this studying would serve to drastically improve my ability). With a somewhat improved paper-trail, dampened by my taking a couple of years off, I would apply to graduate schools. I think my chances of getting into a better school are higher, but getting into a good school is not necessarily my goal.

My problem is that I don't know which one would maximize my chances of being a mathematical physicist. I do not know the dynamics of graduate research, or how large the differences are in excelling at a good school and excelling at a mediocre school. I'm, basically, totally ignorant in regards to what would be the better decision—and I'm hoping someone with more knowledge could help me make a decision.

Which career plan is best for me to enroll in a cooperative mathematical physicist PhD program?


texts: Is it unethical to submit an older paper to a conference and then update it after acceptance?

texts: I have had a paper accepted for a conference this summer, which presents the preliminary results of my PhD research. However, I'd like to present my final results at another conference in the fall, the deadline for which is in a few weeks, and which requires a full paper submission. My question is: would it be unethical to submit the first paper (in a re-structured form) in the hope that it will get accepted for the later conference, and then subsequently update the results before the final deadline?


texts:
How should one go about trying to teach students to "unlearn" a previous skill/principle they believe is correct but is actually wrong?

Hypothetically speaking as a really basic situation, if your student was adamant that the formula for the area of a rectangle is 2*l + 2*w, even though you tried to explain that is instead the formula for the perimeter, and explained to them the definition of area vs. perimeter, but they are overly confident that they are right, how can you gently guide them to the right direction? What is best practice?


texts: What's the difference between textbooks and other non-fiction books?

texts: Say, why is the book How The Immunse System Works (by Lauren Sompayrac) regarded as a "textbook" but, say, The Better Angels of Our Nature is not? There are thousands of non-fiction books, some of higher quality than others, some more technical or more difficult than others, some much bigger than the average (like Russell's History of Western Philosophy), but only a small fraction of them are called "textbooks". What's the difference? On what basis is a book judged as a "textbook"? Size? Academic rigor? Amount of detail? Level of technicality?