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thread-13343 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13343 | Label based in text citation | 2013-10-11T13:27:56.213 | # Question
Title: Label based in text citation
In german computer science it is quite common to use citations like `[HoBo12]` or `[HoBo12, pp.1-4]` for say, `Hoy, Jane; Boy, John 2010: The great story.` The rules for composing this label depend on the amount of authors and their order. Seemingly, this is defined in DIN5015-2 and ISO690, but the wikipedia page only talks about the bibliography and not about the in text references. Weirdly, there is a Zotero style named DIN1505-2 which kind of does that, but still seems to have a few bugs or the official definition (which I can't find talking about this topic) thinks that weird things are nice e.g. `[HoBo12, pp.1-2, WVDE13, p.2]` (notice that a ; would be nicer).
I think this style is quite nice and would like to use it for an English text. Therefore I would like to choose an accepted style from an english speaking nation.
Question: Are there any other styles in that form (maybe even defined in a Zotero CSL-format)? I still think it looks a bit big with the additional page information. Something like this would be perfect `[HoBo12:1-2; WVDE13:2]`. Is this an offical style?
# Answer
I can't recall ever seeing such a format being used, particularly in the context of books (as opposed to papers). Part of this is, I think, a desire to be clear. For instance, what does \[WVDE13:2\] mean? Does it refer to the second chapter, or to page 2? Or does it refer to a specific work? Without the clarification of "p.", it's relatively ambiguous from a first glance. As a reader of a book, that can get very annoying over extended periods of time.
Given that, you *are* free to use any style that your publisher allows; if it's something relatively unorthodox, then you should explain that somewhere (perhaps a comment prefacing the bibliography would suffice).
> 1 votes
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Tags: citations, writing, computer-science, writing-style
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thread-12840 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/12840 | Old transcripts for Grad application | 2013-09-19T15:04:07.380 | # Question
Title: Old transcripts for Grad application
I thought of applying for master's in US universities in 2011 for fall 2012. So, I had taken official transcripts from my college. But, I didn't apply then.
I'm thinking of applying this year for fall 2014. Can I use the old ones? They were signed with 2011 date on.
# Answer
> 1 votes
In general, a signed, sealed transcript of a completed degree program should *always* be valid, as there presumably there has not been any changes made to the contents of the transcript since that time.
"Interim" transcripts, of course, would no longer be valid.
One other thing to note—many schools nowadays want the transcript submitted *directly* by the university; in such cases, it is unlikely that they would accept a transcript mailed by the student along with the application (if they even accept mailed applications!).
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Tags: graduate-school, graduate-admissions, grades, transcript-of-records
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thread-13397 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13397 | My first day as a teacher, how should I proceed? | 2013-10-13T12:36:30.963 | # Question
Title: My first day as a teacher, how should I proceed?
Quick background; I study Computer Science and have been asked to take the role as a paid student teacher for college students.
I am extremely nervous about it, although it's a fairly familiar role as I'll be teaching what I learned only three years previous.
I'm far from the extrovert type and as such, find it really difficult to hold a room. **How do I keep the attention and respect of students that are almost my age?**
# Answer
Calm down! easier said than done. Remember you know more than they do but do not put on a suit that does not fit. If you get questions you cannot answer, do not get nervous, simply say: it is a good question and you will check up the answer. Don't start putting out excuses that you are inexperienced, haven't done this before, or whatever. Let what you do speak for itself, I am sure it is more than fine.
Now that the emergency is over, what can you do? Be prepared. Check out the material ahead of time and if you are in a lab or have to help out in exercises, run through them yourself to figure out where problems may arise. This takes a little time but will help you run things smoothly. In the case of a lecture situation, you also need to be prepared, read up on the material, make a good series of slides. Show what you plan to do to someone more experienced to perhaps get feedback and pointers on improvements. A typical rookie mistake is to overwork things, put too much stuff into a lecture and set the level too high. Assessing the right level is something you learn but if you have a chance to look at others' lectures or perhaps go back to what you experienced, you may be able to find your level quicker.
If yo want a quick check on what you have done you can do a quick feedback at the end. Give each person a small piece of paper (e.g. index card) and have them write one or a couple of things they found good on one side and something they think could be improved on the other. Do not use the word "bad" on that side, you want to know what you did well and what might improve. Collect the feedback and check it immediately. It may help you get a sense of how you came across. You can do this on a regular basis if time permits.
In the end, it is tough to get started, we have all been there with different amounts of self-confidence, experience etc. Expect some things to go less well, it is bound to happen, we all have off days. If something is less well, use it to improve. Use your colleagues as support if you find it rough, everyone has some experience of that sort.
I wish you luck. It can be really fun to teach. Look for pointers on teaching on the web and check out journals for higher ed. teaching to get ideas. There is no reason to approach teaching less seriously than what one would do, say research. The butterflies you will inevitably feel when you start will disappear and your confidence will grow with experience. Just keep calm and on top of matters.
> 7 votes
# Answer
A few tips:
* **Practice.** Get some friends, go to an empty room, and practice. Practice in front of the mirror. Practice in the street, in the subway, in line at starbucks, and at the bar(well you're \<21 so that might not work). You want people to look at you. To stare at you. To ask, "who the hell is that and what the heck is he talking about?"
* **Prepare.** Obviously, come prepared.
* **Get over yourself**. Chances are that your first lecture will be awkward. Possibly very awkward. But then it'll get better and you'll eventually know what you're doing.
* **Identify with the students**. They're roughly your age so it'll be easier to identify with them. As a student, you know how you wanted to be taught and what you wanted to hear. Follow that.
* **Responsive.** Be responsive to the class. Don't shy away. There's no benefit for anyone.
Have fun!
> 3 votes
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Tags: teaching
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thread-13371 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13371 | International master programm in Physic at university of Rostock | 2013-10-12T14:25:16.843 | # Question
Title: International master programm in Physic at university of Rostock
I am a physic student from Jordan, few days ago i got an admission to do my master in physics at university of Rostock, Germany.
Am I able to get a PhD position from other university when I finish my master study, i.e., will other German universities recognize my Master degree from Rostock university?
# Answer
> 4 votes
A master's degree from a German *Universität* (University) or *Technische Hochschule* (Institute of Technology) is directly recognized by other universities in Germany (and usually by most other universities around the world). The same cannot be said for a *Fachhochschule* (FH). Rostock is officially a university, so that shouldn't be a major concern.
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Tags: masters, germany
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thread-13416 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13416 | How should I introduce myself (a graduate student) at a conference? | 2013-10-14T14:42:07.010 | # Question
Title: How should I introduce myself (a graduate student) at a conference?
I am a fifth year pure mathematics graduate student; I'm currently on the academic job market. I'm traveling to a few conferences this semester and I believe that I should take this opportunity to meet and talk to people from different universities. I don't find it particularly easy to strike up conversations with relative strangers (while I have some skill at this in 'real-life', the added pressure of 'Oh my God this is a person who wrote a seminal paper in my field' is somewhat nerve-wracking)
> What is the best way to introduce oneself as a graduate student to senior members of one's academic community?
I've considered the following:
1. Hello, my name is X, I'm student of Y at University Z
2. Hello, my name is X, I work on ABC
3. Hello, my name is X, it's great to meet you, I really enjoyed/am currently reading your paper on DEF \[\[assuming of course that this is true\]\]
# Answer
By starting a discussion on a point of interest to both them and you. This can typically be a question, or introducing yourself and suggesting that you would like to discuss some of your results with them. But before you can get this conversation started, you'll have to give your name, and state your position, so: **all of the above**.
I think the best time/place to introduce yourself is at a poster session, if your conferences have some. And the purpose of these sessions is for people to discover new research and new names in their field, so that's where it is most easy to do so.
I'd suggest the following:
> Hello, my name is X, I'm a PhD student at Y in the group of Z.
> *(now, you've given him enough context… time to start a discussion)*
>
> * I've read your recent papers on W, and I had a question about it which I could not really solve myself. I was wondering whether, in the diagonalisation step of your algorithm, you could use a direct-space method based on partial sampling of the matrix, rather than transform it to reciprocal space. Do you know if someone ever tried that?
>
> *or*
>
> * I have a poster discussing the economics of greenhouse gases' role in global warming, and how it will enable us to save on the costs of construction of actual greenhouses. I think it may be of interest to you… I'm over there in row 307, and I'd really love to get a chance to discuss this with you…
Scientists are curious, and the best way to approach them is to pique their curiosity…
> 32 votes
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Tags: conference, networking
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thread-13420 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13420 | Applying to a Math PhD program which doesn't require GRE as a physics/math major | 2013-10-15T01:46:41.477 | # Question
Title: Applying to a Math PhD program which doesn't require GRE as a physics/math major
I finished BS degrees in math and physics, and doing MS in physics.
I will be applying for PhD programs (mostly physics), interest in mathematical physics, and have taken only the Physics GRE. I found that Stony Brook mathematics dept does not require math GRE, so I am asking:
Can one expect to reasonably predict if it look bad to apply without a math GRE score, given that my background in math is (all pure courses starting from multi-var calc/linear alg/diffeq two semesters of analysis one semester of abstract algebra, undergrad diff geom., two semesters grad. diff. geom., currently in grad. analysis (and of course self-taught measure theory and point-set topology, complex analysis)) all A's.
No publications so far, but independent study in physics in understanding solitons of various classical field theories, and string theory interpretations (used a little diff. geo (ADHM)).
And could one be able to predict if recommendation letters from at least one string theorist in a physics department will have as much impact as a rec. from a mathematics faculty?
Thanks
# Answer
I don't think it will prevent you getting accepted. I followed a similar path (Physics + Math BS, Physics GRE only -\> Applied math PhD).
But I recommend that you decide who you would like to work with in the places you'll apply to, and write them a very polite, short e-mail explaining your qualifications and interest. If a faculty member is interested in you, GREs won't matter at all.
> 1 votes
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Tags: application
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thread-13385 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13385 | Is grad school typically time-intensive? | 2013-10-13T00:53:59.027 | # Question
Title: Is grad school typically time-intensive?
I would like to know what is graduate school supposed to be like? I started grad school for mathematics 2 months ago and I find myself studying all the time with no time for anything else (except activities of daily living). Is this typical?
Some notable advantages that I have:
I commute from school to home. I am a U.S. citizen and obviously did not have to venture outside of home for any of my schooling.
# Answer
Graduate school is an experience and like any other experience, it differs for different people.
You may or may not let your work overwhelm you. That is entirely your choice unless you have to catch up with your cohort. Time management is one of the most important skills to learn in graduate school and as I understand, it carries over to real life significantly later on.
Therefore, specifically in response to your question, your current experience is typical for *certain* graduate students but **not** all graduate students.
> 19 votes
# Answer
Most graduate schools take a "firehose" approach in the first semester or two, so a heavy workload is to be expected, although it's certainly not desirable. That said, however, it should not be all-consuming—but it's also true that it can eat up all of your time, if you allow it to happen.
One of the things that I tell all of my students is that time for relaxation and non-study based activities is just as important as finding time for classes and preparing for examinations. In fact, not having the "outlet valve" can make you less productive overall; mentally and physically such behavior is not sustainable over a long period of time.
Therefore, I tell my students—as well as undergraduates that I mentor who intend to go to graduate school—that they need to *schedule* relaxation time into their week. What they do and when and how they do it is up to them; but there needs to be something to balance the stress of being a graduate student.
> 13 votes
# Answer
Short answer: Yes.
Grad school is an extremely time intensive activity. Depending on where you went and what you did for undergrad, you may feel overwhelmed. Rest assured that grad school is designed to eat up all your time and you are expected to dedicate your life to it. That said, it should eventually be somewhat enjoyable.
> 6 votes
# Answer
I have had a slightly different experience that what is mentioned here - I have worked full time while completing my PhD. That means a lot of time management, as well as stress management is required.
Break up each task into smaller manageable subtasks and allow yourself rewards and most of all, as has been mentioned, time to enjoy some hobbies and recreation. This is critical - you'll potentially burn-out other wise.
Having a job (volunteer or paid, full or part time) is also a good way to force you prioritise tasks and deadlines, the job also provides a break from study and vice versa - this is a mindset that develops over time.
You will be busy, but be sure that you are doing something that you enjoy, it won't be a chore, it will be something to look forward to.
> 4 votes
# Answer
In addition to the other good answers, "Yes." It is a situation in which there's no such thing as "being too good", of course. People who've been easily top-in-their-class are now "average" in the population. Very disorienting. Also, as noted, there is a pretense that people "catch up" at super-high-speed by doing 30 hours of homework each week, etc.
So, yes, the pretense, the hype, the mythology, and the disorientation seem to tell people to spend every waking moment "studying".
Among the bad/silly side effects or versions of this is the one wherein one merely *frets* all day, rather than doing anything constructive. Or "obsessing" about small things, individual homework problems that are of dubious significance, etc. Pointless.
Also as noted, it is important to get sleep, exercise, and reasonable food, to say the least. Chronic sleep deprivation (and dubious diet) is all too typical in the relevant age-group in the first place, and having added seeming-motivations to sacrifice sleep, exercise, and diet just makes everything worse.
As many people have said on many occasions, getting a PhD in mathematics is not a "career choice", because it's waaaay too much work in comparison to the (extra-mathematical) rewards. It only makes sense if one is fairly obsessed with math in the first place, and can continue to have that degree of irrational interest despite workload and temporary loss of self-determination.
That is, by normal standards, it is not reasonable to aim for "a normal life", whether in grad school or thereafter, because it's maybe not possible, any more than performing musicians have "normal lives", whether classical or jazz or pop or... The idea is that it's a hobby that, quasi-miraculously, pays a living. (This is different than engineering, apparently!) If one can keep that feeling, then it's fine!
> 4 votes
# Answer
Short answer is yes. Grad school can be very time intensive, especially if you are coming from a small undergrad program into a large grad program, as your background knowledge may not be up to snuff.
> 2 votes
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Tags: graduate-school, mathematics
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thread-13425 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13425 | Is it normal to suddenly become clueless about your PhD topic and how to rediscover one? | 2013-10-15T04:55:57.133 | # Question
Title: Is it normal to suddenly become clueless about your PhD topic and how to rediscover one?
I am working towards a PhD. My supervisor and I decided upon a topic which interested both of us. I did an exhaustive literature survey, and found that there have been heavy work in this area in the past 2-3 years. The problem statement we started with seems to have been primarily solved, and now extensions to those are appearing in top journals and conferences.
Now, he feels that the work remaining in the area is not worth a PhD so we should look for something else, but he still asked me to explore the area. Now, I am clueless what exactly I am supposed to do and where to look for new problems (given that I have already invested my first year into this along with the course work). Is it normal during the PhD that the problem that you expected to have not been mostly worked upon, already has so much work done ?
Now, in this case, how should one proceed to look for new problems or extensions of the problem that are worth a PhD ?
My area is Computer Science.
# Answer
> 12 votes
Don't consider your time reviewing the field necessarily wasted. You say that you've discovered that the research topic that you wished to pursue has already been thoroughly investigated. If this is true, then you are in the happy position of finding this out *now* before having invested more of your time.
Now, *is* it indeed true that the topic has been exhausted? Perhaps this is the basis of your supervisor's request that you continue reading around the topic. Is there a line of investigation still remaining that you can work on? Are you sure all the extensions to the primary findings have been looked at? Is there a way of extending into new and unexpected territory?
On this last point, **talking to many other people in the field** \- or closely related fields - might spark off ideas in your head. Discuss with them whether they think all aspects of the topic have been considered. Find people who are not experts in the specific topic, but are conversant with it who might offer a difference perspective. These people might draw you toward research across two fields. Can the results of the research topic you were looking to work on be extended into other, surprising areas?
# Answer
> 5 votes
With the vast output of science it is not surprising that more may be done than what might appear at first. Science is about advancing science and so if your original question has been answered the question becomes what is not answered? A key aspect of all research is that new question spring out of answering (or trying to) question. This leads to the point that one must read up on the literature in the field of interest so that you can identify the new questions that emerge. This is one way of interpreting your advisors suggestion.
It will be very difficult to isolate oneself with a question since others will likely arrive at similar ideas sooner or later. Defining a PhD study can therefore be tricky since it means working on some line of questions for several years. "Knowing your opposition" is therefore a good thing. You need to read up on material not only to identify unsolved questions but also to get a sense of what others are working on. Going to key conferences in your subject is one good way to see what is going on.
At the end, I want to add that I do not think it is your sole responsibility to do all this, after all, your advisor should now more about the field and who is doing what among peers. Getting a PhD is about learning to become an independent researcher and to ask too much of you early on is thus not realistic. What you can do is as stated earlier to read up on literature and build your own picture of the (sub-)field. You will need this knowledge under any circumstance.
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Tags: phd, research-process
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thread-13421 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13421 | Not sure if grad school was the right choice | 2013-10-15T04:06:31.450 | # Question
Title: Not sure if grad school was the right choice
I went to a tiny undergrad school and majored in math. I had absolutely no idea what to do with my major, so I went to grad school (I've been here for two months now). Now that I'm here, I'm leaps and bounds behind everyone else, and I don't understand anything in any of my classes. In my undergrad classes I was always one of the top few students, but now I can't figure out anything by myself. Is this kind of thing normal? Should I even be here?
And if not, what am I going to do with my life?
# Answer
> 23 votes
You're experiencing what a lot of graduate students go through—moving from being a big fish in a small pond to being a big fish among other big fish in what seems to be a vast, uncharted ocean. Feelings of frustration, confusion, and even bewilderment are normal. It's part of the adjustment process. The truth is that many of your classmates are likely going through the same difficulties.
The question to ask is not "Should you be in grad school?" The question to ask is "Do I *want* to be here?" If you do, then don't let imposter syndrome drag you down! Also, remember that research bears often little resemblance to classwork.
Now, on the other hand, if you've realized that you're not interested in doing a PhD anymore, then you'll be much better off figuring out what you'd like to do instead. There are a lot of career options for mathematicians, and wasting a bunch of years getting a PhD you're no longer interested in won't be of much use for you in the long run.
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Tags: phd, graduate-school, mathematics
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thread-13431 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13431 | Independent research and license usage | 2013-10-15T12:06:54.163 | # Question
Title: Independent research and license usage
I want to continue working on the research I used to work on when I was in school. The thing is that I am not a student anymore, and I also do not work for the company that works on the research project I used to work on. It used to work on the research project by myself while I was in school (a little help from professors), meaning I can probably work/project on it by myself.
My question is that since I am not in school anymore, do I need to concern the license issue as commercial? All I want to do is do my personal/individual research project and submit a work to academic purpose, such as journal or conference. I see some software or programming library I am using say "Acedemy" or "Commercial", and since this is for the academic purpose, I am not so sure which one I need to follow.
# Answer
> 5 votes
You need to read the exact terms of the licenses, and see what they call “academic” or “commercial”. There is no general definition, these types of licenses depend entirely on the software publisher.
# Answer
> 2 votes
In adddition to @F'x's point:
As your situation is different from both the usual academic and the usual commercial situations, maybe you could email the developer/author/maintainer of the library.
Whatever the license says, software licenses are almost always non-exclusive\*. That means whoever holds the copyright to the software can grant you another license that covers your use of the library. This can be as easy as an email saying "go ahead and use it under the terms of the academic license" and would give both sides legal certainty.
* Or at least, software with exclusive license usually doesn't make its way legally into the public. Although one could think of an exclusive license granted to the public...
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Tags: publications, conference, independent-researcher
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thread-13368 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13368 | What are the pros and cons of choosing my own research topic? | 2013-10-12T10:44:29.490 | # Question
Title: What are the pros and cons of choosing my own research topic?
(This question is one of three correlated questions: Can I get enough help? (first part), How should I do it? (second part).This is the **third** part.)
I am an undergraduate student (in Computer Science and Engineering) and I will be starting undergraduate research for my thesis. I have talked with many professors about possible projects and all the projects they proposed to me seemed **interesting enough**.
During summer, though, I read a paper and I was very interested and excited about it, but this paper was **not for the projects** that were proposed to me, but in a **different area**. I would like to do research in *this area* but I have some questions, because none of my professor is doing research in this particular field.
So, my questions are:
1. What are the **downsides** of choosing my own project instead of doing a project that a professor is working right now (with his Ph.D. students)?
2. How **harder** will it be to get something good out of it (in comparison with doing a proposed project)?
P.S. I want to understand whether it will be beneficial to do a project that I want to do because of some paper(s) that I read or it will be better to do a project that was proposed to me. Also, *I would like to go for a Ph.D. after I graduate*.
# Answer
Along the lines of earthling's answer, you do have a strong say in your topic, and you'll definitely want to be interested in the topic as you'll be putting a lot of work into it.
However, do realize that, as an undergraduate, you have far less experience in doing research than your advisor. You will save yourself a tremendous amount of work and effort by working closely with him on your project. One way to ensure that your advisor will be willing to invest that time in you is to work on a project that (1) interests him and (2) is related to his research. Even better, both. You are definitely free to choose whatever project you want, but it would be a good idea to choose something on which he can offer his expertise.
> 4 votes
# Answer
In my experience the topic is normally self-chosen. Your adviser might have some ideas but generally the research (and subsequent writing) requires a significant amount of work.
Because of the amount of work involved, if you are not excited by the topic it might be difficult to follow through with the amount of work required. This might be less true for undergraduate theses but at the graduate level, you will need to really spent a lot of time and, therefore, maintaining motivation can be a challenge.
Of course, if your adviser has some ideas that person might be more willing and able to provide support for you.
> 3 votes
# Answer
I would like to answer you as a senior undergraduate computer science student.
I wanted to do research (I had no prior research experience, so I asked an instructor for support for research. He gave me a topic, I found it OK, and I began to learn about the field and work on an existing paper.
Yet in 2 months I realized that I lacked motivation to go on because that field was completely out of my interests and what I have always wanted was something else. ( I couldn't choose that as my research topic because there was nobody with that field's knowledge)
Research requires deep knowledge and unless you are completely interested in that area, you might find it hard to continue after some point. You should really love and embrace it.
But of course, everyone is different. Yet I strongly advice that if you are gonna work on something, make sure you are really interested in it and not doing it just for the sake of doing research. It can harm your motivation and discourage you from being a determined scientist.
It will definitely be harder to get something out of it as your instructors don't know the topic. If the aim is to get fruitful results, you should choose one of the proposed topics. If your main aim is to develop yourself in an area that will contribute to your personal desires, it is better to choose your own topic.
> 1 votes
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Tags: research-process, research-undergraduate
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thread-12556 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/12556 | Possible pitfalls of taking a year off to travel following a PhD instead of immediately starting with a post-doc position? | 2013-09-10T01:55:52.600 | # Question
Title: Possible pitfalls of taking a year off to travel following a PhD instead of immediately starting with a post-doc position?
If a student, soon to complete a PhD, is not ready to enter academia **is a year of travel a good option**? Assuming that academic route is still interesting after the year will post-doc positions (leading to tenure-track) still be a viable option?
# Answer
> 23 votes
Although I envy a PhD graduate who has the funds left after obtaining a doctorate to pursue a year of travel, I don't think this is a good idea (unless your degree is in anthropology, in which case it's probably a great idea!) Some thoughts:
1. You are at a tenuous position in your career -- you've reached a peak (not necessarily the top-most peak), and you are very prepared for academia (although possibly not mentally, as you allude). Your degree has a half-life of sorts -- others will continue to do research in your field while you jet-set the world, and your own work will start to get stale. Now is the best chance you're going to have to convince people who may want to hire you that you're a candidate at the tip of the spear, so to speak.
2. While a year is not too long, your letter-writers aren't going to have as fresh a picture of you from which to paint their glowing recommendations. You can mitigate this by asking for letters now, but you'll want them to review the letters a year from now (and change the date!) when they do submit them for applications.
3. Academia can be a fierce environment, as you've probably learned during your candidate years, and possibly why you don't feel you're ready. But, removing yourself from the process for a year doesn't help your case in academia, except to possibly calm your spirits in order to be reinvigorated in a year. Although not universal, the people working the hardest get the best jobs.
All of that said: do what you feel is best for you. If you're not ready for academia, by all means remove yourself from the process for as much time as you need. Better to have a harder time getting a post-doc in a year than to spend a year burning out on something you're not prepared to do.
# Answer
> 17 votes
Maybe this is a difference between fields (my experience is math in the US) but this sounds like a totally insane thing to do. Having a year with no job or affiliation your resume looks terrible, and it doesn't matter if you tell people that traveling unemployed was your choice, no one will believe you. Actually, it's probably better if they don't because if they do believe you, it will just make you look like more of a flake.
It sounds like an especially bad plan, since there's an obviously superior option, which is wait another year to get your degree; I'm not sure I recommend this either (it depends a lot on whether it will annoy your advisor), but in general taking a year off before graduating is much better than taking a year off afterwards. When you complete your degree is your timestamp; it will stick with you for the rest of your career.
# Answer
> 5 votes
I am doing math, and I took a gap year last year. From a purely scientific viewpoint (I do not know about career/hiring committees/politics) I think sabbatical holidays are possible, and even advisable in some cases, if you have a solid and "marketable" research project, and if you can work alone.
In math, most of your value is derived from the theorems that you proved, not from the places you spent your time.
Do you think that Perelman would have solved the Poincare conjecture if he took a postdoc (or some other position in academia)? Postdocs would have been harmful for him: teaching loads, seminars, academic responsabilities, annoying colleagues...
I obtained my best papers during my gap year (almost solved an open problem). My productivity is skyrocketing, and this is why I will take a second gap year this year (I turned off "good" postdoc offers, with good money, but in quite boring countries, which I would have had to leave after 1-2 years anyway, no opportunity to settle, waste of time). No teaching, no seminars, no interferences. Supervisors can sometimes give bad advice, try to disturb you, and I have a good research project, I prefer to work on my own (but I come back every 3-6 months to my advisors at home to show him my new theorems, and I am going to spend 1 month at a university in the US, to get recommendation letters, and meet people).
If you cannot get a post-doc at Princeton, NJ (which is probably a boring place anyway), I think the second best working conditions are probably in Pattaya, Thailand (or some other place of your dreams), you will find inspiration and a stimulating environment (notice that math conferences are always organized in touristic places, for this reason). You will be happy, and therefore, inspired and scientifically ambitious.
There are universities almost anywhere in the world, with smart and educated people, so if you can give some lectures at the local university, they will be happy to meet a foreigner, a fellow scientist, and even sometimes, give you unexpected job opportunities (not competitive for the 'global academic market', but still decent for local life, and probably still better than being a high school teacher in your home country). Local scientists are probably as useful as colleagues of your postdoc: it is like doing a "non-paid" postdoc.
So besides traveling to countries I like, discover cultures and people that I like, develop myself as a person, in countries where life is amazingly cheap, meet some people happy (and others not so happy) with less than $200/month, I think I can also develop my research projects, and even broaden my job opportunities.
Mentally speaking, 1 year of holidays, doing nothing, is too much anyway (I cannot take more than 2-3 months of holidays in a row), so you will need some kind of intellectual activity, do something of your day (if no distraction is around), and you will naturally get back to your scientific pursuits.
Postdocs are short-term contracts anyway (it is not as crazy as dumping a permanent position), they are used as disposable commodities by senior mentors for their own scientific interests.
Postdoc traps are denounced by everyone, so I prefer to fall in my own 'holiday' trap. There will certainly be gaps in my CV (filled with great papers anyway), some hiring committees will not appreciate (probably out of jealousy), but it puts even more pressure to do good work (to justify my "holidays", to my consicence at least). Hiring committees are very random anyway, so they are not worth sacrificing my happiness: it is now or never.
# Answer
> 4 votes
* Does it need to be a whole year?
* Maybe a certain creativity and a good grasp of when there is a chance to take a longer break helps:
+ After graduation (Diplom/master) I went abroad to work for half a year, and then took off 2 more months for traveling before returning to my old institute. My professor made me sign the contract for afterwards before I left for those 8 months.
Maybe you could apply for a postdoc, but put the possible start of the affiliation some months later.
+ Later, I managed to get one free month when changing positions. Took quite hard negotiations (the new institute actually wanted me to start 4 months earlier, i.e. 3 months before the end of the old contract).
+ One other time, I negotiated for a similar break, but it didn't work out that way.
+ A postdoc colleague of mine managed to get 3 free months between two projects.
* Obviously this depends very much on how strong your position in the negotiations actually is.
* What about putting a bunch of visits to other groups into the travel schedule? Enough, so that you also get a bunch of research stays and a whole lot of networking out of that year. In my field, few people object to visitors who come on their own money and sincerely try to start collaborations.
# Answer
> 2 votes
I can answer your question because I was at the similar situation.
1. It all depends on the type of your field, and how well you did during your PhD. For example, you did your PhD in electronics, and your supervisor is a well known researcher in this field. In this case I would say do not take one year off and look for a job/postdoc.
2. However, if you did your PhD in a okish manner, your supervisor is kind of well known, and you didn't publish high rank papers and journals, DO NOT do a postdoc right away. This is because most definitely you will not get a good postdoc position from a high rank supervisor and you will waste your time running around trying to please your postdoc boss (saw many cases like this). In this case you MUST take a year off, and think about your life in general. Doing a postdoc is not the solution for a person with a weak background in his/her field. It is much better to do a 9 to 5 job in industry than to do a postdoc with uncertain future.
Be honest with yourself and choose between these two!
Good luck
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Tags: phd, career-path, postdocs, travel, time-off
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thread-13419 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13419 | Making future goals clear in statement of purpose when changing fields | 2013-10-14T23:51:09.550 | # Question
Title: Making future goals clear in statement of purpose when changing fields
I need your advice, dear visitors. Currently I am finishing my BS in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, and trying to apply for a PhD program in Computer Science to universities in the USA.
But I have a real problem.
The topics on which I worked with my adviser are purely mathematical (differential geometry). I began to study this branch of math 2 years ago. But 1 year ago, due to a suggestion of my friend, I started reading articles on Theoretical Computer Science (namely algorithms on planar graphs and in Linear Algebra but nothing related to numerical methods) and became carried away by that. For some reasons, I couldn't have abandoned the work on my topics. One of them is that the results in differential geometry we eventually obtained are excellent (together with my advisor we have two articles in good mathematical journals). Since this is the last year of my education at my University, I haven't changed the field for my diploma (it would have had no sense and it would have been impossible in some way, but let me not tell about it).
Differential Geometry is very interesting and I know much about it but I feel that algorithms is the field to which my future research will be dedicated. I am not interested in any other field of CS. By the way, my scientific advisor knows about my future plans (reported to him half a year ago). He also heartily agreed to write a strong letter of recommendation for me.
So what have I got? Good mathematical skills: a wide spectrum of knowledge on many fields including algebra (linear and abstract), advanced analysis, differential geometry (as mentioned before), functional analysis, combinatorics, algorithms, graph theory... I also have medals and prizes earned on mathematical olympiads (IMO, IMC). So math and TCS background is not a problem for me. After all, Theoretical Computer Science is the same math (we also state and prove theorems like in math)!
Why a PHD? Because I absolutely know that one-two years spent on getting a MS finished will be just a waste of my time.
So I feel difficulty when composing a Statement of Purpose. I just don't know in which way I should put the description of my personal experience forward in such a way so it would be clear and laconic. I don't want the reader to be confused about my goals. I don't want my statement of purpose to be a fruit-salad. I want the reader to understand that a PHD in CS is what I need since I am completely determined about my intentions.
A lot of sincere thanks to whoever will answer my question. Maybe, one can give me a link to a sample of SOP similar to my case.
# Answer
> 4 votes
I think you've essentially written an outline of your SoP in the question. Namely,
"I'm interested in theoretical computer science and mathematics. I've worked in differential geometry, and here are my results, but I'm now fascinated by algorithms research, and I have extensive math background".
Now just expand on it.
# Answer
> 1 votes
The best advice any of us could give you is to do an internet search for what others have written, and use such examples to help structure your own personal statement.
Essentially, you want the following points:
* What previous experience (particularly research) do you have in this field?
* What are your future research goals? How do these goals tie in with past experiences?
* Why do you want to do this research?
* Why should *you* be chosen above other applicants?
No one here is going to help you write it or proof-read your statements. If you have further **general** (i.e. not field-specific) questions that are well structured, they are much more likely to elicit a good response than the floundering "where do I start?" that I see here.
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Tags: phd, computer-science, statement-of-purpose, changing-fields
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thread-13439 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13439 | Don't like my choice of grad program and don't know what to do | 2013-10-15T22:11:06.987 | # Question
Title: Don't like my choice of grad program and don't know what to do
I have a BSW (social work) and have decided to go back to school for MSW; but social work was never my passion. I honestly picked it in undergrad because they took all my credits when I didn't pass the Praxis for Early Childhood Education (missed each by 1 point) and now I'm in the MSW program at Delaware State University but hate it. I feel like I'm just wasting my time; its not something that I am interested in at all. I went back because "its the thing to do" if I want to get money in my field. I'm just lost when I'm in class because it doesn't have 100% of my attention. I am 26 years old and feel like its too late for me to be saying "I don't know what I want to do with my life." What are some other options of programs I could look into that is somewhat within social work?
# Answer
> 1 votes
It sounds like you do not have the passion for the study you are in - and this will invariably affect your effectiveness to be able to succeed in the Masters you are doing. At 26 years old, rather than being 'too late' to try anything new, take this as an opportunity to explore new fields, to find where your passions are and most of all, find a path that you will both enjoy and feel fulfilled by.
The ultimate decision is yours; however, a few things to consider:
* Just because the course is perceived as being "the thing to do", does not mean it is the best thing for you to do.
* Consider if that field is a career that you want to devote your time to in a career.
* Is there chances for innovative new research in a related field?
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Tags: masters
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thread-13435 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13435 | Ph.D. Topic Problem- Changing Topics/Labs | 2013-10-15T14:17:36.863 | # Question
Title: Ph.D. Topic Problem- Changing Topics/Labs
<sub> Even though title itself seems quite similar to other questions asked here, my question is a bit different from other similar questions. I know it's a bit long, but I do appreciate anyone who has a read through it. </sub>
I am a Ph.D. student in UK and it has been 5 months since I started. My topic was something completely new (to me) so as one might guess, I've spent these 5 months reviewing the literature and covering what I didn't know. Problems started right here.
I am working at a Research Institute that has expertise on something totally different than my Ph.D. (let's name it field A, and name my Ph.D. field B). Simply, A and B have nothing in common (except both are engineering topics, but sub-fields are different). As a result, this laboratory doesn't have the required equipment or facilities that I need for my Ph.D. **most importantly**, there is not a single person around me in the lab who has a single bit of knowledge about my topic, thus no practical help or chances of hands on experience. Speaking of the good parts; I am getting a proper work experience (since this research institute has industrial focus), my scholarship is a substantial amount and my supervisor (even though he is sort of clueless about my topic, he is a *huge* figure in field A) is quite impressed with my progress.
But, as always, I have an alternative. There is another lab in my university which has expertise on field B (my Ph.D.). In this lab, there are people who have expertise in field B and of course, director of the lab is a powerful figure in field B. I know it sounds good so far, but here are the cons of this alternative: Lab director can't give any sort of guarantees regarding a scholarship (which means I have to pay tuition fees as well, good old UK) and wants me to work in a new project(a new field, field C). This field C, again completely different from A and B, is a newer topic compared to B and there are lots of research going on in this field. Field B is sort of an established field, I am just trying to squeeze whatever's left out it.
So on one side, I have a good working experience, Ph.D. in field B, an impressed supervisor, yet no practical help about field B or collaboration whatsoever. On the other side, I have a group of people who have expertise in field B and C, yet no money. I personally don't have any problems about changing my Ph.D. from B to C, the only disadvantage will be losing 6 months of work and naturally, getting 6 months of extension in the end. On the plus side, I already have a paper waiting to be published (in field A though, not in my Ph.D. topic field B). Therefore, these 6 months won't be "that" lost.
So, both sides are waiting to hear from me as soon as possible. I have to make a decision by this Friday. Last thing that should be mentioned is my current lab is located in city 1, whereas the other one is located in city 2. I hate city 1 (current city), whereas I am in love with city 2.
Financially, I am promised by the other professor that depending on my performance, I can get funding. I do know I can't trust this, though I believe I can cover my expenses throughout my Ph.D. including tuition fees. So, money is not a big problem right now.
If I go to the other lab, field C will be my Ph.D. as well as my work, hence shielding me from dividing into two as I do right now for field A and B.
My question is simple, what would you do if you were me? I have exhausted my friends and my family about this issue and I need a fresh pair of eyes and neurons to help me out. I do appreciate any questions and comments.
# Answer
I would move to another lab if I were you. The reason is, I want to do my PhD and the research in the field I like. Otherwise, why would I do it?
After reading your question a few times, my impression is that you like field B the most, field C the next, field A the last. Please correct me if I am wrong.
If you stay in your current lab, everything will be the same as the past 5 months. You have the money alright. What else do you have? You don't have experts in B around you. You don't have equipments/facilities to do research in B. It looks like there is no way to finish PhD in B in that lab.
On the other hand, you'll have experts in B to talk to you and equipments available if you move to the other lab. There is a good chance for you to finish the PhD in B if you have a choice to do B.
Field B is probably a dead end, you are trying to squeeze something out of it. What if you find nothing after 2 years of squeezing with or without help from other experts in B? What are you going to do? Do you want to do A? I would not if I were you because I don't like A. But, you can choose to do C if you move.
I think the lab director says he can't give any sort of guarantees regarding a scholarship because he wants you to do C. The scholarship is the incentive. If you don't have problem changing from B to C, I think you will get some sort of financial help after you move there (no guarantee, of course). If my interpretation of your question is correct, C is acceptable to you, at least it's better than A.
This is what I would do if I were you, I would ask the other lab if there is some chance to get some financial help if I move there. If the answer is not 100% negative, I would move. (I must be able to get some food to eat while I am doing research.)
If the answer is an absolute no, I would stay and look for other opportunities to move later on.
> 1 votes
# Answer
Whichever makes you a happier person. Life is short and not worth spending 5 years in a condition you don't like. If you have the money, go for it. If not, here is my longer answer.
The work experience you are getting in field A should not be a priority because you are there to do research, to contribute to science. Work experience in that field should be just a tool so that you can earn money and live properly. The excellency of people in field A are also irrelevant, as your research is in field B.
But, life does not always present us the best options. If you cannot get a scholarship when you switch to field B, then I would definitely stay at where you are now. You say you can cover expenses, but if you don't get a scholarship, how much will you lose in 5 years? That's a big number and imo not worth it (unless you have a million in some account)
I would stay there and from time to time, consult professors that work in field B. After some time, as you dig deeper, you will know more than those guys anyway.
It really depends on your budget I guess. I am not rich so I don't like the idea of Ph.D. level scientists' paying for it.
> 4 votes
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Tags: phd, thesis, collaboration, advisor, engineering
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thread-5879 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5879 | Any suggestions to create and maintain a good research atmosphere | 2012-12-20T06:44:05.600 | # Question
Title: Any suggestions to create and maintain a good research atmosphere
I am starting my PhD in Computer Science next semester in a relatively small department (around 20 faculty members). I have been to the university a few times and I noted the collaboration among students is minimal. My prospective supervisor, most likely, is willing to help me in any research activity I propose that will increase the number of projects and publications with collaboration among students.
Thus, I am asking for different suggestions/tips of activities one can do or propose to increase the collaboration and the knowledge exchange among students/faculty members.
My question is on two levels:
**1. What activities/set ups can a PhD student do/propose at the group level?** (i.e. between you and other students with the same supervisor). FYI, the group is around 10 students. My supervisor is going to set up a group presentation every two weeks.
**2. What activities/proposals/set ups can one suggest at the departmental level?** (I was thinking of a weekly talk over coffee for graduate students in the department.)
# Answer
There are so many group-binding activities that you can imagine… I’ll try to list just a few ideas specific to an academic setting:
* **Journal club**, the obvious choice
* **Friday’s coffee and pastries**, or **Tuesday’s four o’ clock tea** sessions, followed by flash updates (news from the group, recent awards, publications, maybe one existential technical question that someone raises, etc.)
* **Graduate students seminars**: organizing seminars specifically tailored for graduate students (but inviting all those who may want to come, of course). Possible topics include early career path presentation and advice, motivational speakers (e.g. Jorge Cham from PhD comics fame), teaching skills (for TA’s), etc.
* Encourage participation in group life: elect students’ representative to lab council or other local boards, hold regular meetings to talk about the practical aspects of your life, organize activities centered around your office space (cleaning day, fire safety day, first responder training).
* Participate in competitions in (or near) your field, if there are any (competitions, olympiads, etc.)
All events, even if some seem only remotely relevant to the pursuit of your academic happiness, will increase group cohesion and maintain a good research atmosphere.
For all such events, favour informal settings and try to take as little time as possible. People already have heavy schedules, and they can make room for small activities but probably not a weekly two-hours setting. Brown bag seminar is one way of achieving this.
> 18 votes
# Answer
I just started working in a small lab a few months ago. I don't know if the way our lab is functioning is *right* or even *good*, but I like it, it works for me and I feel good here, so let me explain the lab dynamic here.
Just to give some context, the lab is so small that the division to project teams (although it exists) does not make sense for any informal activity. At any given time, there is 7 - 10 PhD students in the lab, maybe 1 or 2 exchange students/interns, and we have some PhD students that are in the lab only a day or two a week. Also, the lab is almost circular, all the offices are very close and we have a habit working with open office doors.
The common topic denominator among all of us is "Computer Science" (very broad), although each of us can find one or two more student-people working a similar topic.
I find that **it's much easier for me to talk science to somebody I feel comfortable having a beer and a few laughs with as well**. Not saying that you have to get your lab drunk, but:
* in the morning, **the first one in makes the coffee**, and we linger in the lab-kitchen for 20-30 minutes until our eyes are open. Everybody is free to join, heavy coffee drinkers are almost always there, while the others wander in from time to time. Sometimes even the senior researchers have coffee with us.
* we all **go to lunch together** (partially cause we all have partially refunded meals in that resto). We have a guy who talks much and eats slow, so by the time everybody finishes, we usually spend a quality 30-40 minutes talking. We also do a *coffee after lunch*.
* When **somebody's leaving the lab**, we try to buy some trinkets (last time it was 1euro/person), organize **small going away "party"** in the lab with juice and cookies, and **dinner followed by drinks** in the evening. Food setting is more inviting to the shy students, and after that the outgoing ones go have a few pints.
* Students sometimes just **wander in other student's offices** (usually in the lazy afternoon hours) for a few words. This habit is nice because you feel less uneasy when you stroll into somebodies office to talk science, cause you're practically doing the same thing. As a less imposing version, we sometimes just **wave to each other while passing** in front of the office.
* When we have organized (boring) activities / administrative seminars / things that finish early, especially out of the lab, we try to go **sit for drinks** if we have time.
* the only nice idea *specifically targeted for professional exchange* we did was organize a **"PhD students day"** where we all presented our subjects in very basic streaks, from 10 - 15 minutes, so that everybody would know which students are working on interesting problems (for them).
* every project team has **team meetings at their own pace**, where we present our current research, recently accepted papers, exchange students present their topics or students that went to an exchange present what they did. My team does it usually two times a month, in a fairly casual setting.
Now that I mentioned all this *procrastinating*, let me say something that's always been true for me among Computer Science people wherever I went (studied in Croatia, Austria and now France, and had some holidays with CS people): **you can't stop computer scientists talking about tech**. Tech talk bleeds through beer, we eat some of it for lunch and drink it in our coffee. When we're happy about our work, we feel comfortable enough to share it with people around us. When we're angry and stuck, we are all around people who saw us in various kinds of settings, so we don't feel that uncomfortable being grumpy and complaining.
All this said, for some more context: I'm a PhD student in France. I have a feeling that the work environment here is much much more relaxed that in the States, and than a lot of European countries as well. They seem to believe that if you do everything slowly and relaxed (except a day before a deadline), you will do a good job. So, my advice might be only applicable to similar work cultures, but I still think there's some good things there, because, at the end of the day, we all enjoy our times in the lab.
> 23 votes
# Answer
I'm not sure I should be contributing to a list like this, but other people seem to think it's okay, so... in addition to what has been suggested in other answers, one thing that I've found quite useful is to have a small research discussion group among the PhD students.
The way this works is that you get about 10-15 students together from different fields within the department, to meet every week or every other week for an hour or less. At each meeting, one of the group will talk about his or her recent research. These talks are normally "beyond informal" in the sense that no prior preparation at all is expected; effectively, you're just explaining what you do to your friends. It works best when the "audience" members feel free to ask any stupid questions that may occur to them, which means two things: it's ideal if the people meeting already know each other in a non-academic context, and also important to do it without faculty involvement so that nobody is tempted to try to impress a professor. Having students from a variety of different fields of research means that you can expect to have some pretty basic questions at each presentation.
> 10 votes
# Answer
A few more points:
* as undergrad students, we had a campfire to celebrate the end of labwork/seminars/lectures.
* now (on the teaching side) we have a campfire to celebrate the end of labwork/seminar/lectures.
(it usually includes some birthdays as well)
* in one institute we had quite regularly after-work activities like a bike tour, going swimming, bowling, Xmas market etc. happened. They were "scheduled" every once in a while, so no problem if you'd like to come in general, but just not that day. You could just join in next time (however, next morning at coffee you'd of course hear what you did miss). This included everyone in the institute but the big boss.
* (Sometimes people signed up for university sports courses together.)
> 5 votes
# Answer
I am part of an interdisciplinary NSF IGERT program on Water Diplomacy which supports 15 or so PhD students across 4+ departments. The program has done a commendable job of making opportunities for team building, collaboration, and the emergence of happy accidents within the group. Here are a few things to add to the running list of answers:
* Weekly colloquiums where one student presents their work for an hour, followed by half an hour of collective brainstorming, critique, and discussion. Light breakfast provided.
* Annual weekend retreats to revisit program priorities, assets, and areas for improvement. We cook meals, have fires, and chat.
* Monthly evening workshops/round-table discussions on a theme - this year's series is on civic engagement. Dinner provided.
* Share office space. While not uncommon for PhD research groups, it's unique to have students across multiple departments sharing space.
> 3 votes
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Tags: phd, research-process, university, collaboration
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thread-13444 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13444 | Strategies for dealing/interacting with a colleague who have suffered from academic burnout | 2013-10-16T11:44:02.013 | # Question
Title: Strategies for dealing/interacting with a colleague who have suffered from academic burnout
There are quite a few question aiming at or hinting towards avoiding academic burn-out, but I couldn't come across one that targets interaction with a colleague that has suffered from a serious burn-out, which can be very tricky as I am learning nowadays.
Background: A colleague of mine (office-mate actually) has suffered a pretty major crisis over the past year and had to take an extended leave of absence due to stress. The person in question was/is close to disputation but due to the fact that they could not handle being at work anymore, everything was postponed.
After several months away, my colleague is trying to get back in the game by starting off 20%. I heard that it didn't work out all too good the first attempt, a couple of weeks later they are attempting to start again. As we were chatting the other day, I realized that I can't really say much without tripping my colleague off, in the sense that the subject often raises old issues somehow and causes some frustration/stress for my colleague. That partially originates from the fact that most of what we have in common and talk about is work oriented somehow.
My natural reflex when I realize that the subject causes discomfort is to not feed the conversation and attempt to change the subject. But that doesn't really work too good, as it's not very discrete. I also suspect that specially avoiding small-talk with my office mate isn't very nice either, I don't want the person to feel isolated and alone. I mean the fact that a person had a stress-related problem, it's not something that one should be ashamed or embarrassed about, it shouldn't be awkward socially, but somehow it does feel like that.
Does anyone here have any experience about how to tackle a situation like this?
# Answer
> 16 votes
It is a tricky situation, and there is no 'guidebook' way of helping your colleague or how to deal with their recovery - I can only offer an account of when I burnt out.
When I burnt out, my colleagues - both work and academic, rallied around and helped me get back on my feet. The way they did it was to be there and to simply **listen** \- this was the key thing that helped me rise up. They also kept things as normal as possible and understood the times when I needed to vent - which over **time**, became less and less.
They also gave me my **space** \- like an open invitation for me to join in the conversations or activities when I felt I could.
Having also been in the situation from the other side, listening and giving time and space did help.
One more thing, you have to take care of your own well being as well - you are doing the right thing, by being there, it is not an easy road - but believe me, you *are* making a difference.
# Answer
> 9 votes
We can give suggestions, but the only person who knows how your colleague wants to be treated is your colleague. I would suggest discussing it with them directly. Maybe something like this:
> I didn't realize until now how much I talk about work. I don't want to make you uncomfortable by bringing it up, so if I do, feel free to stop me or change the subject.
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Tags: colleagues
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thread-13446 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13446 | Dealing with listening/talking to researchers with difficult accents | 2013-10-16T12:42:45.310 | # Question
Title: Dealing with listening/talking to researchers with difficult accents
Often, when speaking English in research, you can find a great variety of (mostly, non-native) accents. Since I started moving in academic circles and a more international environment, I slowly learned to understand some of the accents much better. I can currently understand well most mild accents and some specific accents even if they are strong, but there are still both *researchers with very strong accents* and *types of accents I have a very hard time understanding*.
As networking, communicating, and generally talking to other researchers is very important, it got me wondering about what I can to to **overcome this "accent barrier"**.
I've encountered this "accent barrier" in at least three different settings, and there's always problems arising for that:
* speakers and presenters on conferences (or other big events)
I usually try and decide from the slides (and what I can understand) how relevant I think the presented material is for me, and then I would read the paper later on my own.
Still, it means that I could *miss some interesting papers*, *miss some of the authors insight on the problem only mentioned in the presentation* and *loose a certain amount of time, because listening to a talk is much faster than reading* (especially if one just wants to understand the basic idea).
* poster sessions and social events on conferences / other manifestations
This one is a bit more tricky since it's more personal interaction. I would usually try and ask the person to clarify or reformulate the question, and then if I still don't understand try talking about something related to "keywords" that I succeeded to identify. If it's a social occasion, I would try to look attentive, smile, and excuse myself the first acceptable opportunity I get.
And again, I might be missing on some great ideas this way. Missing making some potentially useful contacts with the people from the community, and even possibly looking rude if I didn't understand something crucial.
* interactions with people from you team/close environment.
With this one, I'm totally at a loss. I know how much team dynamics is important. If something like that happened, I would probably try and avoid one-on-one communication with that person as much as possible. Still, it would probably make me feel constantly uncomfortable.
What **are some suggestions on how to act in such situations?** They generally make me feel uncomfortable, and often afraid that I'll offend somebody. Again, I do believe that a little practice and effort can go a long way to understanding different accents, especially when they are not *too strong*. But (and I guess this also depends on ones mother tongue) I think a lot of people have problems with (probably different) strong accents.
# Answer
I'm not a native English speaker but I do understand your frustration. Here are some of my experiences:
**Embrace the elephant in the room**
Time to time I found people around me are too "polite" to not tell me that they don't understand what I say. I have had a course evaluation saying that "the instructor is great but time to time I had hard time understand some words he said. For example, it took me a few weeks to realize he meant 'result' when he said 'ray-sult'." I was actually amazed by how much money this student spent to be confused.
Now, at the beginning of the course, I surrender myself and introduce the elephant. "I have accent, and if any of my pronunciations is off, you're more than welcome to correct me. Your input will help me to become a better speaker." Then move on.
I think the situation is the same in the native speaker's shoes. If you have trouble understanding a colleague. Tactfully ask for a few repetitions in an informal conversation, and then confess that you sometimes may not catch the full gist of the speech, and proceed to ask for a blanket excuse in the future should you need another repetition again.
**"Fully understand" is likely an illusion**
Your point about missing important materials in conference is well taken. Here are two reflections I have: i) realize that even you get the whole sentence, it's still a foreign language to the speaker and there will always be some loss in translation. ii) In a conference, it's probably hard to pick up all the little bits of information. On this point, you can Zen that over like watching a firework; let that go. Or if the curiosity is killing you, approach the speaker after the talk and clarify. If the conversation goes well you can consider exchanging business cards, and ask for a copy of their presentation over the e-mail.
**Hold on to an ad hoc interpreter**
When I teach in foreign countries, there would be English speakers whose speeches are beyond my cognitive reach. This is how I deal with it: i) Keep smiling, and rephrase the question as best as I can, and I know I'd fail, then repeat step i) for a few more times and keep calm and smiling, ii) eventually some participants who are more proficient would volunteer to translate. If no one does, embrace the elephant in the room and say "I guess I'm a bit stuck here, would anyone tell me what I missed in the question?" iii) once the question is clarified, answer it, facing the original questioner. For myself, I prefer to slowly pace up to the board, and write down my talking points. I think this would enhance the questioner's understanding if he/she has trouble listening to my speech.
Often enough, no one would help. And the questioner may just wave his/her hand and give up. Don't be frustrated. Invite the person to stay and talk, and perhaps then you can employ things like paper and pen to better understand each other.
**Use writing**
When communicating with colleagues who have heavy accents, I'd also rely a bit more on writing. Using e-mails, or using a white board in a meeting may help. On that note, I also bring a stack of index cards with me to meetings and classes.
**Use international "language"**
Smile, drawing, ... etc. are always good substitute or supplement to verbal communication. Avoid using very specific body gestures because one friendly gesture here may deem insulting in another culture.
**Learn some foreign languages**
It's actually quite interesting that comparing to my colleagues who are native speakers, I actually have an easier time filtering other countries' accents. I attributed to the fact that when sitting through English classes, our teachers put extra emphasis on highlightin how our mother tongue may cause some English words to be mispronounced. Then in university I picked up a couple foreign languages, and then now I have virtually no problem listening to people from those countries speaking English.
It may actually be impractical to learn all the languages. Here are a couple tricks I have used: First, just learn their basic pronunciation system first and if you have time, figure out how to say some basic general words. In the process, evaluate how the system may work if it's used to pronounce English. For example, Japanese system does not differentiate r and l, so you may expect hearing "running" and "learning" or "lighting" and "writing" pronounced identically. Mandarin does not have the -th and Th-, so Mandarin speakers may compensate with -ve and F- (e.g. A "fief" instead of a "thief".) On the contrary, Mandarin has an elaborated series of s or s-like sounds: si, zi, and ci, with different tongue-teeth positions and amounts of air blowing through the lips. So, you may expect emphasis on some syllables that would have been only lightly pronounced if spoken by a native speaker. Italian speakers, on the other hand, tend to clearly pronounce syllable-by-syllable and attach an -e or -a after some words. Once we put the same nouns spelled in English and Italian side by side, the reason would become apparent.
Second, read some books on how to get rid of accents or how to speak in British and American accent. Most of these books would have a chapter or so dedicated to explain major mistakes made by speakers from different systems. For example, Japanese speakers may have an extra "-gu" after all words ending with -ing; Chinese speakers may not distinguish clearly between -s and -th. These tips are not for native speakers, but by learning some major traits, native speakers can quickly filter the noise and get to the content.
**Make an effort**
It takes time to understand accents. But as you speak to a certain foreign person more and more, you should be more at ease. This is particularly important when dealing with your colleagues. Keep talking and keep categorizing their speech traits, and you'll get better at talking to them. Most of these advices may make you feel vulnerable or even stupid, but as an ESL and also a foreign language learner, when it comes to language, I think we cannot be overly reserved.
> 40 votes
# Answer
The other answers here are fantastic. Just to add my experience, **know that these conversations will take more of your time.** I'm in the US, and I've been working with a team in India for some of our coding for the past few months. I quickly realized that simply slowing everything down by about 50% improved communication significantly. Speak slower, wait longer for responses, provide and ask for clarification about twice as much... you'll have much better success if you simply accept that what would be a 15 minute conversation with a local colleague may be a 30 or 45 minute conversation with someone less familiar with the language.
On a related note, not all conversations have to be in person. I've had a lot of success with one of our contractors **limiting our interaction to email and IM**. This person is very uncomfortable speaking English, and using text-based communication has made our communication more painless and more frequent. There are still many instances when each of us has to ask for clarification, and when using IM I definitely slow down my own typing so as not to dominate the conversation, but it has helped immensely.
> 16 votes
# Answer
Accents are tricky... It's a problem that one often hears/talks about at conferences. English being the *de facto* language of communicating science (well, anything really) internationally, I feel native speakers of English are at a major disadvantage when it comes to accents (perhaps it's only fair since they likely have an easier time reading/writing in English).
It might be counter-intuitive but, a native speaker has a very clear idea just *how* a particular word or expression is supposed to sound like. As a non-native speaker to two languages I speak most in my daily life (including English), I have to point out that learning a language is hard work, especially later in life. I was lucky enough to learn these languages when I was young enough, and my teachers have always been native speakers. Not many are so lucky...
That being said, what can one do when talking to a person with a very heavy accent? Allow me to put forth my two-cents;
* **lecture/talk:** I don't really have much else to say other than try to take notes of the subjects, figures and references the speaker mentions. Then try to keep your communication on a written basis. While it's not very nice, you can always excuse yourself for misunderstanding or not-catching up with the talk and ask for details that way.
* **poster sessions:** I think this is a two-sided coin; if you are the person visiting a poster, and can't seem to communicate with the presenter, it's essentially same as above, get the headlines and move along, then keep communication on a written basis. On the other hand, if you are the presenter it's more tricky. I have had occasions where a very interested researcher (young or senior) comes forward and tries to either fire shots at the project or inquire more about details of what I'm presenting, for instance how it's relevant for their work etc. I hate it when they have so much to say and just can't get themselves understood. I suppose it's a matter of being polite and trying to get them to rephrase, help out with choices of words (important to be very subtle) etc. If all else fails, resort to the ugly backup plan, ask them to mail you with their questions instead.
* **colleague:** I think it's essentially the most relaxed case, just help the colleague to formulate his/her questions or ideas. If you have a good enough relationship, advice them to improve their english and make it clear (in a friendly manner) that the impact of heavy accent is a hinder for their own success in communicating with others, and ultimately their chances of succeeding in academia. Give tips about how they can improve. It's of course problematic if the colleague in question is significantly more senior than you.
I know it's not much but I hope it helps anyways. Finally, if there's a particular type of accent that you find really hard to decipher, expose yourself more to it! Maybe that helps with the choice of the next vacation spot? ;)
> 14 votes
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Tags: language, networking, colleagues
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thread-13460 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13460 | How to cite a phd thesis that was published as a book? | 2013-10-17T09:24:05.297 | # Question
Title: How to cite a phd thesis that was published as a book?
What information is important to provide when citing from a PhD thesis that has appeared as book?
* The publisher (even if it is a 'dubious' one that might vanish in the near future)
* or the institution and that it is a phd thesis.
As for bibtex, I wonder whether I should use the @book or the @phdthesis entry type.
# Answer
Provide the citation form that you think will be **most useful to readers in the middle or long term**, or **provide both**.
If it's self-published, then cite it as you would cite a thesis. On the other hand, if it was published in book form by a respectable publisher (i.e. it will be easy to find 10 years from now), then cite the book. This is commonly done in some fields of humanities.
Citing both is also an option, and it does not have a downside, except it's a bit longer.
> 3 votes
# Answer
If a thesis is published as a book with an ISBN number (or ISSN-number as is the case with theses in my university system) then the thesis is traceable and identifiable. There may even be a doi associated with it. An unpublished thesis can of course be traced back to the department where it was produced, or at least the university. But, often such theses are found on fragile perhaps unmaintained web-pages with uncertain life-span. So given the information you provide both can be quite fragile, but with the published version the traceability might be better.
One has to realize that theses are treated and stored in varying ways in different university systems. In some cases there are central repositories for unpublished thesis, in others there are not. They may even only exist as working copies for the examination committee. In my system they are printed and provided as part of a publication series (with and ISSN and ISBN number). So while there is nothing wrong with citing a PhD thesis using as you suggest bibTeX' @phdthesis, I would argue that using a published @book is better because of the official traceability (provided it has ISSN/ISBN/doi).
> 2 votes
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Tags: citations
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thread-13464 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13464 | How do you address unknown peers in email? | 2013-10-17T10:42:27.310 | # Question
Title: How do you address unknown peers in email?
This is one bit of academic etiquette I'm not sure about. When I write to another researcher, a peer (we're both professors). I've never exchanged with before and never met him but I know of him (and he probably knows of me).
Erring on the side of formality, I write to him *“Dear professor Mortimer”*. I sign with my first name, because that's how I've always signed my emails (there's a formal signature block below, with full name and contact details) and I think it indicates a willingness to be called by my first name (which I prefer, but I don't want to force people one way or the other).
Is that going to be well received? Will people take the hint? Or should I just start using first names from the start? (it does sound weird to write *“dear Philipp”* to someone you don't know)
# Answer
> 20 votes
It is of course never wrong to use the title of the person to whom you write. In general I think it is fine to use Dr. since that is the degree most have. This may not work so well in cultures where titles are more of an obsession or where hierarchy is still well established. If the person writing is a professor, then you are of course writing from the top position and so you will either direct letters to someone at the same level or lower. This simplifies things compared to if you, yourself were not at the professor level.
As an editor of a journal I often use the term Colleague instead of Dr. this or Professor that. This is because the tile may not be completely obvious from the manuscript and I do not permit myself time to Google every author to find out. Since I am also a professor, it feels relatively safe to call everyone a colleague.
To sign off I often use my first name except if the mail has some formal aspect where, if it was a letter, I would have used my full name. In all my e-mail correspondence, I have found almost without exception, that once I sign with my first name, the mail reply will inevitably greet me by first name and be signed by a first name. I try to be a little sensitive about it but not overly so; I have "my" culture, the person I correspond with his or hers and none is above the other in my view. So In any correspondence I will open the first mail with Dear Colleague or Dear Dr. So-and-so. If the response is signed by first name then: titles away. Otherwise I will countersign correspondence with first name to break the ice.
It seems e-mail is often more forgiving than regular letters or traditional contacts. I think internet has an informal context which implicitly signals to everyone that it is less formal. I have not seen research on this but I can see, for example how students can ask quite blunt questions over e-mail while almost trembling and excusing themselves when standing at my office door (not that I am in any way trying to be intimidating).
# Answer
> 4 votes
Using titles may sometimes be not that easy. E.g. in Germany you would write "Sehr geehrter Herr Prof. Dr. Smith" while in other countries one never uses the "Dr." if a "Prof." is present. Moreover, I've heard that some people would even prefer to see their kind of Dr. (e.g. Dr.Ing.).
In cases I am not sure about the title I usually go for the full name, i.e. start with "Dear James Smith,". If you know the full name this is not wrong and I think only very few people will mind if no titles are given.
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Tags: etiquette, email
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thread-13472 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13472 | Obligation to tell journal of flaws in paper previously reviewed? | 2013-10-17T15:01:16.237 | # Question
Title: Obligation to tell journal of flaws in paper previously reviewed?
The blog Retraction Watch posted an interesting question the other day about reviewing the same paper twice, rejecting it both times, and then later finding out it was published in a different journal. The reason for rejection was that the author(s) failed to mention previous work using the same dataset; seemingly a case of very similar publications (or piecemeal publication, or borderline plagiarism, however you want to describe it).
So what is an appropriate course of action for the reviewer in this circumstance?
# Answer
> 13 votes
Now that the paper has been published, your role is not that of a reviewer anymore, but is the same as any reader. Anyone might read the paper and draw the same conclusions as you.
As such, you can act just as any reader would act, without having to disclose your earlier role as a reviewer. It seems to me that you then have a choice of three options:
1. Write to the authors
2. Write a comment to their paper
3. Write to the editor, mentioning your doubts about the adequacy of references to the existing literature (including previous studies by the authors)
In your particular case, the only additional information that you (as a former reviewer) have is that the authors have been journal-shopping for their paper, and do not want to make the necessary modifications to it. This means that solution #1 is probably not going to be productive, because the authors acted in bad faith. So, you're left with #2 and #3.
If you choose to write a public comment, you definitely cannot say that you were a reviewer for a previous version of the journal. On the other hand, if you write to the editor, I think you could reasonably give him that information (*“I was a reviewer of this particular paper for another journal”*), because (i) it may change his point of view of the author's honesty, (ii) he will treat it as confidential information.
# Answer
> 7 votes
I would suggest contacting the editors of the journal where it was published and pointing out the problem. However, the problem of salami slicing (to chose one expression) publications are not necessarily grounds for retraction so not much may happen. What will at least be achieved by such a contact is to make editors aware of the behaviour, which may be a very small victory in the battle against such publications.
In cases like this it also pays to look at cases brought up by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). I found one case on An attempt to publish data already published elsewhere which may be interesting to read. Each individual case must be weighed against these COPE cases and evaluated separately. In the linked case, retraction of both papers was in fact the resolution. It may be useful to point the editors towards the COPE site and any COPE case that might be applicable.
I handled a case where someone published a paper in what they thought was in-house "publication" ("" indicating the didn't see it as published). The submitted paper was more or less a copy of the other with another years worth of data added. The problem was that the in-house publication had an ISSN number and had to be counted as a real publication. We rejected the paper much to the dismay of the first author. The point is that some people try to publish and from pressure or ignorance end up in these bad situations.
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Tags: peer-review, ethics, plagiarism
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thread-13454 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13454 | What are issues to consider when making your code for an experimental paradigm, which was conceived by someone else, publicly available? | 2013-10-16T23:33:34.353 | # Question
Title: What are issues to consider when making your code for an experimental paradigm, which was conceived by someone else, publicly available?
# General background
In the cognitive sciences, it is often necessary to program/script experimental paradigms to conduct your studies. Basically, these programs present stimuli and collect responses, such as in the Eriksen Flanker task. However, programming capacities are typically limited in my field because it is rarely taught during graduate education (at least in my country). Also, it seems there is a somewhat reluctant culture of sharing this software unless there is some sort of scientific cooperation.
Consequently, when designing a study the decision for one of several paradigms used to measure a given construct can, among other things, be motivated by availability of the software or the effort necessary to implement it. With respect to sound science (choosing the most appropriate rather than available paradigm, software bugs, etc.), reproducibility (incomplete descriptions of methods, lack of programming skills, etc.), speed of scientific development, and, more generally, open science this is less than optimal.
# The situation at hand
For a current study, I have started to implement three paradigms from scratch for different reasons:
* One paradigm is publicly available from the authors but implemented in a commercial development environment for which I don't have a license (I, therefore, can't run it).
* Another paradigm, to my knowledge, is not available from the authors at all. I contacted the authors for a copy of the software but got no reply.
* The third paradigm is commercially available but is also closed source and only grants access to a limited set of the response data. For my analyses, I'd like to have access to richer data.
Given my prior general considerations, I think about releasing my implementations of the paradigms under an open source license, once they are finished. Now my question is:
> What are issues to consider when I release my software to collect data in an experimental paradigm, which was conceived by another scientist, under an open source license?
Here are some of the things I'm wondering about:
* Are there **legal issues**, such as copyright infringement, to be considered for commercially or non-commercially available software? Note, I created all of the code and all images based on low resolution prints in publications. I'm merely copying the concept.
* Would such a release conflict with common **etiquette** in the case where the software is simply not available from the original authors (remember, I asked but got no reply)? Is it necessary to ask each author before releasing my code?
* Can I be **held responsible morally** if the software is used and turns out to be faulty? I'm less concerned about legal responsibility because the license I intend to use does not provide warranty. More importantly, I certainly intend for the software to work since I'll use it my self but you never know.
* If my study ends up being published and points to the availability of the software, can this benefit the **citation count** of the publication?
I'm sure there are more things to consider that I haven't thought of. But that's why I'm asking the question. ;)
# Answer
> Are there legal issues, such as copyright infringement, to be considered for commercially or non-commercially available software? Note, I created all of the code and all images based on low resolution prints in publications. I'm merely copying the concept.
Unless their method is patented, no. Software is covered by copyright which protects a given implementation, not the general idea. Just as you are allowed to write an own novel on a topic that is covered by existing novels already.
> Would such a release conflict with common etiquette in the case where the software is simply not available from the original authors (remember, I asked but got no reply)?
No.
> Is it necessary to ask each author before releasing my code?
You need to get permission from all copyright holders. Depending on the actual settings, that means: for each author who contributed to "your" code the acutal holder of the copyright (could be the author or the author's employer).
The authors of the "original" software are not involved at all.
> Can I be held responsible morally if the software is used and turns out to be faulty? I'm less concerned about legal responsibility because the license I intend to use does not provide warranty. More importantly, I certainly intend for the software to work since I'll use it my self but you never know.
> If my study ends up being published and points to the availability of the software, can this benefit the citation count of the publication?
Definitively, yes
> 3 votes
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Tags: etiquette, software, open-science
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thread-13462 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13462 | Statement of Purpose-How specific it should be? | 2013-10-17T09:43:47.480 | # Question
Title: Statement of Purpose-How specific it should be?
I have a doubt regarding the Statement of Purpose for grad school.
Toward the end of the essay, should I specify the list of professors who I am interested to work with? For example:
*"...Since research in this field is very active in Dr. A's, Dr. B’s, Dr. C’s groups at XXX University, I would like to apply to your program..."*
My concern is: though doing so may indicate that I have read about the professors and their works (which is a plus I suppose), it is risky at the same time. What if Dr.\[A-C\] are not able to accept more people to their labs? Will the admission committee automatically disqualify my application in this case?
Hence, I would love to hear more advices from you of how to play it safe: whether such specifications are needed, and how to phrase them properly.
Thanks!
# Answer
**Disclaimer:** I am still a graduate student and my experience is limited to my own application process and as a student member of my department's graduate admissions committee.
I have seen that specific reasons are almost always better than general reasons. When I was going through the application process, my SOP always mentioned current specific projects that my POI's were doing and how I could be an optimal choice for those projects in the near future with my background and current research. This approach seems to have worked well enough for me.
During multiple interviews in the application process, my SOP was often alluded to, especially in context with these specific projects and my fit with them.
> 5 votes
# Answer
If you have *specific and substantial* reasons for wanting to work with a particular professor, definitely mention them by name and say why. But do not lie, do not bluff, and do not just drop names and paper titles. Admissions committees already know you can use Google; anyone can read the department web page. But actually incorporating appropriate technical details from someone's papers into your own research plans will generally draw their attention and impress them.
> What if Dr.\[A-C\] are not able to accept more people to their labs? Will the admission committee automatically disqualify my application in this case?
It should. If you want to be a student in department X specifically to work with Prof. A, but Prof. A is not taking students, then joining department X anyway would be stupid. In that case, you should *hope* that Department X rejects your application.
> 4 votes
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Tags: phd, graduate-school, graduate-admissions
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thread-13489 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13489 | What to do when a journal publishes a paper plagiarizing one's work but doesn't care about it? | 2013-10-17T20:26:53.810 | # Question
Title: What to do when a journal publishes a paper plagiarizing one's work but doesn't care about it?
Recently I caught a paper which had plagiarized my paper. Several sentences had been copied from my article without citing my article. Some of the copied sentences had been shuffled, so the words were the same but the order of the words had been changed. Some other sentences were exactly copied from my article. Besides, all the copied sentences in the new article appeared in approximately same places to the original sentences used by me in my article. I am not inexperienced in academia and without any severe bias, it was quite obvious that they have picked my sentences. Even the citations at the end of my sentences had been used in the same order in the new article... Moreover, the style of my sentences were unique to my article and not inspired from another article. So it was not possible that those authors were copying from another source other than my paper.
I said all the above points to the editor of the journal. I also highlighted all the copied sentences and put very detailed comments beside each highlighted sentence in the new article and attached the new article and my article to the journal editor so he could see for himself. He didn't respond. So I searched for and found the email addresses of all the editorial members of the journal and emailed them the same letter, frequently. All the emails were correct and running. Only one of the addresses bounced my letter. So I am pretty sure they have received my emails.
However they again didn't do anything about it, nor they did respond to me... So I wonder what else can I do?
I intend to report them to as many authorities as possible. I know a couple of them, but don't think they will do much about it. I need to know what can I do about it? What those authorities are legally able to do? And that should I sue them in court or not? The plagiarizing journal is in Turkey (not my country) and I don't know can I sue them in a court of my country? Are there other routes for filing copyright theft complaints?
Any suggestion is appreciated for when the journal tries to hide the plagiarism or doesn't care about it.
# Answer
* Document everything.
* If you can't get a reply from the editors of the journal, write to the publisher. Or if it's the journal of a learned society, contact them.
* You probably can't act alone, but you may get more powerful allies (deeper pockets) on your side. There are others around you who have a vested interest in your work.
In particular, the journal where you published your work… given that you transferred them the copyright, I suppose they might act in their own name against the plagiarist. Even if it does not escalate all the way to a legal action, the publisher of the plagiarized work might respond (or respond faster) to a well-known publisher.
Your employer may also have an interest in helping you enforcing your copyright. They may also have a legal department who can advise you on this matter.
> 42 votes
# Answer
If the journal editor(s) did not act (a question is of course how much time they should have before "doing" something), it should be possible to contact the publisher. If the editor(s) are not interested in digging into a problem, a serious publisher will probably think differently. So, the step beyond editors will be the publisher.
You should also look at the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). COPE has a library of cases where assorted possibly unethical behaviours have been assessed. COPE is not intended for individuals but for editors to handle poor behaviour. But, by looking at their case studies you may find additional support for your case to influence both editors and publishers.
I cannot answer the questions on legal actions but considering theft of, for example, copyrighted music, fashion and technology around the world, plagiarism will be low on the scale.
> 21 votes
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Tags: journals, plagiarism, editors
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thread-13500 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13500 | Importance of "independent" under-graduate research in graduate admissions | 2013-10-18T06:57:19.123 | # Question
Title: Importance of "independent" under-graduate research in graduate admissions
By independent research I mean, the research was not done with some organization or under a professor. I and my roommate tried out some new things that we thought to get published. My ultimate aim would be getting into research.
Though, I also have a paper published where the I did my work under the supervision of a professor.
But I was wondering if sharing the experience of independent research in a Statement of Purpose really matters while applying for masters ?
# Answer
> 6 votes
In an application, list all material that shows you in a positive light. Being able to perform successful research, both on your own and under supervision, is good. The fact that you engaged, on your own (or with friends) on research and were able to publish it (I assume in a peer-reviewed journal) is a plus for your application… unless the quality of the paper is really (visibly) bad.
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Tags: graduate-admissions, research-undergraduate, independent-researcher
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thread-5195 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5195 | What are the disadvantages of opening the source of your own science tools | 2012-11-08T09:18:33.380 | # Question
Title: What are the disadvantages of opening the source of your own science tools
I am currently finishing my PhD thesis and, as a great deal of the job was to create tools and protocoles, I am considering putting the different scripts I wrote on open source directories (such as SourceForge or GitHub).
The advantage I see for opening them is:
1. They will be available for everyone and can be reused by the scientific community
2. They could be improved (and corrected) by others
3. It ensure my authorship for the different scripts (I can prove I put them there)
> However, I was wondering if there is any drawback of doing so (for future publication, version maintenance, and so on).
I have to precise that not all the work was published yet. My field is biological science.
# Answer
> 5 votes
The issues I have personally encountered working on this - my source code is a mixture of open source and closed source projects, depending on many factors:
1. **You have to maintain your code**. This might not be something some people care about, but for me, I dislike the idea of putting out code that doesn't run at least relatively smoothly. Which means while the custom workflow where data bounces between a Python script, a C++ program and then an R script for analysis might work for me, produce good and reproducible results and generally carry science forward, it sure as hell isn't going to see the light of day. Things need to be put into functions in case people end up using your code like a library, general messiness cleaned up, etc. That's...well...it's work.
2. **Documentation**. As with the above, I really dislike the idea of releasing something without documentation.
3. **Lack of feedback mechanism/opportunity cost**. This one is a big one for me because they are what make 1 & 2 so difficult - it's really hard to tell if someone is using my code. It feels a bit like shouting into an empty room, it has little to no impact on my career, and certainly people aren't using it to the extent that it would appear as a line-item on my CV. So I put in a lot of work that could have gone to another paper etc. purely for ideological reasons.
4. **Sanitizing code**. Releasing code into the open and *not* putting in things that might get you scooped means going over your code to not put in a glowing neon sign that says "Future Directions Here". You can't really have a code base that is the combination of three projects, one being written, one being tinkered with and one really only in the musing stage and open source that code without taking a risk.
Beyond that, for me, is the potential presence of private health data. So my "released" code needs to be scrubbed of any reference to anything that might be confidential, and along those same lines, now needs dummy data that will work and is validated to go along with the code because the data the code was actually written for *cannot* just get dumped on GitHub or whatever.
All of this is because you asked for cons. Despite this, I try to put up as much of my stuff as is possible.
# Answer
> 16 votes
Some disadvantages could be:
* People may expect you to maintain the code. If you don't maintain it, the code may be rendered useless at some point.
* You might feel forced to document the code. This is actually an advantage, but many people would not realise that ;)
* You might have to work on cleaning up the code. Exactly the same point as above applies, if you ever want to re-use your code this is actually an advantage.
* If people start using your code (this is not impossible), they could e-mail you and start asking questions. This takes your time. On the other hand, it also provides you the opportunity to be co-author (so hey! don't document, so people are forced to ask your help ;-)
More points are raised in the very similar question that was asked at Programmers.SE less than a month ago:
Why don't research papers that mention custom software release the source code?
# Answer
> 10 votes
Here are some objections I've heard. It's up to you to decide how relevant it is to you. This post isn't to say that I endorse all or any of them: it's just to list some of the potential disadvantages.
# You might be giving away your most promising source of future funding: the exploiting and extending of those tools and protocols.
The tools and protocols are potentially your future career. You've put an awful lot of work into them. Only now, can you start getting value out of them. Giving them away, means giving away all your hard work, for others to leap ahead of you, and free-load off your development work.
You will get the aggro of users demanding more documentation, and the constant nagging of questions. And because they got the tools and protocols for free, their expectations may be even higher, and they'll feel even more entitled to more of your time, than if they'd paid for it.
Weird, I know, but from experience, many users have lower expectations of paid tools than of free tools, because with paid tools, there are well-defined boundaries of what the user gets for their money. As learnt from experience, and from behavioural economics experiments, people tend to value something more, if they've paid for it.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Too long for a comment:
@EnergyNumbers wrote:
> You might be giving away your most promising source of future funding: the exploiting and extending of those tools and protocols.
Assuming that opening the source is accompanied by a corresponding license, making the code publicly available under a FOSS license may actually do the exact opposite:
## It might ensure that you can exploit and extend those tools even after you leave your current institution, thus securing a promising advantage for future funding/employment negotiations.
* As a PhD student *employed* for doing the corresponding research by some university or research institute, you usually do not own the code you wrote. Instead, your employer has the copyright (depending on your legislation, you still may have the authorship rights, but the economic rights are your employer's).
* Other people may have been involved in the development, so they have intellectual rights to the code as well.
In this situation, a FOSS license can give legal certainty that you can go on using and developing the code after you leave your current university (which is not unlikely to happen after a PhD is finished).
Of course, the license must be granted by the holders of the copyright (university, co-authors' universities, etc.). This will not happen unless you
a) bring the matter to the attention of your university (supervisor, IP office, etc.) b) you convince them that the FOSS license is good for them as well\*
However going for such a FOSS license is IMHO advantageous for both you *and* your university:
* for you, because you can throw this piece of software into negotiations for your next job and go on using it.
* for your current university, as they have a much better chance that the code is maintained so they can go on using it. It is a huge difference between e.g. people in your current group using your code and your group finding someone else to take over the maintenance of the code.
I wrote might: because you'd have this advantage without FOSS license if you are the actual copyright holder of the code. That would be the case, if you were not paid for doing the research (but e.g. only for being teaching assistant), or you were paid by a scholarship and didn't sign a contract that transfers the copyright of the work you do during you PhD to your university, you actually own your code. So you already have all rights to deal with your code in future as you like, and granting a FOSS license to the public doesn't change this.
* In my experience, IP offices tend to see $$ as soon as you start telling them that you developed a software, but have no idea about the costs of selling the software (infrastucture and ensuring maintenance) that you can in practice avoid with FOSS licenses.
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Tags: open-science, code
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thread-2592 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2592 | How is Google Scholar changing academic evaluation? | 2012-07-24T13:35:38.320 | # Question
Title: How is Google Scholar changing academic evaluation?
Google Scholar is making it very easy to track (their measure of) citation counts, h-index, etc. for individual researchers. Is this changing how academics are evaluated? Do tenure committees now bring up google scholar profiles, or do they continue to prefer other sources for citation data? Is there pressure to make your Google Scholar profile public?
# Answer
> 42 votes
Yes, promotion and hiring committees look at Google Scholar, especially in fields like computer science where Google's citation data is more comprehensive than other sources like Scopus, which misses many citations of and by conference papers. In this respect, Google Scholar hasn't really changed the way people are evaluated, though; we've just replaced one unreliable (and expensive) source of questionable statistical data with a slightly less unreliable (and free) source for almost (but not quite) the same data.
Much more importantly, though, Google Scholar makes it easier to find electronic copies of papers, which makes it easier for committees to judge each candidate's work directly. In this respect, Google Scholar has had a significant impact.
# Answer
> 4 votes
Since the criteria is the same (citation count, H-index, G-Index...) I think *Google Scholar* is not changing anything, just making much easier to find/evaluate; therefore it might have a considerable impact.
But should be noted that, due to many errors like mixing authors with similar names and counting citations that shouldn't be counted, *Google Scholar* can't be used as a definitive source of evaluation.
Recently I have found Microsoft Academic Search more useful.
# Answer
> -4 votes
At my place, people who are doing well have public Google Scholar profiles, while those who shouldn't and probably wouldn't get tenured hide their profiles, probably because their publication — and thus citation — records stink.
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Tags: career-path, professorship, google-scholar, evaluation-criteria
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thread-13510 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13510 | Should I abbreviate the author names due to the page limitation? | 2013-10-18T15:59:09.220 | # Question
Title: Should I abbreviate the author names due to the page limitation?
While I am writing the references for my paper, I usually **copy and paste the bibliographic** information and use it **directly**. AFAIK, most of them are in the full version, meaning that all the author names are spelled out, e.g. *James Rhianna Smith*. *(They can be really long!)*.
Also given the fact that some conferences do have a **page limit** (e.g. 6 pages maximum), directly using those tedious full names is sometimes a luxury I cannot afford.
**Under this type of circumstances, should I shorten the author names?**
# Answer
This is almost always dictated by the style guide of the journal/conference/whatever to which you're submitting. Check with them, or better yet, use a bibtex style definition file provided by them (e.g., IEEE).
> 5 votes
# Answer
Sure, why not? There's nothing wrong with using first initials consistently.
> 0 votes
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Tags: publications, citations
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thread-13483 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13483 | Do British universities expect the research PhD applicant to know research methods before they write application proposal? | 2013-10-17T18:35:20.030 | # Question
Title: Do British universities expect the research PhD applicant to know research methods before they write application proposal?
Do British universities expect the research PhD applicant to know research methods before they write application proposal?
I studied research methods in the masters but it has been sometime now. Do I have to revisit research methods or can I present the proposal as if I have not studied research methods before?
# Answer
> 1 votes
British universities have recently begun to adopt the MRes (Master's of/by Research) as the preferred pathway for new PhD candidates who may not have a full set of research skills.
This typically involves some taught causes, as well as hand-holding through some preliminary research which may then form the basis of your PhD.
It offers you a couple of advantages: it adds a qualification that you'll have earnt after one year, so you'll get early rewards. And you can decide after a year whether academic research is for you; and whether or not you can work with that department. If so, you've made progress in your research already. If not, then you can leave amicably with a Master's degree and a new network of academic contacts.
It offers the university an advantage too: it gives an additional point at which the candidate's abilities can be assessed.
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Tags: phd, research-process
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thread-13497 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13497 | "Soft" ways to contribute to the research community in a new and growing field | 2013-10-18T03:36:40.750 | # Question
Title: "Soft" ways to contribute to the research community in a new and growing field
I am doing my PhD research in a new multidisciplinary field within Computer Science. It is new in the sense that there are still no tools/implementations publicly available and several workshops co-located with different conferences. Many papers targeting this new area, have been published in different conferences and journals. As a PhD student and besides the scientific contributions, I would wonder what other *soft* things I can do for the field?
So far I have developed a tool for one of the main models in the field. I am documenting it to make it public. I thought about maintaining a bibliography. but not sure how beneficial it is.
# Answer
You should remember that as a Ph.D student, the instruments at your disposal are limited. Having said that, maintaining a bibliography is a useful way to collect all relevant information in one place, especially given the multidisciplinary nature of the area. If you do this though, be careful to
* make sure things are always kept up-to-date. There's nothing more annoying than a half-baked reference page
* Be very liberal in what you include in the bibliography. It shouldn't be perceived that you're being a gatekeeper for the area.
* If possible, provide some structure to the bibliography: sections, maybe some annotation, etc. Depending on how web-savvy you are, you might be able to create a form for people to enter information in themselves.
The primary benefit for you will be access to the entire body of work in the area, and some credit for maintaining the page. There will undoubtedly be name recognition benefits if you are perceived not only as the librarian, but as an expert on the topic.
> 6 votes
# Answer
**Disclaimer:** I am also currently a PhD student.
My research lies at the intersection(s) of HCI, privacy, location based social networks, mobility theory and spatial statistics. This means that the work in this area gets published from computer science-y journals like ACM CACM, IEEE Privacy & Security to communication-y journals like New Media and Society to conferences like CHI, SOUPS and MobileHCI.
I adopt 3 strategies to organize my own work. If I do not do this then the existing literature and new critical thinking about my area will spiral out of control for me.
1. I maintain an annotated bibliography for any relevant work in this area. As Suresh pointed out, its generally up-to-date and quite liberal in nature. This is not public but I always email it to folks who ask for it. I find that maintaining a bibliography in Mendeley, exporting as a BibTeX file and writing a couple of sentences about each article works for me. I make sure that each article is filed under some loose sub-heading. For instance, one such general sub-heading in my area could be "**Location Privacy and Surveillance.**"
2. I write scripts in order to extract, manipulate and analyze data and I always publish them on github. This is public. Usually, I write scripts in php, python or R. Its great to see other folks forking my projects or following them and making them better than I could. :)
3. I write *short* blog posts about my impressions on certain topics and also post some simplistic visualizations and analyses of my work there. I take special care in making sure that these are short but to the point. Nobody likes to read long, rambling blog posts. :P
> 5 votes
# Answer
One very valuable thing you can do is to try to form or contribute to an online community of researchers in your subfield. In my area, these communities tend to form lately on Google+ and/or Twitter. You can start by following/adding to your circles people you know who use these social networks. Then when you read (or write) an interesting paper, post your commentary for others to read.
On G+, if you add the #spnetwork tag to your posts, they will also appear on https://selectedpapers.net/, giving them wider exposure.
> 1 votes
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Tags: research-process, citations, community, communication
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thread-13506 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13506 | How to behave when dating a fellow PhD student in same department? | 2013-10-18T10:19:59.953 | # Question
Title: How to behave when dating a fellow PhD student in same department?
I am currently dating a PhD student in the same department as me (I am also a PhD student). Not the same research group, but closely related topics anyway. We're both happy with it, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I am worried about possible negative consequences on the job.
So, what rules (written and unwritten) should be followed when dating someone like that? that is we do not work together everyday but we are still working closely, both geographically and scientifically.
# Answer
> 35 votes
One possible thing to watch out for: in some departments, graduate students may work as teaching assistants for graduate courses. You should ask not to be assigned to TA courses which your significant other is taking (and he or she should do likewise), as this would represent a possible conflict of interest. Even if you can grade your SO's work objectively, there might be a perception of unfairness among other students. Likewise, if any other situation should arise where one of you might be in a position of authority over the other, you'd need to disclose the conflict of interest and be prepared to resolve it.
Otherwise, as Peter Jansson said, relationships between graduate students are very common and aren't likely to cause academic concern. Just stay professional about it (e.g. don't make out in the hallways).
# Answer
> 20 votes
As long as you and your partner aren't put into any "boss-subordinate" professional relationship, it is nobody else's business what you are doing. So, it is perfectly fine to be in the same research group, the same class, etc., as long as it is not a direct "teacher-student" relationship. In the latter case just check what the university rules are.
The only (but major) negative consequence for the job is that if your relationship gets serious, you'll get a two-body problem to solve. I've been trying to solve mine since 1995 with no really satisfactory results (at best I could rank the arrangements I had as "tolerable"). So, watch out!
# Answer
> 14 votes
Concerning written rules you need to find out if any exist in your department, university etc. you will certainly not be the first or the only couple in this "situation". Unwritten rules are perhaps what you need to care more about and then I am actually not so much thinking about rules as such. First off, people know more about your relationship than you think. Or perhaps more precisely, they think they know more, in other words rumours and gossip might spread. so the advice is to be open about it and think about it as two adult persons in a relationship. It is your life, it is not a secret and most importantly, it is natural.
Regarding your work, you need to act professionally (like any other should). You need to help each other prioritize your respective careers and make sure your relationship can function despite the pressures graduate school inevitably involves. So in my opinion, you should worry more about balancing work and relationship so that you both can spend the time necessary to succeed. this means making sure the relationship does not directly or indirectly affect others on a professional level.
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Tags: phd, etiquette
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thread-13505 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13505 | getting funding as a master of engineering student | 2013-10-18T09:21:52.477 | # Question
Title: getting funding as a master of engineering student
I'm applying for master of engineering, but unless I can receive some financial aid through funding, I can not attend. So is there any way to receive funding except TA?
# Answer
Look for scholarships from your university, as well as outside scholarships devoted to your specific branch of engineering. Another option would be to do a co-op or have a part time job, as that would not only pay your costs, but also give you real-world work experience. If all else fails, ask your adviser and financial aid people. They will be able to show you whatever is needed. You could also apply for entry-level work positions and try to work and study at the same time.
> 0 votes
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Tags: graduate-admissions
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thread-12961 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/12961 | Is shifting from one field to another helpful for a good career? | 2013-09-25T12:09:52.710 | # Question
Title: Is shifting from one field to another helpful for a good career?
I have a Master's Degree in Pharmainformatics (which is quite IT oriented and different than regular Pharma Masters) from India. Since two years I am working on Microbial Genomics, which is Bioinformatics and now I have got a task of Database Management for next year. Is this shifting of fields increasing my exposure to different fields or am I just wasting time learning different things?
# Answer
> 2 votes
Shifting among several fields is definitely exposing you to different fields, and as the comments indicated, being an expert in more than one field is helpful for a successful career in academia. Answers to other questions on this site make it clear that shifting (or even completely changing fields) in the duration of an academic career is normal and advantageous.
For example, see Bitwise's advice here, where he says
> Changing fields is very common in academia, especially at the PhD/postdoc transition. In many cases it is actually considered an advantage, since you can import your skills, expertise and a certain thought-process into a field in which many people do not have those skills. For example, many physicists, computer scientists and mathematicians have migrated to biology and have made significant contributions. In fact, there are even postdoctoral fellowships that specifically fund this type of field-change.
The question was specific to changing fields at the PhD/postdoc transition stage, but his advice holds at any stage of an academic career.
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Tags: job, career-path
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thread-13495 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13495 | What is a reliable accreditation to look for in British business schools? | 2013-10-17T22:29:17.227 | # Question
Title: What is a reliable accreditation to look for in British business schools?
When selecting an American business school, we look for certain accreditations specific to business schools, like ACBSP, AACSB, CHEA, , etc.
For European universities, we look for Equis, AMBA, etc.
What about British universities? (For pursuing a PhD in a UK business school.)
# Answer
> 4 votes
I am not sure how valuable accreditations are. I would suggest going by reputation rather than a binary is/isn't accredited. I think it would be rare for a school to have a "good" reputation, but lack critical accreditations. There likely is variability in the accreditations that schools with questionable reputations have. I would still base my decision on reputation and then only when deciding between a few schools with very similar reputations give any weight to accreditation. As for finding out about reputation word of mouth, league tables (e.g., the Guradian tables), and the RAE are reasonable starting points.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Same as EU: UK has 16 schools with triple AACSB-AMBA-EQUIS accreditation, which is a good sign that it follows the same agencies as the rest of the world (or at least, as the rest of EU).
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Tags: united-kingdom, business-school, accreditation
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thread-13525 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13525 | Which month to cite? | 2013-10-19T12:42:10.873 | # Question
Title: Which month to cite?
Which month to cite, the month of acceptance or the month on which the paper was published online?
I am using bibtex and a custom bibliographic style where specifying month is not required. However, to update my bibliographic database and to know specifically what is the norm, this question has been asked.
# Answer
> 9 votes
In certain citation styles, you indeed need to add the month (respectively day and month) when you cite monthly (respectively weekly) periodicals. In which case, definitely use the month of publication: online publication if it's an online-only periodical, print publication otherwise (either print-only or print-and-online).
But such styles are a rather rare occurrence. It may be that using the month is not correct at all for what you intend. Could you give more details?
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Tags: publications, citations
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thread-13523 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13523 | When should academic papers be censored due to public health/safety concerns? | 2013-10-19T08:06:49.710 | # Question
Title: When should academic papers be censored due to public health/safety concerns?
A recent paper in the *Journal of Infectious Diseases*, which reports the discovery of a new botulinum toxin, has been censored:
> Because no antitoxins as yet have been developed to counteract the novel C. Botulinum toxin, the authors had detailed consultations with representatives from numerous appropriate US government agencies.
The team sequenced the bacterial DNA corresponding to the toxin, but did not publish it.
I can understand the reasoning, and see how it might make sense, but I wondered: in such a case, what are guidelines that should be followed? The editors indicate consultations with governmental agencies, but I think the government might in some case be overly eager to censor data that should, from an ethical and moral point of view, be disseminated.
So, without turning this into a political question: **what are guidelines (written rules as well as unwritten moral standards) that an author, reviewer or editor should follow concerning potential public safety issues?** I looked for information on the COPE website, but could not really find anything relevant.
# Answer
This is a rising bioethics topic in the area of biosecurity and dual-use developments. Last year there was controversy with H5N1 and censorship.
There is no set policy, though they are being devolped. Most recently there is the United States Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern
The IAP Statement On Biosecurity principles state:
> Awareness. Scientists have an obligation to do no harm. They should always take into consideration the reasonably foreseeable consequences of their own activities. They should therefore:
>
> * always bear in mind the potential consequences – possibly harmful – of their research and recognize that individual good conscience does not justify ignoring the possible misuse of their scientific endeavour;
> * refuse to undertake research that has only harmful consequences for humankind.
The US NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities is often consulted for such research concerns and has a report Enhancing Responsible Science Considerations for the Development and Dissemination of Codes of Conduct for Dual Use Research and has a series of recommendations.
The WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual does not address publication restrictions/censorship.
> 12 votes
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Tags: publications, ethics
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thread-13527 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13527 | Advanced degrees in two subjects? | 2013-10-19T12:43:41.190 | # Question
Title: Advanced degrees in two subjects?
Perhaps it is too early to ask this, but I will go ahead anyway, to satisfy my curiosity. I am currently studying Arts in a University, aiming to get a BA Honours in English and German. If I went ahead to get a Masters, would I have to choose one of them, or could I continue with both? And similarly for a Doctoral, if I get that far, does it have to be one subject at a time?
# Answer
If you do research based Masters and/or PhD, you could probably find a specific research that combines elements of both - quite often (not always), these types of projects turn out to be the better ones, as they force the researcher to establish, rationalise and justify the links between them.
Even though my research has not been in linguistics, rather in the applied physical sciences field, my research combined a few subjects together - in my case: atmospheric physics, programming and signal processing.
So, it is very possible to do, in your case, relevant elements of both English and German in a single research postgraduate degree.
> 4 votes
# Answer
If you're question is:
> Can I do a 'double master's' in English and German the same way I can 'double major' in English and German?
The answer is **not easily**. The reason for this is that admissions to master's programs are normally decided by the department, not by the university as a whole. Therefore, admission to one program (say, a master's in English) does not give you the right to get a master's degree in the other program (here, German). You would have to apply to the programs separately. It is also difficult to study for multiple master's degrees simultaneously, since the coursework tends to be disjoint sets, and therefore you would probably need to complete the degrees sequentially (at best).
The doctoral thesis topic would allow you to combine the two disciplines. However, it may be administratively difficult to have two different departments listed on your degree; this is an administrative issue rather than an academic one. There is usually an approved list of fields that can be listed on the diploma; if you want something else, you will have to petition for it, which could be a difficult process.
> 2 votes
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Tags: phd, masters, degree
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thread-11746 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/11746 | How to make a transition to a scientific position (from engineering position)? | 2013-08-08T11:14:52.263 | # Question
Title: How to make a transition to a scientific position (from engineering position)?
I am willing very much to make a transition to a scientific position, but I am not sure what's the best way to do it. I would like to ask for your advice.
Let me describe my situation (it is quite specific, but it can be generalized):
* I have completed PhD in Russia (at some provincial university, on knowledge representation and high-performance computing) which I am unfortunately not quite happy with (it could be better and I did it during my work at a company).
* I have some publications, but none in top journals/conferences.
* I have very diverse interests that span machine learning, knowledge representation, AI, algorithms, parallel programming, performance analysis, etc. I am trying to stick myself to just one direction: scalability problems of machine learning of big data sets, but well, there are so many interesting topics! :-) I visit summer schools on these diverse topics.
* I live in Russia (province, so to say) and I still do some teaching and research advise in local university, but I am not a faculty staff and I refused to be one. The reason is that it only involves teaching, but I want to do research. Also, faculty members at Russia have extremely low salary that will not allow me to survive. But there is one group doing research in machine learning there (not a famous one by all means).
* At the moment I am a software development engineer (in one of the top companies) doing research-like work in high-performance computing, but which is very applied. It is not always possible to publish a paper for the outcomes of this work, that's why it is not completely scientific/research. Also there are some software development tasks (previously I did it a lot, ~10 years).
* I have a family (wife + son of 8 years + plan to have another baby in some future).
* At the moment I am trying to do research work during my free time as much as I can, but it is not always very effective of course, because it is not my job. But I am trying to use every minute for this.
My goal: do scientific research. I believe that it is not very effective to do it as a hobby, so I am searching for a way to have a scientific position. I am ready to give a lot for it; I will be happy to have a medium salary, enough to support my family.
Possible ways to meet this goal:
1. Go to Europe/US and do a PhD there. Not possible, because I already have a PhD and I won't be able to support my family.
2. Go to Europe/US and do postdoc work. Somewhat possible, but:
* Need to produce at least 2 good publications first.
* Will I be able to support my family?
* Postdocs are temporary positions. This could mean switching countries and it could be difficult for my son at school (due to language).
3. Join research group at local university. I am going to do this, but it is temporary, I wanted to work with top people in this field. But it's good for the start.
4. Join some research lab or faculty in university in Europe/US. Well, that's a dream, but I need to be more prepared for this.
My current plan is to do 3), do research and write papers on my own or with this group and then... I'll see. Though, doing research and writing papers on one's own is quite difficult, because you don't know what is important.
What could be your proposal in this situation?
My concerns are supporting my family and school studies of my son.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Since you already have a PhD, and have a strong work experience with one of the top companies with the research-like work, not to mention your published work that you have mentioned, you should be able to get a grant from one of the prominent universities in Russia. If not, then try a country where you can happily continue your research while still supporting your family. As Dexters above has suggested that, with your passion you have nothing to lose, it stands true if you keep trying and not give up just yet. In the meantime you could try to publish your work with the top journals. Good luck with your endeavours.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Since you already have a phd, you don't need to prove your skills, if you are REALLY PASSIONATE about research, then you can do some soul searching to select a field, target a research lab, apply to a university in that country for a Master's Degree on a particular topic. Write to the professor famous in that research. Do your research home, spend 1 year on Masters , write a brilliant thesis on your field of interest. Publish it and try to apply for the lab that interested you. Usually MS students are not preferred, but since you have a Phd and you have a Master's thesis to prove that you are capable of research as well as proof to your passion for research, you can get a research job.
Worth a try, since you wont be spending another 5-6 years on Phd. Also this thesis publication could be your entry to a post-doc.
Regd your family and Son - you should save for your family and work part-time to cover for them. Depends on if your family is ok with you taking a risk for 1 year and leaving them in their own place.
If you indeed get post-doc, thats easily should be your choice. Since your son is only 8 years old, he should be able to pick up the language or teach him the language before you make a move to any country.
Edit:
Always remember that you can always live a normal life after a failure trying to get to top or to chase your passion. So it doesn't make a difference unless your family objects to it. Its just that most people so afraid of failures before even trying it.
All depends on how much you love doing research :) Good luck with your efforts!
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Tags: job, job-search, career-path
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thread-13543 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13543 | How should I proceed if the author of a paper doesn't reply to my query? | 2013-10-20T09:13:20.047 | # Question
Title: How should I proceed if the author of a paper doesn't reply to my query?
During my literature survey for a project, I came across papers that have very interesting results and have decent number of citations. Unfortunately, the sub-area I am exploring doesn’t have any standard datasets on which I can test my implementation of the algorithm presented in their paper. The authors have generated the dataset by applying certain actions on a subset of publicly available information, which are Flickr images in my case.
So I have contacted the authors, asking whether they can provide me with their code or the dataset that they used for their implementation so that I may use it to perform my experiments and possibly try to extend their approach. But almost a week has passed by, and I haven’t received any response from them. Does that mean that,
1. My method of asking was not correct? (In that case, what would be appropriate?)
2. They don’t have the code or dataset available? (The papers were published in 2004.)
3. They are not interested?
Would it be polite to remind them again?
# Answer
> 12 votes
The reason for no response may be anything from what Anthony Labarre mentions to what you list. I would wait at least a month before writing off an answer; I have received answers even later than that. It is possible they are working on improvements themselves as well. In short, if you do not get a reply, you can only try again and perhaps express your request differently.
You seem to have contacted all the authors. Sometimes the project leader may be too busy to pick up on questions and the younger team members may be more inclined to answer. They may, however, want to talk it over among themselves, and it is probably not a high priority.
So try again in a couple of weeks. If you do not get any response, then there is probably not much you can do. You probably need to think about what can do to improve the chances for a reply. The word "collaboration" is sometimes a good way to "sweeten the deal". Sometimes, just to give a perspective, I get requests for data that are of the sort, give me this or that, give me everything, and I often end up asking myself, why should I? having laboured to generate the data. I am not saying you must follow such an approach to be successful but considering why the other researchers would want to help you may also help towards solving the communication problem.
# Answer
> 1 votes
If they don't respond to e-mail, I'd try to give them a call. Many people get a lot of e-mail (running projects, requests to be hired as postdoc, etc, etc), so it is hard for you to get attention in this large amount of mails. Calling them makes it personal, you have their undivided attention at that moment. I would first ask them if they have time right then to answer your question, and propose to reschedule your call to a time that they are available.
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Tags: research-process, publications, etiquette, correspondence
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thread-13532 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13532 | Who do I email about a question on a paper? | 2013-10-19T18:29:19.310 | # Question
Title: Who do I email about a question on a paper?
I want to ask the authors of a paper if they have thoughts on an application of their work. I'm not sure who to email.
The first author is a grad student, who is supervised by the last author - however, the authors are in alphabetical order so I'm not sure if there is any meaning to the ordering. The paper is in economics, which traditionally goes alphabetically, I believe.
Should I email all the authors in one bulk message? Just the professors? Choose one of the authors at random and email them?
# Answer
> 19 votes
Papers usually have one (or more) designated **corresponding author**, or “contact author”, or “author to whom correspondance should be addressed”. That's whom you should contact.
Sometimes it's indicated by a footnote, an asterisk, or at the end of the paper. Sometimes, it's indicated by the fact that only corresponding authors have their email address listed.
**If there is no corresponding author, then email either the first author or senior author**, depending on the nature of your question and how confident you feel in communicating with them. **I would refrain from copying the email to all authors** (except maybe if there are only two): if he wants to, the author you will write to can forward your query to others.
# Answer
> 9 votes
While this involves a little more work, it might be possible to do some digging to see who's the prime mover on the paper. For example, if one of the authors has a series of papers on the topic, or if it's part of an author's thesis, and so on. If you're able to find such a person, then it might help to email them directly. If not, then @F'x's solution is fine.
# Answer
> 7 votes
In fields like pure mathematics, where authors are given equal credit, I'd recommend e-mailing all the authors unless there are an awfully large number of them or special circumstances apply (you know an author personally, you happen to know that your question is most relevant to a specific author, etc.). The reason is that if you single out a specific author, then the other authors may try to guess why. Is it because the author you chose is the most famous? Because you mistakenly think they deserve most of the credit? Because you are ignoring a woman in favor of her male coauthor? Of course nobody will know why you made your choice, so they won't get too upset about their speculations, but this is not a great start for your interactions with the other coauthors.
If you e-mail several people about a paper at the same time, it's best to send a single e-mail. Every so often someone will send the same message separately to me and to a coauthor, which just increases the chances that we will waste time by both replying without ccing the other.
# Answer
> 1 votes
This applies to the case where there is no corresponding author.
Talking about my field (applied CS), where many experiments depends on experiments which are not *always* easily repeated, and code are usually not available\*:
I think it is more effective to go directly to the supervisor (or supervisors) - \[last and second to last authors - since this is the order usually followed in applied CS\]. These authors usually takes higher care of their reputation in the field. Because of that, they will force their students (i.e. first author and/or second) to give explanation. (**example**: This happened when my supervisor received a question about a paper of his with another post-doc. I am sure that my supervisor did not work much on the details of the paper, but his name must be included - that s an engineering tradition I believe. The supervisor made sure to call the post-doc and asked for explanation. The supervisor forced the the post-doc to send an email back to the question sender).
If you send a question directly to a PhD/Msc student, he would ignore you most likely - from my experience. Because many PhD students hide their mistakes intentionally - just to have their thesis accepted later. (**example**: I heard a PhD student that he made some mistakes in his MSc thesis and he hid them intentionally. He said "this is to make whoever work on my work find trouble matching the paper results and the new experiments results".
But honestly, at the end, *we cannot generalize*.
(\*)This one of the biggest mistakes in applied CS.
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Tags: publications, etiquette, authorship
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thread-13538 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13538 | Why should a graduate student complete a whole course? | 2013-10-20T05:19:52.873 | # Question
Title: Why should a graduate student complete a whole course?
A normal process of learning in a graduate school looks like taking courses that include a broad perspective on some subject. This also includes the instruments of control: exercises, tests, problem sets, and exams. Let's suppose this control exists only to show where a student has gaps in his knowledge.
A student takes such courses to learn things she will apply later in her work.
But in practice each course include much material that the student will never apply in her work, even in academic research.
Many notable scholars mention that they pick up necessary tools, while disliking the idea of a university that offers too much in general, so students have to disperse their efforts.
Why does academia use this push process of fixed course program and control for all students in the course, instead of a pull process, when students have their own research interests and just pick necessary tools when the need arises?
Shouldn't students in general use a selective, not linear, approach to getting necessary knowledge? It's obvious that students need some overview, but what prevents them from getting this overview as they work through the problems of their own?
# Answer
> 9 votes
My immediate answer is they shouldn't. The problem is that there are differences between graduate systems. Aeismail has provided a good answer for one such system. Where I work each graduate student has an individual study plan and the idea is to tailor make the studies for each. this tailoring involves taking parts of a course and not for credit in the sense to go through examination. In our system all courses at graduate level is pass/fail. To understand the differences one has to look at the position of a graduate student as well.
In some systems a graduate student is more or less a bit more than an undergraduate (a "super student"). In my system a graduate student is pat of the employed body of the department and in that sense also a colleague. The point is that this involves both rights and responsibilities and further involvement in department affairs. This position has old traditions where a PhD was not awarded until much later in life, the term graduate student simply did not exist, there were, for example, intermediate teaching positions for those who had not yet completed the PhD yet. The thinking about courses is thus to ensure that the student does not waste much time on unnecessary material, just as you stated in your question.
So from this position, there is no right or wrong in terms of courses, the PhD programs differ so much between systems. The reason for the differences comes from deeper differences in the university systems and views on what the PhD student profile after completion. We had discussions about mandatory (tailor-made) course for students to provide a common base in the subject, but we have scrapped this approach because the field is simply to wide and then it will be up to each to read upon their sub-field.
# Answer
> 6 votes
Affirming the remarks in the two earlier answers, and continuing some of the themes:
At least in mathematics, although it is vitally important to have direct, sincere enthusiasm about projects and questions, inevitably these are not well-informed from a beginner. That is, projects grounded in ignorance of established ideas, while temporarily often very beneficial, simply aren't "professional-quality" projects. That's fine, temporarily, but certainly not in the long run.
So, in addition to "common culture" awareness, as mentioned earlier, there is the genuine and awkward problem that beginners may not have an inkling of what they'd like to know if only they were aware of it. Can't easily learn a thing if one isn't aware of it ... perhaps all the more crazily so if there really is a wonderful new concept that is unfortunately more than one remove from the familiar.
At the same time, I do agree with the questioner that all-too-often the "required" courses take a too-adversarial approach, too much homework, too tricky exams.
Certainly varying depending on the subject and on the program, many graduate courses are given in a not-so-adversarial fashion, with "grades" playing no serious role. Rigidity and an adversarial attitude are not universal.
But, again, yes, encountering an adversarial and coercive attitude is polarizing and unfortunate. Creates a bad attitude, and this can be a long-term ill, also.
Equally dangerous, though, is concluding too soon and too strongly that one is "ready to go", when, in fact, one is not merely missing some important things, but perhaps unaware. Sure, one should have enthusiasms, and follow them, but be absolutely sure to maintain at least one other thread in which one looks around fairly broadly, cultivating serendipitous encounters with helpful things one may have failed to imagine.
(Required courses are a clumsy approach to the latter, yes.)
# Answer
> 5 votes
You're presenting a false dichotomy: most graduate programs are not *completely* specified. There are a certain number of required classes—to ensure that all students have the same "core" knowledge that they will be expected to have, both as graduate student researchers as well as professionals in the field—and usually a number of elective courses, that can be chosen as the student chooses to meet the needs of their research, or to satisfy their interests.
But if you're really asking "why is there a core curriculum," it's because, as I mentioned, there are expectations of what an advanced degree holder in such fields will know. However, there are large discrepancies and variations in curricula between departments at the undergraduate level. Therefore, to "level the playing field," and make sure that all students have the expected knowledge and skills, they offer the courses that will guarantee proficiency at the required level.
# Answer
> 1 votes
This is a good question. I think the idea is to make sure, as aeismail says, that all grad students have the same core knowledge after having gone through the program. However, in practice this approach has major problems.
1. Many disciplines are so big that it is often not clear what the core *is*.
2. Additionally, some areas are changing so fast that even the core becomes outdated.
3. Also, my experience with going through such courses is that it doing homework
problems does not really make one understand the material as, say, working on a research problem does. Also, a homework problem might be a page of argument which is by definition well understood. This is poor preparation for research work (assuming that this is the goal) because a research paper is more than one page long, and does not consist of well-understood material. In practice one spends a lot of time when writing a research paper worrying
about such things as graphs/figures, suitable notation, and organizing the material. These are issues that simply never come up in course work. Even an
end of semester project in practice is not big enough to provide a suitable ground for exercise.
4. Often different parts of the core (depending on the subject) are rather
different from each other, and as you say, a graduate student, of necessity, is forced to specialize quite quickly in one area, and will likely never need to know about those other areas. So, in practice, much of this is time wasted.
I think part of the idea is that someone who is excessively specialized is not in a good position to cross-pollinate ideas across different disciplines. The very idea of interdisciplinary work is that ideas in one area are useful in others. But I'm not sure that forcing a set curriculum has the effect of creating a more *rounded* researcher. I think such adventures are best driven by curiosity and need.
Additionally, my experience is that beyond basic/core courses in a department, the more specialized courses may just reflect the (possibly non-mainstream) research interests of the faculty, and can be a real waste of time if such courses are made a requirement.
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Tags: research-process, graduate-school, education, motivation
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thread-13534 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13534 | What is the volume of this article in a journal? | 2013-10-20T01:09:44.423 | # Question
Title: What is the volume of this article in a journal?
I have this line about the article:
```
BioMedical Engineering OnLine 2007, 6:16 doi:10.1186/1475-925X-6-16
```
I think the volume is **6**. Then what is **16**?
**How should you correctly cite the Bibliography in Tex?**
My BibTeX
```
%
% Published abstract
%
@ARTICLE{vladimir,
author = {Kudriavtsev V, Polyshchuk V and Roy D L},
title = {Heart energy signature spectrogram for cardiovascular diagnosis},
journal = {BioMedical Engineering OnLine},
year = {2007},
volume = {6:16}
}
```
I am suspicious about the author and the volume field.
# Answer
As others have already said, it's an article number. You can verify on the publisher's website that papers in the same volume have indeed consecutive numbers.
As far as I can tell there is no bibtex field for an article number, so you'll have to work around it. Personally I'd go for `volume=6, number=16`, and no page field (it's not mandatory for an `@article`). The publisher's own bibtex file (go on "download reference" from the article page linked above) reads `VOLUME = {6},NUMBER = {1},PAGES = {16}` instead; that said, publishers' bibtex files are often quite bad, don't take this for an authoritative answer.
More importantly, the formatting of the `author` field is wrong. It should be `Kudriavtsev, V. and Polyshchuk, V. and Roy, D. L.`, or even better (if you know their names) `Kudriavtsev, Vladimir and Polyshchuk, Vladimir and Roy, Douglas L.`. Note that the correct format is `surname, name` or `surname, n.`, with "and" as the author separator. What you wrote would be parsed as two authors, one with given name Polyshchuk V and surname Kudriavtsev V, and one with surname only Roy D L. Abbreviations and sorting could go wrong with such a field.
For more information on formatting `.bib` files, ask on http://tex.stackexchange.com.
> 4 votes
# Answer
From the title, it seems that the journal is an online only journal. Many such journals don't use page or issue numbers, since there is no need for these in an online journal. Instead, such journals number articles subsequently as they appear throughout the year. In conclusion, it seems that in your case, 6 is the volume number, and 16 is the article number.
For BibTeX entries, I usually use the `pages` field to enter such article numbers. The reasoning behind it is that, in classical journals, page numbers are used to refer to an individual article, while in online journals, it's the article number which takes this role. Also, there are several BibTeX styles which use a citation format with `<volume>:<pages>`. For these, using the `pages` field for the article number will be compatible and will turn out as you show in your citation:
> BioMedical Engineering OnLine 2007, **6:16**
> 3 votes
# Answer
That notation is standard for volume and issue no. For instance, the following is a ACM citation for one of my journal articles:
> Jeremy Birnholtz, Shion Guha, Geri Gay, Y. Connie Yuan, and Caren Heller. 2013. Cross-campus collaboration: A scientometric and network case study of publication activity across two campuses of a single institution. J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. Technol. 64, 1 (January 2013), 162-172. DOI=10.1002/asi.22807 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/asi.22807
If you will notice, after the name of the journal (JASIST), there is the notation 64,1. It refers to volume 64, issue 1.
In your particular example, which I found here, on the top right hand corner, volume 6 is clearly mentioned. The structure of the citation leads me to believe that it is issue no. 16.
In BibTeX, issue no's are default. There is nothing particular that you have to do.
After perusing your author field, they also seem to be well aligned with the actual article. What are your suspicions?
> 1 votes
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Tags: citations
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thread-3592 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/3592 | PhD in the US with an MSc from another country: coursework exemption? | 2012-10-04T17:53:28.107 | # Question
Title: PhD in the US with an MSc from another country: coursework exemption?
I'm currently studying for an MSc in theoretical particle physics in Israel. After I finish it I would like to study for a PhD abroad.
In the UK it seems that a PhD degree does not generally require taking any courses. In the US, on the other hand, all of the PhD programs I checked require at least one or two years of coursework as part of the PhD studies, and the actual research only starts after that.
My question is: do you know whether universities in the US allow students with an MSc degree, who have already done most or all of the graduate courses as part of that degree (and got good grades), to begin research immediately instead of taking the courses again? I really don't want to repeat the courses and waste two years.
# Answer
It depends on the department. I have been looking at various applied mathematics departments in the USA and all of them want PhD students to go through the coursework and obtain an MS, even if they already did a masters degree before.
I think in general, there is no chance to skip coursework. This is probably because different universities have different standards and syllabuses for the same course. And they want to ensure everyone is up to the same standard and have taken the same syllabus.
But do check with the department, there are always exceptions.
P.S.
However, it doesn't have to be a "waste" of two years. The level of the course might be higher and you are probably able to choose different courses to get broader experiences. If all else fails and you are able to ace all the courses with no problem, you can always spend the extra time looking for a thesis adviser or find research collaborators.
> 9 votes
# Answer
Even at schools that have course requirements, you may be able to satisfy some requirements by taking a proficiency exam instead of an entire course. Check with the department!
> 6 votes
# Answer
The answer greatly varies. I was in the same situation, and in my school, a Phd student with a previous MSC gets exemption from 3 courses out of the required 12.
In other schools (I think it was Stanford, but I might be wrong), the required amount of (real) classes for a Phd student, is 4.
As @Legendre said, the best way is to check with the school itself. The Graduate Students Office (GSO) should be able to give you the details or refer you to the right website (yet, many times the website is not 100% accurate..)
> 5 votes
# Answer
Many US schools generally offer a partial/full "course waiver" depending on the course load and syllabus of the previous MS degree.
However, there are some problems with MSc (by research) programs from the UK (i.e. anglo-saxon system), as such program does not require any course work.
I know one person in our lab who did MSc (by research) from the UK and had to complete a full course load during his PhD, it took almost 3 years to finish the course work (only, and getting a second MS), even being one of the most competent/experienced members in our lab.
> 3 votes
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Tags: phd, coursework
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thread-13579 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13579 | Is it possible to create a mutual relationship between full-time work and a PhD program? | 2013-10-21T19:01:39.513 | # Question
Title: Is it possible to create a mutual relationship between full-time work and a PhD program?
Having experienced academia through masters, and work via part-time and full-time jobs, I plan to pursue PhD and keep working full time. However, my plan is to create a mutual relationship between work and PhD program in which research feeds work and leads new assignments, and work assignments helps research through results and my employer as well.
* I am not sure about the case in the other fields, but I think this should be valid for CS people. Do you think or know whether this is possible? If so, do you know any examples of such programs or people who work in this particular way?
* The other questions is how might this relationship help or hurt PhD studies?
There is already a question about possibility of working full-time and pursuing PhD simultaneously. However, this question considers working in a completely unrelated area with respect to PhD program.
There is another question that explores the possibility of working on extra activities such as start-up project while pursuing PhD.
# Answer
> 4 votes
It is not unheard of to have people work outside of an academic setting on their PhD thesis. For instance, in the US national laboratory system, there are a number of graduate students working on their PhD thesis. It's not a large number—maybe a dozen or so per laboratory—but it's not zero, either. In countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, it is also not uncommon to be employed as a PhD student in industry; however, the financing of that is somewhat unclear to me. (They may receive the equivalent of their stipend, or they may receive a "professional" salary.)
That said, I suspect it will be difficult to find an arrangement which will allow you to work full-time and receive both a graduate stipend and a full-time salary. Such arrangements would be generally frowned upon by both university and the external sponsor.
# Answer
> 1 votes
**Disclaimer:** This originated as a comment to @aeismail's answer but rapidly got too long and complex to warrant being an answer. It's however intended to complement his answer primarily...
I can't speak for Germany or Netherlands but in Sweden you are officially employed as a PhD, thus you do get a "professional salary" and not a stipend, albeit that salary not being on par with what you could earn out in the industry. I cannot say for sure but I have heard that it's a similar system in Germany.
The so-called "industrial PhD"s come in multiple flavours. The type I have seen most commonly are employed by a company which has a certain interest in a particular type of research. Basically by establishing a collaboration with a research group in a nearby university where there might be more resources (time, instruments and most of expertise) they send this student to do a PhD "in-between" the two organisations, figuratively speaking. It's usually a beneficial position for all parties involved, at least on paper, since;
* the company gets the research done, with near-minimal costs.
* the research groups gets a grad student that is practically free
* and the student gets well-paid (often better than her colleagues in the research group) and usually gets better deals through her arrangement with the company in question.
Another way the industrial research might work is, if the company in question decides to have the necessary resources to conduct research in-house. Then you are practically working as a regular employee, you just get to do R&D and publish your results (usually after being filtered to a level which your company is content with).
Finally, about keeping a full-time job and a full-time PhD position at the same time, if you do pursue such a course, make sure you double check your contract(s). Because we are government employed here (in my university for sure, but I think it applies to the rest of Sweden as well) and have pretty decent salaries, we are required to prioritise our research duties. In other words, we are *required* to not have any other full-time commitments besides our employment. I can imagine that similar fineprint might exist elsewhere as well
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Tags: phd, graduate-school
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thread-13137 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13137 | Affiliation for a student's internship project | 2013-10-02T07:50:21.120 | # Question
Title: Affiliation for a student's internship project
*Though related to this question on undegrad student affiliation, I am in a somewhat different situation…*
I am an undergrad student at the Miskatonic University. For completion of their BSc, students at MU are required to perform a 6-week research project in a research lab, which I did with a professor at another institution: Unseen University. I loved it, extending my stay there for 3 more weeks into my summer break. Now, **we will submit a paper with the results of that internship project, but I don't know what affiliation(s)** to put.
The specifics are:
* I am not paid by MU, and did not set foot there during my research project (not using the library, nothing)
* I was not paid by the research institution (UU), either
* Though I am keeping an eye on the research project, I did not do any significant work since my internship ended (vacations, then too busy with courses)
I think I should put UU as my affiliation, because I used their resources. But maybe UU being the affiliation of the main authors (grad student and professor on the project) is enough? And should I put MU as affiliation?
# Answer
IMHO being paid or not doesn't matter at all (e.g. a PhD student payed by a scholarship doesn't list the scholarship as affilitation but the university, funding goes into the acknowledgements).
*I'd list both adresses*
What matters is that there is an official relationship. Official relationships the student has with both universities:
* MU for the studies (not going there outside lecture time doesn't matter - you are allowed to study at home after all, and noone forces you to use their library). MU is also where you are now while writing up the paper.
* UU for the internship. Presumably there is some kind of supervision agreement or something.
Possibly an explanation that you were at MU as an internship (summer) student would be good (e.g. acknowledgements: thanking your supervisors - particularly if your MU supervisor is not coauthor of the paper?).
Unlike the situation in the linked question, here it is clear that MU officially wanted you to do the internship (and for the internships I know you usually also have supervisor at MU), and UU officially had you over there to do the internship.
But looking up how we deal with this, I find that all three possibilities are used in practice:
* giving only MU, as this is the "main" affiliation of the student (I think nowadays I'd give both affiliations - but my UU supervisor entered the affilations, so if he's OK with me being MU only, that's fine with me)
* giving only UU (I'm at the UU side, but I know the project is also a consulting project for studies at MU. But AFAIK no supervisor from MU was actively involved in the student's work.)
* giving both affiliations. Having multiple affiliations is increasing in my field as we have more and more interdisciplinary centers, and people give institute adresses rather than the university or the department. Working at a non-university research institute, students here usually have an affiliation with both our insitute and the university.
---
Update: policies
* At my institute, the policy is "discuss with the director".
Hovewer, some universities have policies on the net, e.g.
* University of Adelaide: Authorship Policy:
> This Policy applies to all staff, **students** and titleholders
> \[...\]
> 1.5 All individuals and organisations that contributed to the research outcome (e.g. research assistants, technical writers, funding bodies, **the University**), must be properly acknowledged within the publication.
> \[...\]
> 2.5 As an acknowledgement of the institutional contribution to the delivery of research outcomes, **authors must cite their institutional affiliation or affiliations** in any publication.
* Washington university in St. Louis: Policy for Authorship on Scientific and Scholarly Publications
> Applicability: Faculty, Staff, Postdoctoral Scholars and Associates, Fellows, **Trainees**, and **Students** affiliated with Washington University
> 5 votes
# Answer
A paper that I have recently read may be a good reference (or example). As can be seen, one of the co-authors, Xuemei Liu is under `Baidu, Inc. Shanghai`. The research work was done when she (gender inferred from the name) was done during her internship at `HP Lab`.
She wrote the affiliation as `Baidu`, and used a star mark as the footnote indicating the work was carried out during her `HP Lab` internship period.
---
**Update: Another more relevant example:**
This paper here is exactly the case. The first author is a student under `Shanghai Jiaotong University` (student and thus, unpaid). The work of the paper was performed when he was an internship under `Microsoft Research Asia`. They adopted the same way: affiliation is still the university and a star footnote indicates the internship connection.
> 6 votes
---
Tags: publications, research-undergraduate, internship, affiliation
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thread-13587 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13587 | What can we do to increase student engagement? | 2013-10-22T08:15:34.043 | # Question
Title: What can we do to increase student engagement?
My University has recently started recording lectures and posting them online. We have also, in the past few years, noticed a considerable drop in lecture attendance across the whole Physics and Astronomy department (even in courses that are not recorded).
I expect that the advent of recorded lectures is a significant contributor to this. However in the tutorial classes as well as lectures, it wasn't uncommon for attendance in the course I was TA for this semester to be below 50%. Myself and the lecturers are at a loss.
I am not necessarily against offering pittance marks for attendance, however I think that it is rather poor practice as it does little to encourage students to become genuinely interested in the material. Encouraging students to discuss science among themselves and become emotionally invested in the topic is the best way to get them out of bed and attending classes.
Does anyone have any "success stories" to share where they have significantly increased the level of student engagement in their course(s)?
# Answer
> 5 votes
My school has a mandatory attendance policy (which I know several members here disagree with) but because of that policy I have had to face with engagement in a different way that you. Still, I hope this answer will help.
Without engagement I find myself in large classes (sometimes \>100) and classroom management gets to be a real challenge (for me and the other students). So, after trying a few different things I've found that challenging the students almost like a game show seems to be useful.
For example, in one module, I will give them scenarios (one at a time) to analyze (with multiple choice answers where each requires them to come up with their own reasons why that is the right answer). The scenario is short enough to fit on one slide and while the students are encouraged to read before class, they can still participate even if they did not do the work. This is particularly helpful to me since the ones who do not do the homework tend to be the hardest to control and, therefore, are the most disruptive to the learning environment. They tend to find it a challenge to see who can 'guess' right.
On top of this, I try to inject a little humor while walking around the room asking for analyses which tends to add a little entertainment aspect to the whole event.
For another module, I assess through an extremely difficult test which is quite common to fail unless extensive research is done. In this case, I alternate lecturer sessions (where I do most of the talking) and discussion sessions (where students do most of the talking). Engagement is not quite as strong with this module but I'm still honing it.
On a somewhat related note, you might check into this article on discovery based learning. I found it quite interesting.
# Answer
> 4 votes
I think the definitive answer is not within our grasp. There are interesting studies that indicate that improved quality of lectures is one of few possibilities to improve attendance (e.g., Univ. of Wollongong Online Research). The causes of absenteeism can be related to many factors including demographic factors such as age, paid employment (e.g., Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Accounting Education, South African Journal of Ecomonics). It appears that the reasons for the attention drop has to be found in changes of student conditions, both in terms of academic experience and conditions relating to life in general. In other words, the world is changing and that demands adaptation from the university system. A study in Engineering Education (also in the aforementioned study in Accounting Education) provides indications that attendance and accessibility to teachers out of class hours correlate. The study also conclude that class performance and attendance are highly correlated. This means that academic performance is a selling point for attendance. The role of incentive schemes in achieving higher attendance may, however, not be a key to success as exemplified by a study in the Australian Economic Papers so the means to improve attendance requires more attention.
So whereas I do not have any good examples of how improvements can be made, there are studies that point at both causes and effects, positive and negative, which should be considered when trying to improve attendance. Some aspects lie with improving lectures but some concern understanding the changes occurring outside the university and adapting to these.
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Tags: teaching, attendance
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thread-13574 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13574 | What is the format of a good motivation letter? | 2013-10-21T12:00:56.893 | # Question
Title: What is the format of a good motivation letter?
I am writing a motivation letter to be used in applying for masters from German or Finnish Universities. I have the following points explained in my motivation letter:
* How I see this technical world
* Why I chose Computer Science in my undergraduate
* What I learned in undergraduate
* What are my interests
* Why I want to pursue Masters
* Why I chose their University
What could be the format of a good motivation letter?
What other points could be included to make it better at explaining myself? And how to arrange those points? How to connect a motivation letter to your CV?
# Answer
Well, just typing "motivation letter" or "cover letter" into Google seems to spew up links to loads of hints, tips, and how-to-s, so I guess it's not so hard to find materials outside of here.
So, instead, I'll focus on the advice that was given to me last year when I had to write one, since it worked for me :)
An important thing to realize is that a *cover letter* is supposed to **complement your resume, not duplicate the same information**. Thus, your qualifications and achievements should mostly stay in the CV.
Also, you should **focus** mostly **on the position you are applying for, what makes you want it and what makes you think you would be good for it**, which means that *"how I see this technical world"* probably does not deserve much elaboration (one sentence should be okay in my opinion). You are trying to convince them that **you are the One** and show them what makes you different from the bulk of people applying. What makes you more suited, more likely to succeed, or a better fit than other applications they're considering. (I would guess it's easier for a Master studies application since they will be admitting more than one/a handful of students).
Finally, the structure that I used, and will probably use the next time I will have to write something like that, is **dividing the letter in to three parts**:
* **you:** here's where you'll put information on you. While you're not supposed to list *all* your achievements here, you should emphasize or elaborate on specific achievements, skills and motivations that make you especially suited *for the position you're applying for*
* **them:** it is important to "prove" that you're not sending out generic application letters. You demonstrate that you're familiar with the work done in the university/lab/research group you are applying for.
If you're applying as a PhD student to a lab/professor, you might want to mention a specific paper or project and write an intelligible sentence or two about that. If you're applying for a University, you might want to pick some specific of their programme that especially caught your eye.
* **you and them together:** first section is about how awesome you are. The second, how awesome *they* are. Now (to conclude), you have to show why you thing *you would be awesome with them*. Why do you think you're a good fit, right there? This section is *not only* about what they can do for you, you also have to try and convince then of *how they can benefit from you*.
Finally, the letter should **not be longer than one page**. Somewhere, you can even find this as a hard limit on an application. In my experience, you should also not have more than 3 sections. I managed to put an introductory sentence and an finishing sentence just fine in the "sections" I mentioned. Also, **your writing should be impeccable.** If you can, get a native English speaker to check your language. Use a spell checker. **Pay attention to details**. Getting an address wrong, or a letter in a name, shows sloppiness. Maybe it does not consciously affect the decision, but it might on some level.
And the last advice I got, which I did follow, but you *don't have to take it as a hard rule*: **avoid negative statements**. It's supposed to give a better tone to your letter. So, instead of saying, e.g. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find and internship during my last summer", you should write something like "Having a free summer before my last year, it allowed me to spend more time reading upon the areas of my choosing". The positive statements should help you present the facts in a more positive light.
> 14 votes
# Answer
I can talk to you by my own personal experience following a Master´s in a Finnish university (about the German case I am ignorant about that). Anyway Finns are very laconic people, try to submit your motivation letter as concise and direct as possible. I have taken a look at the questions that you are plan to answer in your motivation letter and they are just fine.
In my case I submitted my CV separated from the motivation letter, but a big plus would it be to show that you have some sort of research experience; for example if you have made some research article during your undergraduate or you have been a research assistant. In case that you do not have that, you can express your interest directly to make research in the field that you are applying for your master´s degree (I think that you have covered that part also in your questions stated before)
Good luck!
> 0 votes
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Tags: graduate-admissions, masters
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thread-13598 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13598 | Can I put the editor in the Acknowledgements? | 2013-10-22T19:26:25.113 | # Question
Title: Can I put the editor in the Acknowledgements?
I am currently having an exceptionally good and fair editorial process with a paper.
One of the two reviewers suggested a rejection (still providing many suggestions for improving the manuscript).
The editor was able to understand that many issues raised by the reviewer were because of how the paper was written instead of the actual research design and the results of the study. Additionally, the editor was also able to understand that the study is multidisciplinary and that some issues were born on the side of the non-familiar discipline for us (both the editor and the reviewers are expert in this discipline). These issues were not severe but quite a few.
Instead of rejecting the article, the editor requested major revisions and actually provided substantial suggestions for improving the manuscript. Exactly how the reviewers did.
I revised the manuscript and acknowledged the "help of two anonymous reviewers". However, this time I truly feel that I should thank the editor, as well. I have never seen this in a paper. Is there a reason for that? Can I acknowledge the editor in my paper?
# Answer
There is nothing wrong with acknowledging an editor that goes beyond what can be expected. It is of course not customary to provide such acknowledgement in most cases. Editors do not expect it and it may simply appear as inappropriate attempts at flattery. It is difficult to draw the line where acknowledgements are appropriate but, I have probably acknowledged editors in a couple of percent of my own papers. I have also been acknowledged a couple of times in my capacity as editor (out of editing hundreds of papers), all in cases where I have felt my assistance would save a paper that could otherwise be buried undeservedly. In any case, your description seems to fit a case where the acknowledgement is appropriate, although no editor would probably expect it.
> 11 votes
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Tags: journals, etiquette, editors, acknowledgement
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thread-13596 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13596 | Do online recommendation systems ask specific questions about the PhD candidate? | 2013-10-22T17:28:12.370 | # Question
Title: Do online recommendation systems ask specific questions about the PhD candidate?
I am applying to fall 2014 PhD programs in computer science. I have heard that the online recommendation system in place at most universities asks the recommender to answer a series of questions about the student in addition to a place where the letter can be typed. What kind of questions are asked?
# Answer
> 7 votes
Take a look at this:
They pretty much ask the same sort of questions (mostly in a Likert scale).
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Tags: phd, recommendation-letter, science
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thread-13602 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13602 | Attribution when creating images from other sources | 2013-10-23T06:04:32.383 | # Question
Title: Attribution when creating images from other sources
I'm writing a paper where I've created several images using clipart from various sources. Some sources are Creative Commons, some just require attribution while others require a specific disclaimer (e.g. Microsoft and Android logo usage) with specific wording.
My first thought was to have a 'Credit' section:
> CREDIT
>
> Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other counties\[53\]. The Android robot is reproduced or modified from work created and shared by Google and used according to the terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License\[54\]. Figure 1 Physical System Architecture incorporates derived works for an aerial vehicle\[55\], surface vehicle\[56\], submersible vehicle\[57\] and a communications server\[58\]. Figure 9 Testing Configuration incorporates derived works for the drone\[55\] and clock\[59\]. This diagram also utilises the following third party images: server\[60\], node.js logo\[61\], laptop\[62\], server\[60\], penguin tux\[63\], Microsoft Windows™ logo\[53\] and Android™ logo\[54\].
In my references section I then have the correct references as per IEEE formatting style, for example:
> \[60\] mimooh, “Clipart - Server,” 12-Aug-2011. \[Online\]. Available: http://openclipart.org/detail/155101/server-by-saisyukusanagi. \[Accessed: 13-Oct-2013\].
So my question is two fold:
1. Is above approach is valid?
2. Do I meet creative commons requirements by the above (see Android reference)?
I've tried finding style guide information on composite images and how to deal with creative commons but not had much luck. I have also not been able to find any example papers that deal with this.
The images are as follows (I'll have to add credits below):
* *N. Halftermeyer, Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 flying. 2012.*
* *U. S. N. photo by J. S. J. Ebalo, Camp Lemonier, Djibouti (Oct. 26, 2004) (RELEASED) Robot used by Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU).*
* *MKFI, Bofors Double Eagle Mk II remotely operated underwater vehicle used for naval mine clearing by Finnish Navy. Photographed in Turku Forum Marinum during the Finnish Navy 2011 anniversary.*
* *C. Berscheidt, Built-to-Spec Raspberry Pi Case. 2012.*
*Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other counties. The Android robot is reproduced or modified from work created and shared by Google and used according to the terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.*
* *rihard, “Clock + Calendar,” link*
* *mimooh, “Server,” link*
* *“node.js.” link*
* *metalmarious, “Laptop,” link*
* *L. E., Simon Budig, Anja Gerwinski, Penguin Tux, the Linux Mascot. 2012.*
# Answer
I think it's somewhat unusual for academic papers to have a **Credits** (I would use the plural) or **Picture credits**, for two reasons:
1. Academics usually strive to produce their own content, rather than reuse.
2. Most people wouldn't follow the proper attribution/disclaimer rules.
I, however, think your way of doing things is very adequate. Your Creative Commons attribution seems correct: as you can see here and there, the CC attribution requirements are actually pretty flexible.
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The one thing I might do differently is the use of references for each of the attributions. It seems a bit overkill (takes up more space) and somewhat blurs the purpose of the references list. I would simply put the attributions inline in the text:
> This diagram also utilises the following third party images: server (by mimooh, 12-Aug-2011, http://openclipart.org/detail/155101/server-by-saisyukusanagi), etc.
Also note that, at least for openclipart.org but also for other online resources, you can actually abbreviate the URL without loss of functionality: `http://openclipart.org/detail/155101` instead of `http://openclipart.org/detail/155101/server-by-saisyukusanagi`.
> 6 votes
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Tags: citations, copyright
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thread-13607 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13607 | PhD programme without teaching | 2013-10-23T09:43:12.900 | # Question
Title: PhD programme without teaching
I know other PhD students (at a different university) who have minimal duties like preparing exercise sheets.
I am going to enter a PhD programme which does not involve any teaching components, but throughout the years before, I have frequently worked as a tutor, leading exercise classes.
I wonder whether the lack of teaching in my PhD will negatively affect my future employment chances in academia (or whether my teaching experience until now will positively affect my chances). What do you know?
# Answer
**Definitely yes**: if in the future you're looking for a teaching (or part-time teaching) position, having less experience than other candidates will be a really bad experience.
**Yes to some extent**: even for non-teaching research-only positions, teaching experience can be seen as a positive for the applicant. Some of the qualities required for teaching are necessary for other aspects of the job (handling a team, tutoring interns or PhD students, communication with non-scientists, etc.).
So, I would advise you to continue having some teaching duties during your PhD, even if you have to take those outside of your own institution or do some of it *pro bono* (or for not-so-great pay).
> 11 votes
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Tags: phd, teaching
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thread-13610 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13610 | Is it considered okay to ask for the opinions of admission staff or committee after their decision of declination? | 2013-10-23T17:13:55.307 | # Question
Title: Is it considered okay to ask for the opinions of admission staff or committee after their decision of declination?
If one applies to a graduate school and gets declined, is it considered okay to ask for the opinions of admission staff or committee, about their thoughts on the person's application package (gpa, experience, personal statement, recommendation letters), for better adjusting his plan of applying to other schools and career?
Thanks!
# Answer
> 15 votes
There is nothing wrong with asking, but don't expect an answer that is particularly helpful (although you may get very helpful answers). You may get a standard response that doesn't tell you much, and I would think it pretty rare for someone to take the time to craft a detailed response.
If you do ask, make sure you do it in a professional manner, with a couple of key questions about particular issues, like those you mentioned. I would avoid a generic email that simply asks, "Why didn't I get the job/an acceptance?" or "What didn't you like about my application?" Obviously, if you do get a response, follow up the response with a brief thank you email (and definitely don't get in an argument about the response if you don't agree with it!).
# Answer
> 8 votes
Tricky. The selection committee may refrain from telling you anything very specific about your case, because if they don't walk carefully and say something dumb, there can be a lawsuit. So, mostly you'd get some cookie cutter responses such as "it's not a good fit" or "the selection process was highly competitive" or something like that.
To soften them, I'd suggest sending the chair of the committee an e-mail thanking for their time to evaluate your case. Express a reasonable amount of sorrow but show a strong will to pursue this degree or career. Propose an informal meeting or a phone conversation to lessen their stress of crafting a written response (stress "informal"). Schedule a time, and meet or call. In the communication, never ask why you were not selected. Twist the question a bit by asking what are the traits they value in this field/industry, and in light of your application, how you can enhance your portfolio so that you can become a stronger candidate in the general pool.
Also, one school's rejects can be another school's successful candidates. On top of this very institute, you should talk to other institutes or at least attend their open day as well. The comments of the committee of the next school you'll apply probably matter a lot more.
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Tags: graduate-admissions
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thread-13594 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13594 | How can I improve the effectiveness of my literature searches? | 2013-10-22T16:17:00.113 | # Question
Title: How can I improve the effectiveness of my literature searches?
OK, I know this is a pretty basic question but I haven't been able to come up with any really satisfactory solutions. (I have searched around on this site, but none of the related questions precisely answer my problem.) I'm a first-year PhD student working mostly in evolution, phylogenomics, and conservation biology. I'm looking for basic tips on how I can become more effective at finding papers when I need to research a subject for any of the usual reasons like developing a methodology or drafting a proposal.
Right now I seem to be pretty bad at this. My search strategy pretty much consists of putting likely keywords into Web of Science and Google Scholar, and then looking at whatever papers appear that seem like they might be relevant to my query. Frequently this fails to yield satisfactory results, even when the subjects that I am researching seem like they ought to have a significant body of existing work behind them. I know I must be able to do better, because I see other people coming up with papers that I don't seem to be able to find.
What are some basic best practices for conducting a literature search? I feel like this is a big gap in my existing skillset, and something that will really hold me back if I don't get on top of it soon. Again, I realize that this is a pretty remedial-level question and I appreciate your patience and guidance here.
# Answer
> 38 votes
Literature search, to me, is like the recipe of potato salad: everyone has at least one, and they always claim that theirs is the best. In fact, we just use what we feel comfortable and, so far, has not caused any major meltdown. So, bear in mind that these are just what work for me, and you should modify them along the way.
**Schedule a meeting with a librarian, now**
Talk to a librarian at your institute. In our school we have a medical librarian and perhaps you may find one specialized in your field as well. They are trained to locate useful information and are up to date with related technology. Give them a clear field of study and even a gist of your research, and ask for a good list of databases. I may go so far to say that a good database list is half of the game. Apart from the list, learn Boolean and learn them well, pick up a good electronic reference manager software. Your library should have these resources.
Also, ask your library if they have any library consortium. Some major institutes have large amount of subscriptions which open the gateway to many full articles. If your institute is tight on budget, a lot of the time you can just find abstracts sans full text. Having a consortium library card may grant you access to other bigger institutes' library, in which you can print or photocopy their articles. On the same note, ask for an introduction on doing inter-library loan and how much you're supposed to pay.
**Learn systematic review**
Systematic review, simply put, is performing literature review as a scientific research. It's problem-based, protocol-focused, and the process is meticulously documented and hence readily replicable. There are plenty of publications about this skill. I have been using Booth's *Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review* and so far it serves me well.
Focus on the chapters about question formulation and ways of collecting data. I think even we are not heading for a formal systematic review, learning how to keep a clear search records, draft a conceptual framework, and maintain a paper trail would still be very beneficial.
**Understand the cataloging system**
In biomedical field (where I work) we have MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) which shows the hierarchy and grouping of keywords. Consult the librarian and see if such thing exists in your field.
**Read a few systematic reviews or literature reviews in your own field**
To get the general picture, I actually first start from Wikipedia and encyclopedia. If you already have some background knowledge, you can probably skip the first phase. After meeting with the librarian, use the new-learned technique to find a few literature reviews or systematic reviews (hereafter "review") in your field. Review articles provide general scopes and a rich pool of keywords for your later use. You can also perform a reference tracing technique on these articles because they usually have unreasonably nice and comprehensive bibliography.
Spend some time with the online search engine and really read the "read me first" and "how to use this site" links. Learn how to massively download cited articles from a hosted article and export them to your manager software of choice.
Another good reason to start with these articles is that they are all required to report the information retrieval in details. Which engines were used, how articles were screened, what were the criteria, etc. You can get a good sense of how researchers do it (or appear to want to be seen doing in order to look trustworthy.)
**Start casual**
Through this snowballing technique, a small body of articles should start to form. Pay attention to their use of words, keywords, etc. It's still somewhat a toying phase but you should start using your tools seriously. The only recommendation from me is at least one electronic storage/manager software should be used. Make sure you can integrate this software into the word processing software in a harmonious manner, and be able to export a formatted document on the fly. For the rest, it's personal choice: index cards, Post-it notes on the wall, writing on a poster size paper, etc.
Now, many fun tools are available... mind map allows you to cluster the ideas and words, citation map allows you to trace the ancestors (cited) and offspring (citing) articles of any indexed articles, word cloud allows you to identify the most frequently used words, some of these functions are also embedded in manager software such as Qiqqa, which is largely free and powerful.
**Then get serious**
After a week or so, you should have a good command of the tools, the software, the databases, and the keywords. Now you just need a question. Personally, all literature review should be problem-based. If someone asked you to "go and understand the field," that is just simply absurd. It's like searching an encyclopedia without anything to search; while there may be people who enjoy randomly reading wikipedia entries (I do, to confess), but that's not the best use of PhD time. Isolate the questions from your study before doing any literature search.
Now, what to search? I work in biomedical field so your and my paradigms may differ. For me, I usually go by this sequence as a starter:
*Definitions:* How does my field define XYZ? What are the controversy of the definitions?
*Operationalization:* How does my field capture/measure different contexts? How do we approximate "poverty"? How do we call a good "user experience"? etc.
*Data source/Research design:* What does my field do when they study the phenomenon of XYZ?
*Analysis:* What is some specific analysis for a certain type of design?
In a way, use the first literature review to solidify and fortify the understanding of every single phrase in your research questions and specific aims. Then expand to other questions (you WILL have branching questions along the way, trust me. It'd be hard to suppress them). Stop when you feel you have somehow exhausted the answers, and/or you're happy with the results.
Never start a literature review without a question, or you'll find yourself still only reading paper 18 months into the PhD, and that is probably not good.
**PhD is not a between-people competition**
You mentioned that sometime you saw others finding stuff that you did not. I'd suggest just ask them how they did it. Just because you asked them doesn't mean you're worse than they are. If they found something you didn't, get the references, read them and incorporate them into your manager, and instantly you're as well informed, if not better informed.
**Talk to experts**
Find some prolific faculty members and researchers, and ask them for tips. Collectively you should be able to get something more out of just talking to the librarian. Experienced researchers also tend to know more about the seminal work. And if you can get that list, compounded with the ability to trace the work's offspring, you can pretty much recreate the family tree of a particular key research theme.
**Use crowd-sourcing**
Websites like Mendeley and Research Gate utilize social bookmark approach and you can refer to other people's collections of articles/citations. If you have a good peer in your team, you may also divvy up the work and then evaluate the findings together, exchanging references, etc. Also some young researchers may be on other social sites such as Reddit (but refrain from checking funny videos) or crowd sourcing sites such as GitHub... you may consider setting up an account and set up a chat thread or a project for others to contribute.
**Exploit all services of journals**
There are at least a few services that you should see if your field's prime journals provide:
*1. Mail alert:* Some journals or search engines will send you e-mail when an article containing any of your preset keywords is available. Get like a weekly notice from them, and you can keep yourself somewhat up to date.
*2. Twitter:* Same as above, but through Twitter.
*3. Digest:* Some journals may boil down their published works into short pieces then feature them in the form of an online billboard. Occasionally a third party may do that as well for a nominal fee. For example, MDLinx summarizes key medical journal findings and e-mail them to subscribers as a 5-minute digest every day.
**Pay attention to "grey literature"**
Notice that in some fields there is a tendency to favor publishing results that are statistically significant. Relying solely on literature database is only unbiased in the domain of the published literature. Sometimes, grey literature such as conference abstracts, documentaries, unpublished papers, white papers, proof-of-concepts, blog posts, grant proposal archives, trial registries, patents, personal communications, and general mass media may needed to be explored as well. Each field has their own literature graveyard and atypical channels of documentation, you'll need to talk to some specialists in your field.
**Be always on**
To me, literature search is really more of a lifestyle change rather than an activity. Now I have camera to take snapshots of posters, take verbal and written notes. I bring index cards for writing. Etc. When talking to people I often drive the topic to what cool papers they recently found. That's my best way to deal with potentially tricky water cooler conversation; either I'll learn something or they'll leave me alone.
# Answer
> 12 votes
If you limit yourself to only internet searches, your success will depend on your key search words as you mention. Doing such a search is of course an integral part in the approach but what you also need to do is the following
* Try to figure out what constitute key journals in your area based on your web searches and start browsing the table of contents of the journals for articles. Start from the latest issues and go backwards (as far as you find useful). You can either find out new search terms for additional web searches and/or find other key publications on the subject. Keep an eye out for upcoming issues and new manuscripts accepted by the journals since they are often posted online once accepted.
* Once you find recent published papers, check their reference lists for other relevant literature (papers/books/proceedings). This way you will start to get an overview of what other find of interest. Just remember you cannot find anything more recent referenced than the paper itself. In other words this is a way to search backwards in time.
Now put all this together and work on all fronts in parallel and your overview will grow rapidly. Doing literature searches will inevitably take time but you will learn to find your way through the mass of information more and more quickly.
# Answer
> 0 votes
You've got some great answers here. What I can suggest is trying Scizzle, where you can set up your feeds based on the things you always search for. It's more of a tool to keep up and stay on top of the literature rather than previous literature search, but it will help you going forward. The problem with only using eTOC is that you limit yourself to just those journals and may miss something that is still important to you just because it was published in a journal you don't follow. Not to mention you might flood you inbox with all those alerts.
I love the analogy of the potato salad, it's so true, you just need to develop your own workflow and practices that fit your own style.
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Tags: research-process, productivity, time-management, literature
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thread-13628 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13628 | PhD Supervisor warnings | 2013-10-24T15:22:53.933 | # Question
Title: PhD Supervisor warnings
I'm a third-year PhD student. First year, due to my ill health and lack of command over the subject research progress was slow. My second year, I picked up well but still no clarity over the research problem.
After the second year, on a monthly basis my supervisor asked if I am interested or not, and said things like "You have improved but within three months if I don't see immense progress I'll give you a master's and get rid of you."
I'm interested and trying really hard to keep up to them. These questions demotivate me regularly even though I'm still confident. With this state of mind, working has become difficult.
If I get masters, it'll be of no use since I'm already a Post-graduate. How do I make this situation better?
# Answer
> 14 votes
Have never been at either side of the table in this kind of situations, but I can share some of my thoughts based on conflict resolution.
First, as I have stated in the comment, you need to let us know where you are at. Have you passed the qualifying exam? Have you submitted your PhD proposal? Was your proposal rejected? etc. All these can help the viewers here to give more concrete suggestions.
**Think in your supervisor's shoes**
First, you'll need to realize that mentor-mentee is a very delicate symbiotic relationship. The mentor guides the mentee by provide intellectual, physical and financial supports, while the mentee helps expand the research base of the mentor's, publish papers and solicit funding. Even you don't mind your progress being slow, you can significantly slow down your supervisor's career advancement, especially if he/she is struggling in a tenure track. So, the urge for you to get done is reasonable and you should understand that.
I am not entirely sure about your institution but in my institute, for a supervisor to keep a PhD student for two years (notice: not three, three is impossible) without producing any progress, a LOT of work has to be done (explaining to the promotion committee, to the dean, to the funding source, etc.) to keep the student safe. I suspect that your supervisor might have done a lot to protect you already, and finally gave in to the pressure and reality.
**Ask for an evaluation guideline**
If you really wish to stay and are confident that you can do that. First, ask for a set of criteria on what is meant by "*immense progress within three months*." Be it a draft of a proposal, a draft of a paper, a list of research aims, or whatever. Ask your supervisor for a list of deliveries and how they will be evaluated.
Then, go home and break them down into 2-week chunks of work. Turn the results into a monitoring chart. Every two weeks, you'll meet with your adviser and check off the items.
If anything slows you down, don't wait till the meeting, ask for help. If your supervisor is not giving you help, ask someone else or work it out yourself. Never attend the meeting without the promised delivery.
At the end of the third month, if both parties are happy, keep going and repeat the system. If for any reason it does not work, then bow out. At least you would get a Master in three years, and in that sense your resume wouldn't look too wrong. Getting a master after post-graduate is not rare, a lot of people get MBA or MPH after their doctoral studies. It's the nature of the Master degree and your work that matter.
**Get professional help**
You may also get some outside help (from someone who has no vested interest in your PhD). A career coach or an outside mentor would be a good choice. Frankly share with them your problem and let them give their diagnosis and suggestions. Be open and try them out.
In conclusion, get the requests in writing, and stick to it. Dive into the process for three months and see if both parties are happy. Leaving does not mean you lose. It may just mean this supervisor or this research topic is not a good fit. You may be amazed how much more you can actually get just by letting go.
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Tags: phd, advisor
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thread-13627 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13627 | In which sections of a paper can I find literature reviews? | 2013-10-24T14:43:04.197 | # Question
Title: In which sections of a paper can I find literature reviews?
I would like to practice writing lit review from reading other papers and looking at the style of writing. Where usually are the review sections found in papers? Is it the "Introduction" Section, for example?
# Answer
> 1 votes
The portion of a paper where previous literature is summarized and elucidated upon is also known as (but not restricted to)
* **Literature Review**
* **Background**
* **Related Work**
* **Previous Work** etc.
In my brief life as a graduate student, I have heard of multiple strategies to write a literature review. I will describe one such path which I personally utilize (in part, because this is what my previous adviser always trained me to do)
> **The Annotated Bibliography Approach**
*What is an annotated bibliography?*
This is perhaps the best advice to start writing one. Note that I am also affiliated to Cornell University but this has nothing to do with my affiliation.
*Example:*
Assume that I am writing a paper for CHI 2014. My area is in privacy and surveillance. I want to look at the relationship between manual location sharing and privacy concerns.
I look at all the related papers I have read in the area and realize that their are **four** major categories that could evolve from this reading and still be relevant to the writing of this paper.
So, in a draft, I write down:
**Literature Review**
```
Privacy Frameworks
Location Based System Research
Privacy Measurement Scales
Privacy Aware Design
```
Then, under each category I start writing the references (in the style of your area ; in my area its in the ACM style) of the relevant papers and a couple of lines about each paper which explains the main contributino of the paper. For instance:
```
Location Based Systems Usage
```
> Janne Lindqvist, Justin Cranshaw, Jason Wiese, Jason Hong, and John Zimmerman. 2011. I'm the mayor of my house: examining why people use foursquare - a social-driven location sharing application. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '11). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 2409-2418. DOI=10.1145/1978942.1979295 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1978942.1979295
This exploratory paper examines why people use foursquare, a manual location sharing application. It determines three major reasons why people do so - to gain points and compete with friends, to track their location as a form of a diary and to earn discounts and special offers from business venues that they visit. Emerging social norms and online identity management are also briefly alluded to in the discussion section of this paper.
Now, once you have all your relevant papers written up in this format, your annotated bibliography and by extension, your literature review is almost done. You copy the references to their rightful place at the end of the paper (*References or Bibliography section*)
Then, the final step is to simply integrate the few lines that you have written about each paper in to coherent paragraphs and voila, you have a very passable first draft of your literature review.
I hope this made a little sense of how you go about writing one. I can understand that writing a literature review for the first time can feel like a very daunting task.
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Tags: writing, literature-review
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thread-13631 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13631 | How should I use a laptop in class without distracting others? | 2013-10-24T18:43:03.670 | # Question
Title: How should I use a laptop in class without distracting others?
In science/engineering subjects, it's not yet commonplace to use a laptop or tablet in class as most people still take notes with a pen and paper.
What is some good etiquette for laptop use in classes, so that I don't annoy or distract either my fellow students or the professor? Should I ask the professor if he/she would mind me using a laptop?
# Answer
Professors don't share the same rationale so mileage may differ. Usually, the younger ones are more forgiving. Those born before late Generation X (aka 1970 or before) are more likely to feel awkward because in most of their education life, portable computers had not been made popular. So, personal computer and laptop were/are much less integrated into their daily life.
In fact, it's not the laptop, it's what the laptop being used for and the manners of the owner's. Here are some guidelines, most are in my syllabi as well:
* If the syllabus does not require a labtop but you'd like to use one, inform the professor through e-mail for permission. This step, however, can be skipped if the majority of the students have started using one since the beginning.
* Sit to the side or back so that your screen will not interfere with other students' line of eyesight.
* Mute all sounds.
* Be courteous about where to plug your charger and make sure no one will trip over the wire.
* Type quietly.
* Refrain from doing anything other than tasks related to the materials being covered (no Facebook, Reddit, Youtube, games, porn, jokes, e-mail, IM, shopping etc. even you think you have nailed down the contents).
* Occasionally establish eye contacts with the professor.
* Ask questions, keep engaged.
* If there are very few students and the interaction becomes more of a meeting, angle your laptop to either or your side by about 40 degrees so that it's not becoming a wall between you and the professor, or you and other students.
I also ask my TAs to sit at the back of the classroom so that I can make sure karma finds its way when I tally up the in-class performance portion of the final grade.
> 23 votes
# Answer
Follow the directions given. If nothing was said with respect to laptops, you may use one but be ready to fold it if asked to do so.
> 3 votes
# Answer
In addition to other useful information given earlier: yes, some "older" faculty are very sensitive (I almost wrote "hyper-sensitive", but that would have been judgmental...) about electronic devices of any sort in the classroom. Thus, no matter what you're doing, even if it's note-taking from their lecture, it will upset them.
Some of that reaction is due to the greater difficulty of telling exactly *whether* you're paying attention, or not. The point is that *most* other "inattentive" activity is more easily distinguished from "attentive" activity... so that part of what is upsetting is that it's no longer possible to easily distinguish.
Indeed, when I was in high school, one of the great attractions of my hobby of mathematics was that writing technical-looking stuff in a notebook *looked* just like taking notes in class... which was a great trick for me, personally: make occasional eye contact with teacher, then go back to what I was doing. :) An astute chemistry teacher did make a very cryptic comment which I only later realized was meant to let me know that, although no action was taken, not everyone was fooled. :)
But/and, in fact, "even many old people" realize that "paper" is being significantly supplanted by electronics. In my *graduate* courses, students have the PDF notes called-up on their tablets, and mark on them using the touchscreen corresponding to the "added value" I (attempt to) provide in my lecture/discussion of the material. This is entirely reasonable, and certainly preferable to everyone printing out their own copy to physically mark on... ?
Similarly, if/when I give references during lecture/discussion, how could I discourage a person from looking up the reference document (assuming it's available on-line)??? I realize that a well-prepared student may often have "extra cycles" available, so that they can legitimately pay attention well-enough, while looking up the peripheral stuff...
And, similarly, in fact, I realize that a well-prepared student can fully follow what I'm doing while intermittently carrying on an email/facebook/text-message discussion with friends. Why not? Is this worse than daydreaming, looking out the window? :)
I think the genuine operational issue is not whether-or-not faculty are offended, to which the answer is something like "yes, but that's not the only thing that offends faculty, ...", but whether it would be genuinely appropriate to try to actively prevent or "police" electronics use in class. This seems like a hopeless battle, beyond the larger request for ordinary civility in *all* things.
> 3 votes
# Answer
It might give an impression that you are doing something else on laptop and this might make someone angry. The tick tick from keyboard can also be disturbing.
> 2 votes
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Tags: etiquette
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thread-13637 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13637 | Does helping a PhD student with proofreading violate school policy in general? | 2013-10-25T01:35:46.567 | # Question
Title: Does helping a PhD student with proofreading violate school policy in general?
I am proofreading and editing a dissertation proposal for a student for whom English a fourth language--cleaning up the language for clarity and grammar, etc. The student has asked me to paraphrase the information of some articles so that s/he can use what is most relevant to her research. Is this commonly against school policy?
# Answer
> 13 votes
> *I am proofreading and editing a dissertation proposal for a student for whom English a fourth language--**cleaning up the language for clarity and grammar**, etc. The student has asked me to paraphrase the information of some articles so that s/he can use what is most relevant to her research.*
That is fine.
> *I am proofreading and editing a dissertation proposal for a student for whom English a fourth language--cleaning up the language for clarity and grammar, etc. **The student has asked me to paraphrase the information of some articles so that s/he can use what is most relevant to her research.***
That is abhorrent in two levels. First, the student had the guts to even ask. Second, the task itself involves significant amount of intellectual input that is not of the student's.
I understand you wish the student to do well, and the work would reflect on your mentoring ability. But this is just identical to parents helping children with art project the night before school. It can be a fun and educational experience for kids, but outlandish for a grown up PhD candidate.
At the very least, make the student do the major part of the work:
1. Highlight the parts that he/she feels relevant. The selection of articles and contents should never be done by you. Discuss with the student on the rationale of the selections, and use this as an educational opportunity.
2. Paraphrase 5-10 various statements and hand them to the student as a guideline/examples, ask him/her to replicate on a dozen or so, check and give comments.
3. Send him/her away with a complimentary copy of a thesaurus, or some URLs like http://thesaurus.com
4. Identify the ESL center in your institute, and ask the student to work with the ESL staff along the way.
5. Recommend the student to identify an editor. His/her English standard will not become any better. Now you are helping with proposal, a couple years later you'll help with dissertation---vicious cycle.
Also, as how I define it, if English is my mother tongue, then all languages I would learn are my second languages. It'd only be a fourth language of this student if, say, he/she has Russian as mother tongue, then learned Chinese in Russian, then learned Thai in Chinese, then learn English in Thai. I don't think that is a very viable pathway, and you may want to hook the student up with a Russian English teacher/editor.
And lastly, where were you when I was working on my PhD?!
# Answer
> 7 votes
You may want to be sure of the policies as to what your university considers as plagiarism, if this is not clear, then ask what is the boundary.
But, to be absolutely certain, I was advise to do as has been mentioned, that student needs to learn to paraphrase, even more so importantly that English is their 4th language - especially if they are pursuing a career in academia, paraphrasing is something the student will need to do themselves.
You're heart is in the right place, but, by not doing the paraphrasing for them (rather editing etc), you will do yourself and the student favour in the long term.
# Answer
> 6 votes
I would maybe like to add that since a collaboration is an important part of research, **explaining** or **summarizing** the articles **you already read** would be okay in my opinion.
When somebody new comes to my team and either has read something relevant to my research or is researching something where the articles I have read will be of help, we will often sit together for an hour or so, and the one who has read the relevant articles will explain the basic ideas, point out to relevant examples and/or results.
In my opinion, this is fine, since there's no point in duplicating the time invested. Of course, I always read the articles in question after such talks, and I hope the other people do to. But, the explanations help reduce the time it takes me to fully understand the paper.
So, to *summarize*, **sharing the knowledge and research findings is okay** and even encouraged in PhD level, but **not researching and summarizing the relevant materials** for somebody else; that is something I imagine high school professors would do for their pupils in the classes.
Oh, and as a sidenote, proofreading is completely fine and I would gladly do it for any of my friends and colleagues whose English level is lower than mine (provided I have time).
# Answer
> 2 votes
It normally comes under plagiarism to do paraphrasing for all dissertation. But if student does it by himself/herself it should be fine to proofread and suggest how to improve that.
Just noticed kigen wrote same thing in the comment.
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Tags: research-process, ethics, writing
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thread-13654 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13654 | Is the math jobs wiki around this year (2013)? | 2013-10-25T14:39:34.247 | # Question
Title: Is the math jobs wiki around this year (2013)?
For the past few years there has been a math jobs wiki with lists of posted jobs together with "rumors" about shortlists, interviews and offers. This year the website hasn't been working. Does anyone know if the website will be available this year?
# Answer
Here's the reply from Greg Kuperberg to this exact question asked a month ago on MathOverflow.
> I will put it back up soon. – Greg Kuperberg, Sep 24 at 10:56
It'll be up soon unless he has changed his mind. Upvoting the comment there might help... hopefully.
> 8 votes
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Tags: job-search, career-path, mathematics
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thread-13615 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13615 | As a reviewer, how much raw data or code should you request? | 2013-10-23T21:25:48.180 | # Question
Title: As a reviewer, how much raw data or code should you request?
*The topic of reproducible research is attracting quite some press these days, yet much remains to be done. In this spirit, I am asking what can be a reviewer's role in this — I'll explain fully below.*
Like many people, I would like to see academic research moving toward a more “open data” model, especially because the principle of reproducibility of research is central to the scientific method. However, I know that at least in my field (theoretical chemistry), the usual standards are pretty lax. I'll give two examples:
* If you develop your own simulation/modeling code, you do not have to make it public in order to publish your results.
* If you use an existing modeling code (available for free or commercial), you do not need to include your full/raw input files with your publication.
When I peer-reviewed papers for publication in the past, I typically did not ask for this, because (a) maybe my standards are not other people's standards, and (b) the role of the reviewer is more to advise on the quality of the science and analysis of the results.
But, over time, I'm not really satisfied with this approach any more. So: as a reviewer, how much information do you think is reasonable to request from the authors? **Should you follow the customs and unwritten standards of your field, or is it okay to push it toward the direction you'd like to see it go? And how much can you push?**
# Answer
If there are other reasons to reject the paper, then it's certainly unnecessary to request code/data. If the paper looks like something that might be accepted, then you should ask yourself:
> Can I certify the correctness and significance of this work, to the necessary degree, with the information that is available?
Of course, the key is the phrase *to the necessary degree*. To make things more concrete, you might consider:
> Would I feel comfortable if the whole world knew that I refereed and recommended acceptance of this paper?
If the answer is *no, I don't have enough confidence in the results without seeing the raw data/code*, then you should ask for it. You're really doing the authors a favor here -- giving them the chance to convince you by providing additional evidence.
I would be very polite and make the request through the editor. If the code and data are not forthcoming, you should probably say in your recommendation something like
> I find the results in this paper compelling if they are correct, but I cannot recommend it for publication without verifying the data/code that underlies those results.
Of course, the degree to which a referee is expected to verify the correctness of results varies greatly between fields. But you can always choose a personal standard higher than what's usual in your field. Just realize that good refereeing takes a significant time investment.
> 23 votes
# Answer
Here are my two cents.
Yes, if there is code, you should ask for it (if possible). If you get it, then test it. Bear in mind if the authors don't have usable code, they probably aren't going to give it to you, but it doesn't hurt to try.
If the authors have provided code, the authors will probably be delighted if you test it. Most of the time people don't bother. They'd probably be seriously thrilled if you provide useful feedback and suggestions for improvements. This practically never happens. Personally, if an academic reviewer was to provide useful feedback on some code I had written, I'd think I was dreaming.
In particular, if you can't reproduce the results using the code, then I suggest documenting your reproduction difficulties in the review. I believe that such a failure is not considered a dealbreaker in academic research, because the ideas are the most important thing. However, it is still nice for everyone when this is possible.
> 3 votes
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Tags: publications, peer-review, ethics, reproducible-research
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thread-10343 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/10343 | Motivating students to push their limits | 2013-05-31T12:19:33.973 | # Question
Title: Motivating students to push their limits
I think I must be stranger than usual sometimes, I always seem to take on topics that are somewhat more difficult than the mainstream, in very trying conditions - but the outcomes are very much worth it (not for me per se, but the benefits for everyone, potentially).
I try to instill this in my students, by 'gently' mentoring them and encouraging them to push their own limits a little further each time. Also, I teach them that 'failure' is just another step to success. For the most part, my students take on the challenges and the work, ideas and enthusiasm from them, frankly humbles me.
However, I am always wishing to learn new techniques to encourage my students to push, and even exceed their limits.
What strategies are most effective for encouraging students (and colleagues for that matter) to take on the difficult topics?
# Answer
As a reflection on my own experience as a teacher, I am convinced that motivation is not a static, unchangeable property of particular students, but it is a multifaceted concept, a variable state of mind, created through the interaction of the student with the subject matter in a particular environment (teacher, group, topic, etc). A good teacher arouses the motivation indirectly, by creating the right environment for learning. The students' effort ensues almost magically.
See this interesting article:
Linnenbrink, Elizabeth A., and Paul R. Pintrich. "Motivation as an enabler for academic success." School Psychology Review 31.3 (2002): 313-327.
> 5 votes
# Answer
The most important aspect is the teacher's attitude. It sounds as though your students are already benefiting from yours.
As @Cinco says above,
> motivation is not a static, unchangeable property of particular students... A good teacher arouses the motivation indirectly, by creating the right environment for learning.
Based on my experiences with some awesome professors, I will say DO
* hold your students to high academic standards.
* assume that the students are capable of doing more than they are currently doing.
* show them how the subject you are teaching is relevant to them.
* be enthusiastic.
* recognize their great work, and always expect more and better in the future.
Perhaps most importantly, *have fun!* Enjoyment is contagious, and a good professor can make it fun to learn about anything. A *great* professor can make it fun to struggle and push against the limits of our abilities.
(Sorry, this is rather subjective...it is hard to quantify what makes a great teacher!)
> 6 votes
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Tags: teaching, motivation
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thread-13563 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13563 | Can good letter of recommendations offset bad GRE scores? | 2013-10-21T03:42:19.037 | # Question
Title: Can good letter of recommendations offset bad GRE scores?
I'm applying to graduate math programs and my subject test score was abysmal, but I'm very confident that I will have excellent letters of recommendation from my professors. Will these LOR offset the bad test scores? I know every situation is different, but in general what is your opinion?
# Answer
> 5 votes
**Disclaimer:** I am a current graduate student and my experience is limited to being the student representation on the graduate admissions committee of my program.
One of my advisers always reminded me of the following principle:
> **GRE scores will not get you in but can keep you out**
**What does this mean?** GRE scores by themselves will never get you admitted into any program worth its salt. However, they do act as a nice way of filtering candidates, especially in schools which received hundreds of applications for its programs every year.
Once you make the initial GRE/TOEFL filter, you are good. Your application will then be vetted on the basis of academic achievements, research, statement of purpose and letters of recommendation. Ergo, if you are removed at the initial stage by virtue of your GRE scores being rather low, then chances are, that nobody will even look at the rest of your application.
However, if your GRE scores are bad (but not ***that*** bad) then your good LORs might serve you better in the later rounds.
Of course, for quantitative oriented programs (like math), you might be expected to get a perfect (or *near* perfect) GRE Math scores and respectable Verbal scores.
I hope this makes the process a little clearer.
# Answer
> 2 votes
You state yourself that every situation is different, and that really is all we can tell you!
At a school that receives a high volume of applicants, your GRE score is likely to matter a lot more than at a school where lower numbers of applications are received. An overworked applications committee is much more likely to toss an application with a low GRE score (without even reading the letters) than a committee that has enough time to properly assess each candidate.
GRE scores (can) matter a lot, and then once you pass the gatekeeper they don't matter very much any more.
# Answer
> 2 votes
My reaction is pretty different from everyone else's here.
The short answer is: in my experience, yes, outstanding letters from credible, well-known letter-writers will outweigh poor GRE scores any day. Few applicants get really outstanding letters from a credible, trusted letter-writer, but when we do see a letter like that, it carries a *lot* of weight.
It does make a lot of difference whether folks on the admissions committee know and trust the judgement of the letter-writer. Does this letter-writer see a lot of students headed for graduate school, and see which ones are and aren't successful? Does this letter-writer work with graduate students? Does this letter-writer have a successful research program? Do people on the admissions committee know this letter-writter and trust him/her? What sorts of letters has this letter-writer tended to write for previous applicants, and if any of them were admitted, how did they work out? These factors weigh heavily in the admissions decision.
It also matters a lot what the letter-writer says in their letter. I don't know how you can possibly know how strong your letter will be. A letter that says "this student did really very well in my class" is actually a weak letter (contrary to what you might think), because it gives very little information beyond what is already on your transcript. In contrast, a letter that describes successful research you did with them and your contributions to the research project and how they were critical to the success of the research project carries a lot more weight.
Poor GRE scores might not trigger a kneejerk rejection, but they will certainly cause the admissions committee to ask questions and scrutinize your application closely before admitting you. "Why did this applicant score so poorly? Are they lacking basic knowledge? We'd better go look more carefully at their grades in their undergraduate classes. Is their poor performance on the GREs a hint of fundamentally insufficient preparation, or is it a one-off anomaly?" That's the sort of conversation you should expect committee members to be having. If the admissions committee can answer those questions to their satisfaction and the rest of your application package can survive close scrutiny -- if the rest of your application package is strong -- then I would not expect poor GREs to sink your application. On the other hand, if your GREs are poor, your grades are mediocre, and you don't have incredible accomplishments to counter-balance those flaws in your application, then you might be in trouble.
This is based upon my personal experience with one particular admissions committee, so I have a very small sample size. It is possible that other committees might do things differently.
# Answer
> 1 votes
This varies wildly from program to program. Most people on admissions committees recognize that actual graduate work does not resemble a multiple-choice timed test given one Saturday... but there is difference of opinion about how much it means, exactly.
If you are from a good university with letter-writers who are well-known, terrific letters from them can substantially compensate for a terrible GRE subject test, although elite programs would still use the GRE as a "weeder".
So, in summary, it's hard to tell what will happen... but only a matter of degree, really, since there are so many factors in play. E.g., if your coursework background is solid and letters are terrific, and your personal statement is both very positive and perhaps notes that you feel your performance that day did not indicate your preparation or ability, chances are only slightly worse...
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Tags: graduate-school, graduate-admissions
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thread-5686 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5686 | Time employed for writing | 2012-12-12T10:18:33.117 | # Question
Title: Time employed for writing
I am looking for any indication of how long should it take to write, let's say, a paragraph, for a non-native English speaker (with a good knowledge of English). I know that for the writing process of a paper or essay one should take in account also the time required for research and mind-mapping, which is not easily quantifiable. I am interested in some reference for the time needed to translate the mind map to a paragraph. The only time indication I found was in http://www.scripps.edu/milligan/em-journal/pdf/Scientific\_Writing.pdf (e.g Introduction: 3 days) , but the author clarifies that it is a personal opinion, and anyway it includes the mindmapping procedure. I can spend half an hour writing and editing a couple of sentences (already knowing which concept I need to express), how can I know if this time it's abnormous?
(meta: Feel free to move to personalproductivity if it's the case, I was unsure but then I thought of posting in academia because I am specifically talking about scientific writing)
# Answer
As a teacher who has taught many non-native speakers subjects in English, I am quite confident when I say that the time will vary by the person. Some people are quite strong and write faster (and better) than some native speakers but others write very, very slowly.
To have anything meaningful, there must be some quantifiable tie back to English level (what does 'good knowledge of English' mean to you? IELTS 8?)
It seems you are interesting to know if you are performing well enough compared to some standard, but we would first need the standard (and it does look like you're trying to find the standard) and that standard must take into account more than just the information you've provided (how much experience do you have writing in general? how good is your English? what kind of writing are you doing?).
> 6 votes
# Answer
That's a brilliant link - thanks. And you have a good question that worries lots of people. I wrote an answer to a similar question on my blog at ScholarWriter.
I believe that most people would say that you are jumping to the editing task far too soon.
1. Decide on your outline - are you writing a narrative, an exposition, a persuasive piece or a scientific paper - and decide what each section is for.
2. Do your research and add the "facts and figures" for each section getting as specific as each paragraph.
3. Then write.
Edit your work the following day. Don't try to "polish" and write at the same time. Equally writing is much easier if you know exactly what you are trying to convey and have the correct information in front of you.
There is one other use for writing, though - to reveal connections and insights. As much as you know what you think when you say it, you know what it is possible to think when you write it. Often you only realize what is your main point after you have written a paragraph or section. So you go back to the beginning to structure everything again. Though that is a lot of extra work, in this situation you are pleased that to do work because now you are so clear about what you are trying to convey and which information it is important to include.
Hope this helps - and good luck!
> 4 votes
# Answer
Estimating the time to "write" a paragraph is hard since the paragraph isn't really done until you submit it. There can be many revisions before a paragraph is submitted, many of which have nothing to do with the paragraph itself (i.e., something else changed).
In my field conference abstracts are small (250 word), one-off, self-contained paragraphs. In my time estimates I assume that during the writing you are not collecting new data or conducting new analyses and that you understand the data and analysis that you have already completed. Obviously collecting data and understanding it can take huge amounts of time.
Grad students, both from observations and personal experience, take about 14 hours to write an abstract with it taking about 8 hours for the first draft, 4 hours to revise based on feedback from co-authors, and 2 hours to finalize after a second round of feedback. Post-docs go faster taking about 6 hours for the first draft and 2 hours to revise and finalize. They tend to only need one round of feedback. PIs go the fastest with about 4 hours to write and 15 minutes to revise based on feedback. Getting the feedback from co-authors takes times, but I don't consider that part of the writing process. There are a few people out there that can write beautiful technical prose at a rate of 500 words an hour, but they are the exception and not the rule.
> 2 votes
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Tags: writing, time-management
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thread-13664 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13664 | Convert UK Bachelor Degree Grades to German Grade Scale | 2013-10-26T16:24:27.483 | # Question
Title: Convert UK Bachelor Degree Grades to German Grade Scale
I have a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Systems (3rd Class Honors) form a UK University. My Transcript states as follows.
```
Course Name Marks Cats
BUS 40 12
```
How do I convert these to the German Grading System?
German Grading
Understanding German Grades
I have gone through the above but can't figure out how to calculate the UK (40 Marks and 12 Cats) to the German Grades (scale of 1 to 5) and also how to figure out the ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).
# Answer
There is no universal system available for converting grades between national systems. For instance, in Germany, each university and even each faculty within a university may have its own system for "translating" grades from one system to another, and grades obtained between courses are not necessarily directly translatable. For instance, 70% of the points on an exam in one subject might constitute a 1,3 in one subject but (for instance) a 2,3 in another subject.
The only reliable rules are:
* A 4,0 (4.0) is the minimum passing grade in any subject in a German university.
* In classes where written exams are administered, the scale above 4,0 should be as uniform as possible. (In other words, the difference between the minimum points for a 1,0 or a 1,3 should be the same as between a 2,0 and a 2,3.)
But, as you can see, this still allows for a lot of latitude between different subjects.
> 1 votes
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Tags: graduate-school, grades, germany
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thread-13179 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13179 | How to better prepare myself for the application to masters degree programs in the U.S.? | 2013-10-04T09:27:56.927 | # Question
Title: How to better prepare myself for the application to masters degree programs in the U.S.?
I am an undergraduate student in China. I am currently a junior, majoring at Mathematical Economics and Mathematical Finance. My goal is to apply to a graduate school in the U.S. to learn Finance or Financial Engineering.
What can I do now to better prepare myself for the forthcoming application? How can I leave a good impression on the Admissions Committee? Except for higher GPA, GRE, Toefl, what else also make sense? To win a competition? To publishing papers? Or abundant internship experiences?
I know that the website of each school lists some requirements about the applicants, but those words are too general. Obviously there will be so many applicants who meet those requirements. What else need I show make myself outstanding, making them believe I am a good candidate? I am really puzzled.
**Edit**
I just want to obtain a master degree.
I also want to know that among GPA, GRE, TOEFL, competitions, publishing papers(if possible), good credible recommendation letters, etc, which ones deserve prior attention. It is unlikely for me to be that "superman".
**End of edit**
# Answer
> 6 votes
Aeismail’s answer points out that you need to *foster contacts with people who can write letters of recommendation testifying to your potential as a researcher.*
This is a definitely a good answer. However, it is hard to get **good credible** recommendation letters in China. You need to have not only strong academic performance but also strong **social background** to get them. The same is true for internship opportunities. When there are more than a hundred applicants competing for 3 internships, the best 3 academic performers with the strongest social background will get them. (The population in China exceeds 1.3 billion).
My answer to the question. *How can I leave a good impression on the Admissions Committee?* Besides high GPA, GRE and TOEFL scores, (and possibly winning a competition, publishing papers, abundant internship experiences) and good credible recommendation letters, the only thing I can think of is an excellent **Statement of Purpose**.
Use that statement to **convince** the admissions committee why you’ll be an excellent student in their school. Why are you interested in finance or financial engineering? What have you learned in undergraduate school? What particular research program in that school you are interested? What do you hope you can learn from that school after you get the master degree from them? What do you plan to do after master degree? Etc.etc. Hopefully, they will be convinced by this statement and then accept you.
This is my 5 cents worth. I sincerely hope experts here who are currently in the admission committees can give us more and effective answers.
# Answer
> 5 votes
Assuming you are applying to graduate schools for the purpose of obtaining a doctorate, the best thing that you can do to improve your chances is to **foster contacts with people who can write letters of recommendation testifying to your potential as a researcher.**
Awards and prizes are certainly nice, as are graduate coursework, internships, and other experience. But, ultimately, none of those might provide any insight on your capability to do research. Doing research with members of your faculty (or at other institutions) and getting letters of recommendation from them allows a graduate committee to feel that they're taking less of a risk in admitting you.
# Answer
> 2 votes
One worthwhile strategy (I found when applying to graduate school) is to examine the public profiles of graduate students at the institutions you want to attend. Graduate students (especially senior ones) often post their CVs online, and it's a good way to get information about what their profile was like when they applied.
Note, however, that it is extremely rare for people to list things like their GRE scores on a CV. However, many programs list useful aggregate data about their classes (perhaps what you mean by "lists some requirements about the applicants"), but at least in the case of Berkeley/Haas' MFE Program, the information is very specific averages for standardized tests and even work experience/industry prior to entry. Keep in mind that those are the averages for their class, not the minimums for acceptance, so they're a reasonable target to try and hit.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Since you already know the minimum requirements, I would recommend looking at the references being taught in the top Finance schools in the US. I have a friend who studied Finance in Europe and after coming to the US, he had to start studying another Master's in order to merge his knowledge to what is taught in the top Finance schools in the US.
Then you can write in your CV about the courses you have taken mentioning the references. Online courses, (e.g. from Coursera) are also very helpful for this purpose.
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Tags: graduate-admissions, advisor
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thread-13673 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13673 | Cite a developed version of an algorithm (citation chain)? | 2013-10-27T09:44:58.990 | # Question
Title: Cite a developed version of an algorithm (citation chain)?
My work is based on `algorithm A` that is actually a developed version of `algorithm B`. When I cite `algorithm A`, should I also cite `algorithm B`?
Due to the conference page limit, I prefer not to cite `algorithm B`, as `A` has already cited `B` and I do have cited `A`. Does my this "citation chain" work?
Another dilemma to me is when `algorithm C` incorporates *(**not** develops)* `algorithm B`, given the fact that I have to cite `C` anyway and actually I have used `algorithm B`, can I choose to only cite `C` without `B`? *(again, to save space)*
# Answer
> 6 votes
Space savings aside, your choice in this must be guided by two factors: **help the readers understand** what your work is built upon, and **acknowledge scientific contributions** of your predecessors.
With those principles in mind, I would say the choice depends on the relationship between A and B, and whether either (or both) are well-known. Let's take two simple cases to illustrate:
* if algorithm B is world-famous, and algorithm A is a not-so-well-known extension (e.g., because it is specially optimized for a specific type of data): you will have to cite both, as you cannot assume that all readers are familiar with algorithm A.
> Herein we highlight an extension of the Abersmith algorithm,\[ref A\] which is itself based on the Borodin sort algorithm with specific improvements for the handling of *p*-adic input.
* if algorithm A is very well known in your field, and algorithm B was an earlier algorithm that was almost completely superseded by A and little used nowadays (except for historical considerations): it is not useful to cite B.
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Tags: publications, citations
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thread-13675 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13675 | Is it a good idea to use Interfolio service for tenure track applications? | 2013-10-27T16:30:45.290 | # Question
Title: Is it a good idea to use Interfolio service for tenure track applications?
What do job search committees for tenure track jobs think of applicants using a service like interfolio? Using such a service, you don't have to bug recommenders for each place you apply and, instead, enter a special email address generated by interfolio on application forms.
Is this a good idea?
# Answer
Speaking as someone running a faculty search committee, I doubt we'd even notice, as long as your application materials and recommendation letters are properly entered into our own application system.
On the other hand, many faculty recruiting processes (including mine) only request recommendation letters after applications have passed the first round of reviewing. In that case, I would be a little suspicious of an application that suggested using `fdje28dn@interfolio.com` instead of `name@mit.edu` to request a letter from a well-known professor at MIT.
> 12 votes
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Tags: tenure-track, faculty-application
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thread-13676 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13676 | Adding co-authors after acceptance | 2013-10-27T17:42:37.880 | # Question
Title: Adding co-authors after acceptance
I am writing a paper, need some review. I want to send it to IEEE, without the name of my co-authors. I might get acceptance. I need to know, in that case, will I be allowed to add my co-authors or not?
# Answer
> 44 votes
> *I am writing a paper, need some review. I want to send it to IEEE, without the name of my co-authors.*
Short answer: **Hell no!**
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Depending on the editorial policies of the venue you submit, they may or may not allow to add co-authors during the review process. Some may even accept you to add co-authors after acceptance of the paper.
However, note that in all cases, **it is unethical not to have a correct/honest list of co-authors** at time of the first submission. **All persons who have made significant scientific (or “intellectual”) contributions to the work should be co-authors** in the submitted version of the paper.
“Hiding” co-authors during the first submission, even if you intend to add them at a later point, is a clear ethical violation. It probably also violates the journal's (or conference's) policy, which typically stresses the importance of having an appropriate authors' list (and even sometimes provides criteria for authorship).
The reason that editors may allow you to add authors is for special cases or circumstances. The main reason why it would be used is when, during revision of the work to address reviewers' comments, someone who wasn't a co-author of the initial manuscript has been brought onto the team. For example, if you asked someone to run some extra analyses and his contribution warrants authorship of the revised manuscript.
# Answer
> 23 votes
I agree with F'x's answer, but let me expand on it a little: intentionally submitting a paper without listing your coauthors is a potentially career-ending mistake. If I caught you doing that at a journal I edit (or as a referee), I would fully inform everyone - your coauthors, department head, university administration, etc. - and I expect it would lead to severe consequences, such as expulsion from grad school or tenure denial. Ethical violations vary in how serious they are, and deliberately omitting coauthors is among the most serious.
Even if you confess and ask for your coauthors to be added, people may not believe you always planned to add them. Instead, some people will suspect that you initially intended to take all the credit but lost your nerve or feared getting caught. You may know that was never your plan, but your word won't mean much when you're already confessing to something unethical.
It will be even worse if you get caught during the process. For example, one of the referees might already be aware of who is involved in this work, or might even be a coauthor. If they turn you in, you'll be in a particularly bad situation.
In either case, your coauthors will likely be furious with you. They presumably don't think the paper is ready to submit (if they do, then you should submit it with their names on it!), and they also don't want it circulated with just your name on it. Regardless of the journal's policies, you'll have to answer to your coauthors.
Even if you manage to salvage your career, this will stay with you forever. In short, don't do it.
# Answer
> 6 votes
As @F'x and @AnonymousMathematician said, don't do that by any means.
If you feel there is some good reason that @Suresh cannot find then on the basis of that reason you can request a double-blind review.
Due to the way you worded the question, my guess is that you don't have good reasons to do that. You should agree with your co-authors whether you want to send a paper or not before sending it for review.
Besides of the ethical reasons provided, there could be legal consequences, AFAIK you are not the holder of the copyright of what your co-authors did, and if you disclose, publish or attempt to publish some information without their consent then they could start legal actions. If you had their consent, holding their names for the review would be very dodgy and ruin your reputation.
Therefore, to answer the question: "will I be allowed to add my co-authors or not?", the answer is "no", and it doesn't really matter if you try to add them or omit them, this has many chances of backfiring in a dreadful way. Hopefully you didn't send it already, if you did and no review was started then withdraw it asap. If the reviews started, then start to apologize deeply to everybody.
# Answer
> 2 votes
In general this depends on the conference regulations, so the advice is to check them.
Usually you must put information about all authors before the submission deadline. For instance, here are the rules on EDAS submission system regarding this matter.
> You can add other authors later and you can change the order of authors. Note that some conferences do not allow that you add or delete authors after the submission deadline, to prevent that authors try to defeat the conflict-of-interest detection mechanisms by omitting authors.
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Tags: publications, authorship
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thread-13685 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13685 | At what point does my practical software project become an academic research project? | 2013-10-27T23:00:07.057 | # Question
Title: At what point does my practical software project become an academic research project?
I am a working software developer getting a MS in Computer Science. I've really enjoyed the courses -- but I have never done any academic research. Now I have an idea for a graphics-driven iOS application that I would like to build for my upcoming year-long thesis. (It's a variation on a particle simulator). The other students in my program have told me that a thesis is about generating a paper on a new technique or unsolved problem -- not building a polished program or application. They say that the code can simply be a proof of concept or prototype.
With that said, how should I approach building this particle simulator and pitching it to my advisor? Should I focus on underlying structures that would allow me to render complex physics-based graphics efficiently? Is there a name for that area of CS research? Are there papers in a certain area that I would want to start reading?
# Answer
* **How should I approach building this particle simulator and pitching it to my advisor?**
That depends on your goals. Your advisor should be able to advise you how to approach building this particle simulator. But in short it depends on the goals.
**If** you want to get funding to do the project, **then** state how that is going to be useful and profitable for the one paying.
**If** you want to make research with that, **then** state how is that research and why it is interesting research that will produce interesting publications.
You may have some other goals not included in these two. Your advisor may also have different goals. Whatever the goals are, try to plan to do whatever is useful for your goals and try to explain to your advisor how what you plan to do is useful for his or her goals.
* **Should I focus on underlying structures that would allow me to render complex physics-based graphics efficiently?**
IMHO algorithms are going to be more interesting than structures specially when using parallelism, everybody loves parallelism nowadays. In any case try to check this \[1\] and possibly this \[2\].
* **Is there a name for that area of CS research?**
Apparently that is computational physics, but simulation may work well too.
* **Are there papers in a certain area that I would want to start reading?**
Yes, to find more papers you can:
1. take the first reference I provided (and possibly the second) this is your set *S* of all sources.
2. check the citations in *S*, add interesting ones to *S*.
3. check who cited the references in *S* (you can try google scholar and other services for that), add the interesting ones to *S*.
4. check other papers from the authors of the references in *S*, add interesting ones to *S*.
5. search (e.g. google scholar) for related terms that appear on the papers in *S* if you think they should be explored further, add interesting references to *S*.
6. you have now a lot of references to read, try not to read all of them, check the abstracts and summaries, try to prioritise what to read and how detailed the reading process should be. If you need more, return to 2.
* **At what point does my practical software project become an academic research project?**
When you do something new and interesting from a scientific point of view, basically when you face challenges and provide solutions that are worth publishing, because reading about those solutions saves time to people working on similar problems.
E.g. If the solution is very specific (e.g. an implementation in a programming language) then reading about it may be a waste of time for people not using that language. An algorithm in pseudocode will be useful to anyone working on a similar problem if the problem is hard/big enough and searching, finding, reading, understanding and implemented what a paper says pays off in the end. Keep in mind that evaluation is a fundamental aspect in research, either empirically or formally (proof instead of evaluation then).
> 4 votes
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Tags: computer-science, thesis
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thread-13689 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13689 | Can I cite an unpublished Master Thesis? | 2013-10-28T04:31:28.887 | # Question
Title: Can I cite an unpublished Master Thesis?
As title above.
This thesis is only available at the author's blog, though it is indeed a formal Master thesis. If I can cite it, how may I fill in all the blanks?
My concern is even if I cite it, the readers may be still unable to find it, if it is somewhat removed from his blog.
# Answer
> 24 votes
Just because it's not published doesn't preclude being able to cite it. You can't *not* cite the thesis if you're taking information from it!
The degree-granting institution should perpetually retain copies in its library, and most universities these days store PDF copies as well. A copy may be harder to track down, but a determined reader should have no enormous difficulty in getting a copy of the thesis.
> Example:
>
> Smith B. (2013), *General Relativity*, MSc thesis, University of Cambridge, UK.
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Tags: publications, citations, thesis
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thread-13669 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13669 | Is it appropriate to include additional materials in an academic job application? | 2013-10-27T03:27:59.813 | # Question
Title: Is it appropriate to include additional materials in an academic job application?
I am applying to teaching jobs at small liberal arts colleges. They typically ask for the standard things: cover letter, CV, research statement and teaching statement. I feel as though a compilation of student comments and data taken from students in my classes (rating my enthusiasm and preparedness in particular) makes my application much stronger. After all, these are the types of things people look for when it comes to tenure review, so why not for a job application? My question is:
Is it inappropriate to include such additional materials in a teaching application?
# Answer
> 10 votes
Unless the call clearly states that nothing more must be included you should do so. As you correctly identified such information provides insights into you success in teaching. An option could be to simply include a summary in the CV or make it part of the teaching statement, as support that your teaching ideas produce good results. In short, add the material but make sure it is condensed and clearly structured. I have added such material to applications (for promotion in my case) and had someone sign off that the summary reflects the material on which it is based.
# Answer
> 5 votes
This would be appropriate as long as the call does not clearly discourage supplementary information (e.g. by saying that you should only include reseach and teaching statements + CV), and could strengthen your application, especially when applying to a teaching position. However, only include summary scores (such as %-students satisfied or student test results), and maybe one or two student comments. However, I would be hesitant to include comments altogether, since it is obvious that these might have been cherry-picked. A quantitative summary is much more informative. Do not include lengthy appendicies of raw evaluation data (which I've seen in applications), since this will only add clutter and make your application appear less professional.
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Tags: application, cv, faculty-application
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thread-13694 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13694 | What do I do with my exam tomorrow given that I supplied medical certificates | 2013-10-28T14:03:53.127 | # Question
Title: What do I do with my exam tomorrow given that I supplied medical certificates
I missed 3-4 weeks of class this semester due to a medical condition. This was around 3 weeks before exams which meant I had to catch up with other subjects as well as doing assignments and tests.
I have to sit an exam tomorrow even though I missed a chunk load of the material and was too ill to be able to study at home during those weeks. I sent the university all of my medical certificates as I missed a couple of tests and had to resit the exams. I also sent my medical certificates to the special consideration committee telling them that I want my exam deferred, but this was denied. I sent the lecturer my certificates and told him about the situation but he told me the matter was out of his hand.The thing is I really studied hard during this swotvac period even though they only gave us a week before our first exam, and I had to study for the other subjects that I missed as well.
I want to get a good GPA to transfer universities but I know if I sit that exam tomorrow I will probably fail because it's a hard subject and I'm just lost.
Should I fake sickness and get a medical certificate like food poisoning? What do you suggest? Any other suggestions on what I can do in this situation?
# Answer
This isn't an answer, just some points you can consider and some 2 cents:
Given the short time, if I were in your shoes, I'd:
1. Comb through the student academic handbook about sick leave and how should the makeup examination be scheduled. Look for keywords like "... upon mutual agreement." or "... student and department will decide." etc. and quote that in a written document to urge the committee to honor the wording in student academic handbook.
2. Identify the chair of the grievance committee. Every department/school should have one, and inform him/her about your situation. Ask for guidance and potential on filing a grievance.
3. Objectively figure out what are the number of quality days available for a non-sick student to prepare for the tests, and then come up with how many quality days you have been given, minus the ones that you have spent. Ask for the exam to be rescheduled to a reasonable time that would provide a fairground to you. Down play the fact that you "want more time," emphasize on the desire "to be judged fairly." Should the number of days are actually comparable, chance is you really have no ground to delay.
4. Chat with the admission people and discuss the possibilities on the followings: i) retrospectively request a medical leave (this is more viable if you are on a trimester system or this is a half-credit course, missing 4 weeks might as well mean you have not taken it at all) for this semester, and retake the whole thing again. ii) Negotiate for fee reduction or fee waiving so that you don't have to pay again. iii) Also make sure the half-done course will not end up as F or even appear on your transcript.
5. If you think you're not being fairly judged, never take the exam. Once a grade is given it's next to impossible to revoke. Inform the school as soon as possible with your reasons (preferably sound and focusing on the lack of fairness), give them a summary of your arguments and what you have talked about with different representatives in the department.
I think, in a sad way, that you only decide to decline one day before the rescheduled date is an extremely bad move. If indeed everyone also had one week to prepare, then it is pretty much done for. When the decision was just made, you can still negotiate for 2-4 more days to collect lecture slides, notes, and meet with the lecturers. Now, it's a bit too late to do that.
In a nut shell, set your worst scenario and figure out what are the things that you cannot afford to mess up. If your first thing is GPA, then strive to make this trimester/semester not counted. The cons: you may need to retake, but given your circumstance, retaking seems a lot more viable than taking an exam. Also, don't position yourself as a victim. It's unfortunate but you're not asking for leniency or special treatment. Show them that you're very conscious about the grade situation and your determination to work through this glitch with the department, and hopefully they will reopen the case.
I wish you best of luck, and if you have time, come back to update us by revising your question.
> 5 votes
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Tags: exams, health
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thread-13691 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13691 | Which recommender should I go for getting a LOR for graduate school admission? | 2013-10-28T12:27:15.003 | # Question
Title: Which recommender should I go for getting a LOR for graduate school admission?
Before I state my query, you should know two things about me:
1. I'm an EE graduate
2. I'm working in field of VLSI for past one year.
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I'm applying for Masters in **VLSI** for fall-2014 and I'm in a dilemma here.
I've approached my head of department and a lecturer from my department for getting letter of recommendation. I only need one though. These are the reasons as to why I'm conflicted in deciding between the two.
* My head of department has a PhD in VLSI while my lecturer is just a postgraduate.
* My lecturer has guided me for my thesis project in my final year of my undergraduate course. My final year thesis project is NOT on VLSI.It is on power systems.
* My lecturer has taken classes for me while my Head of department has not taken any class for me . So she doesn't have any benchmark to judge my academic capability. She knows me as a student body member who has organised technical events though.(Which is why she agreed to give me recommendation, that and the fact that I had a discussion with her on my current job responsibilities)
My other two recommenders are my technical manager from my workplace and a teacher who took Integrated circuits during undergrad level- (again not a PhD)
Whom should I choose? I am confused because My head of department has that PhD tag( none of my other recommenders are PhDs) . So I'm in doubt as to whether I should go for her credentials or take one from my senior lecturer( in which case none of my recommenders will have that PhD tag)
# Answer
In general, if you are applying for a *research* degree, then you are better off getting letters of recommendation from people who can comment on your ability *as a researcher.* Even if the person is a well-known expert in the field, that won't do them a whole lot of good if they can't comment on *your* abilities in the field.
Your department head has neither observed your work in classes nor supervised research for you. How much detail she can provide on your capabilities is therefore greatly in doubt. You have taken classes and performed research with the lecturer. Therefore, your lecturer can evaluate you more thoroughly and provide evidence supporting those claims.
So, unless you have some additional absolutely compelling reason to obtain the letter from the department head, I would go with the instructor who actually knows your work.
> 6 votes
# Answer
One possibility is to get letters from both. Some application web sites will not accept more than the standard number of letters, but others will, so you should check first. It's considered obnoxious to assemble an unreasonably large number of letters, since it wastes the time of your recommenders. However, one extra letter could be reasonable in your case.
Another is for them to write a joint letter. I've seen this occasionally, with a graduate student and faculty member co-writing a letter of recommendation for an undergraduate (where the grad student knows more about the undergraduate's work, but the faculty member has more perspective and credibility). You should treat this carefully, so you don't inadvertently offend the lecturer by suggesting that their recommendation is not valuable by itself. However, it could be one way to handle a strict limitation of three letters.
If you have to choose one, I'd probably go with the lecturer, since the head of department has neither taught nor supervised you, so her letter is unlikely to be as informative as the lecturer's. However, you would have to decide based on the specifics of your situation.
I'm assuming you can't replace either of the other two letters, since the course on integrated circuits is obviously relevant and I imagine your technical manager can say a lot about your background, experience, and abilities in VLSI (since that's what you are doing).
> 2 votes
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Tags: graduate-admissions, professorship, masters, recommendation-letter
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thread-13616 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13616 | Are there good reasons to avoid using color in research papers? | 2013-10-24T05:08:28.607 | # Question
Title: Are there good reasons to avoid using color in research papers?
I do scientific research, and I noticed for a lot of plots, the different curves are represented with different styles, but they are all black. For instance, one curve may be a solid line, one may be a dashed line, one may be a dotted line with triangular markers, etc.
However, this makes it hard for me to differentiate between the curves. Color is *much* more effective for helping people distinguish between data (and I’m taking a data visualization class that has research to prove it).
So... can I do this in my research article? I imagine most people are keeping their plots black and white because of printing restrictions on color, but at the same time they include colors in all kinds of other figures in their document. Also, how many people actually read printed articles anymore? For scientific work, I look all of it up online.
Are there good reasons for me to stick with this backwards black-and-white scheme?
# Answer
> 69 votes
**Hail to Colorbrewer**
I use Cynthia Brewer's website Colorbrewer to pick color schemes. It's also embedded in ggplot2 which is a common choice of graphing package in R. It allows users to specify colorblind-safe and photocopy-able color schemes. It's meant to be for map making, but the idea works for visualization all across the broad.
**Other color specialists**
For graphs that are used in more eye-catching media such as reports, posters or infographics, you may consider taking some advice from fashion and interior designers (See the graph below proposed by Japanese Shigenobu Kobayashi). Each combination can conjure a certain type of feeling, color schemes that seem absurd may work in other settings.
**Works on data visualizations**
You mention there is research backing up the use of color, which I do believe there must be. Though for that, I'd just like to share another point of view. Bill Cleveland, whom I consider the guru of visualization in science, advises that color should actually be avoided. In his book, he lays out this hierarchy:
I may not go thus far to suggest color is worse than area and volume, but I do agree that positioning along non-aligned scales is much better than color. In other words, if I have two curves to show, I'd opt for paneling them onto to their own coordinate then put the graphs side by side, or plotting them together using line with different styles or grey scales over using colored lines.
The baseline for me is, ***the added colors should have their dimension (aka variable) to represent***. If there is anything that does the same job, remove the colors because now the colors are "non-informative ink," as described by Tufte.
**Human eyes are prone to visual tricks**
I do agree that colors catch attention, but just because it gets attention does not mean people can distinguish them well and can isolate the information well. Particularly, colors interact; just by pairing with some different colors, the same color can look different. For instance, here is an example borrowed elsewhere. The brown and the orange tiles pointed by an white arrow are actually of the same color.
**Why care about black and white?**
And you asked "how many people actually read print articles anymore?" I would think that there are a lot. Schools in developing countries may not have color printer, and not every student has access to computer and the Internet. Their only way to learn about a journal article may just be through photocopies. Even in the US, with the rapid adoption of tablets, I still see a lot of journal clubs and meetings relying on B&W photocopies.
Now when I go to deliver any workshops in other countries, I always photocopy a few sample pages of my handout to make sure they are still legible. And Brewer's work has been a lifesaver for me.
**Closing remark**
In a nutshell, I embrace data visualization and the increasing acceptance of colors thrills me. Though in the process I believe we should remind ourselves to be humble and do not create works that very disproportionally benefit people who are riding high at the technology tide. John Tukey laid the groundwork of some graphical exploratory data analysis, Charles Minard made a visual with rich amount of variables like 150 years ago and yet still considered to be pretty bad-ass by today's standard. How many colors did they use? Just one.
At the end of the day, I would probably argue that ***design trumps all***. It's not about color or non-color, it's about if they are used efficiently to maximize information transfer and minimize noises. At this moment, for me, lines, dots, shades along grey scale, and empty spaces are my staples; colors are my spices.
# Answer
> 46 votes
When making plots, I like to use reasonably subtle colours and *combine them with different line or marker styles* (e.g. blue triangles and red circles, or a black solid line and a blue dotted line). If printed in black and white the figure is still easily readable, and the colour version makes things a little more differentiable.
Stick to dark or pale colours, and they will enhance the appearance and readability of your document.
**Do:**
**Don't:**
# Answer
> 21 votes
*Why might be reasons for you to stick to black and white:*
* Some legitimate scientific journals, even in the beginning of this 21st century, still have publishing fees for color figures and do not allow the combination of “color online and B/W in print”. It's sad to realize, but I know some in my own field.
* Having color figures allows you to have a higher density of information on a given figure. Yes, it sounds like a good thing and it usually is, but it is a double-edge sword. First, because you may end up making figures that are just too dense and difficult to interpret (if the caption requires more than 3 sentences, you may have a problem). Second, because if you do not choose your colors well, it may be actually *less* readable than a black and white figure.
* The rendering and perception of colors in printed materials and in video projected presentations is not at all the same. Thus, if you want to provide top-notch material, you might need to make two versions of your figures, which is extra work.
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Mortiarty has said that the choice of colors is crucial. This is very true (and under appreciated by many), both for rendering and perception. I would advise you to read a book about color theory or color design (this one is the one I read to strengthen my understanding of these things).
To given an example, the software I love for drawing figures (Grace) has an almost unusable default color palette (left below), but with some practice I could change it to a palette that is quite nice to use (right below):
Look in particular at how the basic colors have been desaturated: red, blue, green, and yellow.
# Answer
> 10 votes
Basically, the reason is as you suggested: historically, it has been very expensive to print in color, which made it unattractive for most research groups to do so.
Now, however, it is increasingly common for most distribution of journal articles to be in PDF form, which can just as easily use color as not. Many journals will let you do "color online" for the same cost as black-and-white. However, if you are planning to use colors, then they should be used in an intelligent manner. Arbitrarily using colors in a haphazard manner can make understanding even harder than using black and white. (Don't forget that many people are color-blind!)
# Answer
> 3 votes
Some journals will ask you to pay a per-figure fee for your print figures to appear in color. If color really enhances the figure, then this is worth it. But if, say, you're just using a monochrome red colormap instead of grayscale, it's not.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Some might claim that having black and white is better because it's cheaper to print and keeps the focus on the content.
But I disagree with using black and white and think that the content is better supplemented with color. There is research that if your mood is changed positively when learning (with our 5 senses), humans retain more information. (Example: don't you retain more when you eat dinner with your friends in a new restaurant versus sitting at your desk and talking to someone on the phone?) This is not true if the brain becomes conditioned to the environment (or restaurant in my example). So the environment should continually change to increase one's ability to learn. Thus, you should have a web interface to keep changing the theme to something new each day they visit the research. If it's on paper, then you're S.O.L.
You could keep it in black and white if it's on paper and just spray some good smelling perfume on the paper. That may allow others to retain more with smell than with color, because smell has more of an impact on the brain than color.
```
Sight
Hearing
Touch
Taste
Smell
```
Another way would be to put it in a card that plays classical music. When listening to classical music while learning, you will retain more. Hearing is on the list of 5 senses.
I found this the other day that might help you.
https://kuler.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/
**Then click the "Explore" hyperlink. And finally click the "Most Popular" hyperlink and the "Most Used" hyperlink.**
I'm not sure which one is better.
You will find the work of many Adobe geniuses that might make your research a lot easier, rather than re-inventing the color wheel.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Many journals will either charge for the use of color (especially those that still appear in print) and a few I've run across outright ban its use unless it's essential for an understanding of the figure (some photographs, etc.).
That being said, there's no reason you *can't* use color if you're willing to pay the fees, publish in online journals, use color in electronic supplements, etc.
One essential thing I find, that I always check as a reviewer, and find appallingly uncommon in color figures: make sure they're still understandable in black and white. It doesn't have to be *as good*, but someone printing out your work on their office printer should still be able to understand what you did. Distributed in PDF or not, I can't read things for comprehension on a screen, so I print them out - I know a fair number of colleagues who do likewise. And I have yet to encounter a figure that *needed* printer unfriendly colors to be understood.
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Tags: publications, graphics
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thread-13706 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13706 | Should you request graduate school recommendation letters only from those that know you as a researcher? | 2013-10-29T02:28:44.327 | # Question
Title: Should you request graduate school recommendation letters only from those that know you as a researcher?
In a discussion with a friend of mine who is applying to graduate school in physics, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to get a good recommendation from one of her advisors because she hadn't done much creditable research under that advisor. I suggested that since she has two other recommendations from other professors who she had done research under, she could ask for a recommendation from a professor who thought highly of her academic (i.e. non-research) performance.
I was surprised by how negatively she responded to the idea: she would much prefer a mediocre letter from a research advisor than a good letter from someone who does not know her as a researcher, but does as a student. I reasoned that her research credentials would probably be spoken for with her other letters, but she didn't seem to accept this reasoning.
Is it generally true that a PhD program in the sciences looks more favorably on less-than-glowing recommendation letters about an applicant's research experience than on positive letters about his/her academic performance? Even when his/her research is attested to by other letters?
If it is not true in general, does it hold for programs in the experimental sciences? Does it vary between fields? (I am a mathematics student, and to my knowledge this question doesn't apply as well to mathematics programs.)
# Answer
Graduate schools admitting students are looking for evidence of ability as (or at least strong potential to become) a good researcher. Therefore, letters of recommendation that do not discuss research at all are simply not nearly as helpful to us than letters that do.
However, a mediocre letter of recommendation can be damaging to a student's chances of admission. Someone who isn't enthusiastic and immediately willing to write a letter should not be asked to write one; the "hit" to the student's admission chances simply aren't worth it.
So, under the circumstances, someone who is willing to write a very good letter that can testify to academic talent is certainly better than a weak to mediocre research-based letter. But a letter that only talks about a student taking tests well and "acing" a class is not really helpful. A letter that talks about, for instance, an in-depth class assignment, or can include details and observations from outside of class, would make for a much stronger and more useful letter.
> 10 votes
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Tags: graduate-admissions
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thread-13702 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13702 | How to maximize the chances to get a good PhD position in algorithms | 2013-10-29T00:49:03.090 | # Question
Title: How to maximize the chances to get a good PhD position in algorithms
I have a master in CS from a not too well ranked French university. I have excellent grade in algorithms and did a good master thesis (although I haven't tried publishing the results in it). my overall grades are good as well. What can I do to further maximize my chances of getting a good PhD position in algorithms? I am confident in my skills but do not have much to prove that.
I am guessing that trying to do some publishable research with my former master adviser is a good thing, but since his area of research is really not my cup of tea, is it reasonable to try to publish something alone?
How can I find problems to work on that are feasible and publishable?
Any other advices are welcome.
# Answer
I have few suggestions for you:
When you are applying for PhD there are few documents which needs to be submitted along with your application like Your transcripts, Research statement/proposal, Resume, Recommendation letters etc.
Now what you can do is: Prepare a very good research proposal, since you believe in your skills make sure that you highlight them with some examples like previous projects, your contributions etc. Remember, your research proposal is read very properly, so if you are bale to justify yourself well that would work for you
Also in your recommendation, you can ask your supervisor to mention your skills, appreciate your strong point enough.
Also there is no harm in mentioning the reason of not having published papers in your cover letter.
I hope this answer gives you some insight to get into a good PhD position.
> 3 votes
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Tags: phd, job
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thread-50 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/50 | Am I reading enough of the scientific literature? Should I read for breadth or depth? | 2012-02-14T23:58:38.160 | # Question
Title: Am I reading enough of the scientific literature? Should I read for breadth or depth?
Ever since starting graduate school I've tried to make scientific reading a part of my daily ritual; I track pages read using Beeminder, and the graph doesn't lie. It keeps me honest.
I aim to closely read and summarize 5 pages per day and skim a few other abstracts besides that. I spend about half my time looking at data and figures which doesn't contribute to my daily "page count." When I'm reading about a new topic these five pages can take several hours, but on topics I have more background in five pages might only take an hour per day.
I guess since everybody defines "read" in a different way it's hard to get an objective answer about how much reading is enough. How much people read seems like a bit of a sensitive topic among real-life colleagues because everyone has a bit of anxiety that they aren't reading enough. But for those further along in their academic path, I'd like to hear how you approached the literature early in your graduate school career and what you think is a sufficient amount.
I guess this all distills down into two main topics:
**When deciding what to read each day, should I focus on depth or breadth?**
**Is five pages of close reading per day enough?** I know it doesn't sound like much, but it takes significant mental energy to meet that goal. And consistently reading 5 pages per day adds up to a lot over time.
**Edited to add:** I mostly read about petrology, volcanology, structural geology, and tectonics if that makes a difference. By "page" I mean "page of text" so if I'm reading a structural geology paper with lots of maps and figures I discount for those and a "ten page" paper becomes a 5 page paper for my purposes.
# Answer
> 54 votes
*My experience is almost exclusively with mathematics papers, and applies little or not at all to other fields.*
Much of eykanal's post applies to math as well, but one big difference is that math papers are much more varied in their structure, not having an actual experiment to tie them together. A good paper will generally explain its organization in the introduction, however.
One point worth emphasizing is that reading a paper from front to back, trying to understand everything at each step, is usually inefficient. The most common instance is that a paper often starts with definitions which may be hard to make sense of without understanding the theorems they're used in. It's generally more effective to skim the paper several times, trying to understand more and more with each pass.
Relatedly, you'll eventually pick up the skill of picking out the most interesting ideas from a paper without reading the whole thing. Early on, though, it's probably better to read things carefully; it's very easy to fool yourself into thinking you've understood something.
As to your main question, about breadth versus depth, your first priority has to be depth, because that's what you'll ultimately need to be able to do your own research and get your degree. But if you're learning enough to do that, you want as much breadth as possible. It actually gets harder and harder to learn completely new things as you get on in your career, even when there may be direct benefits to your research to do doing so. Laying the foundations of a broad understanding of your field while in graduate school will pay off later.
# Answer
> 51 votes
*This post refers to research in the STEM fields, and may not be applicable to other research topics.*
One of my biggest epiphanies in research came when I learned how to read a paper. Reading scientific publications is completely different from reading literature or news. At the beginning of your research career, you can expect to spend a full day (if not more) reading through a single 8-page paper. Some tips follow:
* Most papers are divided into "Intro", "Methods", "Results", "Discussion". These are roughly broken down as follows:
+ **Intro** \- Read this for background. There will be nothing "new" in this section. You will find it *very* useful to read the intro section to as many papers as you can get your hands on. While you do this, you will become fairly depressed that so much research has already been done, and you will wonder what you can do to add to the field. Speak with your advisor, he has many good ideas.
+ **Methods** \- This will take you a VERY long time to read initially, because they go into ridiculous detail. They do this so that you, the researcher reading and interested in replicating their results, can do so. If you don't understand everything here at first, don't worry. NOTE: If you finish reading the methods section and still want to know how something worked, email the author! This is research; the guy who wrote the paper is likely another grad student/postdoc like you. He'd love to hear from you.
+ **Results** \- This is the meat of the paper. Read this very carefully to find out what they found. Between this section and the methods section you will determine what went right, what went wrong, what is new, and what they should have done that they didn't that you can now research and publish and become a superstar.
When you cite a paper, you will be citing from this section. If you find yourself citing a paper based on something in the Intro, you're just citing another citation.
+ **Discussion** \- This is *the author's thoughts* on what the results mean. Take note of this; the author is using his or her expertise to interpret the results. If you disagree with something he or she says here, and you can back up your findings, more power to you.
* Most accomplished researchers don't actually read papers; they just read figures. A good paper will be completely in the figures. (This is particularly true in some biological sciences fields, less so elsewhere.)
* Take notes on the papers you read. Keep those notes. My method was to keep my notes in a 3-ring binder, put a little post-it tab with the author's name, and then put the paper in there as well with the notes, so each "tab" is my notes and the paper. You will read hundreds of papers during your academic career. You will want to remember what you've read.
* This is a very arduous process, and the learning curve is steep. Don't be discouraged! Reading papers is a skill, and the more you read the more proficient at understanding them you'll become.
# Answer
> 20 votes
*This is about my experience in computer engineering*
I found that reading for breadth was the more important approach. The area of research I was interested in was pretty fluffly and ill-defined (I thought I could make a difference by organizing it better), so that many relevant articles were categorized in totally different areas. This meant I had to have a hummingbird approach: flittering around, but drilling down when I found an important vein of data. I also kept a journal where I'd put a citation and a very brief summary of the article, so that I could come back and say "I think I read something about this last September" and then go look in an older journal. Today, I'd have my own wiki at home to keep track of this. I used to have my own "library" of PDFs that I got through university access, but that removable hard drive was stolen.
> *Is five pages of close reading per day enough?*
If you can stay consistently at 5 pages (or 1 article) every day, you will end up far ahead of other people who study only in spurts.
# Answer
> 15 votes
At the beginning read anything and everything (and take notes). You should always be reading something and writing something. The hardest part for most students in the sciences to get past is embracing the unknown.
You will probably feel the need to understand everything, right from the start. Unless you are exceptional, you probably will have to read the important papers several times. You are looking to develop a broad-scale understanding of your field. To know where your research fits in, you have to develop an understanding of where your field in. This takes time.
As time goes on, you'll pick and choose more carefully the papers you read closely. Often you can get the idea from just the abstract. If it sounds promising, then read on.
# Answer
> 13 votes
I agree with Henry about breadth vs. depth. You'll ultimately be judged on depth, so that has to be your first priority. However, breadth is quite valuable too. Many breakthroughs have come by applying standard techniques from one area to a new area.
The $.02 I want to add is that **not all reading is created equal**. Particularly when you're learning a new topic, well-written exposition is invaluable (in large part because it's so rare). As you progress, you'll develop a better intuition for what's worth reading. But when you're early in your career, I strongly encourage you to ask your adviser (or more senior students) **which papers and books you should be reading**. Personally, I've slogged through many manuscripts mired in myopia before encountering enlightened, engaging exposition. ...and that has made all the difference.
# Answer
> 13 votes
I'll chime in with a quite different opinion (or maybe a related opinion phrased in a different way), which grew out of advising/supervising PhD students and post-docs: **reading for depth is a job requirement, but reading for breadth is what will make you stand out**.
As a PhD student, you are required to read in depth the papers that directly pertain to your particular subfield. A PhD is the process of becoming an expert in your discipline, and you cannot do that without mastering the minute details of it, which you will only learn by reading in depth the papers published (and attending conferences, asking questions, etc.).
However, though becoming an expert is what gets you your PhD, if you want to continue further in research (whether academic or R&D), you will need to be able **to show a quick understanding of new problems, to make connections between concepts in various areas of research, and propose creative solutions** to the problems you have identified. This requires a casual knowledge of a large variety of fields, which will be only acquired by reading a large breadth of topics.
# Answer
> 5 votes
I personally think one should read both for breadth and depth. Read all sort of literature around your field, and a few outside your field. One can only come up with good ideas having a good general knowledge of science. When it comes to your own research area papers should be read carefully and critically to understand what is being done, how it is being done and if the interpretations and methods made and used really show that. As my PhD supervisor used to say, read atleast two papers a day even if you are busy with experiments. This gets easier as you go. For me in the first year it used to take a lot to time to read a paper. Towards the end, I was looking at the abstract, results/figures...if needed methods, and where confused check the discussion quickly to see how the authors explained their results. After a while, you rarely need to read the intro in your own field unless you want a refresher.
# Answer
> 3 votes
I have some points to mention on this:
**1. Read papers relevant to your research:** I mean, you will know slowly which conferences publish results in your interest area and which do you find relevant, so choose papers from top conferences or journals because those set the benchmarks
**2. Datasets in paper convey a lot** Browse in the result section of the papers and you will notice that the datasets on which the algorithm are tested should suit your requirement. For example: I am working on outdoor dataset and I see a paper showing results from indoor dataset, there are 99% chances of me dropping that paper.
**3. Use abstract as filter** I think this point is self explanatory
**4. Scheduling your reading - difficult** There may be a week where you will end up reading a lot of papers and there will be times where reading even one paper will not be possible.
# Answer
> 2 votes
*This is about my experience in applied atmospheric physics*
As others have said, it is often reading for depth that is more effective. Making sure that you understand the key concepts and connections made between the main concept and the subsidiary topics within a paper. Usually, I read the Abstract and Conclusion to garner the main points of what the paper sought to discover, what method they used (established, modified or new) and what were the overall results.
In many of the papers that I have read (and written), the method is often in stages corresponding to specific results in the results and discussion section (they are often merged in my field) - I tend to read the method, derivations therein and the results of each stage - which means flipping between each section. All the time taking notes.
At times (not very often), the method stage makes reference to another paper, so that paper is retrieved and worked through in the same way.
I have found this process to be quite quick, as each stage comprises a short paragraph and equations in the method; a corresponding sentence in the results, often with a table or graph and a sentence or two of explanation.
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Tags: productivity, graduate-school, reading, literature
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thread-13700 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13700 | My advisor submitted a paper with my work without including me as an author | 2013-10-28T22:58:35.493 | # Question
Title: My advisor submitted a paper with my work without including me as an author
As you might see from my history I don't have a good relationship with my advisor. Recently we wrote a journal paper together based on my thesis. I wrote the introduction, analysis and the description of the app we had developed for our research. In crude terms, I wrote 15 pages of the 23 page journal paper. My advisor told me that our draft was submitted to this journal three weeks ago, yet I never received any notification from the journal that I was listed as author or co-author.
I went into the help section of the journal to figure if they do send emails to every author and it seems you do need an email to register as co-author. Confirmation here.
According to the guidelines, if the co-author is not registered with the journal, their email should be provided. Its quite obvious I should have received an confirmation email and my advisor only has my .edu email so there is no way another email address could have been used. I have written a journal paper to IEEE as co-author before and I had received an confirmatory email saying I was listed as co-author. I am afraid of confronting my advisor about this as I need co-operation to graduate and in my thesis defense, but I was curious to know if I will get an email if I am listed as co-author? More importantly, should I be listed as author or co-author in this case, when the work is based on my thesis and I wrote most of the paper?
I called the 1-800 number and when I told them the submitter's last name (my advisor) and the paper title, they confirmed that my advisor was listed as sole author. They told me that they had to un-submit and resubmit the journal paper to add me as co-author and they gave me contact of a University professor for further inquiries. I have all the email proof of my work (for instance emails where my advisor asks me to write intro and I would reply with the intro text attached and so on). I am seriously upset right now. I have my thesis defense in December and I fear that if I confront my advisor, things will screw up. Can you please advise on what I should do right now?
PS: I was told that I am listed in Acknowledgement section in the end, which is completely unfair. The Deciding officer (it seems he is the final authority in these cases and RIO reports to him) at my University is the vice president, who was my advisor's PhD Advisor half a decade ago. They are both from same city of a foreign country and are close family friends. Rumor has it that the Vice President rejected multiple highly qualified candidates to get my advisor for Asst. Prof. Position. All my friends are asking me to drop it because I don't have many bullets to go after them, but they can completely screw me up or set me up for something if I go against "one of their own". I am still evaluating what to do.
PPS: Thank you for all your advice. Even though I don't know any of you personally, you were very kind in giving me your time and advice. I cannot thank you all enough. I spoke with a full professor in another deptartment in Engineering. He asked me to stay put till December until the paper is published. He was of opinion that the University is a big cesspool and they only way to clean it is to "get the people" who are doing this publicly and shame them. I do not know if I am being used as pawn right now in University politics or what I should do. I spoke with other people too and all they said was "Is not getting an authorship on journal worth more than not earning the degree". It seems sole authorship does carry extra weight age in front of tenure committee. The whole situation has completely shattered my faith in academics, and the fact that I am part of a state university makes this even more depressing. By the way, one of the two editors of this journal was on advisor's PhD committee. So many people have advised me not to contact any of them. In academia everybody seems to know everybody, in fact it seems more like a cult. I am just doing a Masters now, I always had plans to do PhD and explore my curiosities and see what I can achieve with perseverance, hard work and to test my mental capabilities to their limit, but I am done. I quit. I never felt so depressed for a very long time. Academia these days seems to run by industry practitioners who had previous experience at corporate politics and are good at it or by businessman who wear good clothes, have good people skills and just show off while delegating all the work to GRAs and underlings, and that's not what I am and will never be.
# Answer
> 63 votes
It is an *unambiguous violation of ethics* for a collaborator to be dropped from the list of authors.
If you wrote a significant contribution to the paper, **you are in the right.** Your supervisor has no ground to stand on. You should *ask* your supervisor (don't accuse!) if he/she has included you as a co-author. If a mistake has been made, the sooner it's fixed the better. You could also have a good claim to first authorship, though that is something to decide between authors.
> Edit: a little humour - full credit goes to Nik Papageorgiou / The Upturned Microscope.
# Answer
> 18 votes
There may be nothing to worry about. In ScholarOne (the web submission system being used), the submitter is supposed to enter contact information for all the authors, but an impatient submitter might skip that. As long as you are listed as an author on the paper itself, I'd bet the web submission stuff can be fixed after the fact (it might annoy people, but it's unlikely to derail publication). Probably the person you called at the publisher just checked the ScholarOne metadata without examining the submitted PDF, in which case you don't know for sure whether it lists you.
Instead of provoking an angry confrontation, I'd focus on first figuring out whether you and your advisor are in agreement on authorship. I'll assume you have not explicitly discussed this question, since if you had, then you should have ended up with agreement one way or the other, or at least known you disagreed.
As a first step, you could bring up the question. For example, you could write "I realized recently that we never explicitly discussed authorship of our paper. I've envisioned myself as first author and you as the senior author, since I wrote much of the paper and it is based on my thesis work. However, I should have discussed this with you before submission. What's your take on the author ordering, and how did you handle it in the submission?"
Then you can decide what to do based on her response. If she explicitly says you're an author, then I'd trust her on this. You could still discuss author ordering, based on the conventions in your field.
If your advisor says she doesn't think you should be an author at all, then you'll have to discuss this issue. It would be counterproductive to accuse her of dishonesty or of trying to steal your work. Instead, you should just try to make the case that your contributions justify coauthorship. You could refer to guidelines for this journal or for your field in general to help you argue.
# Answer
> 4 votes
> I am seriously upset right now. I have my thesis defense in December and I fear that if I confront my advisor, she will screw me up.
Simply as a matter of self-interest, your adviser probably doesn't want you to fail your defense. The work is being published in a journal, and at least one of the names on the paper is hers. If it's then being judged as academically inadequate for a PhD, that reflects badly on her.
Also, if she's really as bad as she sounds, she'll have a reputation at your school, and many of the people on your committee will realize that.
A more realistic concern is that this is also the time when you're going to be applying for your first job, and she may not give you a good recommendation. E.g., if you're applying for a postdoc at another university, people there probably don't know her personally and don't understand your situation. Once you get past the hurdle of getting that first job, you no longer have to depend on your adviser for a recommendation. One option to consider would be to get that job lined up before starting a big row over authorship of this paper.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Yes, web submission software *can* send authorship confirmation emails to all co-authors, but not all journal publishers actually configure it to do so. I can confirm that at least one journal by Taylor & Francis does not send confirmation emails to people other than the corresponding author.
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Tags: journals, advisor, ethics, authorship
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thread-13720 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13720 | Do IMS journals count as open access? | 2013-10-29T22:01:20.877 | # Question
Title: Do IMS journals count as open access?
I'm considering submitting a paper to Annals of Applied Statistics, published by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS).
According to IMS Journals on arXiv:
> Note that the IMS posts all accepted IMS journal articles on arXiv at publication.
However, the paper entries on the journal page do not link directly to the arXiv paper. Also, for at least the following publication, there is no corresponding entry on arXiv. I'm not sure what to conclude from that.
So, I was just wondering if this approach counts as open access. Also, the Wikipedia entry, Comparison of statistics journals lists Annals of Applied Statistics and other IMS journals as not open access.
# Answer
> 1 votes
The definitive place to check is the IMS's Copyright Transfer Agreement, which conclusively says:
> However, the author(s) reserve the following:
>
> 1. All proprietary rights other than copyright, such as patent rights.
> 2. The rights to use all or part of this work (with appropriate reference to the journal and article) in future works of their own, such as lectures, press releases, reviews, textbooks, or reprint books.
> 3. The right to **place the final version of this article** (exactly as published in the journal) **on their own homepage or in a public digital repository**, provided there is a link to the official journal site.
> 4. The right to provide a copy of the final peer‐reviewed manuscript to the NIH upon acceptance for publication, for public archiving in PubMed Central as soon as possible but no later than 12 months after publication.
So the IMS follows the **green open access model** (which is confirmed by Sherpa/ROMEO).
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Tags: open-access
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thread-13713 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13713 | Is it appropriate to email an eminent researcher in your field? | 2013-10-29T15:59:10.257 | # Question
Title: Is it appropriate to email an eminent researcher in your field?
Sometimes, I feel to contact some of the eminent researchers in my field for any of the following reasons:
1. Appreciating their research publication (recent times). They publish in top conferences, which are usually not hosted in my country or nearby.
2. Requesting comments on some of my research hypothesis
3. Sometimes just because I am a die hard fan of them. For example, probably the only reason I continued with research in Computer Science was due to Don Knuth.
4. Sometimes, to know what they think on some specific research area that has propagated due to there work. (Probably looks like some journalistic work)
5. For knowing how did they tackle the pressures or certain situation during their PhD or research. (Yes, it's vague but these questions come to mind and probably should be answered by oneself or personal interaction, but adding it for the sake of completion)
Since, most of them are located outside my country, I can't visit or phone them. So, how are such emails perceived. Is it appropriate to send such emails, given that they are expected to have very busy schedule and it would probably waste their time?
Though I have mentioned my field as Computer Science, the question should be applicable to all the fields.
# Answer
> 21 votes
Here are some of my strayed thoughts.
**Think from return of investments, of yours and your idol's**
If you ever perceived that your e-mail would be a "waste of their time," then why send it? I feel that most eminent researchers have a trait of "ignore everyone and head for their goal;" getting acknowledgement and acceptance is probably not their primary concern. A specific e-mail describing how their work has inspired your study/project is probably fine, but I wouldn't go so far to expect they would reply and give specific comments on your hypotheses.
From your point of view, instead of using the energy and bandwidth to send the e-mails, there are a lot more you can do:
**There are many ways to show your appreciation**
First, they would probably like to see their work being formally cited and, more importantly, applied to the field or crossed into other fields. Each idea geminated from their work is an appreciation by itself, and in the mean time you can also enhance your publication and research paradigm. The plus is: if you have done enough of it, the big shot may actually contact you and give comments.
Second, you can help preaching the researcher's ideas and agenda. You can write blogs, answer other people questions, use their works in your journal clubs or lectures, etc. to subtly introduce the researcher's teaching to the public. Better yet, refine the researcher's ideas, and incorporate into yours. Become a spiritual successor with your own unique approach. And let your career be inspired by the researcher.
**You can learn from someone without establishing communication**
For some more senior researchers, look for their auto-biography, biography, interviews, and documentaries that feature them. I will probably never be able to talk to Itzhak Perlman, but I learned a lot about him through books, websites, documentaries, and musics that he plays. (And actually, he has a Youtube channel as well, but I am suffering from too much fanboy shyness to write any comment.)
For younger researchers, try look for their blogs, Youtube channels, open courses, or even biographies of their mentors. All these may help you become more familiar with them.
Another way is to indirectly know them. Most of these researchers would have a lot of students or proteges, who may be closer to your rank and more likely to communicate with you. You may build a relationship with them, and learn a thing or two about their interaction with their mentor.
**Try technology**
For their new publications... nowadays most online journals allow leaving comments online. You may try to say a nice thing or two there. If they write a blog, that's even easier. Some researchers maintain a LinkedIn page or a Twitter account, try connect with them and follow them. Hope for the best.
**Use other famous people as leverage**
If you really want to communicate with them, also try using other organizations. For instance, you can write to some online radio station and suggest an interview topic and some guests, which of course will include your idolized researcher. You can also write to some prominent podcast hosts and give them a couple reason to invite so and so for an interview. Make good use of crowdsourcing, invite your peers and friends to support your petition.
**Some heroes/heroines are better left a bit mysterious**
This is sad but occasionally painfully true. Some famous people are better left not known at personal level. They could be immensely arrogant, they may not have a nanogram of social skill, they may be a jerk... Unless I have reconstructed a pretty concrete and reliable image about the researcher from different sources, I would probably want to keep them as what they are in my mind, and as an inspiration for my work.
# Answer
> 17 votes
While many of these topics are excellent points to start a 1-1 conversation, I seriously doubt whether you'd get much of a response over email. This is not to say that they wouldn't appreciate your praise, but that there may not be anything to reply to in particular.
I suspect an email will get a better response if you have specific questions about *research* content: ideally, a question related to something in a recent paper that isn't entirely obvious. For example, in my field it's sometimes the case that someone sketches a proof idea in a conference paper without a full version, and fleshing this out requires some clarification from the authors.
Of course, you can always add in a question from your list as extra cargo. Then it's a little more likely that someone will reply.
More generally, think about it this way: if you never met someone before, and they came up to you and asked you questions that might be construed as personal (especially 5), or that require you to come up with opinions on the fly (2,4), you might hesitate to respond. The same thing, but without the pressure to say something, will happen over email.
# Answer
> 4 votes
In a nutshell: **Sending a polite email on an appropriate topic is pretty much always acceptable. However, don’t automatically expect an answer.**
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The second part is important. The eminent researcher is probably a busy person, and you have no particular moral claim on their time and attention. Don’t make it sound like you feel entitled to their assistance — “Hey Mr. Tao! I need to understand the Green–Tao theorem for my masters thesis. Please can you explain it to me in simple terms? P.S. my thesis is due next Tuesday.” And don’t be disappointed if they don’t reply.
That said, don’t despair either — don’t feel “oh, it’s not worth writing because they’ll never reply to a nobody like me”! Some may well be too busy or dismissive, but many are also genuinely kind people, and very generous with their help. Others (I have a specific rather famous person in mind here) are simply incorrigible curiosity-hounds, and will happily get caught up for hours by an intriguing problem from a random stranger when they’re supposed to be grading final exams. So they may well reply — just don’t presume it.
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On the other hand: what’s an appropriate topic?
* Questions about their research can be fine, provided you’ve done your homework. For instance, I had a question on mathoverflow recently which looked like it might have been answered by a particular researcher, but nobody could find the specific paper, and it was possibly unpublished. Writing to ask e.g. “Do you recall which of your papers on $\tau$-categories might contain or imply a result something like \[…\]?” is certainly OK.
* Questions about practical matters that may be their responsibility are good — at worst they can always hand it off to someone else. “I’m applying to your department’s PhD programme, and it wasn’t clear to me from the website if students are expected to have a potential advisor in advance. If so, are you potentially accepting new students at the moment? I am very interested in your work because…”
* Plain fan mail is OK, as long as it’s sincere and you’re not trying to get something for it! Nobody’s going to mind hearing “Please excuse my writing out of the blue; I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your talk at such-and-such conference. As a non-specialist, I really appreciate the effort you put into making it accessible to a wide audience.” However, if this is followed up by “Incidentally, I am applying for a job at such-and-such department. Do you have any insider advice you can share?” then the initial compliments will look a lot less sincere. Don’t do this!
* *Possibly* questions about your own research. The two big questions here are: again, have you done your homework; and is there a good reason why you’re asking them, not someone else? Asking “I read your paper, and had an idea of how to generalise Theorem 5.3, by such-and-such approach. Do you know if somebody is already working on this question, or is it open?” should be fine. Asking “I had such-and-such new idea in your field. Can you spare the time to give me feedback?” makes you sound a bit like a crank — for this, you should be running it by a colleague first, or a colleague-of-a-colleague, or if you don’t know anyone close to the field yet, try and find someone less famous and with at least *some* specific connection to you (e.g. geographically closer) that you can write to first.
What’s *not* appropriate:
* Asking for significant favours (unless you have a personal connection of some sort).
* Asking them to explain their research to you because you don’t want to read their papers. (That’s what helpful strangers in internet forums are for!)
* Personal questions (unless you’re a serious journalist writing e.g. a book on drug use among academics; but in that case you should know about how to get in touch with sources appropriately already).
# Answer
> 1 votes
We can be exahustive here.
`If` they feel like writing that kind of things to strangers `then` they most likely have a blog that you can follow, that saves a lot of time for them, by broadcasting. `If` they do, you can write comments in the blog, that could be appropriate and extend posts and discussion, which is good for them (a chance to clarify something), for you (getting answers, yay!) and for anyone that reads the post and then the comments (and doesn't need to ask the same again...).
`If` they don't feel like writing that kind of things to strangers `then` most probably they won't reply. In that case you will be wasting their time (that's bad) and *your* time (that's worse; selfsteem, please :P ). Thus that's probably not very wise.
`If` you have questions not covered in the aforementioned blogs, you can ask here, to a crowd of anonymous people. There are many people giving great answers (really, I know my profile is the closest one in distance, but you should check somewhere else). `I know` we are not so famous and important and wise and everything, `but` we try to do our best and even if `we can understand` that you may prefer the advise of other people, we `still` have a little heart and that hurts. :(
:P Personally, I think it is normal to feel admiration for people that basically are, in some aspect or another, what you want to be and struggle to be in the future. It is probably useful and interesting to get some insight from them, and understand their perspective (personal and professional) on many questions, if you are going to idealize someone and have an idol, probably a rock star is a worse option than a researcher, but I'm not sure whether idealizing and idolizing researchers is any good anyway...
This answer may be biased because I tend to underestimate the relevance of mentoring and I consider more important talent and hard work. I'm also to some extent opposite to you, I admire and appreciate some people, but I'm more introverted, so my natural reaction is thinking to myself: "Stay quiet and don't bother them, you despicable maggot!" (This is clearly worse than idolizing them).
As a final advise, keep your extroversion, it's good for you. That means you will have plenty of things to speak about when you go to a conference and chances to do so. You will love conferences, so focus on publishing to go there (you should focus on publishing anyway). If you like visiting places then that's another big plus.
So work hard and remember, we (a bunch of anonymous people) will always be here whenever you need us, remember us when you get to be famous. Also, write a blog.
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Tags: research-process
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thread-13717 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13717 | Applying for postdocs: mention two-body problem in cover letter? | 2013-10-29T19:55:33.487 | # Question
Title: Applying for postdocs: mention two-body problem in cover letter?
My spouse and I are both finishing Ph.D's in math and applying for math postdocs in the US. We work in different areas of math, but there are many departments in which both are prominently represented. A postdoc position in the same place is not an absolute must but a big plus for us, and would likely be a deciding factor if choosing between offers.
My question: would adding a statement in the cover letter to the effect of "My spouse xxx is also applying for this position" be helpful, or is it more likely to disqualify both of us in the eyes of departments? We have different last names, so someone who does not know us well personally would probably not know we are together.
The advice for tenure track applicants seems to be not to divulge such personal information until the interview, but there are no interviews for math postdocs so I'm not sure whether the advice would be different.
# Answer
As someone who actually has experience chairing a postdoctoral hiring committee in math in the US (maybe F'x has? s/he is an international wo/man of mystery...), I think the answer is "it's unclear."
I think there's no question that mentioning your spousal situation in connection with a job will increase the probability of you both getting jobs and decrease probability of either of you getting jobs; it's impossible to be sure how those things will balance. There's an extremely real danger that if a school knows about your situation, they'll just decide they have no chance of getting you and give up; on the other hand, if a school has a reasonable number of positions (for example, the University of Michigan), and you and your spouse are reasonably hot commodities, there is some chance a school will try to grab you both, but only if they know before whatever crucial meeting they have. That's not a very likely turn of events, but it has happened (note the importance of at least one, and hopefully both, of you being a hot commodity, **and** of the school in question having a large number of positions; if they have only one position, this won't work very well).
In part, you have to decide for yourself how scared you are of not getting a job vs. how scared you are having to take a job separating yourself from your spouse. No one on this site can tell you, but maybe your advisor or another trusted mentor can help you work that out. If you're planning for a research career in mathematics, you should also give some thought to doing the best postdocs possible (maybe requiring separation) to have better leverage on the TT market (I know that sucks, but the two-body problem generally sucks).
If you decide you would like the committee to know about your spouse, you then have to figure out when and how to tell them. I wouldn't depend on anything being noticed in your cover letter; there are a lot to read, and such a subtle thing will go unnoticed. As other answers point out, there is some chance of coming off as presumptuous. It's probably more reliable for one of your letter writers to mention it (bonus: this requires you to have a discussion with the letter writer about your situation). You can also broach the subject with someone you know at the school via email (or ask your advisor to do this). Another useful trick is to include a link to your spouse's homepage on your homepage (though that could be easily missed as well; still I'm more likely to read a homepage than a cover letter).
> 26 votes
# Answer
I think the advice that applies to tenure-track applicants also pertains to postdoc applicants. Employers aren't allowed to ask about two-body problems in terms of interviewing and hiring candidates. There's no need to force the issue ahead of time.
If you get an offer, then you can discuss the two-body problem. Otherwise, I wouldn't make an issue of it before then.
(Of course, the challenge is trickier for postdocs in most fields outside of math, because in those disciplines, postdocs are normally hired by individual faculty members, rather than at the departmental level.)
> 15 votes
# Answer
**I'd not risk it: you have more to lose by mentioning it than to gain.** It seems fairly unlikely that this would be a motivating factor for the department to offer you both a position, but it could be interpreted badly (such as *“I won't come if you don't offer us both a job”*).
This answer is not based on personal experience with US post-doc committees, but post-doc hiring in general.
> 13 votes
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Tags: mathematics, job-search, postdocs, application-cover-letter, two-body-problem
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thread-13734 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13734 | Increase chance of reply when e-mailing an eminent researcher? | 2013-10-30T10:51:51.020 | # Question
Title: Increase chance of reply when e-mailing an eminent researcher?
I found this question, but it does not exactly match what I would like to ask. In my case, **it's *almost surely appropriate* to send the e-mail (since my adviser suggested it)**, I'm just wandering as to **what is the best way to formulate such an e-mail**.
### The situation
The situation is that there is this bigshot researcher in my field, who designed an experimental framework that is very widely used (which I want to use now). In the paper describing the framework (not so recent, ~2005), he compares 5 (then) state-of-the-art methods, and those 5 are still used as comparison references. The problem is that, even though implementations for the reference methods are provided, I can not find the parameters used to initialize the method.
It is stated in the paper that the parameters suggested by original authors of the methods are used, but, after weeks of digging through the framework paper, papers introducing the method for the first time, and even trying to guess the parameters so they match the ones used, I still *can not get the ones used*. Since I want to test the method with slight modifications and not just use it as reference, I can not re-use the implementation provided but instead need to run my implementation with *parameters I can not find*, and introduce modifications to that.
### In short
So, to **summarize and generalize:** After a few weeks of looking for it, I **can not find some parameters** used in a (seminal framework) work published in 2005. These parameters are **not needed to reproduce** the work, but **are important in extending it**. My adviser suggested **e-mailing the author of the paper** (who is a well known in the community), but since he is so well know and I'm a lowly PhD student **I feel kind of uncomfortable sending this e-mail.**
### The question
I do understand that this is probably the best (and possibly only) approach to getting the information I need, even if it is not very probable that it will work. With that (and my fear of bigshot academics) in mind, my questions are:
* How to best write such an email? Besides the basics (be polite and concise) I don't know where to even start.
* Do you have any advice on how to increase the chances of getting a reply? Maybe including my adviser in the CC of the e-mail would be a good idea, indicating my relation to a more established academic?
# Answer
> 2 votes
Your chances of a reply will correlate quite strongly with two factors:
1. How interesting your problem is.
2. How long it will take the professor to respond.
Thus, you should:
* Make everything as brief as possible, yet still include all necessary information.
* Ask yes, no, or short-answer questions that the professor will know off the top of his/her head. Ask for references to a paper, or for whole pieces of code: not the embedded details.
* Briefly mention that you're a PhD student at Fake University, supervised by Professor Jones (if the prof you're contacting likes your supervisor's work, that's a good start).
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Tags: research-process, email
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thread-13736 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13736 | How can you find the DOI of an article that doesn't seem to have one? | 2013-10-30T12:10:34.290 | # Question
Title: How can you find the DOI of an article that doesn't seem to have one?
I cannot find the DOI number of this article. It has ISBN, but it does not help me find its DOI number.
**How can you find the DOI number of articles where it's not listed, but other identifiers, such as an ISBN, are available?**
# Answer
> 9 votes
Try these sites to search for a CrossRef DOI:
http://search.crossref.org/
or
http://www.crossref.org/guestquery/
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Tags: publications, doi
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thread-13728 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13728 | Low-quality paper or no paper - which is better for an undergraduate in PhD admission? | 2013-10-30T03:04:56.983 | # Question
Title: Low-quality paper or no paper - which is better for an undergraduate in PhD admission?
As everybody knows, research experience helps in one undergraduate's admission to a PhD program. It would be even better, if the undergraduate has a publication out of his or her research experience.
However, for a full-time undergraduate, it is quite difficult to devote too much time to research since one still has the school work to deal with. *(Maintaining a high GPA is also important, isn't it?)* Given the time limitation by this or other reasons, the **undergraduate** may face the following dilemma.
The **quality** of work is **low**, but the undergraduate has **no time to improve it**.
**Should the undergraduate publish it to a random and low-tier conference to at least have a publication?**
OR
**Should he or she just make it a technical report instead of publishing it?**
In other words, during the PhD admission, **how do the admission committees or professors view a low-quality conference paper?** Do they take it as an advantage in the sense that most of the undergraduates have none. Or do they start suspecting the student's research potentials? **Does a low-quality "1" win a "0" in this case?**
FYI, the field of interest is EECS, but any generic comments are also very much appreciated!
# Answer
If the quality of the work is low, the student should neither publish it in a lower tier conference nor publish it as a technical report. They should either make the time to improve it or toss it in the trash. A **bad** publication, no matter what venue it's published in, is worse than no publication at all.
Similarly, a "publication" listed in a CV or described in a statement of purpose that isn't retrievable via google (unlike most technical reports, which *are* googlable) is also worse than no publication at all, because we can't tell if the applicant is lying. (Sadly, some applicants are lying.)
> 11 votes
# Answer
I have a different opinion:
I think you should push it forward for publication in a national conference, not international (because quality is low)
The weightage for this will definitely be less, But it leaves a different impression if you have some published work.
> 1 votes
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Tags: phd, publications, research-undergraduate
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thread-13746 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13746 | arXiv identifier near the end of month | 2013-10-30T16:55:19.240 | # Question
Title: arXiv identifier near the end of month
If one submit a paper (today) on Oct 30th at 20:00:01 GMT (16:00:01 EDT) on arXiv, which announces on Nov 1st 00:00:00 GMT, **is the identifier 1311.xxxx or 1310.xxxx?**
What is the general policy of arXiv to have 1311.xxxx or 1310.xxxx when submitting a paper near the end of Oct? When is the cutline between the twos?
# Answer
> 3 votes
The information on arXiv's help pages implies that the identifier is based on the submission date, see e.g.:
> Submissions are assigned identifiers and appear in the listings in order based on the submission time (the last time the "Submit" button was selected at the end of the submission process). An edit and subsequent "Submit" will reset this time and thus change position in the listings. Edits are permitted between 16:00 and the 20:00 announcement time. However, doing this will remove the submission from that day's announcements and delay it until the next day.
If so, a manuscript submitted today should get the identifier **1310.xxxx**. This also seems to fit with a couple of random papers I looked at, e.g. this one (Submitted 27/09-2013, announced 01/10-2013).
However, note that arXiv seems to use 20:00 GMT as the daily deadline for submission (see e.g. here), so submissions made after that are transferred to the next date.
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Tags: arxiv, preprint, deadlines, online-publication
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thread-12297 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/12297 | How to convince people of the time required to perform PhD research? | 2013-08-29T19:39:47.763 | # Question
Title: How to convince people of the time required to perform PhD research?
I have found that while many have some appreciation of the level of research in a PhD (usually by saying "that's way over my head" or something similar) and I have not really had a problem with getting impatient describing my research.
Edit to add: this is reflective of my own experience, mostly studying/researching part time and working full time in an unrelated field.
The query here is how to convince people of the time required for completion of the PhD, and the continued dedication needed in order to get the intrinsic tasks complete. In some cases, it is not 'a 1000 word book report'.
For example, my PhD (now just submitted) was highly experimental, each set of observations were 3 hours each, and I had to do about 100-120 of them (usually on weekends as I work full time). After which, I would have to do 6-12 hours of coding/data analysis. So many did not seem to understand that time was required to do the work properly - and were perplexed when I tried to explain.
Edit to explain why I felt the need to explain, this reason I would imagine is true for many - friends and family, people that you respect, may wonder why am I seem to be ignoring them, why am I 'obsessing' over this project, why did I decline the invitation to wherever. They may worry that we are 'hiding' behind the study. They question why we spend so much time on our research, often not due to any jealousy, but not understanding the time commitment needed for research.
I am **not** after opinions, but are asking what are some strategies that can help educate people of the time required to perform PhD research, particularly for part time PhD students working in an unrelated field?
# Answer
> 28 votes
I often draw parallels to elite athletes since most people easily realize that athletes need to train and spend much time getting to where they are (and they usually also have some talent for their sport). The point is that to become good one has to spend lots of time and energy training. How easy it will be is unique to each person. Hence, it is also difficult to say how much time and effort each person needs to complete a PhD. Not that one has to be the best, but one has to be good enough to be at the top. Another aspect that I find useful in the parallel is that athletes usually love what they do, and it is an internal force that drives them. I sincerely believe that some such drive is necessary to complete a PhD without having to torment yourself too much.
When trying to explain the time perspective to prospective students the parallel might not be enough and it is usually difficult to make people realize the interest driven part. This is, in my case, due to the fact that people decide on trying to go for a Phd for many different reasons other than just a genuine interest in the subject. I will add that I do not mean such a drive is the only way through but it certainly helps.
# Answer
> 11 votes
Okay, I think I get it now. "Science" as it is actually practiced is not well understood by non-scientists. I.e., experiments and analysis takes a lot of time, and a lot of hard work that sometimes must happen in long, solitary periods. Popular media gets it wrong all the time, which doesn't help things. Science does not (generally) follow a 9-5 work schedule, and if you're trying to shoe-horn your research activities into an already full schedule (be it another job, or family/friend considerations), you're even more prone to non-regular work hours.
There are a number of ways you could have a conversation with friends and family about the amount of work necessary for your studies and research. You could start by sending a draft of your 100+ page dissertation and saying, "Look what I've been working on!" After about three pages, their eyes will glaze over and they'll realize how intricate it is.
You could certainly invite someone into the lab (if one exists), but you might just end up boring them without the contextual background necessary to see what has to happen to get your research done. However, you can be honest by pointing out the number of hours you stared at and tweaked an experiment, or the number of hours it took you to analyze the data.
You could use other famous examples from science and engineering, starting with the scientists who spent many years working on ideas (Galileo, Newton, Einstein, etc.) before publishing them, and peppering the discussion with the standard epigrams:
> In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind.
>
> Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.
When a friend of mine was writing her PhD in history at Harvard, she had stacks and stacks and *stacks* of library books in her foyer (it was probably a fire hazard), and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that her long hours working were of necessity.
One thing you might also consider (esp. for friends and family) is to come at the issue from a different angle: be honest about your work, but also be honest that you want to spend time with everyone, and you'll do your best to work into their schedule. Set aside time that will be explicitly for them (and without work), and do your best to meet those obligations. The time you spend on your research won't get as much vitriol if you're willing to make some effort (even if it is minor) to spend time with others.
# Answer
> 8 votes
As noted in other answers, the general public simply does not understand the level of effort, over a substantial time period, necessary to produce new knowledge. Yes, the popular media have been very unhelpful, since it is more interesting to report on "geniuses" than on "hard work", obviously.
Of course, it is also completely unreasonable to imagine "(re-) educating" people about scientific/engineering processes. Rather, if one really wants to "reach" them, as is presumably the case with friends and family, some rhetorical devices seem necessary.
E.g., one can mention the thousands of people working over the last 100-200 years (or whatever timeframe you want to pick), especially the (figure out an impressive number) of documents produced in the last 20 years (or number of your choosing), and the necessity of \_catching\_up\_ and *adding* something to that.
Even though it is somewhat misleading, a recitation of the thousands of pages of pre-existing research reports and the difficulty of reading them gives a not-unreasonable "pop" idea of things.
That is, in contrast to the "pop" idea that "this one weird trick" \[sic\] solves problems, one must convey that extensive, time-consuming experimentation (even, truly, in "pure mathematics", where there is a tradition of pretending that we don't experiment... with ideas...?) is necessary to learn how to exclude plausible-but-failing possibilities. All the "worse" that other people have already looked at the first 1,000 more-accessible possibilities, so that a "newbie" is stuck with looking at far-less-obviously-accessible possibilities.
That is, in summary, an only-slightly-hyped-up description of "prior art", and the need to understand it before pretending to do something new and worthwhile, might "make an impression".
And, then, yes, "it's not a 9-to-5 job". E.g., it seems that a requirement for an academic scientist (and other academics) is a definite urge to work nearly to the exclusion of everything else, out of curiosity. If the academic topic is not one's "job", it'd seem that 80-hour work-weeks wouldn't be necessary... but the point is that most of the "prior art" was *produced* by such people, giving further (rhetorical, anecdotal) evidence to the idea that further progress will not be made "casually".
The conflict with "normal" human social activities is partly inescapable. It is truly unacceptable in various regards that one's "work" could conceivably have priority over social obligations. There's really no good way to explain how "it's ok" that one refuses invitations from family and friends, "to work". If it's your own choice, you've shown that you prefer work to friends and family. Whether or not that's the case (!), it's safer and less offensive to claim that external forces require you to spend the time... this, after the "complaint" that there's sooooo much to learn.
And, for perspective, we recall that very many people have unpleasant, pointless-seeming jobs, and no "second job/hobby" of any interest to turn to. Indeed, sometimes people take offense at one's enthusiasm or dedication to one's work (whether it's the paying job or the second one). An enviable luxury, etc.
So, no way around it, a tricky thing. White lies may be optimal on many occasions...
# Answer
> 5 votes
It doesn't have to be a Phd you are studying for. I had similar problems just doing an undergraduate degree. I'm what you call a mature student and my mother cannot for the life of her, understand why I wanted the education I wasn't able to get when younger.
She was not amused when it was explained that I had yet another essay to complete and couldn't just drop everything to attend something or other. So it is often not about you at all, its about them and their need of you. Some of the other students faced even more difficulties, especially the women with husbands and children. So, I fear you will just have to carry on and take it on the chin but for heavens sake, don't give it up. Good luck.
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Tags: phd, research-process
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thread-13749 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13749 | Should one list the journals of submitted papers on a CV? | 2013-10-30T22:23:38.903 | # Question
Title: Should one list the journals of submitted papers on a CV?
I am a mathematician and am updating my CV for this hiring season. I am wondering if there is any upside, or downside, to listing the journals of submitted papers on a CV. I have heard advice given in both directions on this issue.
# Answer
> 10 votes
Opinions differ on this issue. The advantage of listing where you have submitted the paper is that it gives a clue as to how good you think the paper is. If you submit to the Annals of Mathematics, then you are suggesting it's a wonderful paper. If you submit to Advances in Pure Mathematics (not to be confused with the reputable journal Advances in Mathematics), then you might as well have generated your paper using random text. Listing this information gives you a tactful way to indicate what you consider to be your best work even before it is published, and this may be helpful to someone who wants to take a look at your papers but has only a little time.
On the other hand, submission is not nearly as meaningful as acceptance, because you are a biased judge of your own work. Furthermore, you could deliberately submit to an unrealistically prestigious journal just for the purpose of writing "submitted to the Annals".
Listing the journals can also come across as presumptuous, like you believe the papers will obviously be accepted and you are already bragging about the presumed outcome.
I'd recommend against it. I think the benefits are small, and it's not worth the risk of looking arrogant or manipulative. On the other hand, it's something people sometimes do, and it doesn't seem to do them much (if any) harm, so if you like the idea I don't think it would be a big mistake.
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Tags: cv
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thread-13752 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13752 | How can I throw other ideas from my mind while doing PhD? | 2013-10-31T00:29:05.143 | # Question
Title: How can I throw other ideas from my mind while doing PhD?
I have started doing PhD 3 months ago and I still don't have that much progress. What I found is that I spend more time on learning about web development, which I can choose not to do, and this will make me focus more on my PhD and I'm sure I will do better. However, the problem is that web development is like an addiction for me.
Web development is not like doing something else (it requires learning stuff so my mind will do a lot of hard work) and when I do that and come to do my research work in PhD I feel bored.
Now I decided to stop doing web development and focusing on PhD but how can I guarantee not to come back to that in 2 or 3 days? I tried that one month ago and I found myself coming back to web development and not focusing that much on PhD.
Any ideas or suggestion on getting rid of this habit?
# Answer
> 12 votes
It sounds as though you are having a hard time finding motivation for pursuing your PhD. You don't mention the focus of your research, but one idea would be to modify the focus so that it aligns better with your addicting hobby of web-development (I'm not familiar with CS, so I have no idea how this would work in actual practice. Others will better be able to advise you on that.)
**Become interested in your research.** Assuming that you have compelling reasons for staying in your current area of research, you will need to have a genuine passion for the subject, or completing the PhD will become well-nigh impossible due to lack of motivation. See this article by Scott Young on how to learn boring subjects; his advice also holds for renewing interest in something. See the key points below.
* Don't pick degree programs you hate. Although there are times when you may have to take courses you don't actually like, avoid a career made up of tasks and information you hate.
* Don't confuse boring and difficult. It is easy to avoid something as boring, rather than admitting that it is difficult.
* Find the 'real-world' connections. Math isn't boring when you begin to see the connections and overall patterns--ditto for many other subjects/areas.
* Discover the context. Take the time to explore the background, and understand why these \[proofs, theorems, whatever\] are important for where we are now. Young recommends reading Wikipedia articles on lunch-breaks for this purpose.
* Make stories and pictures. Learning is a creative activity--the product is the intangible connections and stories in our minds. Mnemonics and stories can be interesting even when the subject is not. (Use this for the necessary but boring parts of research.)
* Use the knowledge. Using even part of what you learn in a separate project will help cement the learning, and will also be interesting. (And anyway, isn't this part of the purpose of a PhD, to apply knowledge in new ways?)
* Realize that not everything will be fun--*more interest* is better, even if relative differences still exist.
# Answer
> 8 votes
You can probably get paid more doing web development. Normally you have to like research a whole lot for a PhD to be worth it, compared to doing something more lucrative and in-demand like web development.
If on top of everything, you enjoy that more than research, I would recommend at least spending some time to reevaluate your motivation to go through with a PhD.
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Tags: phd, research-process, work-life-balance
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thread-13759 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13759 | Default poster size | 2013-10-31T09:43:01.403 | # Question
Title: Default poster size
What is the typical size for a conference poster? Is it "ask the organizers", or can I safely assume that I'll get a default size, and that there will be enough space to hang it at the poster session?
# Answer
> 11 votes
You'll have to look at the conference announcement or contact the organizers. The space allotted to each poster is usually clearly stated in the conference announcement, and there are a number of different poster sizes being used, common ones being e.g. A0, A1. However, sometimes you are free to use the poster boards as you see fit (i.e. only provided a maximium limit).
If you are interested, here are also some resources/guidelines for constructing posters that I've used earlier:
# Answer
> 7 votes
There's no real “default” size. It should be communicated by the organizers, as part of the various practical details of the conference. If not, double check, but otherwise you can ask them.
If, for some reason you cannot ask, it is relatively safe to assume that it's either vertical or horizontal A0. So, if you could not get the information from the organizers and want to play it safe, restrict yourself to 84 cm in both directions, that way you'll be fine.
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Tags: conference, poster
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thread-13763 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13763 | Is copyediting good for an academic career? | 2013-10-31T10:23:11.557 | # Question
Title: Is copyediting good for an academic career?
I have recently been involved in managing a special issue in a scientific journal. The chief-editor was somehow appreciative of my work and now wants me to join the journal's board as a copyeditor. I am puzzled by this request since I have no example of an academic being involved in such a task. Usually, being an editor (see Why become a journal editor?) involves more content evaluation.
Would my academic career take advantage of such a duty?
# Answer
> 16 votes
The only benefit you'll get as a copyeditor is clear: **money** (assuming he offered to pay you).
The downsides are numerous: it takes a lot of time, it will not be considered a plus to your CV (it's a technical job, not a scientific one)… none of the benefits from being a journal editor apply to a copyeditor.
Also, I don't know exactly what you did when you say *“I have recently been involved in managing a special issue”*, but if you were guest editor, **offering you a copyeditor job is clearly not showing appreciation for your job** as a scientist.
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Tags: publications, journals, career-path, editors
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thread-13768 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13768 | Number of slides for 45 minute defense presentation | 2013-10-31T15:41:45.477 | # Question
Title: Number of slides for 45 minute defense presentation
I have 100 slides but most are light weight with pictures. I am afraid it is too much because I can't get it under 1 hour in my rehearsal. I have noted that some slides take me more time to explain. Any suggestions other than reduce number of slides? Maybe use some kind of timer.
# Answer
> 17 votes
Why are you fixated on the number of slides? What matters is the story you tell, the important messages that people who listen to you will be able to take home after the presentation. Sure, you'd like to say more, but that's not how it works. **Don't plan to talk faster, to run through your talk at lighting speed**. **If the content doesn't fit the time frame, drop some things**. You may not want to hear it, but you have to.
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Another hint, maybe too late for you, but which I find useful: there are two things which are very interesting to **know about yourself as a speaker**:
1. **How fast do I usually go?** I.e., for a typical presentation, how many slides per minute do I do? This allows you to get a rough idea of timing, for future presentations, even before rehearsing (or allow you to skip rehearsing at all, once you become good at it!).
2. In real circumstances, **am I faster or slower than during rehearsal?** This depends somewhat on circumstances (being tired, being excited, etc.) but it is still interesting info. For example, I know that I tend to digress more during real talks than rehearsals, which means when I time myself I know I have to leave some margin. On the other hand, some people talk faster on the stage.
When my students preparer for their first conference talk, I usually ask them to think of the above, and write down their timing. It is useful to prepare later talks, and also their PhD defense!
# Answer
> 8 votes
To add to already good answers and comments. A rule of thumb often quoted is "number of minutes in talk"/2 but this number has a huge standard deviation. So both much more and less can still be good. Clearly you need to make sure you get your message across. I have seen someone using up 30-40 slides in a presentation in five minutes but then it was a way to create a "manual animation". It was nevertheless very efficient and gave the desired result.
The problem is that you need to consider, how much *detail* you need to explain your main points. You also need to think about how much time you need to discuss each slide. It is easy to just make loads of bullet points and actually not *tell* anything. In this case you need to consider your audience. If the target of the talk is your fellows in the department then they are not as deeply involved as peers within your sub-discipline. If the audience requires more background you probably cannot use a vast number of slides because people will soon lose track. With a specialist audience who can understand the slides more intuitively, you may be fine.
*Speed* is also a factor. If you have to much material you need to speed up and you are more likely to not finish on time. You need to pace yourself and consider how your talk will be perceived. A rushed talk is never fun. The result may well be a presentation where you think there are gaps. But that is how it is. You need to make decisions about what must be included and what could be discarded. Sometimes you can add the discarded material (figures) to the end of the talk in case someone asks questions where they can be used for the answer. That usually comes across as being well prepared.
*Reduction*. Since you ask if how you can reduce the slides, I will suggest looking at each and every one and think: *Is this necessary?* I am particularly thinking about figures. *Necessary* in this case means if it tells something unique that is used to build towards the conclusion(s). A follow up question before deleting it is perhaps *if it can be merged with another slide?*
Finally, and as a side comment, I do not think that you are new to Beamer is at fault. Using Beamer/LaTeX is great and for me the fact that producing a slide is slower than in, say, PowerPoint is a bonus. It helps me from just generating too many slides since I have time to think about each and everyone as I go through the process.
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Tags: presentation, defense
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thread-13774 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13774 | Asking a question in SE might be considered a breach of anonymity? | 2013-10-31T17:58:29.543 | # Question
Title: Asking a question in SE might be considered a breach of anonymity?
I find the SE sites, especially Math.SE, MathOverflow and CompSci.SE, extremely useful for solving specific problems I encounter during my research. But I have one concern: if I ask a question in an SE site, and then describe the same question in a paper (whether I got an answer or not), then this might be considered a breach of the anonimity requirement, because, one of the reviewers might be a member in one of these sites, see my question and know that I am an author of that paper.
Is it possible that my paper will be rejected because some parts of it were published as questions on the web?
# Answer
> 18 votes
I think there's two parts to the question, one about anonymity, one about content.
In terms of anonymity, it's unlikely that your paper would be rejected, at least in my field (which is not math/CS). While papers are submitted anonymously, in reality, reviewers sometimes have a good idea of who the author is. A reviewer can recognize the submission's subject area and approach from other work you've published/presented, or be tipped off by little things like the citation of an unpublished thesis (which likely only the author would know about). If reviewers think they know the author, and there's a conflict of interest, they contact the editor; if they don't see a conflict of interest that would bias them toward or against who they think is the author, they just review it. That's been my experience at least.
In terms of content, it's a bit dicier. I know this isn't something you're asking about, but I figured I'd address it for completeness sake. I assume that you're referring to questions that are fairly small, narrow, and specific, and whose answers don't make up the core of your paper. If so, no problem. But an editor or reviewers might take issue with you using answers you get here as your own, especially if they're central to your argument. You probably know that already, and I've never seen it occur in any blind review I've done, but I feel better including this caveat in my answer to your main question.
# Answer
> 5 votes
It's becoming a common practice to cite answers on SE if they get used in papers. I'd strongly recommend (at least for the second question) that you cite answers you get. There is indeed a risk that this violates anonymity requirements (because you're not supposed to cite material that can reveal your identity), but you can get around that by merely citing "an answer on the stackexchange forums" with "identity withheld to preserve anonymity".
In this way, you make it clear whether the result is yours or not, without breaching rules.
# Answer
> 4 votes
You should carefully check the Creative Commons Attributions Share Alike (CC-BY SA) license agreement under which this site operates. You will find a link at the lower right corner of this page or simply use the link. The license essentially tells you that you can use and distribute the material, even commercially, provided that you make correct attribution and that any material that builds on it is shared under the same license. The license can be waived through permission (see the CC-BY SA page).
So from this perspective you are not doing anything wrong as long as you follow the license. I also do not think any journal, editor or reviewer would hold use of an SE site against you as long as the material can pass review, the license is followed and that the source for your information is provided. Also check Attributing contributions to academic work that occur in Stack Exchange for more information.
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Tags: publications, anonymity
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thread-13781 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13781 | Is it possible to attend grad school in cognitive sciences without a medical degree? | 2013-11-01T13:07:18.160 | # Question
Title: Is it possible to attend grad school in cognitive sciences without a medical degree?
I'm currently a first year undergraduate student in pure math but recently I've become interested in neuroscience and related fields. Is it possible to pursue neuroscience and cognitive sciences without a medical degree?
If yes, do you know any universities in North America or Europe that accepts people with pure math degrees in programs that are related to neuroscience and bio-mathematics?
Sorry if my question is too naive, I don't have much information about academic stuff yet.
# Answer
> 5 votes
At least in the US, a neuroscience or cognitive science PhD program generally admits people with undergrad or masters degrees, which generally can't be medical degrees since many US schools do not offer medical degrees at those levels.
So the answer to your first question is yes.
As for the specifically a math background, I expect that most schools would consider such an application. Even in fields that have corresponding undergrad majors, it's not uncommon for people to enter PhD programs from very different undergrad studies. An application would have to address the question of having an adequate background and understanding of what the field is like.
# Answer
> 4 votes
In one word: absolutely!
For Psychology the top rated public university in the US (UW Madison) states absolutely no specificity for an undergraduate degree for consideration, and in fact no psychology department I could find in my short searching stated any such requirement. Even most engineering schools, for example, don't require an undergraduate degree in engineering for consideration (though they often state a preference) - and this includes what in the US we refer to as "Industrial Engineering", which includes a variety of fields that do work in the cognitive sciences.
For neurology, the picture is a bit different, but the answer is still "yes". For neurology there is "clinical neurology", which are usually programs geared towards medical students (those seeking a medical degree - not necessarily who already have one). However, for pure "neurology" degrees the fact is the same - they don't universally require a similar undergraduate degree.
However, on the other side a word of caution - some degree programs state a preference for a related undergraduate degree. The University of Pittsburgh Neurology department states:
> "In general, successful applicants have a BS degree in neuroscience, biology, chemistry, or psychology with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.4 (on a 4.0 scale), and a cumulative Graduate Record Examination score of at least 160 verbal, 150 quantitative and a 4.5 in analytical writing."
Every department sets its own requirements, and just because one says "in general..." doesn't mean they don't admit people who don't fit their exact stated mold - just that your chances will be higher.
Being an international candidate (I assume), you'll probably have to apply to more programs as the chance for admittance is generally small per application to US schools (it's not uncommon for schools to accept 50% of domestic applications, and but only 1-10% of international applicants), but again - this is not all that uncommon.
If you had the opportunity, it wouldn't hurt to try to direct some independent study or work towards even a single mathematical problem that relates to something like decision or control problems or statistics - which you could then provide as an example of proof that you are interested in cognitive sciences, etc - but you don't have to.
Bottom-line, you will have to figure out what angle of attack you'll want to have on the cognitive sciences. It is a very big field, and you can technically do cognitive science in the field of Business (especially Behavioral Economics), Psychology (where most undergraduates are required to take a course in cognition), Engineering, Multidisciplinary design/art programs (like Human Computer Interaction), Computer Science (especially in Artificial Intelligence), Neuroscience/Neurology, Linguistics, and even Philosophy. None of these require medical degrees, either.
On the downside, if you don't also acquire a medical degree they generally won't let you cut people open and play with their brains or run them through radioactive/high-magnetic machinery by yourself (but you can collaborate with people who can!). If that's OK with you, no medical training is required.
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Tags: graduate-school, graduate-admissions
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thread-13792 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13792 | Is a break-of-study a hindrance to getting a PhD? | 2013-11-01T18:06:05.850 | # Question
Title: Is a break-of-study a hindrance to getting a PhD?
I live in a developing country. I want to go to USA for higher studies and plan to acquire a PhD there. But since I do not have enough money to go there, I need to have a job first to collect my money. May be the job is not relevant to my academic field of interest.
Are these types of break-of-studies hindrances to getting PhDs?
# Answer
> 6 votes
A "break-of-study" is not a hindrance *per se*. It has side effects (you get older, acquire a family, and so on), and some of these can make it a little trickier to get a Ph.D. In particular, you might find the answers to this question: Can one excel in graduate school with a demanding family life? very relevant in terms of the challenges of doing a Ph.D with a family.
But again, a break-of-study in and of itself is not a bad thing. Now if the job you are looking for takes you far away from your intended field of research, then you might have to explain your background on your application and somehow establish that you have a continuing interest and basic knowledge in the field (which may have changed since you graduated). You can do this by taking courses online, or by doing research projects on the side, and so on.
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Tags: phd, graduate-admissions
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thread-13757 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13757 | Download full journals from IEEE as pdf (ebook) | 2013-10-31T09:07:37.537 | # Question
Title: Download full journals from IEEE as pdf (ebook)
I was wonder if anyone knew if it is possible (and how) to download an entire journal (as if it would be printed) from ieeeXplore ?
# Answer
I believe that violates the terms of use for IEEE Xplore. I don't know if you are an IEEE member, institutional subscriber, etc., but the terms of use for institutional subscribers states the following:
> Institutional subscribers are NOT permitted to do the following: \[...\]
>
> * Download or attempt to download an entire issue or issues of a publication contained in IEEE Xplore.
You should first view the terms of use for IEEE Xplore at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/termsOfUse.jsp, and if you have questions contact Xplore support via the contact form http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/techform.jsp.
> 12 votes
# Answer
Well, to put legality aside merging pdfs into single file is rather easy (I assume that you can download individual articles as pdfs).
You need ghostscript program (avilable on any modern linux, and I guess also for windows) and then issue command:
```
gs -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOUTPUTFILE=combinedpdf.pdf -dBATCH 1.pdf 2.pdf 3.pdf
```
which will merge `1.pdf`, `2.pdf`, `3.pdf` into `combined.pdf`.
If you want to mass download articles you can use this firefox plugin: https://addons.mozilla.org/pl/firefox/addon/downthemall/
Anyways: please mind that you might be bending or violating terms and conditions using these techinques.
> 1 votes
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Tags: journals, ieee
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thread-13802 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13802 | How should a drop in GPA be presented positively in a Statement of Purpose? | 2013-11-02T18:05:01.873 | # Question
Title: How should a drop in GPA be presented positively in a Statement of Purpose?
During my undergrad studies, my first two years went fine but in third did not go well as compared to the first two years. Consequently, there was a drop in the GPA. But there was one good project at that time and I and my roommate did some independent research work during this time which we got published in beginning of our final year.
The main reason for the drop in GPA was due to trouble in catching up with the subjects. I just could not handle my studies at that moment.
Though it was the third year when I realised which field of computer science I wanted to specialize in, so since then all my projects, independent research work and even some research work under my professor has been related to that domain.
I must also add that my GPA increased every semester since the drop.
I wanted some suggestions on how to present this in a positive way in an SOP?
# Answer
Personally, I would avoid making excuses for a drop in grades. They are what they are.
Instead, you should highlight the independent research you did and published. That's a huge achievement for an undergraduate. If it's obvious to the reader that you put a significant amount of effort into that research and learned a lot, that should outweigh the fact that you didn't learn as much in class.
If the grad school programs you are interested in do still have a coursework component, then grades will matter more than they do for a research-only course. But if they're *good enough*, research experience will make up the rest. That, glowing letters of recommendation from supervisors, and a good interview are worth more than perfect grades.
> Don't waste words making excuses. Show you are emotionally invested in your research. *Make promises*.
<sub>Anecdotally, my GPA tanked from A- in my final undergraduate year to B (overall) in the first year of my Master's program. I had a tendon injury and couldn't write for nearly 3 months, so I only just scraped through that first semester with a C average. Way behind on my research project, I put that ahead of my second semester papers and did very well in the research but with average coursework. Those grades got me my dream PhD job, and I haven't even finished my Master's thesis yet. I never mentioned the injury because no-one ever asked about my grades.</sub>
> 6 votes
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Tags: graduate-admissions, masters, statement-of-purpose, gpa
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thread-13822 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13822 | Exam exceptions for student with disabilities | 2013-11-03T09:29:02.773 | # Question
Title: Exam exceptions for student with disabilities
I am registered as a psychologically disabled student with my University, and (for disability reasons) have asked my professor to allow me to take the exam at a date later than the ordinarily scheduled time. I have not received a response from my professor yet; my guess is that she is hesitant to agree to this exception for several reasons. One, is the notion that I might have some kind of advantage over the rest of the class. Second, should my professor make modifications to the exam (e.g. change problems, make it harder) for my exam, then she may argue that the other students' exams will have to be graded differently from mine, and that's unfair. Third, the exam is scheduled at the normal class time, 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM, so it can be argued that if a student attends class regularly at those times, then there is no reason why the student should need to take the exam at a different time.
My professor hasn't said any of the above (yet) and I don't read minds; this is just my best guess of what she will think of my request. University policy leaves the decision on such an exception entirely up to the professor. (No department in the University has authority to influence her decision. Not even the office of disability services can influence her decision in this case.)
From your experiences at universities, how do most professors typically respond to such exceptions? For you professors, does the exception I'm requesting appear reasonable to you? Are there any other reasons you can think of for why the professor would/should **not** grant me an exception for the exam?
# Answer
> 8 votes
Exceptions can always be made under certain circumstances. Interestingly in your long and detailed question, there is no trace of a reason for requesting a delay other than your general condition, which I cannot see as a reason by itself. The university/department probably has some rules or policies for such cases. There are usually ways for people with different disabilities to take an exam in parallel with the scheduled exam in a a separate room, sometimes with specific tools and help. I can for example see that hospitalization and family funeral can be clear cases for such exceptions.
So if an exception is made, what would you have to expect? To provide exactly the same exam twice seems extremely unlikely for the reasons you provide. So from the teacher perspective, making a new exam is not something to take lightly, it requires a lot of work (if done seriously). In other words, you would get a different exam designed to be of equal difficulty. From a student perspective a new exam can always appear either easier or more difficult based on what and how well you have studied but in general, the exam would not intentionally be made more difficult.
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Tags: professorship, ethics, disability
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thread-13819 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13819 | Can a referee request a paper referenced in the reviewed paper? | 2013-11-03T07:38:41.773 | # Question
Title: Can a referee request a paper referenced in the reviewed paper?
If you review a paper which relies on results some other paper and you do not have access to that paper, is it acceptable to contact the editor and ask whether the author can provide a copy of the referenced paper? Are requests like this reasonably common?
Or should the referee simply take the word of authors that their conclusions based on the referenced paper are correct, even without seeing that paper?
# Answer
> 31 votes
Yes, if the paper is crucial to the work, I don't think there is anything wrong with asking the editor to provide it to you. I think the editor would probably check for it himself first (in order to save time), and if not possible would relay your query to the authors. As an extreme measure, if the editor was unwilling to do this, I would simply consider writing back saying you are unable to fully review the paper because access to this crucial reference was not provided.
So, in short: **do not let your lack of subscriptions get in the way of doing of thorough review**.
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Now, there are some other ways around this. First, maybe you can find that paper in the usual ways: through interlibrary loan or on the “grey market” (ask a friend who's got more comprehensive subscriptions that yours). Second, maybe the editor offers reviewers some service that can be of help already (for example, Elsevier journals offer a 30-day free access to the Scopus database to their reviewers).
# Answer
> 3 votes
There are two aspects of the question: Should you try to find the necessary information (papers) to do a good review? And should you contact the author of the paper you review to ask for other sources written by that author?
It is clear that you should attempt to gather all information you deem necessary to perform your task as reviewer. Since journals typically only accept published materials to be used for sources (with the possible exception of unpublished data or personal communications) you should be able to find such information given some time and work. That said, I doubt that many would keep a review on hold just because they have not been able to find a specific source unless that source is absolute key for a critical (in the negative sense) aspect of the paper. It is, however, possible to inform the editor that you have not been able to check up on this particular aspect since you are unable to obtain a copy of the paper within a reasonable time. Although it is always possible to purchase papers from publishers, I do not think we consider such actions within the expectations placed on a reviewer.
Now, the second aspect about contacting the author for more information should be handled with care. As an editor, I would first of all want to be aware of such communications. Peer review is based on an objective evaluation for materials and although a simple request is not likely to change much it simply removes part of the desired distance between author and reviewer. One solution to this, which I would prefer is for the reviewer to contact the editor and ask for the material (from the editor or from the author through the editor). It has not happened to me that i have received such a request but I would not consider it other than a positive. I would also add that if a reviewer is lacking some key piece of information (as stated in the previous paragraph) I would greatly appreciate knowing about this weakness in the review. Given such information, I could, as and editor, add key comments of requests to the author to improve the paper in some respect.
As a side-point, I would like to add that some papers that totally rely on other previously published on, for example methods and error discussions, should include enough of a summary to make the paper stand on its own in its entirety. It is thus possible to request a major revision with the explicit wish to see additions to the paper to remove the necessity to have to read other papers for key aspects. I fully realize the delicate balance in such requests since no-one is striving for excessively long publications.
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Tags: peer-review, editors
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thread-13803 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13803 | Who is to decide the main idea(s) of research in a PhD Proposal, the student or his/her supervisor? | 2013-11-02T18:20:42.477 | # Question
Title: Who is to decide the main idea(s) of research in a PhD Proposal, the student or his/her supervisor?
I'm a pure math phd student and the supervisor gave me two papers so as I find an idea to research but the subjects are unrelated and I can't concentrate on one of them and can't decide which one is likely to be a fruitful subject, What should I do?
# Answer
> 9 votes
First, it depends on the country you're in, the type of funding you're applying for, and probably to a smaller extent on your field of research.
In case you already have an agreement with a supervisor, then you should probably look to him for advice on choosing a topic, but make the choice yourself. Given that he sent you papers on these two topics, you can probably assume (absent any evidence to the contrary) that both would make a good and fruitful subject. Thus, choose with your heart: what problem is most exciting to you?
# Answer
> 7 votes
This is a tricky question. In principle, of course, it's best if one comes up with one's own question/project. However, it is all too easy to accidentally, from inexperience, choose a too-hard, or boring-to-experts, project, or, more subtly, a project in which neither you nor your advisor has any special insights to give you an edge over anyone else.
Especially if you are hoping to make a run at the "research post-doc" game, you'll want to have done Ph.D. work that is of interest to experts in that field. A novice has the obvious difficulties ascertaining whether a given topic might be of interest to experts, but your advisor should be able to clarify this. I have seen examples of people working enthusiastically on a PhD topic, and finish the degree, only to have no one care at all, and no job offers result.
Also, I don't think it's the case that a "smart-enough person" can pick random problems (that are of interest to experts) and expect to make significant progress merely by wanting to. While it's true that "fresh eyes" can be helpful, literal inexperience is rarely useful. I tend to think that one's advisor should give "insider advice" about un-obvious possibilities for progress.
Thus, in reality, I think that the true choices available are something like first choosing an advisor based on their expertise. Then ask them for guidance. Presumably they will not dictate a project, but merely suggest, giving *you* choices... but it is very important to continue the iteration of "getting advice", rather than just privately making a choice and assuming it is wise. Lacking the information and experience your advisor should have, it is essentially impossible to make good choices on your own. Tentative choices, to be discussed with your advisor, yes.
# Answer
> 3 votes
I understand your situation because I recently started my PhD.
You do the following:
1. Try to come up with ideas from those two papers
2. Apart from that try to come up with own ideas of yourself
3. Take all the ideas with you in a meeting with your supervisor and tell him frankly what you want to work on.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I think in general the role of the PhD should increase trough the course of the project. In the beginning, the supervisor will have a significant role, both in selecting the subject and performing daily duties. This is needed imo to get the unexperienced PhD going. Later, the role of the PhD increases, and the supervisor takes a more passive role.
In the Netherlands, it is customary to write four journal papers as a PhD (4 years). While the first might be an idea that your supervisor came up with, your last should probably be your own idea.
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Tags: phd, advisor, thesis
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thread-13834 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13834 | Can I use a graph or figures of a paywalled paper under fair use? | 2013-11-03T18:08:17.240 | # Question
Title: Can I use a graph or figures of a paywalled paper under fair use?
I am writing a blog post citing several paywalled papers. Could I also put graphs, diagrams or photos from these papers in my blog post under fair use?
My field is medical object detection and I would like to show examples from the papers where the authors show in which cases their algorithms fail.
# Answer
Whether the articles were paywalled or not, you should resolve your problem in three steps:
1. **Content license**: check if you can find a version of the figure with liberal licensing terms. The paywalled version certainly does not fit the bill… but you may find the same figure (or a similar one) in a pre-print version of the paper, under a different license.
2. **Obtaining permission for use**: even if the content is not available under a free license, the publisher can grant you permission to reproduce the image. Nowadays, many publishers use a nice interface called Rightslink. If you look for example at this random article from the American Chemical Society (which is far from being the most liberal of publishers), you can see a “Rights and permissions” link. In that particular example, the publisher will grant you reproducing of up to 4 figures of the paper on the internet, even on a for-profit website.
3. **Fair use**: the fair use doctrine is a tricky, murky area of US copyright law. It's not as wide as people generally assume. It has to be judged on a case-by-case basis: see here and there. See here a notorious case from back in 2007 which is very close to your particular case.
So, my own conclusion on fair use: it's nice in principle, but unless you're ready to hire a lawyer to double-check (or get formal training on that), just play it safe.
> 9 votes
# Answer
Personally I have contacted the first or authors directly and asked them for permission and most of them have replied within 2–3 days. Also my librarian had advised me to refer to Sherapa/Romeo (a listing of journals and their policies). Some journals are very lenient and wouldn't mind using images if you have explicit permission from author. Important thing to note is once journal is published, the author waives away all his rights and only journal paper has rights on the work.
> 3 votes
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Tags: copyright, graphics, intellectual-property
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thread-13815 | https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13815 | Where to find easy research topics any student could write about? | 2013-11-03T01:00:18.440 | # Question
Title: Where to find easy research topics any student could write about?
I teach a writing course designed to prepare international students for graduate school, mostly social science majors. The students have no experience writing academic papers. I have found that lists of sample TOEFL and GRE writing topics, such as this list of sample writing topics found at ETS, serve as good essay topics for these students so that they can practice organizing their ideas in writing. These topics are: (1) simple; (2) can be addressed by students from any major or culture; (3) and can be supported by the students' opinions, not research.
Next term, the course will focus on introducing research methods. Were can I find topics that are: (1) similarly simple; (2) can be handled by students from any major; but that (3) will require students to rely on academic journals for support? I need students to practice gathering information, evaluating the credibility of sources, and assembling their ideas and evidence without getting bogged down in the complexity of the subject.
# Answer
When I have taught research methods for undergraduate work, I find that it is best to give the students a lot of freedom while still requiring acceptance for the topics. I do not think giving a list of acceptable topics is the way to pique the interest of students.
It is better in my experience to guide them and let them know that *they* know their field better than anyone outside of that field, so they are capable of finding a suitable topic by themselves.
I have had students who choose "I want to study the effect of someone smiling at you." It could be an interesting topic but, since my students are all business majors, I give them the restriction is that it must be related to business. When they submit this topic, I hand it back and ask them "How does this relate to business as I said all research in this module must?"
I guess I could provide them a list but I really think that will just end up limiting them. Better to coax them out of their shell and get them to really start thinking and choosing and living with the consequences of their decisions.
> 8 votes
# Answer
As far as I am concerned research methods are disciplinary in nature. Even restricting your topics to social sciences, and your research skill focus to literature reviews, I'm not sure you're going to be able to craft topics suitable for all social science disciplines.
> 4 votes
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Tags: writing
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