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thread-24182
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24182
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How to decide which university to study for PhD
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2014-06-30T12:09:15.780
|
# Question
Title: How to decide which university to study for PhD
I have seen many different research students that want to apply for a PhD or MSc program but they are so nervous about their choice. Sometimes they pay most of heir time, reviewing the websites of the universities, profiles of the professors and do their best to gather information and choose the best PhD program or university to apply for PhD but they are still nervous about their choice.
Some students only think that the universities with higher rankings are best to apply for and they miss some middle-ranked universities which are so good at their majors. This way, their chance to apply for those high-ranked universities is so low and they may lose two or three years preparing and applying for those university. While in the same period of time, if they had applied for that middle-ranked universities, they had higher chance of applying and in this period of three years, they would have finished most parts of their PhD program.
My question here is about these things:
1. To what extent a person should be realistic in choosing a university for his PhD program. A normal student may be more successful in a middle-ranked university than a higher-ranked university.
I think that sometimes, normal students lose their confidence when they study at high level universities, while; if they study in good middle-ranked universities, their academic output may be much higher and they will be a more successful person.
2. Does it worth that a person that has high chance to be accepted in a good second ranked university, wait for two or three years to modify his curriculum vitae and apply for a first level university?
3. Which one is more acceptable and appreciated? A top student at a second ranked university or a poor and not so much successful student in a very good ranked well-known university?
I can not decide in this period of each persons' life, how he should make decisions. This also applies to other circumstances. For instance, working in good company with lower income or working in a not big company with higher level of income. Making clear how a person should make decisions like this may be so much helpful to me.
# Answer
> 8 votes
Choosing a place to do a PhD is a hard task, but one that needs to be completed before you start. I would call your attention to three main points that you need to consider to choose well.
First point is alignment of research interests, methods, and schools of thought. Different research groups have distinct ways of thinking even when looking at the same research topics, therefore, it is important to carefully look whether you fit or not with the research they do, and how they position themselves towards that research. This you can see in the research papers that are published (or not) by them.
Second point is the personality and ways of working of the professors and colleagues. The time you spend in a research group will shape the way you think about and approach research. In some way, you will level your conduct through the examples of the ones around you. For this reason, I would advise you to look for a group that works in an professional, collaborative, open, and ethically sound way (in your opinion). This you can discover by talking with other PhD students and with people that used to be in that institution.
Third point is what you want to do next. If staying in academia is important for you, it would be important that the group publishes in top venues in the area. If going to industry is a path you would prefer, maybe you should look for a place that already has many connections with companies, or that enables you to do some part of your studies while working in a company.
These points are the most important for me.
I do not think that you have to be in a top-5 university to be successful during or after your phd. In the end, it is all up to you. Of course the environment helps, but you will be the one driving your papers and manuscript, so it is up to you.
Top students will be top everywhere, but it is important that they have people around them that can recognize and foster their talent. Look for someone that understands what you want to do and that trusts you from the beginning to take it to another level.
good luck!
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Tags: phd, education, time-management
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thread-24163
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24163
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Should I use the pronoun 'my' in the title of an appendix?
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2014-06-29T23:13:33.307
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# Question
Title: Should I use the pronoun 'my' in the title of an appendix?
Should I use the pronoun 'my' in the title of an appendix of a thesis?
For example:
Appendix A: An Example of My Participation in the Community's Rituals
# Answer
> 2 votes
The use of "I"/"We"/"They" or "My"/"Our"/"Theirs" will be very dependent on the research philosophy that you are working on. I'll give you two opposite examples.
If you are conducting interpretivist/constructivist research, you are acknowledging your role in defining the problems (or things to look at), analyzing and drawing the conclusions. So, using I, my, mine are acceptable and even recommended if you are writing by yourself, which is the case of your thesis.
On the other hand, if you are a positivist, you will try to argue that you had no role in the experiment. You will speak on the third person and try to remove yourself the most you can from the picture.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Typically, the use of I-word is permitted in the Acknowledgements section. In the rest of the document it is better to use "we", to include yourself and your reader. To refer to yourself, you can use something like: "An example of Author's participation..."
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Tags: research-process, thesis, writing
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thread-24156
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24156
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Is a copied acknowledgements section considered plagiarism?
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2014-06-29T21:22:18.967
|
# Question
Title: Is a copied acknowledgements section considered plagiarism?
A friend of mine has told me that his Master student (Chemistry) defended his thesis sometimes ago and everything went alright and he graduated. He recently realized that in the acknowledgements part the student has copied practically (word by word, line by line) the acknowledgements of another thesis available on the Internet by replacing the name of my colleague with the name of the supervisor of that thesis. He added that he was hurt by the fact that the student has not tried to say his 'thank you' words by his own words.
My first question is that can this be considered as a plagiarism?
My second question is that is it necessary to inform the student about this possible (if any) misconduct?
# Answer
> He recently realized that in the acknowledgements part the student has copied practically (word by word, line by line) the acknowledgements of another thesis available on the Internet by replacing the name of my colleague with the name of the supervisor of that thesis.
I'm slightly confused: I assume that in order to discover this, the advisor must have run the entire thesis through some plagiarism-detection software. But the question indicates that this took place *after* the student's graduation. I don't understand that: two reasonable times to run your student's thesis through plagiarism detection software are (i) at some point before you sign off on it and (ii) never. Would one really do this after the fact out of idle curiosity, or did the advisor have some other reason to suspect that plagiarism took place?
Is line-by-line copying of someone else's acknowledgments a form of plagiarism?
Well, plagiarism has a sufficiently precise definition that I don't see how the answer can be "no". The better question is whether this is viewed as unacceptable enough to do *anything* about.
I think that part of that question depends upon the writing quality and originality of the purloined acknowledgments. As @Andreas Blass points out, if you've seen 10 different thesis acknowledgments, you've seen 1000 more: such acknowledgements are formally part of the thesis but they are not part of the *academic / intellectual content* of the thesis. So they are not vetted in any way, and there is no expectation of intellectual originality. There is more than one way to phrase "Thanks so much to my parents, my friends and my thesis advisor", but the number of *standard ways to phrase that* is so much smaller than the number of theses that the pigeonhole principle applies to show that many people are writing the same sentences in their acknowledgments. If the purloined acknowledgments contained many clever and original turns of phrase, then it looks worse: the fact that what you stole has nothing to do with the intellectual content of the thesis cannot excuse the fact that you are taking credit for someone else's distinctive writing. That's a really icky thing to do in acknowledgments to your own thesis.
Unless the purloined acknowledgments contained several paragraphs of poetry or something similarly egregious, I would not consider a formal plagiarism inquiry. This runs the risk of getting the degree rescinded, which to me is clearly too harsh. But there *is* a real problem here:
> He added that he was hurt by the fact that the student has not tried to say his 'thank you' words by his own words.
Ça y est. The student's former advisor has discovered that the student has cut corners and compromised some academic integrity *just to get out of thanking him in his own words*. What a slap in the face! I think that if something like this happened to me, I would have to bring it up with the student (though it would be painfully awkward) just because I would feel like I have to be honest with them about the change in my opinion of them resulting from this discovery. Without some kind of sincere apology / explanation of this, the future of this professional relationship is at risk. The student, alas, may need to be informed that he should look elsewhere for future recommendation letters and so forth.
**Added:** A lot of people seem to be suggesting that parts of this answer are an overreaction. I tried to make clear that I don't find the premise of the question completely plausible or understandable, but after discussing that I did what I think is the appropriate thing on Q&A sites like this one: I *assumed the premise*, in some form which made sense to me. Yes, if the "word-by-word, line-by-line" copied acknowledgments constitute five lines thanking the student's family, friends and advisor, I see no problem at all -- and I don't see it as a reason to run the text of the acknowledgment through an internet search. Nor would such a search turn up a unique antecedent; it would turn up hundreds or thousands of cognate passages, as Andreas Blass pointed out. Thus to assume the premise I had to assume that the purloined text was much more substantial and distinctive. To be more specific, imagine the text was:
> I feel greatly honored to be able to add, in some small way, to a subject founded by so many \[Field Xers\] whose work I so deeply admire; among them are \[My Advisor\], \[Person A\], \[Person B\] and of course \[Person Whose Name Appears in the Thesis Title\], the richness of whose ideas seems undilutable by time.
> I thank \[Professor C\] and \[Professor D\] for suggestions directly relevant to the material appearing in this thesis. I thank \[Fellow Student E\] for helping me – quite a while ago now – with some results of \[Somewhat Technical Theory\] that appear in the appendix.
> I thank \[Postdoc F\] for helping me calculate a fistful of \[Something\] (I regret that none of these calculations appear in this thesis) and for generally being so free with his technical and \[Field X-ical\] insights. I am grateful to \[Recent PhD G\] for making his own as yet unpublished thesis work available to me.
> The graduate students in the \[University Y Department of X\] have been without exception intelligent and friendly, and it has been a pleasure to learn from them and with them over the years.
> Thanks to \[Old Girlfriend H\] for providing comfort in the sad days of \[a few years ago\]. Her kindness will never be forgotten.
> I am indebted to my thesis advisor \[My Advisor\] for more things than I can list here, but most recently for a careful reading of an early, ugly draft of a certain lengthy \[Field X-ical\] document.
> My father would have been proud of this thesis beyond all moderation. My mother has long made and continues to make me proud of her strength in the face of all the challenges life has to offer. I thank them both with all of my heart.
Imagine that the advisor read this the first time around and was happy to be thanked along with so many other people who made a difference in the student's life. Then later, for whatever reason, he does an internet search on or including this text and discovers that it is lifted word-by-word, line-by-line from this 2003 PhD thesis. The specificity of the stolen text would be downright creepy. Is it really an overreaction if the advisor is upset by this??
> 27 votes
# Answer
Formally, the copy-pasting of the Acknowledgements section is stealing the other author's language, expressions and maybe even ideas, that fits into the common understanding of plagiarism. Therefore, it might be a good idea to discuss this with the student.
However, before you do this, you may wish to double-check your internal motivation. Do you do this to help student realize that even if they copy a small piece of text like this (not directly related to the academic content of theses), it still can be considered as a breach of ethics and negatively impact their future career? Or do you do this because you feel for your friend and have some hard feelings about the ungrateful student?
The situation is definitely very delicate, and should be carefully dealt with. It touches the field of academic ethics in two separate points: copypasting the text, and expressing gratitude. It is crucial to separate these two in the discussion with student.
> 20 votes
# Answer
You should really take a step back and put this into context. This is *just* the acknowledgement section.
> My first question is that can this be considered as a plagiarism?
The acknowledgements are not really part of the academic work. In general, it's the only part of a thesis where the writer has a larger degree of freedom regarding style and content. This should certainly not be *academic* plagiarism per se.
There's also the secondary question of copyright infringement, but in all likelihood, the text is too short for this to be clear cut. I'm not a lawyer, but I suspect this could fall under some sort of fair use (although some form of citation would be good I guess). Nevertheless, the one who could be upset about this should be the initial author of these acknowledgements, if they care. Of course, if a court of law decided this was indeed copyright infringement, this would have an impact with respect to the plagiarism policy of the institution.
I'll just assume that no one felt this issue had to go outside the scope of academia.
It sounds like this is more an issue about causing offence than about actual plagiarism.
> My second question is that is it necessary to inform the student about this possible (if any) misconduct?
You can have a quick word with the student, since he or she visibly caused offence, but I wouldn't call this misconduct.
Putting things back into context, the acknowledgement section of a thesis will be ignored by 90% of the 0.00000001% of the world's population who will have read the thesis (I might be generous there).
Acknowledgements are mainly a name-checking exercise:
* You thank your parents so they can be proud when they exhibit the precious copy you gave them to their visiting friends shortly after the graduation ceremony, before gathering dust until eternity. You can also thank a few close friends for the bond of common graduation experience.
* From a professional point of view, you also thank your supervisor and possible funding bodies who might have given you grants for the work. The latter are the points that really matter: the supervisor and funding bodies will be able to put the student's thesis as part of the achievements of their own careers and projects.
Besides that, I'm afraid to say no one really cares about the wording in general, as long as it's not offensive or outstanding in the wrong way (one should avoid things like "*\[...\] Prof X was the catalyst that enabled this exothermic reaction inside me to produce this marvellous piece of work \[...\]*", simply because it's ridiculous, not because it might be plagiarism). If someone takes interest in the work and want to find out under whom this was conducted, they'll have a quick glance at the acknowledgement section, look at the name of the supervisor, take note and move on.
Perhaps there is some cultural context at play here. You're not saying in which country you are or what your friend's cultural background and seniority are.
The student probably didn't mean to cause offence. Since it sounds like the text is sufficiently distinctive to be identifiable, it sounds like the student actually did make an effort to find something original to say, at least something distinct from the basic "*I would like to thank Prof X for his (in)valuable advice*". If anything, your friend should be flattered, by this attempt (sadly failed). The acknowledgements is probably one of the last sections that was written in a rush before the submission deadline.
As I said earlier, it doesn't sound like a plagiarism issue, but like someone who inadvertently caused offence. It's not so much about informing the student about a possible "misconduct", rather it's about defusing the situation, between the two of them. It can be tricky if your friend is seriously offended. In fact, perhaps you should have a word with your friend first to try to calm down this situation. If I was the student, I would feel really awkward having to work later (e.g. in a PhD programme for a number of years) with a supervisor who is likely to hold some sort of grudge for this.
> 13 votes
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Tags: thesis, ethics, plagiarism, acknowledgement
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thread-24195
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24195
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How to present a review paper at a conference?
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2014-06-30T16:13:15.040
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# Question
Title: How to present a review paper at a conference?
I sent an abstract of a review paper for oral presentation to a conference, and it was accepted. The presentation will be about the most important developments and contributions made in the last decade on my specific area of research. Now I am preparing the speech, but I am not sure how to give a 12-minutes speech about all the work that has been done (it's a lot). Can someone give some suggestions on how to do a nice presentation about a review paper?
# Answer
In 12 minutes, the best you can do for your audience is highlight four to six broad observations or conclusions about the state of research. Here are some questions you might address with your observations:
* Are the lines of research diverging and multiplying, or converging and consolidating?
* Has it divided into "factions" or "schools" that define problems, methods, and solutions differently? Or is all research operating under a single paradigm?
* What's the influence and interaction with other fields and disciplines?
* Where has research made progress addressing fundamental questions? Where has research made no meaningful progress?
* Where should researchers look for the most promising research directions and under-explored areas?
Don't try to make more than six observations in 12 minutes. By trying to say more, you are actually communicating less effectively. Any one who wants the full story can read your paper.
> 16 votes
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Tags: conference, presentation, literature-review
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thread-24086
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24086
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Is there prestige to be had by posting to arXiv?
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2014-06-28T14:37:50.810
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# Question
Title: Is there prestige to be had by posting to arXiv?
Do people ever upload papers exclusively to arXiv, or do authors simply use arXiv to assist in review while they find a journal to publish in? If people sometimes publish exclusively on arXiv, what's the point? What do they get for their work? A paper on their CV? Is it at all prestigious?
# Answer
I suppose some senior people may publish exclusively on arXiv but they are a minority and I can't think of any examples right now. Publishing in mathematics takes a long time. Journal backlogs of multiple years are common enough that if you wait for your paper to appear in print it is already old. This is less of a problem in the other subjects that arXiv covers but still...
So what does publishing on arXiv get the author? Primarily it gives the paper a time stamp and makes it publicly available. Putting up a paper is fast, it only takes a few minutes and it gives a reference number so that you can cite it in a talk or in a paper. Normally you would have to wait until you get page numbers from a journal. And if you are giving a talk on your paper when you have just finished the work that might still be years in the future.
One interesting feature of publishing on arXiv is that you can write small notes and put those up. You can write the "user's guide" version of a paper. You can post a supplement to a paper that wouldn't be publishable on its own.
Ultimately what it all boils down to is that people post documents to arXiv that they want other people to see and hopefully read.
As for prestige, no. There really isn't any as far as I know.
> 16 votes
# Answer
A notable example of arXiv-only publication is Grigori Perelman's proof of the geometrization conjecture, see arXiv:0211159, 0303109, 0307245.
> 12 votes
# Answer
@BSteinhurst mentions the advantages of having a time stamp and making it publicly available; another advantage, one that I have come to value a lot, is that all those people who follow the 'new articles on (...)' announcements will see your paper *the next day*. It gives your paper instant distribution.
> 12 votes
# Answer
One more way in which arXiv can be used is for distributing papers which are not publishable in their own right, but are still important for some reason. Presumably, if the people consider the paper to be interesting, then this earns the author some reputation (although probably not in any quantifiable form).
I am aware of a case of a somewhat accomplished mathematician, call him S., who came up with a brilliant idea for a new proof of an important theorem. However, carrying out the proof was a big undertaking, and in the end he did not manage produce a paper that was rigorous enough for publication. A version of the paper which was rejected from the journals was posted on arXiv, and sparked a lot of interest, also among the leading experts in the field. As far as I know S. no longer works in this area, but I am aware of others who do. If the proof strategy proves successful, this will surely be very good for S.'s reputation. More importantly, the S.'s ideas were passed on to others, which was beneficial for mathematics.
For a well documented example of a similar situation, look at Mochizuki's proof of the ABC Conjecture. To put it briefly, he built a huge theory that very few people really understand (possibly only he understands it fully) which supposedly is able to prove one of the most important conjectures in number theory. However, given how much effort would be required to verify Mochizuki's work, I am in serious doubt if he would be able to publish it in the sort of journal this result deserves. I don't think he published the papers on arXiv, but if he had, I think it would make sense for the reasons mentioned above.
> 4 votes
# Answer
Along with the otherwise excellent answers here, there is something to add:
*It depends on what field you're talking about*
While in some fields there might be some benefit to publishing primarily on arXiv, especially if you're important enough to have the reasonable belief that even your preprints will be read, there are other fields where the only response you're reasonably going to get is "...where?"
This may seem like something of a self-evident point, but I've found many researchers, especially ones working in interdisciplinary research, forget that their field's conventions are not the conventions of all fields. For example, in my own field, the answer is simply "No."
> 2 votes
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Tags: publications, arxiv
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thread-24000
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24000
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Are there any proposals to make sharing code and data with publications a requirement?
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2014-06-15T00:29:45.397
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# Question
Title: Are there any proposals to make sharing code and data with publications a requirement?
Depending on the project, many researchers have to rewrite code and reproduce datasets from previous works in order to perform experimental evaluations. Although some dataset are understood to contain private data, and thus cannot be shared, it would be very nice to have access to the source code and results produced along with the papers.
Most of the big data works present results from experiments run with very large databases, and the code developed, which is usually non-trivial to rewrite, is rarely available to the public. I even heard once that some conferences would start to request the source code of the project to be submitted along with the paper.
My question is: is there any *global regulation* that states what a conference must request while accepting a paper? And, if so, are there any proposals at all to make source code sharing a must?
# Answer
> 5 votes
## The academic 'process' is an unregulated mess of random, contradictory habits
To directly answer your question, ***NO***, there aren't any global regulations on what conferences or publishers should require or how they should do anything else.
It's a key point of academic independence - anybody is free to run their academic conferences or publications as they like. There is an unwritten consensus on what constitutes good practice, but it's not regulated, it's not mandatory, it varies across academic fields, and it varies across countries.
## Change happens by convincing lots and lots of unrelated people and organizations
Any proposals to change something (say, make source code sharing a must) only become real when lots of separate organizers (most of them who never ever hear about each other) in different fields agree that it's a good idea; that it benefits *them* without making it too hard for *them*; and take the initiative to implement it. It helps if some academic subfield implements the practice and it's widely seen as working well.
## The only force is funding
Large funding agencies have the only practical power, as if they make funding conditional on X, then people will try to get X - or at least something that on paper looks similar to X. Note that if they don't think that X benefits them, then it will be the latter option; doing the very minimum possible to tick a checkbox "yes we do have X". And it's by definition not a global regulation, but a country-specific one.
# Answer
> 9 votes
I don't know any global regulations, but scientific community understand the problem that you described and that is why github recently made it possible to get a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for any GitHub repository archive (blog post) making the code citable.
As far as I remember any DOI should be maintained for at least 10 years.
# Answer
> 5 votes
There is a Coursera course of the Data Science Specialization track which talks about this topic. The course is:
* Reproducible Research
* website: https://www.coursera.org/course/repdata
* Institution: Johns Hopkins University
* Instructors: Roger D. Peng, Jeff Leek, Brian Caffo
* Note: the course can be done for free.
Some of the topics of the course are:
* Explanation of what is the replication a research work
* Explanation of what makes a research reproducible (from your question, you are basically asking whether reproducible research is a standard in the scientific world)
* Description, tutorials and exercise on how to use Rmarkdown which is a package of the R language developed to create code that can be both: converted to a human readable format (Sweave the code) and executed to perform a data analysis of some sort (Tangle the code).
* The last lectures are quite interesting, because they talk about real examples that have occurred in the past where reproducible research has been useful, and cases where the lack of reproducibility has been a problem.
> My question is: is there any global regulation that states what a conference must request while accepting a paper? And, if so, are there any proposals at all to make source code sharing a must?
I don't think so. My personal hope is that reproducible research will tend to have more citations and that it will be more valued by peers.
# Answer
> 4 votes
This problem has been recognized, but there is only slow progress on the sort of institutional innovation necessary to address it. Many technological components of the solution are in place, but their are socio-cultural forces of resistance in nearly all academic disciplines and academic journals. NSF and other funding agencies are looking for ways to overcome the resistance.
For a thorough analysis and prognosis, you could listen to this talk: THE CREDIBILITY CRISIS IN COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE: AN INFORMATION ISSUE (includes slides).
**EDIT**: Here's a recent blog post about this in the field of bio-medicine: Can you show us that again please?
# Answer
> 2 votes
There is no particular "universal" regulation, and attempts to do so, even for things like the PLoS data sharing policy go somewhat pear-shaped. This is because, as @Peteris mentions, academia and research is a rather unregulated bunch. There's no guiding force, and there isn't really the backing for there to be one.
Even things that *are* firmly enforced, like the protection of human subjects, have standards that vary from place to place.
Personally, I also think that those advancing these policies often forget that different fields have different problems. For some fields, "Make your data open" is committing them to a rather intensive hosting and software support problem with very little money to back it. For others, "make your data open" may be exceeding the informed consent their patients gave.
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Tags: research-process, reproducible-research, open-science
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thread-23963
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/23963
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Apply for PhD positions with only one (or no) reference (letter of recommendation)
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2014-06-25T23:47:36.843
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# Question
Title: Apply for PhD positions with only one (or no) reference (letter of recommendation)
After applying for a number of PhD positions I ended up with a surprisingly high rejection rate, and as little as 3 acceptances. Waiting for a positive answer from other labs (which I liked a lot better), I ended up inadvertently losing these 3 offers as well.
This seems to have been very unwise in hindsight, but at the time I did not believe I would get so many subsequent rejections (I still find it hard to believe...).
In any case, I have to apply to more labs now, and one of my referees refuses to provide further references for me because he already did it for quite a few of my applications, and is also - in his own words - "more than irritated" that I took the liberty to turn down any offers at all. I can't say I entirely disagree with him, since I actually did feel a bit guilty in the first place for asking him to be my referee for so many applications.
So, here I am, and I would be very curious whether you have any ideas:
* If there is anything I could say to maybe change his mind (currently not responding to my emails).
* If there is any way to make people whose labs I apply to understand why I can only provide one reference without completely ruining my chances.
Sadly, I am applying for a field a bit different from what I nominally studied (cognitive neuroscience as opposed to molecular neuroscience), and there are no other referees I can choose from with whom I have worked on cognitive topics. Also, the referee in question was my MSc. supervisor, so I would immagine people will like to hear from him anyway.
# Answer
The letters of reference show in some way that you can be trusted for your work. They are good to have in your application, but there are other ways to show that you are knowledgeable and competent.
If I was in your position I would try to know the interesting groups and get in touch with the professors from there. If it is physically feasible, you can visit the groups and meet the people there. Maybe even a small internship? You will understand whether you fit the groups and at the same time they will know that there is someone interested working with them, in case they have an extra position or receive funding for another project. You can also try to attend a workshop or a conference (as a student volunteer) and network with the people there in search of a position. This way you will discuss your ideas be known by those that will ultimately make a decision on your cv and recommendations. The more information you provide to them on your abilities, interest, and motivation, the easier would be for them to choose you in the end.
> 2 votes
# Answer
The answers to your questions relatively:
* No. He is currently very angry with you. Because probably he lost a lot of reputation. A letter of recommendation does not only mean "Take this guy, he's great.", but also means "I entirely trust this guy and I guarantee that he will not leave you in the lurch." By getting acceptance and not taking the offer is usually interpreted as hesitancy. Thus, people from the labs you've turned down will consider your advisor as someone who easily recommends a student. They will think that a student does this even at the beginning will easily give up on tough research duties.
* Conspiracy theory: the subsequent rejections may be the result of *grapevine*. In my country, top universities' professors are usually classmates or former colleagues. If a student applies with a good background and strong recommendations, they call each other and ask about that student. You know, if that they ever heard about that guy, who is considerable. And guess what if one or two of them told: "I accepted him and he ended up not even starting."
I think, for a short period of time, you should lower your standards. Try applying a lab in your field.
Don't send consecutive mails to your advisor. Talk to him face-to-face. Ask him if you can do something to make it up. At that point, you should be prepared to take *no* for an answer.
> 3 votes
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Tags: phd, application, recommendation-letter
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thread-24170
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24170
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How/when to become independent in research as a graduate student?
|
2014-06-30T07:02:20.243
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# Question
Title: How/when to become independent in research as a graduate student?
I am in the last months of my MSc and I have done my thesis. I have published some conference papers but most of them were literature reviews. My MSc thesis is about solving wave equations by means of method of potentials and boundary elements. I am interested in pursuing research in another field (differential equations) but I have no idea how to start any topic that may lead to a journal publication.
By asking this question, I want to understand how a research student, whether a recently graduated MSc student or a PhD student, can start searching for a new research topic and develop some researches based on his own interests. Specially, I would like to know:
* To what extent should a graduate student be dependent on faculty members? How can he be more independent and start his own research activities?
* Is it a good idea that the graduate work on another topic with the faculty member or work independently on a more recent research topic?
* If the person is in a research group or at the university, is it a good idea or is it ethical that he develop his own research interests, besides to the topics which are being developed in that institute?
* How should a graduate student manage this and make some progress in the research fields of his own interest? (In particular, sometimes the faculty members are not interested in the topics you are interested in and the person has to start his own research activity.)
And also, if this research is part of his independent research, at the time of publishing what affiliation should be used in the publications. Should it be "Independent Scholar" as mentioned in this link or something else? This is important in academic publications, because sometimes, the person is in a research group, but he is publishing a paper as part of his own researches not the things he is doing in that institute; in this case, has he mention that institute's affiliation or use his own one? So please make it clear that how the affiliation would be when the person does research independently in the cases like when he is not working in a research group or he is working with a professor or research group but his publication is output of his own research activities? It is a little unclear.
# Answer
Context: I'm an older PhD student (mid-50s) and had a couple of publications before entering the PhD program. I'm in an interdisciplinary field where there are few well-established research programs. It's very common for PhD students to embark on their own research interests that are different from their advisers. Myself, I started submitting papers after my first semester based on class projects and side projects. I even developed a paper that started as my answer to a question on our Candidacy Exam. I was a research assistant for three years with sole responsibility for a very complex Agent-based Modeling simulation.
> To what extent should a graduate student be dependent on faculty members? How can he be more independent and start his own research activities?
Start as soon as possible to develop your own *intellectual curiosity*. This involves thinking hard about the research in your field relative to the fundamental questions in the field. This is more than "picking sides" in intellectual debates. It involves developing *mental models* of your field, the various research methods, research questions, and research results. What's important? What is not?
You might start with a single important paper. Look at the section of the paper where they describe opportunities for further research, or maybe limitations. Read other papers that critique this important paper. All the time, you should be asking yourself: "What do **I** think should be done to improve/extend/solidify this research?"
You could also start with a survey paper, which often include extensive discussions of future research directions.
As soon as possible, you should put your intellectual curiosity into action. I'm fond of class projects and papers for that but not all disciplines have courses that support project work. Either way, "directed reading" courses are ideal settings to write conference or journal papers of *your choice* under the supervision of a professor (not necessarily your adviser).
> Is it a good idea \[to do\] the graduate work on another topic with the faculty member or work independently on a more recent research topic?
If your intellectual curiosity leads you to research questions/methods that can be successfully done in collaboration with a faculty member, then approach them and suggest a collaboration. If, like me, your interests and ideas lead elsewhere, then do your research independently.
> If the person is in a research group or at the university, is it a good idea or is it ethical that he develop his own research interests, besides to the topics which are being developed in that institute?
It's a good idea to develop and invest in your own research interests if they diverge from your research group. There is no problem with ethics if you are open and forthcoming about what you are doing and why. This might go against the cultural norms of the university or research group, but you should make decisions you feel good about in terms of your ethics and values. If other people aren't happy with them or push back, then my view is that is their problem. If they have power, you may suffer negative consequences. So be it. Don't bow before people in power just because they are in power.
> How should a graduate student manage this and make some progress in the research fields of his own interest? (In particular, sometimes the faculty members are not interested in the topics you are interested in and the person has to start his own research activity.)
Make a work plan. What is your output (results, papers, articles)? Where will you submit it? In what sequence? How much time will it take -- daily, weekly, monthly? If you can't make a plan that answers these questions, recruit a mentor. It could be anyone who you respect and who knows your field, maybe faculty at your university or maybe someone far distant.
In general, the more you can weave your independent research into your other activities and projects, the better off you will be. That's why I like class projects. But same goes for research assistant work, industry work, or other work. Look for as much synergy between all these activities as you can.
> \[...\] if this research is part of his independent research, \[...\] what affiliation should be used in the publications? Should it be "Independent Scholar" as mentioned in this link or something else?
No, you shouldn't use "Independent Scholar" as affiliation as long as you have an official affiliation as a graduate student, post-doc, or other. You should *always* use your primary affiliation, even if it is Physics and your paper is in Art History. The exception is if you have multiple official affiliations (e.g. Visiting Researcher) and your research was done at or was supported by these other affiliated institutions.
> 14 votes
# Answer
As a graduate student, you are not yet expected to conduct research that is completely independent of an advisor or mentor. The fundamental goal of (doctoral) graduate education is to develop your research ability so that you have the ability work completely independently after you graduate. There is nothing wrong with being "dependent" on your advisor, in a certain sense, when you are still in graduate school. Of course, you will have to do your own work to earn the degree.
You should start thinking about your own research interests, but budget your time and prioritize your projects appropriately. If you have the time, energy, and ability to work on independent research while also working on your dissertation, that's fine.
But be careful: it is easy to underestimate the amount of effort required to finish the dissertation. And, in general, you want to have an *excellent* dissertation if you are planning to continue in academia. So a certain amount of focus and single-mindedness is needed to complete your degree well. Don't spread your effort too thin.
You should also make sure that your advisor is aware if you are making any serious progress on other research - at the least, so that they know you are also still serious about your dissertation. It would be risky to keep your advisor in the dark, if only because they may feel you are not dedicating sufficient time to your dissertation. And be ready to sell your project to your advisor, as described by Yuichiro Fujiwara.
Finally, if you are a graduate student at a university or research group, then your affiliation is that university or research group. This is no different than for a faculty member at the university.
> 3 votes
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Tags: research-process, publications, ethics, advisor
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thread-23964
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/23964
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Applying for Masters Degree with academic integrity violation on record
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2014-06-26T00:35:52.340
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# Question
Title: Applying for Masters Degree with academic integrity violation on record
I am a junior college student that goes to a top 6 CS school. I will be graduating a year early and am starting to think about whether or not I want to get my Master's degree.
However I have an egregious academic integrity violation from my first university from which I was expelled (which was a top 4 CS school, during my first semester). I have since learned from the incident and transferred to my current college, where I have been studying for 3 years.
If I do decide to get a masters degree, I would either plan on pursuing it at my current school (where I believe I will be accepted, due to my academic performance/relationships with professors/ the fact that my department head knows about my past) or at another top-6 cs school.
Would a school of such caliber be willing to look past my academic integrity violation, or should I not even bother applying for a Master's degree?
# Answer
Although it is perhaps possible that a school has a policy where they will not accept people with past issues involving academic integrity, I feel like this will mostly depend on the person or committee reviewing the applications. If you did well overall, I would think they would overlook something that happened years ago.
However, if it were my decision, I would apply to the school you're currently attending (since you said you know a lot of the faculty and it sounds like you're fairly confident that you would be accepted there; this would be your backup plan) and whatever other school you are thinking about applying to. Is there really any harm in applying to see if you will get in?
> 4 votes
# Answer
The very basic principle of Economics: **Every choice is give up.**
Hence, if you give up on something, you are choosing another thing.
Therefore, if you have nothing to give up, then those are not choices.
What will you lose by applying a master's degree anywhere on earth? Why not *bother*? I don't think it is a question of *bothering* if you're really planning to do master's degree. This is an academic decision.
On the other hand, what will master's degree give to you? Are you planning to do a PhD as well? Or do the companies you'll apply seek master's level as a requirement?
As ashlinry stated, it highly depends on the person who will evaluate your application. Moreover, you get to write a cover letter for your application. Great chance to clear it up! Write your excuses, write what you've gone through, etc.
By the way, did you talk to your professors about this situation?
> 1 votes
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Tags: graduate-admissions, masters, cheating
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thread-2167
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2167
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How should one formulate a Statement of Intent for an interdisciplinary degree?
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2012-06-26T11:46:13.280
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# Question
Title: How should one formulate a Statement of Intent for an interdisciplinary degree?
I am having trouble articulating a statement of intent because of a few things. But to keep on point for Stack Exchange I'll focus only on one: interdisciplinary coursework.
I have spoken to a Fine Arts Department at my top choice and they not only permit but promote taking interdisciplinary courses. My intention is to take as many courses as I can in Psychology while doing the MFA, as well as any required training to use the Eye-Tracking facilities.
1. Should I specify professors from both departments?
2. Should I mention that after I complete the first degree (MFA in my case) I plan to pursue a PhD in the other field (Visual Cognition in my case)
3. Should I state research goals in both fields or keep it to only the school I am initially applying to? (In my case: In the immediate I want to research neurotypical perception through visual design for clearly communicating complex ideas. Eventually though (as in during the PhD if not Post Doctorate) I want to research atypical perception and how to design visual communications that can be easily understood by people with disabilities. I am not sure which disability but mostly Autism Spectrum Disorders, however I also think there could be a strong use for this research in assisting those with Alzheimer's.)
How much of this cross disciplinary information should a person state in their Purpose Statement / Letter of Intent? My concern is that I don't want it to sound like I only want the Psychology Department and leave the committee wondering why I am going for the MFA in Design first.
# Answer
> 3 votes
In general, the more concrete your essay is—and the more it shows that you've thought through your plans and potential options at the school to which you are applying—the more strongly it will be considered.
Moreover, if you're pursuing an unconventional path, such as applying for psychology but also going for an MFA in design, then you'll probably want to make that clear from the very outset. Otherwise you run the risk of the faculty—which normally makes admissions decisions at the graduate level—thinking you've hoodwinked them somehow. When that happens, that can make your life very uncomfortable.
So you should mention your full degree plans including, if possible, professors from both departments.
*However*, when it comes to writing the essay for admission, that depends a lot on the specific program you're applying to. If you are applying only for a master's program in psychology, then you should talk primarily about psychology-related topics. Your proposed work in design should amplify your psychology work, but not dominate it. On the other hand, if you're applying directly to the PhD program, and the MFA is an integral part of your plans, then you need to explain that at the outset, and should indicate what goals you'll achieve in the MFA that will help you with your PhD.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I disagree with aeismail, but with some qualifications.
Generally, I encourage you to lay out your goals and overall plan, including both MFA and PhD. It's vital that you convey your *thought process and justification* for this plan, not just the plan. Is this an impulse? Or has it been many years in the making? Why does this plan suit *you* with your unique skills, capabilities, and disposition? Why does this plan fit the University and department that you are applying for? What about this plan is well known and what is uncertain and unknown?
For example, you should be able to answer this critical question: Why bother with the MFA first? Why not just enter an interdisciplinary PhD program now? What does the combination give you that neither, alone, would provide?
Have you evaluated the many Design Schools (D-Schools) at major universities? Stanford, MIT, and many others have these. If a PhD from these D-Schools won't meet your needs, explain why.
In all of this, what you are really communicating to the committee is what is *unique about you* for MFA and *how you will be successful* in the MFA program.
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The qualification is that admissions criteria and process is very different for Masters vs. PhD. In Masters programs, no one cares whether you will be a valuable member of the academic research community. What they care about is: can you succeed in the course work (and thesis or capstone project, if required), and will you be a valuable contributor as member of the community of students. In PhD in Psychology, admissions is nearly always determined by whether you are the most attractive research assistant for one of the professors, given their interests and funding.
Therefore, when you write your Masters application, you need to emphasize how your preparation and previous academic work set you up for success in course work and engagement with other students.
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Tags: graduate-admissions, application
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thread-24168
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24168
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Should I pursue a research area even after finding that papers have already been written on it?
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2014-06-30T04:52:32.737
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# Question
Title: Should I pursue a research area even after finding that papers have already been written on it?
I am an undergraduate and I have no experience in research papers. I have come up with an idea to write a simple research paper on "Emerging fiber optic networks in Africa." To my utter astonishment, I have seen a few papers already published in IEEE forum: one titled "Developing a fiber optic backbone for Africa" and another one I can't remember...
How can I deal with such a thing? Should I go and do my own research on the topic and see what happens? Or should I come up with another idea?
# Answer
> 13 votes
Papers have been written on nearly every topic you can possibly think of. I would be shocked if someone HADN'T written a paper on your potential research area by now. The trick to good research is to *position* your research in the space alongside other papers. What did 'Emerging fiber optic networks in Africa' conclude? What was their methodology, sample size, literature review or most importantly their conclusion? Each one of these areas can be used as a jumping point for *your* research to confirm, critique, dispute, refute or supplement theirs. It's good that others have come before you to beat down the path so that you can potentially tread a little further off the beaten trail. To answer your question, I personally think you should continue to pursue your research area, there is always scope to perform more research, especially in your field of interest.
# Answer
> 9 votes
There's a subtle shift in the meaning of research as you transition from high school and lower-level undergraduate work to graduate school.
Early on, a teacher may ask for you to do research, and it means: Look up everything you can find on this matter, and report what you have found. You are essentially writing a "research report," summarizing what is already known about a certain topic.
As you get into more formal academic research, however, *research* means: Come up with a problem that hasn't been satisfactorily solved, form a hypothesis on how to solve it, then test your hypothesis with a series of carefully crafted scientific experiments, and finally report your results. You are essentially expanding the scope of knowledge in a certain field, and doing so using the scientific method.
It's also worth noting that the first section of most research papers summarize the already-established knowledge in the problem area. So, in a research paper about fiber optic networks in Africa, the author(s) would probably have some novel idea about how best to, say, install or maintain such a network, and they would likely begin by summarizing what has already been done so far, before explaining why their idea would potentially improve the start-of-the-art. Therefore, it's very **normal** to find other related papers when you start doing your research. In fact, that should be your first step: read and study every one of them you can find.
If you are doing a "research report," that's pretty much the end of the line. But if you are doing graduate-level research, that's merely the beginning. Incidentally, it can easily take a year or more to do the rest (even longer if you are doing doctoral research).
# Answer
> 5 votes
If someone else has done research on the very same theme or idea that you have, then you should rejoice. You are part of a research community, and what counts to society is what the community produces, not just what each individual researcher produces.
Even more significant: if someone else has published research on your idea, then it is evidence that you aren't crazy. It's a good sign, not a bad sign. I'm serious about this. Really great ideas are not the creation of solo researchers operating in isolation. They arise in a community through social interaction, engagement, and rivalry. If there is existing research then it connects you to the community of researchers who are working along similar lines. These are your most valuable allies, even if you vehemently disagree with them on specifics.
Don't be too attached to this one idea. Explore it as far as it goes. But you should pay attention to what ideas might follow, or at least how this develops your intellectual curiosity.
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Tags: research-process, research-undergraduate, engineering, literature-search
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thread-24088
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24088
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Is a business card necessary for a graduate student?
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2014-06-28T15:17:10.603
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# Question
Title: Is a business card necessary for a graduate student?
I know some PhD students have their own business cards, but I don't know if it is a standard practice for PhD students to have their own business cards. I think a business card can be useful for networking in conference or collaborating with some industrial partners. So, is are business cards necessary for a PhD student or other graduate students attending conferences?
PS: in case it is field-specific, I would like to know the different practices in different fields
# Answer
It's probably discipline-specific, but I hand mine out all the time. That being said, I talk to lots of vendors of computer hardware that I want to get back in touch with, so exchanging cards is helpful. As a grad student, it might be worth having some small cards from someone like Moo that have your name, email, affiliation, and a link to your website. It might be easier to hand those out than to carry 20 preprints of your article when you're giving a talk.
All that being said, it'd be pretty unusual to push your cards on people you meet at conferences. If someone asks for your information, or a copy of your publication, you might offer the card, but I wouldn't volunteer it unless you've been asked for something. It's just not part of the culture in most of the fields I have experience with for students to do so.
> 15 votes
# Answer
As a PhD student, I had business cards and never used them. Now I don't even have cards. I consider them a relict from different times. I would say *nobody* strictly needs a business card anymore, and I rarely see them being exchanged at conferences either.
Now, a **homepage** is a different story. You definitely need a homepage, for many of the reasons you think you may need a business card.
> 25 votes
# Answer
If there's any chance that you're going to be interacting with industry at conferences or other events, you need business cards. It's part of that culture. If there's any chance you'll be interacting with anybody from the far East, you need business cards (and ideally, a briefing on the etiquette of giving and receiving them).
Within academia (and not in the far east), it may depend on your field. Coming from a commercial background I was surprised to find that they aren't used in the same "scattergun" way in mine; but it can still save time with scribbling details, and a good card, offered appropriately, may make meeting you stand out in the fog of somebody's post-conference memory.
Summary: it's worth having some, but try to judge what is "normal" before pressing them on people.
> 6 votes
# Answer
This probably varies from country to country, but given that business cards can be had for the cost of running off-the-shelf preperforated stock through your computer, I think it's worth having a few. It does make handing your contact info to someone easier, plus giving you and/or them a surface upon which to scribble a note about why they should contact you.
And at least around here, many restaurants collect business cards as tickets for a free-lunch lottery. Trade shows may also use them as lottery entries.
Yes, e-mail addresses are starting to replace business cards as e-mail becomes an acceptable replacement for postal mail and phones, and smartphones can be used to enter contact info into a website.... But it isn't a complete replacement yet, and may never be.
And I find I use them informally as well, when I want someone I've just met to contact me about something.
Recommendation: Spend a small amount to print off a few, see how quickly you're using them, use that to guide how many more you obtain, how often, how many you should bother carrying at once, and how much effort you should put into the card's aesthetics.
> 4 votes
# Answer
In 15 years in academia (theoretical computer science, UK and Greece, plus conferences and workshops in several different countries in Europe and North America), the closest I've come to a business card was when somebody I'd befriended at a conference gave me a card for his hobby photography website. I've never had business cards printed and, to the best of my knowledge, nor have any of my colleagues.
> 4 votes
# Answer
In the US, at least in doctoral psychology programs, we're often encouraged to have business cards to hand out at conferences. Conferences are often seen as a way to start building connections for internship, and a business card is a simple way to come across as polished and prepared (it's also less likely to be lost than a slip of paper, as I've seen faculty slip my card into a card holder). Further, my mentor does a great deal of field research in health clinics, and it's helpful for her students to have cards with their contact information readily available when coordinating with site staff.
In my department, our academic mentors typically pay for the cards, which are designed with the school's logo, just like the faculty members' cards. However, most of us wait until we have received our MS as part of our program requirements. We don't attend as many conferences pre-MS anyways, and since they're ordered in bulk (250 minimum) that way you don't have a large number of unused cards. In sum, it's not necessary to have business cards, but it can be helpful.
> 2 votes
# Answer
I'm in the biomedical and clinical sciences (Epidemiology in particular) and I regularly hand out 5 to 10 business cards at the average conference I've gone to, and often get just as many. I tend *not* to actually engage with industry that much, but they're an excellent, quick way to give someone your contact information in a way that's about as non-disruptive as possible. They're also harder to lose than scraps of paper, and as someone else mentioned, easier to keep track of - business card holders can not only hold your business card, but the cards of others.
> 2 votes
# Answer
This may depend on the country. In some countries, PhD candidates are employees of the university just like anyone else employed there, and thus get (or can get, upon request) any number of business cards printed from their office supplies department at any time. Thus, in such places, the effort of getting one's hands on business cards is virtually non-existent and hence there, it is a standard practice.
As implied by other answers, handing out business cards greatly simplifies establishing contact with other researchers on conferences, which is one of the main benefits one can draw from attending a conference.
In terms of establishing contact, I have only ever met two kinds of people on CS conferences - those that had their business cards ready and could thus easily provide some contact info at the end of a fruitful conversation and the agreement to keep in touch or exchange some further information, and those that did not, that would instead start a cumbersome search for something to write, use the back of someone else's business card (!) or require the recipient to find some suitable virtual place in whichever electronic device they currently have nearby to store the address, and remark that they "should really print some business cards for the next conference".
> 1 votes
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Tags: etiquette, networking
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thread-24038
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24038
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How to find out if an author is practicing pseudoscience or is fraudulent?
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2014-06-27T12:19:24.827
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# Question
Title: How to find out if an author is practicing pseudoscience or is fraudulent?
I have had the need to dig deep into the theory of architecture and in doing so I have encountered various authors who make extremely grandiose claims about themselves and their work.
This of course is not a measure for the actual value of their achievements, but sometimes it is hard to find out if an author is just very bad at expressing themselves, want to mask their ideas with jargon in order to make them seem even deeper, or if they really are just fabricating incoherent theories.
I by no mean want to denigrate anyone, but I don't want to learn from authors who are practicing junk science. The problem with architecture are authors who talk not just about architectural theory - but connect various disciplines to it, for example psychology, computer science, mathematics, etc... I have no required knowledge of any of those disciplines - so it is impossible for me to know if they are just using complex constructs from another discipline in a way that is just "sugar coating" for their claims.
A bigger problem is that there are very few people who have studied both architecture and some other discipline in detail and are able to comment both.
In this case I am baffled by two authors: Nikos A. Salingaros and Michael Leyton. Their book make incredible sounding claims, and their homepages and Amazon reviews are full of praise that rings all kinds of alarm bells, but at the same time they have permanent positions in universities which to my knowledge are quite reputable, and they have published a lot...
Regarding Michael Leytons theory of perception and cognition, there is a detailed criticism by Hendrickx and Wageman, but as I said, I am no mathematician... Apparently there is something wrong with the mathematical side of his theory though.
Is there any way to find if I can trust these authors? They seem to gather citations from their students and other people who use their work without any kind of criticism. Do I need to go through the magazines they publish into and find out if they are peer reviewed and of good reputation? How would I go about doing that?
I don't want to pollute my work with bad science, and I am very hesitant to make any claims myself if I don't have good grounds for them. With complex interdisciplinary claims like the ones these two authors do, should I just not use them at all since it seems so hard to find out if they can be taken academically seriously?
# Answer
> 11 votes
Context: I'm a PhD student in Computational Social Science, so I'm very knowledgable about Complexity Science and related fields and how they are applied to design, architecture, organization science, and economics. Also, my adviser is a leader in the field of Design Science, particularly how Cognitive Science and AI can be applied to understand design and designers. Finally, I have a lot of domain knowledge regarding Pattern Languages and generative models of conception and design.
> Is there any way to find if I can trust these authors?
I've encountered many authors, researchers, and consultants who I have identified as "charlatans" when it comes to applying Complexity Science or other models or theories to social systems. For the most part, they apply Complexity Science only in a metaphorical sense (e.g. "edge of chaos" concept), but have no basis or foundation in empirical or theoretical research.
But to determine whether any particular author is a charlatan or not, there is *no substitute for **you** understanding the underlying theory or method*. There is no reliable method for you to determine whether author ***A*** has a valid foundation in theory ***X*** unless you do your homework and develop a working understanding of theory ***X***. If, on the other hand, you stay with your position that "I'm not a mathematician", then you have no basis for deciding either way. Looking at what other people say or citations will not help you, in an academic sense.
If you don't want to do the work to understand the mathematics, computational science, and formal methods that these author use, then just go another direction. If you must include them in your papers, then just say that you have no opinion on their validity or significance because their methods/theories are beyond your grasp.
Finally, just because you don't understand the mathematical and computational methods these authors use their theories doesn't mean there is any "junk science" going on. As Steven Covey (7 Habits) advised: "Seek first to understand."
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**Edit**: Whether or not these authors have tenured positions at important Universities is not very good evidence regarding whether their "science" is "junk" or not.
# Answer
> 8 votes
I think your definition of academic fraud or pseudoscience is *way* over the top. I am neither a mathematician nor an architect, but just doing a quick background search on both authors you mention gives me *no* indication that they are some wackjobs that use terminology from other disciplines to sound smart. If that is the case, they sure have convinced a lot of people that certainly know more about these fields than me (and, maybe, you).
Sure, a lot of people *disagree* with their theories, but that's completely ok, quite naturally actually. Most theories that go against the mainstream in a field are critiqued strongly. Michael Leyton, for instance, is a professor of theoretical computer science at Rutgers. His theories may or may not be correct, but I would be *very* hesitant to call it pseudoscience in the absence of further evidence.
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Tags: publications, research-process, peer-review
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thread-24037
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24037
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Leaving an Area of Specialization (AOS) off of my CV?
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2014-06-27T12:17:09.260
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# Question
Title: Leaving an Area of Specialization (AOS) off of my CV?
So with the job market being as it is, I'm considering the prospect of leaving academia after my PhD. The problem that I have is that the name of one of my Areas of Specialization has been co-opted by some new age mystics and if you search "X" after seeing that I specialized in "X", you're more likely to think I specialized in some arcane form of crystal healing than the work I actually did.
My other AOSs sound fine, even semi-impressive to the layman, and so don't really concern me. This one, however....
So, two quick and related questions:
1. Am I right to think that my AOSs at least would still remain when listing my PhD on a non-academic CV/resume? Or just "PhD in field X"? (The question on CV for leaving academia didn't provide too much specific guidance here.)
2. Is it ethical to leave one of my AOSs off of the CV, assuming I leave the others untouched? In a sense it is misrepresenting what I did during my PhD, since I really did a lot of work in all three of these areas. On the other hand, listing this troublesome AOS might misrepresent what I did even more--- crystal healing and such.
# Answer
> 6 votes
This seems like an obvious opportunity to briefly explain yourself on your CV by listing the formal names but then stating what that actually means in parentheses. As an example:
```
PhD, Some Named Institution (2007-Present)
Areas of Concentration:
- Science thing 1
- Science thing 2
- Crystal healing sounding thing (Chemical Engineering)
```
# Answer
> 1 votes
If you are applying for jobs in industry or consulting, your Area of Specialization is much less important than the *skills* you have developed and your *proven record of performance* (producing results, completing projects, writing and publishing papers). You could omit your Area of Specialization completely and just list your major and your skills, e.g.:
* PhD in Biochemistry. Skills: Experiment design and analysis, statistical analysis, computational modeling of protean evolution.
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Tags: ethics, cv
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thread-18487
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/18487
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Claiming sole credit for an academic outreach program - not a written paper. Is there a moral right?
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2014-03-24T18:40:59.137
|
# Question
Title: Claiming sole credit for an academic outreach program - not a written paper. Is there a moral right?
I conceived and co-developed (including the program itself and training protocols for participants)/piloted the program locally/managed three national pilots, and assessed the effectiveness of the program including formulating the written proposal to public and private funding agencies that laid out the essential elements of the program and writing reports. Years later, one of my co-developers claims sole responsibility on line (at a University web site) and at a non-profit spinoff's web site for this and another program I conceived and co-developed and has wiped me from the record. He does not credit our co-developers, upon whose ground breaking research much of this work rests. If one (say a member of a selection committee) were to take a tour of the Internet using the usual search engines, it would appear that my CV and resume are one big lie after another. I inquired of Legal at the University where I did the work, and they said they have no control over what a department head puts on line and that it is if anything a compliance issue. What does this mean? And also, do I have a moral right and what kind of recourse might there be? Basically 15 years of my life is now invisible.
# Answer
First off, you should decide what exactly you feel is wrong, and how you want it to be. You were involved in the early stages of this program, but others took the helm later. They continued to put work into the program, and they deserve credit. Arguably visitors to the program website want to know about who's managing it now, not its history. Do you want to be cited as a co-creator or founder or first director? Do you want a section dedicated to "early work on this project" where you play a greater role? Is this really that important, since in academia publications are the currency of value, not websites.
Second, once you've decided what your objection is, you should take this objection to the co-developer in question. Perhaps this is just an honest misunderstanding and he/she will rectify amicably.
Third, if you get no resolution, then you need to decide whether you want to pursue this further. Read your co-developer's response carefully and objectively. Do you think they have a reasonable case? If so, you are unlikely to achieve anything positive by pursuing this (in fact, going to the legal department may have been a mistake). You will (further) sour your relationship with the co-developer, and have the potential for getting a bad reputation.
Lastly, if you are absolutely certain that your co-developer's position has no merit, and you really want to pursue this further, you can try to apply pressure to your co-developer. The legal department is the wrong avenue, as their job is to protect the university, not police it. Try the dean, or otherwise the supervisor, of the co-developer. If you can prove that the situation has cost you financially (farfetched) you might consider a lawsuit.
> 3 votes
# Answer
I suggest a different strategy than that proposed by vadim123. Don't engage with your co-developer or his institution at all.
Instead, write a blog post (or posts) or a white paper telling your version of history. If it is a white paper, post it on your web site. Better still, arrange an interview with a web publication, with links to your white paper. You are done.
In any job application and CV, you should link to your blog posts and white papers, or related articles. If any search committee spends any time on this, and also sees the web pages of your co-developers, they would probably ask you to explain the difference in stories. You will happily explain the differences, with no need to explain *why* the co-developers wrote what they wrote.
The advantage of this approach is that you don't need to persuade your co-developers or their employers of anything. No legal process at all. You only have to invest up-front time to write your story in a compelling form (hopefully, backed with substantiating evidence), and then deal with questions as they arise in the interview process.
> 0 votes
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Tags: ethics, etiquette, cv
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thread-24180
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24180
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Can human subjects be paid using a researcher's personal funds?
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2014-06-30T11:55:35.867
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# Question
Title: Can human subjects be paid using a researcher's personal funds?
I want to conduct some research and will apply for IRB approval. But, finding money to offer incentives for respondents may be difficult. I do not mind using personal funds as the total amount is very low.
1. Is there any ethical issue with using personal funds for research?
2. Do you know of any IRB related regulations that address the above issue?
If it matters I am at a US educational institution.
# Answer
> 16 votes
I've sat on an IRB panel and we've never been concerned about the source of funds for participant gift-cards.
p.s. Note I'm an ethnographic fieldworker and I often buy small gifts for the families and individuals who participate in my projects. It's too much of a pain to pay for these out of my research account (why do you want 15 stuffed bears and keychains?) so I buy them out of pocket.
# Answer
> 13 votes
I assume you are interested in additional ethical issues with paying subject out of pocket as opposed to paying subjects from a grant.
I have never listed where the subject "payments" (today's term is "inconvenience allowance") come from on an IRB form and have never been questioned about it in either the US or UK. This is not an issue that I would bring up with the IRB and it is not even clear where you would list this in the IRB applications that I am familiar with.
There may be some tax and liability issues associated with paying out of pocket. While I would not bring this up to the IRB, I would mention it to your research support officer. If/when I over spend on my overhead account I can make up the difference from my pay check. I think it is even possible to divert some of my salary directly into my overhead account, even if I haven't hit zero balance. This way the university is officially paying for the research, they take care of the research liability, and any potential taxes the subjects need to pay. There might even be tax savings for you.
# Answer
> 5 votes
As a counterpoint, the last IRB application I filled out (at a US university) had a section asking where the money was coming from (grant, start-up account, departmental funds, industrial partner, etc).
From the questions, I got the impression that the IRB wanted to
1. Avoid conflicts of interest, Taking money from industrial sponsors might introduce some potential biases)
2. Be sure that the money would actually be available. It might put the university in a tight spot if you promised subjects money or reimbursement, but could not afford to pay them.
Number one probably isn't an issue for you, and #2 might be solvable by putting the money "in escrow" with the department.
# Answer
> -5 votes
I would like to **supplement** everyone's excellent answers by saying that sometimes, especially in social science experiments, the choice of incentive is very important. Importantly, the choice of funding source has also been explored somewhat in research methodology literature.
An influential paper in this regard is linked here (paywall) and here (free!) A brief summary of this paper is that, it takes 3 popular incentive choices (in social science for experiments) and looks at the choice of said incentive versus data collection and sampling. These incentives are cash, gift certificate via snail mail and gift certificate via email. The results indicate the cash might be the most effective incentive structure in similar experiments.
In response to a comment, I would state that does exist a relationship between the funding source and incentive choice. In one of our previous projects, where the funding came from a "named" foundation, we had a condition to use funding for participant recruitment in a very specific way.
**Disclaimer:** The first author is my previous adviser.
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Tags: research-process, ethics
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thread-24227
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24227
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What happens when a closed form solution to a research problem is not possible?
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2014-07-01T03:37:26.850
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# Question
Title: What happens when a closed form solution to a research problem is not possible?
Say I discover an “interesting topic” (at least from my perspective), and I do all sort of work necessary to formulate and tackle the problem (it is an optimization problem), nearly a month of work, and now I suddenly come to realize that the close-form analytical solution to this problem is not possible (or that the solution is too complicated).
What should I do? Should I continue to solve the problem using a numerical method (using computer simulation tools from Matlab), or should I give up my topic?
# Answer
> 16 votes
Most real world problems don't have closed-form solutions. Somehow, we manage.
You write:
> the close-form analytical solution to this problem is not possible
If the impossibility of a closed-form analytic solution is in itself a new result, then that may well be a publishable result. If you can also find an efficient method to get a numerical (approximate) solution, that's either a heavier-weight first paper (combined with the proof of the non-existence of closed-form solution), or it's a second paper in its own right.
You then wrote:
> OR the solution is too complicated.
If there may be a closed-form analytical solution, but it's just too complicated for you to find, then that's an entirely different matter. In which case, you've got nothing to publish. Just a very hard problem that you can either persevere with, or you can stop working on it for a while, and go do something more promising. There's no harm in stopping working on it for a while. Just keep the problem in the back of your mind, along with a handful of other unsolved problems: and every time you learn a new heuristic, algorithm, or solution pattern (or an enhancement to an old one), then try to apply it to the unsolved problems you've been storing up (kudos to the late Richard Feynman for this).
# Answer
> 10 votes
This depends entirely on the standards in the particular field, previous work on this topic, and the specific topic and problem domain itself.
A closed form solution is not always necessary in order to make a research contribution. Sometimes formulating the problem is itself significant; sometimes numerical methods offer useful insight; sometimes saying "we tried applying technique X to problem Y and found that it cannot work" is a contribution.
Another possibility in some cases is to simplify or modify your problem formulation to something that lends itself more easily to a closed form solution.
Reading the literature surrounding the problem is a good way to become familiar with what kinds of contributions are considered useful in this area. Then you can decide whether to proceed with numerical methods or do something else. You should also try and find a faculty mentor (if you don't already have one) to advise you on what your next steps should be.
# Answer
> 7 votes
My topic is numerical (computational) mathematics. In this area we develop algorithms and apply them to (hopefully) important problems, which typically do not have a pen and paper solution. I am doing this for more than 15 years and see no reason to give up.
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Tags: research-process, publications, research-undergraduate
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thread-24201
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24201
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Should one put their Master's thesis online?
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2014-06-30T17:24:48.100
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# Question
Title: Should one put their Master's thesis online?
I think of a thesis as sort of an immature document, by definition. It delineates the university era from the professional era, and is bound to lack some practical elements. Should a student refrain from publishing his or her thesis on the Internet, for this or any other reason?
# Answer
Every document is, in the way you define it, immature. With everything you write your writing improves. Your papers will not be better because you have a degree. They will be better, because you learned something (i.e. made mistakes) before.
However, there might be reasons not to publish your thesis, but it is not so different from normal working papers. Maybe your thesis is just bad, you did not get any meaningful results, you have made significant mistakes, etc.
So if your university allows, publish it online if you want to (or if you think it may be worth reading / you can not think of a good reason not to); everyone knows, it is only a master's thesis and will read it in a different way than they would read a published paper (or not at all).
> 16 votes
# Answer
Like you say, a thesis is not necessarily as thoroughly peer reviewed as a journal article. In my opinion, that doesn't mean the thesis should not be publicly available, just that a reader should keep in mind that the document is a thesis when reading it and (potentially) citing it. The onus then falls on the reader of a thesis, not on the writer.
In the end, the decision of whether to make your thesis public is more about your university's policy. At the University of Waterloo, for example, all accepted theses are publicly available by default through the same web portal. Other university's have IP policies that may not allow you to publish your thesis (though these policies are rarely enforced).
When the policy is ambiguous or left up to you, I would strongly recommend making it publicly available.
> 9 votes
# Answer
Unless there is a compelling reason not to, **yes, you should put your thesis online.**
A thesis is supposed to represent your first foray into academic research. The whole point of academic research is to make a contribution to the body of human knowledge, and share it with the academic community. As such, I would encourage you to make it as convenient as possible for the community to read your thesis, and posting it online is a good way to achieve that.
If your discipline uses arXiv or a similar preprint or document server, I would encourage you to post it there as well; that way it will remain accessible even if your web site moves.
I would not worry about your thesis containing "immature" work. It's a *thesis*; everyone knows that it's your first research product, and nobody is going to judge you harshly in 20 years because your thesis wasn't a work of staggering genius. But on the other hand, they very well might still find it useful. You spent a lot of time writing that thing; don't you want it to be able to do some good?
Also, there's a good chance that your thesis is already publicly accessible (via interlibrary loan from your university, or a commercial thesis database, or something similar). If so, then posting it just saves (possibly a lot of) time and effort for those who want to read it.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of compelling reasons why you might not want to post the thesis.
* Your university's intellectual property policies forbid it. (If so, shame on the university. This seems unlikely to me, but some other answers think it's plausible, so I suppose you should check.)
* You have submitted parts of your thesis as a paper to a journal / conference / similar outlet, or plan to do so, and the journal's copyright agreement forbids you to post the thesis. (If so, shame on the journal.)
* Your thesis contains collaborative work (such as jointly authored papers), and your coauthors object to you posting the thesis. (If so, shame on your coauthors.)
* You have published your thesis as a book, or plan to do so. In that case, posting it might hurt sales of the book, and might also be forbidden by your agreement with your publisher.
* Your thesis contains ideas of commercial value which are not yet patented, or un-patentable ideas that you plan to exploit commercially. (But as noted above, your thesis may be available to the public already, albeit less conveniently.)
* Your thesis contains a serious error that invalidates its results. (But you might still want to post it along with an addendum that explains the error; there may be parts of the thesis that people would still find useful.)
> 8 votes
# Answer
My school, while doing a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS), **required** a thesis to be publicly available. It only grants exclution to this for commercial reasons, when the thesis is sponsored by a company. However, still, the abstract will be published.
The school provides a search for all Thesis papers, for example here (search is german, but papers are sometimes english):
http://www.ti.bfh.ch/de/master/msc\_engineering/studierende/master\_thesis.html
I like the idea of publishing my thesis, it's a work I am somewhat proud of. I even have a download link on my personal homepage.
> 4 votes
# Answer
If your thesis contains classified material, you obviously cannot put it online. otherwise do it.
You will get feedback and you will get pointed out about good or bad things. This is a standard scientific process and as well a good opportunity for you to optimize your neural network (aka "learning").
If it turns out that your thesis is overly bad, you can still take it offline later. And if someone later still has a copy and asks you why your thesis was so bad, then accept and explain that you know that and learned from it. There is no shame in improving.
> 0 votes
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Tags: publications, thesis, online-publication
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thread-24233
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24233
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Cover letter for a publication
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2014-07-01T10:05:42.897
|
# Question
Title: Cover letter for a publication
I am submitting a publication to IEEE. In the course of the process, they've asked for a cover letter. Is this request typical of journals and other publications? What is expected to be on such a letter?
# Answer
The practice of cover letters predates the now common online submission systems by centuries: Before online submission, papers were submitted by sending a hard copy via postal mail to the editor-in-chief (in person, not via a journal). Now it's mostly a formality, but since scholars are a traditional bunch, old habits die hard. (**EDIT**: Even so, if the journal demands a cover letter, you *must* provide one, or risk having your submission rejected for not following the guidelines.)
In principle, any information contained in a cover letter should also be put somewhere into the submission form, so those can be of some guidance. Things usually appearing in the letter include
* the **title of the work**;
* the **type of manuscript** (if the journal not only publishes standard papers but also short notes, literature review etc.);
* the **name of the journal** you are submitting to (since the editor might manage several journals);
* a **brief summary** (one or two sentences) to give the editor some idea whether the manuscript is within the scope, and which associate editor to forward it to;
* a clear **statement that the manuscript has not been submitted elsewhere**;
* the full **contact details of the corresponding author** (presumably the one signing the cover letter);
* a list of **preferred or excluded referees and/or associate editors**, if applicable.
Here's what I usually write (addressed to the editor-in-chief at his department address):
> Dear Professor X,
>
> please find attached our manuscript "A Note on Piffles", which we would like to submit for publication as an original research article in your journal *Wuffle Review*. Our main result is that all universal Piffles are strictly ascending, which proves a conjecture of Smith et al. This work has not been submitted elsewhere.
>
> The corresponding author is
>
> \[...\]
>
> We are looking forward to hearing from you.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Y
> 25 votes
# Answer
Yes, it's reasonably common.
The guidelines for authors typically describe what is expected of the cover letter, as well as of the paper itself.
Follow those guidelines.
If in doubt, ask an editor at the journal; but that should be rare - established journals have had so much experience that the guidelines (in my experience) tend to be pretty clear, and to pre-emptively answer all the frequently-asked question.
> 4 votes
# Answer
Note that in journals which have a high pre-review rejection rate, the cover letter is required and critical. In such journals, the editor will decide, based on the cover letter and a brief look at the work, whether to reject the paper or pass it to review. Given that their understanding of the specific field of the paper is often limited, the cover letter has the crucial role of convincing them that the paper is important and a good fit for the journal. Furthermore, it can affect their post-review decision if it is not clear-cut.
On a side note: in life sciences cover letters are the norm - I don't remember hearing of someone submit a manuscript without a cover letter.
> 3 votes
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Tags: publications
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thread-24246
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24246
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How should the title of a chapter or section be formatted when mentioned in the text?
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2014-07-01T18:21:23.343
|
# Question
Title: How should the title of a chapter or section be formatted when mentioned in the text?
How should the title of the chapter or section be formatted when mentioned in the text? I mean the titles of chapters of the same work.
For example:
If the chapter is entitled "Chapter Four: Review of the Literature," is the following correct?
> All the studies discussed in the "Review of the Literature" chapter are Western-oriented.
# Answer
> 5 votes
I am not sure this question is on-topic here; this is a general question about writing style, and not specific to academia.
However, it is usually best to refer to chapters by number.
> All the studies discussed in Chapter 4 are Western-oriented.
This makes it easier for the reader to find the relevant chapter without needing to flip back to the table of contents. It also avoids confusion in case there are several chapters with similar titles.
Your word/text processor software should have a way to automatically maintain the cross reference, in case you rearrange chapters and the numbers change.
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Tags: research-process, thesis, writing
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thread-24250
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24250
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Is it necessary that the chapter introduction be made up of just one paragraph?
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2014-07-01T19:07:16.843
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# Question
Title: Is it necessary that the chapter introduction be made up of just one paragraph?
In writing the introduction of a chapter, I came up with three paragraphs.
Is it necessary that the chapter introduction be made up of just one paragraph?
# Answer
> 7 votes
No, it is not necessary to limit your chapter introductions to one paragraph (unless your university has some ridiculous formatting guidelines that require this).
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Tags: research-process, thesis, writing
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thread-24257
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24257
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How should I handle titles of sources in foreign languages in APA?
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2014-07-01T23:04:15.607
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# Question
Title: How should I handle titles of sources in foreign languages in APA?
How should I handle titles of sources in foreign languages in APA?
For example, the title of the source is in Arabic.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Google yielded this:
> Book/article titles and names written in Latin-based scripts (French, Spanish, German, etc.) can be cited with only minor adjustments. Provide a translation of the title in square brackets. Do not translate names written in Latin-based scripts.
>
> Titles and names written in non-Latin scripts (Chinese, Arabic, Russian, etc.) must be transliterated before translating and citing. If you are uncomfortable transliterating material yourself, don't guess -- get help! Titles should be transliterated and translated into English. Names should be transliterated (not translated) and arranged in "Western" order, e.g., ordered by surname in reference list.
(Follow the link to see examples)
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Tags: research-process, citations
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thread-21708
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/21708
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How can I improve my chances of receiving PhD funding (UK, Anthropology)?
|
2014-05-30T15:46:55.533
|
# Question
Title: How can I improve my chances of receiving PhD funding (UK, Anthropology)?
I have been accepted to UCL and Oxford for a PhD in anthropology, however I have not been offered funding for either position. I am considering reapplying next year and I would like to know how I can improve my chances of securing funding. I already have experience as a research assistant for my MSc supervisor, and she has acknowledged me in a recent paper. I have also presented at a conference, though I have not published the paper. Would publications improve my chances, even if not in top tier journals? What other things could I do to make my application stand out to funding committees?
I should add that this is my second attempt - I was in the same situation last year when I applied only to Oxford for a PhD, gaining acceptance without funding. I received my MSc from Oxford, with an overall grade of 67 and a distinction in my thesis.
# Answer
Funding is extremely scarce, especially in Britain. Since you have been accepted, I would write to the person who you suspect would be your adviser if you matriculated and ask them for advice. The program clearly has an interest in bringing you in. They may be able to find fellowships or paying jobs within the university that can help you financially.
> 4 votes
# Answer
Each of Oxford and UCL has an ESRC-funded social-science Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), which would be a suitable funding route for a new anthropology PhD student.
As a backup plan, consider an inter-disciplinary PhD: apply your anthropology to a subject that is well-funded.
Both Oxford and UCL have inter-disciplinary PhD students. You'd typically have one supervisor from anthropology, and one from your applied subject.
Hopefully there's a subject that really interests you, for which either Oxford or UCL have a CDT; in that case, they'll have funding for PhD students. But be sure to pick a subject you can be really passionate about: remember, this is going to swallow a big chunk of your life and your energy, and you're going to have to be motivated to work 12+ hours a day for weeks or months at a time on it. So don't pick something that just vaguely interests you, or you'll risk never completing.
(disclosure: I supervise inter-disciplinary students in one of the CDTs linked to above)
> 3 votes
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Tags: phd, application, funding, social-science, anthropology
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thread-24265
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24265
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Paper rejection due to being "correspondence": what does it mean?
|
2014-07-02T06:38:05.227
|
# Question
Title: Paper rejection due to being "correspondence": what does it mean?
My paper was rejected a few hours after submission with the following explanation:
"Regretfully, your manuscript is being Immediate Rejected without review since it is a short correspondence item while we do not publish correspondence. "
What does this mean? Is my manuscript too short?
# Answer
> 23 votes
Many journals publish correspondence or short reports that are brief research works, usually with a single finding, straightforward methods, and not much more than that. They are intended for quick, "Hey, we've always wanted to know the value of X, and turns out it's 7" studies - they belong in the literature, and may be useful, but are not a full research paper.
They are often also referred to as letters, notes, or by other names. Sometimes they're purely defined by concept, sometimes by word count.
For example, consider *Ecology*:
> "Notes are short papers that present significant new observations and methodological advances. Notes may contain results that are not sufficiently elaborated or developed as to justify an Article, but which are still of considerable potential significance."
vs.
> "...an Article tells a more complicated story with distinct components. The greater length of Articles relative to Reports must be justified by their greater complexity
Or *American Journal of Epidemiology*, which uses word counts:
> The maximum number of words per article, exclusive of tables, figures, references, and abstract, should be as follows: Original Contribution, 3,500; ...Brief Original Contributions, 2,000 (with no more than 2 half-page tables and 40 references)
or *Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology*:
> Original Articles should include a title page, a structured abstract of no more than 250 words (see below), a text of no more than 3,000 words, no more than 7 tables and figures, and no more than 40 references.
>
> Concise Communications should include a title page, a narrative abstract of no more than 50 words, a text of no more than 1,200 words, no more than 2 tables or figures, and no more than 10 references.
>
> Research Briefs should include a title page, a text of no more than 900 words, no more than 1 table or figure, and no more than 10 references. This category of article is intended for the presentation of short, focused, and evidence-based experimental observations: substantial preliminary and novel results of importance to the journal readership but not substantial enough in content to warrant a longer presentation. Research Briefs undergo the same peer review as longer article types.
Your paper is either too short, or only presents a short, focused result that the journal does not consider a "full" paper. It's hard to know, as they won't exactly lay out the definitions of papers they don't accept, but you may want to look at similar journals to see if there is a field-based consensus for what a sufficiently large finding *is*.
# Answer
> 11 votes
Fomite already gave an excellent general answer, but I may be able to add some specific information if your submission was to one of the IEEE Transactions (rejection from which would put you in fine company).
Some of the Transactions indeed used to publish "Correspondence Items"; from the *Transactions on Signal Processing* Author Guide dated October 2009:
> Correspondence items are short disclosures with a reduced scope or significance that typically describe a use for or magnify the meaning of a single technical point, or provide brief comments on material previously published in the TRANSACTIONS.
However, in the current Author Guide, this category is absent and replaced by the "Comment Correspondence", which is a different beast:
> Comment Correspondences provide brief comments on material previously published in the TRANSACTIONS.
Presumably, this is due to the fact that there is now a dedicated journal, the *IEEE Signal Processing Letters*. However, this has a different scope:
> The IEEE Signal Processing Letters is a monthly, archival publication designed to provide rapid dissemination of original, cutting-edge ideas and timely, significant contributions in signal, image, speech, language and audio processing.
Note that in contrast to a Correspondence Item, a "significant contribution" is still required, and that in addition (and in contrast to the Transactions) this needs to be on such a hot topic that by the time the normal reviewing process has finished, there would be significantly less interest in it.
---
(If you did not submit to IEEE, this may still be a useful indication how another discipline handles this type of publication, and underline the fact that there are several different categories of short communications.)
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Tags: publications, rejection
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thread-24283
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24283
|
How should an undergrad pick a journal to submit to?
|
2014-07-02T14:51:05.203
|
# Question
Title: How should an undergrad pick a journal to submit to?
I am an undergraduate who has been doing research in a lab since my freshmen year, and I have usually just worked on projects with a PhD student. That being said, as of now I have co-authored two papers (both accepted) with said PhD student.
The professor has entrusted me to do my own research and he is really pushing that we publish a letter as soon as possible on the research I was doing, since no one in our (relatively new) subfield has even touched on this method. The first journal he said was Physical Review Letters (which made my eyes light up). Now though, he is leaning more to Applied Physics Letters or a much more specified journal.
I am looking to go into a PhD program in physics; should I submit to whatever journal my professor says to? He is very open and I think I could convince him to let me send it to Physical Review Letters but maybe he knows something I don't (like that it would be a waste of time - autorejection). Are there any other physics-based letters for broad and novel physics research?
# Answer
> 1 votes
Assuming your professor is not new at advising, he would have the best opinion on the matter since it is surely something he has dealt with before. If you are really unsure about this, express your concern and ask him why he would suggest one over the other, and then make your decision from there.
Additionally, can you get input from the PhD student you are working with?
If all else fails, you may be able to talk to another professor in the same field to get a second opinion on this.
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Tags: publications, journals, undergraduate
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thread-13353
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13353
|
MS degree after a PhD in physics
|
2013-10-11T20:25:08.943
|
# Question
Title: MS degree after a PhD in physics
I got my PhD in quantum gravity 2 years ago, not from a top university, publishing only 1 paper, no conferences. Couldn't get a post doc, and it has been 2 years struggling in the job market, teaching part time here and there.
I am thinking seriously about getting an MS degree in something that can open job chances for me because all jobs outside academia I looked at required certain skills I do not have, or knowledge never needed during my PhD, all my work was very formal.
My questions are:
1. Would graduate schools/ master committees accept me being with a PhD? (I expect to pay my own tuition for that MS of course.) Do I have any chance?
2. Of course I am not planning to do MS in physics. How about geophysics MS programs? engineering MS programs? Scientific writing MS programs? MBA programs?
I am still evaluating my options for what career path I should pursue, but I just want to know if it is acceptable to do an MS after PhD or I will be rejected right away. (I would hate and regret my PhD if I will be rejected because of it.)
# Answer
I'd recommend looking at the job market and seeing what jobs sound appealing to you. Next go to Coursera, Youtube, etc. and see if you like the subject by watching a few online classes. If you think you can adequately self learn the subject then that is the best option. Employers might look at the PhD -\> MS like you are a professional student that lacks direction (plus it's a boatload of money). You want your resume to say, I have a PhD in physics which means I'm smart and I self taught myself all this stuff you require for this job because I am self motivated. It shows independence; if you need to learn something new on the job, they know you can do it, because you have done it before. Don't waste time getting an MS.
There are two exceptions to this, and it may apply here. (1) If in your new field of study you can't adequately learn the vast majority of the material without the infrastructure provided by University lab facilities containing tons of expensive equipment, then it would be reasonable to pursue the masters. (2) An MBA program that is all about networking, pretty much requires face to face interactions, although an MBA is usually thought to be best pursued after having some industry work experience.
The answer to your question, however, is yes, you can definitely get into the Masters programs. For most private schools masters programs are cash cows that fund the university. They let in all students they think are good enough to succeed in their program. The bigger question is whether it's a good idea for you to make this career move.
> 9 votes
# Answer
Yes, you can.
I have personally seen people start and complete an MBA after receiving a PhD in astrophysics. It is certainly possible to study a master degree after a PhD.
If you want to be more rounded, for example, relating physics to the business world, this could certainly help your job prospects, especially in industry.
> 6 votes
# Answer
In general, it's easier to get into a Master's program from a PhD than into a PhD program from a Master's.
Most admissions committees are looking at how your highest level of achievement compares with the level of their program. Unless you are applying to MIT or someplace like that, your PhD "trumps" most Master's programs.
The minimum GPA for most PhD programs is 3.3. For Master's, usually 3.0 (or lower). You're strongly "qualified."
Certainly, you should be very competitive with someone coming into a Master's program from a Bachelor's degree, again, with the possible exception of someone with a 3.8-4.0 from Harvard, Yale, or MIT.
> 1 votes
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Tags: phd, graduate-admissions, masters, career-path
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thread-24295
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24295
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What to do when you discover computational errors and mistakes in your accepted paper at the proof stage?
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2014-07-02T21:22:41.263
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# Question
Title: What to do when you discover computational errors and mistakes in your accepted paper at the proof stage?
My paper is accepted with minor revisions and now is in proof stage. Unfortunately, I have found computational errors in my calculations which have led to some wrong results.
What should I do?
# Answer
Sometimes mistakes happen. Yes, it's a pain to have to deal with this mistake now after the paper was accepted for publication, but it's a good thing that you caught your mistake *before* the paper was published.
**Note:** If you have coauthors, before doing anything, contact your coauthors and explain to them the changes you need to make. **Do this before doing anything else.**
> What should I do? Should I send the errata to editor or copy editor?
*As you mentioned that you are dealing with an IEEE journal, my response here is specific to the IEEE:*
Talk to the senior editor that you are working with currently. Tell them specifically the changes you want to make and that "the logic of the concluding remarks is still correct and the discrepancies only impact the affected numerical results and the specific conclusions drawn from them," and that "the other numerical results are correct."
The senior editor will take it from there. Based on my past experience, you *do not* need to contact the editor-in-chief about this directly.
> Will it affect my paper's value?
No, but I don't really follow why you think correcting a mistake will affect your paper's value. Correcting a mistake prior to publication is a *good thing*.
> Will it need to go through another review cycle?
This will depend on the steps taken by the senior editor.
> 13 votes
# Answer
If your findings and conclusions are unambiguously unaffected, send the results to the editor saying you found an error with the numbers and asking for it be fixed. The editor might be annoyed at the last minute change but they are used to this sort of thing. I don't know what your "paper value" refers to.
You seem pretty worried about this. If this is because you think other people might assume that this difference would, in fact, have affected the findings and the way in which your paper was reviewed? If so, that *is* an issue. If this is a concern, you should email the academic editor and explain the situation. If things are as you think, there won't be an issue. If the editor disagrees, the paper might be need to be re-reviewed. In any case, it certainly seems best to have this all above board.
Changes in language, like changes in numbers, can have an important impact on a paper. As an author, you have a responsibility to not make substantively important changes to either after the paper has been accepted. It's your responsibility to not abuse the editorial system. If you are worried that you might be, you need to talk to your editor.
> 10 votes
# Answer
If you really care about the validity of your data and that it may be used for future research by yourself and others, I would say that it is vital to send the errata to the editor and you will feel better for three reasons:
1. You will have produced and published an honest piece of empirical research, unlike many shady and incomplete papers out there.
2. You never want to be accused of fudging your numbers by your colleagues/peers.
3. If you were the editor of this journal, would you like to foster a sense of scholarly pride in your published paper's validity, re-testability etc?
It will probably have to be re-reviewed, but if you're up front and honest with the editor or copy-editor about the errata, it's unlikely they'll reject the paper.
> 8 votes
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Tags: publications, peer-review
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thread-18044
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/18044
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Merge tables from different sources (APA citation)
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2014-03-11T12:55:40.167
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# Question
Title: Merge tables from different sources (APA citation)
What I want to do is copy a table found in paper 1 and expand upon it using information from different sources. I'm doing a literature review and the table I found gives a nice summary of the literature, however I need to expand it since it is missing a few notable contributions. I want to maintain the format of the original table and merely add a few rows to it.
Making the table is not the problem, I'm just completely oblivious as to how I should properly attribute the original author of it in APA style + attributing the additions.
# Answer
> 0 votes
If a student of mine asked me this I would say to write a brief introduction sentence (or paragraph) just before the table and indicate (verbally, as some say) as follows:
> The following table is based on work from Smith (2012) but does include additional rows. Those additional rows are marked with an asterisk (\*).
Then I would simple mark the new rows with an asterisk.
The point is to make it very clear what originated with you and what originated with someone else. This does that clearly.
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Tags: citations, literature, literature-review
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thread-24323
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24323
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What do IEEE journal prefixes mean
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2014-07-03T10:38:30.943
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# Question
Title: What do IEEE journal prefixes mean
I found that IEEE journal names have prefixes, the most prominent I observed: IEEE Transactions on... IEEE Reviews in... none specific (starting with IEEE)
Do those prefixes suggest the eminence of journals?
I apologize if this is something trivial, but I struggle to find some reliable explanation regarding this issue. Understanding the nuances in the journal naming system would help me better categorize and search journals that suit me.
# Answer
> 9 votes
> I apologize if this is something trivial, but I struggle to find some reliable explanation regarding this issue. Understanding the nuances in the journal naming system would help me better categorize and search journals that suit me.
There *is* no reliable way to use the name to conclude about the eminence of a journal. There are some *heuristics*, though:
**IEEE Transactions** are typically supposed to be the flagship journals for a broader field. Quality between different transactions varies, but from the top of my head I cannot think of an IEEE transactions journal that is really bad.
**IEEE magazines** (IEEE Software, IEEE Internet Computing, IEEE Computer, etc.) are also mostly very well-respected, but their scope is entirely different. They publish short papers written for a broad audience. They are heavily copy-edited (for instance, the copy editor will typically re-draw all figures in a common style across all papers in an issue), and they tend to have a large impact (because these magazines are circulated very widely). However, due to limited size, they are often scientifically more shallow than transactions papers.
**Other** journals, that fall into neither category, vary in quality and esteem (though they are typically weaker than the relevant transactions in the field). Their scope is typically more narrow than transactions, but the opposite can also be true.
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Tags: journals, ieee
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thread-24232
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24232
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Should I put my not-yet-submitted work on my web page?
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2014-07-01T09:52:12.607
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# Question
Title: Should I put my not-yet-submitted work on my web page?
I am planning on submitting a paper to a journal. Is it acceptable and advisable to upload it to my web page for public consumption, in the mean time?
# Answer
> 3 votes
I varies with fields and journals.
Some journals do allows posting preprints on one's webpage, or on a preprint server.
Some not, but they don't care. (And some academicians do put their papers on their websites, even if it is against rules.)
Some don't allow and do care, so putting the preprint on your webpage may disqualify you from publishing this work.
(If it fits your discipline, why not using http://arxiv.org/?)
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Tags: publications, preprint
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thread-24267
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24267
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Are automated online quizzes effective for formative feedback to students
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2014-07-02T06:45:52.543
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# Question
Title: Are automated online quizzes effective for formative feedback to students
I would like to increase my use of formative feedback (feedback showing students whether they understand material correctly without impacting their grades) and would like to integrate it with online quizzes.
I'm wondering if this has been found to be effective.
My goal is to make it simple and automated. While I could write one myself (school generally does not pay for things like this), I would prefer to avoid building it (or paying). What I'm really looking for is something like forms in Google docs but would also somehow automatically *and instantly* score the answer (limiting student answers to multiple choice) and displaying the results to the student as soon as the submit button is pressed.
So, this is a compound question: **Does using online auto-scoring quizzes help students** (I believe it will) through formative feedback **and is there a way to get Google forms to give immediate results**?
# Answer
> 1 votes
Does online quizzing help?
**Yes**. Some references are listed below. Auto-graded quizzes with no points will help motivated students self-regulate their learning. Of course, those students are the ones most likely to succeed. If you assign some small points then students who are more likely to postpone studying will develop better habits.
Can Google Forms give instant results? Well, **quick and easy results**, but not instant results, using scripts. The K12 education world is more nimble with free LMS options. Many teachers use the script "Flubaroo" to grade the form answers within Sheets, and then the script "Autocrat" to automatically send emails. I'll let you google for the latest blog posts and youtube videos on these scripts.
As best I can tell, you may need to manually trigger the process after each quiz ends. But perhaps that's a good excuse to check student answers and see how they are doing?
_
References:
Bälter, O., Enström, E., & Klingenberg, B. (2013). The effect of short formative diagnostic web quizzes with minimal feedback. Computers & Education, 60(1), 234-242.
Kenis, R. M. (2011). Effects of Scheduled, Unrecorded Quizzes on Students' Self-regulated Learning.
Olson, B. L., & McDonald, J. L. (2004). Influence of online formative assessment upon student learning in biomedical science courses. Journal of Dental Education, 68(6), 656-659.
# Answer
> 1 votes
If your school uses any sort of online learning platform (like Moodle), they often (and I know Moodle specifically) do this.
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Tags: teaching, feedback
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thread-24325
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24325
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On writing a review (i.e. summary) for a problematic (published) paper
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2014-07-03T10:50:26.593
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# Question
Title: On writing a review (i.e. summary) for a problematic (published) paper
I am trying to write a review on a published paper for Mathematical Reviews. The paper proposes a generalization of K-theory. Its main definition is fundamentally problematic. So the rest of the results are worthless. Therefore, I cannot write a brief summary of their results, because it means that I did not understand the mistake. On the other hand, the abstract of the paper is very concise and misleading, so I cannot recommend it as the review to MR either. Besides, I do not want to spend too much time to explain all the mistakes and errors in the paper (it is not my duty as a reviewer!). Therefore I was thinking to write to Mathematical Reviews and let them know about the situation and deny writing any review for this paper. But before doing that, I was wondering if there is a better solution for this problem?
P.S. For those who are not familiar with Mathematical Reviews, I should add that MR asks mathematicians to write brief reviews on papers (book, etc) that are already published and these reviews are available at mathscinet. So, these reviews are different than referee reports.
# Answer
> 7 votes
Your review should do three things (not necessarily in this order). It should tell the reader what the topic of the paper is, perhaps including the authors' main "theorem". (This presupposes that the paper is clear enough to have a topic; I've reviewed garbage that didn't have a discernible topic, but I gather from your question that this is not the case here.) It should make it clear that you think it's wrong. And it should give enough information about the error to allow people in the same area to understand why you think it's wrong. (Once you've explained the essential error, it's not necessary to list a lot of other errors, unless you think that doing so would help the reader or make it clearer that the paper is wrong.)
It is especially important to indicate accurately just how bad the paper is. For example, is it nonsense, or is it just wrong, or does it give a possibly correct theorem but with inadequate or erroneous proof? You can save potential readers of the paper a lot of trouble by making the situation clear.
# Answer
> 5 votes
Your job as a reviewer is primarily to give a summary of the results to help other researchers find the papers they are interested in; you are **not** expected to evaluate the quality of the manuscript. However, there's the following passage in the Guide to reviewers:
> **Evaluative reviews.** Your review may include a positive or negative evaluation of the item. Critical remarks should be objective, precise, documented and expressed in good taste. Vague criticism offends authors and fails to enlighten the reader. If you conclude that the item duplicates earlier work, you must cite specific references. If you believe there is in error in the item, please describe it precisely in your review and provide evidence validating your claim (e.g., a counterexample, an exact reference which supports your assertion, or an indication where the error arises in the paper). You should bear in mind that the MR Database does not include author responses to critical reviews.
This means that a critical review, as opposed to a summary, will likely be more work than you seem to think the manuscript is worth. In this case, there's the "nuclear option":
> Two other treatments of items are possible, but should be used sparingly. You may recommend that the item be listed without a published review, or you may recommend that the author's summary be used as the review. If you decide to recommend one of these options, simply put your request in the Review text box (e.g., "Publish without a review", or "Use the summary as my review"). However, in most cases, the mathematics community would prefer an insightful review to either of these two treatments.
If you choose "Publish without review", the paper will be listed as "This item will not be reviewed". For a regular paper, any seasoned user of MathSciNet will understand this as "do not bother to read".
**EDIT**: This used to be the case; now there's no such remark anymore, but the icon next to the MR number will say "Indexed" instead of "Reviewed" -- less strong of a signal, but a signal nonetheless (especially to people who remember the old remark.)
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Tags: publications, mathematics, review-databases
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thread-24351
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24351
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Applying for undergraduate research - include transcript with bad 1st year GPA?
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2014-07-03T21:55:39.020
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# Question
Title: Applying for undergraduate research - include transcript with bad 1st year GPA?
I'm a 2nd year student writing a request to volunteer as a research assistant to a professor. From what I've read, attaching a transcript to the introductory email is a good idea. \[1\]\[2\]
I'm considering not including it as my 1st year marks were pretty terrible. My 2nd year went well, but I suspect my 1st year might give a bad impression and disqualify me for many professors.
In such a case, which (if any) are a good idea:
1. Include the transcript, don't mention anything in the email
2. Include the transcript, explain reason for bad marks in the email.
3. Don't include the transcript. Mention good GPA received this semester.
4. Don't mention the transcript.
# Answer
There are two reasons I want to see a transcript when I take on research assistants:
1. I want to know what relevant classes they have taken, and how they did in those classes. This (hopefully) tells me something about what kind of basic knowledge I can expect them to have in my subject area, which in turn helps me evaluate whether I have a project that is well-suited for them.
2. I don't want to hire a student that is struggling with their coursework, because a research position is very demanding in terms of time and attention. A student who is currently barely passing classes should be focusing on that, not taking on a new major responsibilities. (My university has a minimum GPA requirement for student research assistants for this reason.)
Definitely include your transcript with your email. Don't explain the reason for the bad grades straight off - why draw attention to the negative? But ideally, you should be able to say something like "I took 'Highly Relevant Course' this spring and it made me really interested in pursuing research in this area", where 'Highly Relevant Course' is something you've done well in, that is directly related to the professor's research. The idea is to show that you have basic knowledge in the relevant area, and you're also not currently struggling to pass your courses.
> 3 votes
# Answer
I'd say a mixture of points 2 and 3. It's always good to be honest with your colleagues and especially a potential supervisor. We've all messed up some grades along the line.
If you include the transcript, mention your relatively good GPA this semester and outline very briefly the reasons how you've improved dramatically compared to last semester I think you'll sound professional as well as eager. Professor's love students who surprise them with their performance and growth, so play up your adaptability, resourcefulness and hunger for results.
Also as a previous commenter said, send the email and then seek them out in person, put a face to the name and start a good impression from the outset.
> 1 votes
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Tags: research-undergraduate, email, transcript-of-records
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thread-24356
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24356
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What is the typical flow chart for college mathematics courses?
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2014-07-03T23:14:08.680
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# Question
Title: What is the typical flow chart for college mathematics courses?
I know that college mathematics typically start at Calculus I (Differential Calculus) and then Calculus II (Integral Calculus). Then after Calc II, it starts to branch off a little. One option after the first two semesters of Calculus is Calculus III (Vector/Multivariable Calculus). Another option is Linear Algebra, and then the next course is Differential Equations. I know that other, more advanced math topics exist like Number Theory/Abstract Algebra, Discrete Mathematics, Partial Differential Equations, Geometry Topics and Topology. I was wondering what order the above mentioned math topics go in and what their prerequisites typically are. If anyone can provide me with a flow chart, then that would be great.
# Answer
> 4 votes
This depends heavily on the student and his/her interests. You will need almost all of these courses, but it's a bit murky after linear algebra, multivariable calculus, and differential equations. Did you learn proofs in any of those courses? If not, then maybe a proofs course. This all depends on the department that you're in and how they arrange how they teach mathematical maturity and theory.
Since you asked for a flow chart, I can give you an example of one department's flow chart for their courses. Hopefully this can give you an idea: http://www.math.uga.edu/~curr/prereqs.html
What the numbers all mean can be found here: http://www.bulletin.uga.edu/CoursesHome.aspx?Prefix=MATH
Hopefully this gives an example of what one department's "flow chart" looks like. You can clearly see there's a lot of choices to take and a huge 'choose-your-own-adventure' part to it.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Heavily depends on the university. For Germany, Calculus is already covered in high school.
However, since you are probably not going to study in Germany, your mileage might vary. I would suggest looking for specific programs at universities you are interested in - there you will be able to see the exact courses offered (as well as the different concentration, e.g. pure mathematics).
This would be a good example.
On there, you can find road maps for the general undergraduate degree in Mathematics (for many different concentrations). Hope this helps!
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Tags: university, mathematics
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thread-24332
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24332
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Is it permitted to quote something with informal language, like an interview excerpt with 'haha', in a thesis?
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2014-07-03T12:46:55.123
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# Question
Title: Is it permitted to quote something with informal language, like an interview excerpt with 'haha', in a thesis?
One of the interview excerpt I want to quote include "haha."
Is it permitted to quote an interview excerpt with 'haha' in a thesis?
I asked because it seems like it is too informal.
# Answer
> 6 votes
You should consult with your advisor about conventions in your field. I think generally, people lightly edit interviews such as these, so if the laughter isn't revelant to what the subject is saying, you can leave it out. If it is important, you don't have to onomatopoetically transcribe it as "haha." You can write "\[laughter\]" or "\[interviewee laughs\]."
# Answer
> 0 votes
It is permitted to do whatever is necessary to get the information across.
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Tags: thesis, writing, quotation
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thread-24340
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24340
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Is it advisable to hand in a thesis by visiting my supervisor's house?
|
2014-07-03T17:42:25.767
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# Question
Title: Is it advisable to hand in a thesis by visiting my supervisor's house?
I have to hand in the thesis to my supervisor, but I could neither find him in the faculty nor contact him, but I know his house.
Is it advisable to hand in a thesis by visiting my supervisor's house?
# Answer
> 17 votes
I wouldn't find it okay if someone would come to my house because of that. Work and personal life should be separate and it would be inappropriate to visit the supervisor there.
Does he not have an office? If nobody can tell you where to find him, then you should call him or write an email and ask for an appointment.
# Answer
> 11 votes
As a faculty member, I value my privacy. Home is home and work is work. Unless I suggest this myself, I would be displeased by a student coming to my house unannounced.
# Answer
> 5 votes
Following on from a comment by the OP that this supervisor has refused to give his supervisees his personal contact details, I think it's important to say very strongly that **no, in this case it is entirely inappropriate to go to the supervisor's house**.
To even ask it is creepy and weird. If a student actually did this, after I'd refused to give out my personal contact details, I'd be talking to the university administration office; and, depending on their advice and whether or not this had happened before with this student, the police might get involved too. Based on previous experiences, when a student with this sort of serious boundary problem starts creating these sorts of issues, it's important to act decisively and quickly to close things down before they escalate into really serious problems.
**So no, don't go round to your supervisor's house, given that they've already refused to give you their personal contact details. To do so would be creepy and weird.**
Ask the department administrator how you should hand in your thesis to your supervisor: they will either take it on their behalf, or point you at a suitable location to leave it, or provide other guidance.
# Answer
> 2 votes
I have myself handed in a thesis by visiting a professor's house. But I had contacted him beforehand.
You need to answer -
* Is it really urgent to hand in thesis now?
If the answer is `no`, don't bother with going to house.
# Answer
> 2 votes
As mentioned previously in comments, this answer really depends on the culture of where in the world you are. Within my country, South Africa, I am positive that none of my professors would mind in the slightest if I tracked him down at his home for any query at all. I'd say he would invite me in for coffee while we discussed the issue at hand.
Of course there are exceptions to any rule. There are probably some professors in my institution that would indeed take offence. It could also depend to some small degree on the professor's specific attitude towards the student in question.
I'm talking about an environment where the amount of students any single professor would supervise is small enough that he would know each student personally at least to some degree.
To recap, in my institution I would and have tracked professors down at their homes if I have any queries, even if the reason is not considered particularly urgent.
# Answer
> 0 votes
How do you know your advisor is at home? What if he is on vacation? What if he is out of country?
The purpose to hand in your thesis is to let him read it and review it? right? If he is not home, how do you know he will get your thesis and read/review it?
You need to find his whereabout first. Then contact him and ask him how and where to deliver your thesis. If he tells you to hand in the thesis to his house, do so. If he wants to get it at his office, do so. It's your responsibility to make sure he gets the thesis and read it.
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Tags: research-process, thesis, paper-submission
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thread-24337
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24337
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What to write in an impressive about me section
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2014-07-03T10:17:28.227
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# Question
Title: What to write in an impressive about me section
Can you give me some suggestion on how to write an impressive about me section in my cv?
I know I'm supposed to give relevant information (I'm a scientist, by the way) which is not directly covered by my academic background and career, but basically I don't have a clue about what to include (for example, should I add the description of some traits of my personality?).
I'm particularly thinking about some sections of the second page of this one www.teemeurope.eu/documents/europeanCVformat.doc namely PERSONAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES and OTHER SKILLS AND COMPETENCES and the linkedin profile
# Answer
> 3 votes
It looks like what you are being asked for here is sort of a hybrid between an academic and conventional CV. I dislike this sort of form filling CV but if its what you've got to do...
Personal skills and similar sections generally are looking for your soft/transferable skills. Good communications, team-working etc. Try and not just state these but add some qualification e.g I'm good team working which I have developed/demonstrated during whatever project or competition or something. It's very easy to say you have some skill but far more convincing if you can demonstrate it. Similarly be prepared to defend anything you say in an interview.
For an academic CV you should focus more on your publications and academic work etc. and keep your personal skills section fairly short. When given silly form type CVs to complete don't feel obliged to complete all the sections. I would definitely just remove the Artistic skills section if I was doing this (I have none!).
Here is a similar template which also has some basic instructions and an example (admittedly non-scientific) http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae/templates-instructions
For advice on writing actual academic CVs see http://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Academic-CV-2012.pdf
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Tags: cv
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thread-24372
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24372
|
How to stay motivated in a group with low motivation?
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2014-07-04T09:23:48.110
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# Question
Title: How to stay motivated in a group with low motivation?
After joining a research group, I discovered my colleagues are always lowly motivated. They play card games and online games, and they listen to songs with the loudspeakers on all the time. They never discuss research-related things, and the only time they open a spreadsheet is to calculate some kinds of points in online games. This all happens in office hours in the laboratory.
I expected my colleagues would be happy to discuss with me about research problems, but it turns out nobody is willing to do this except my supervisor and some of the post-docs. They just focus on their entertainment. I do not know why they want to do a PhD; maybe they just want to delay their entry into the job market. However I really want to be trained as a good researcher and I am serious about my PhD. I cannot stay motivated all the time because their attitudes seem to gradually be affecting me, and the atmosphere is simply full of laziness. I can notice myself sometimes lowering my standard in research work now.
My supervisor seems ok with it and does not get angry at their slow and boring progress. My research interest matches quite well with my supervisor's, and I do not want to change my supervisor just because of those lowly motivated students. How can I still be motivated in a lowly motivated environment?
# Answer
Let' start with the obvious:
> They play card games, computer online games
It is none of your business what they do on their PC, if they do not scream, yell or make noise. But even then, noise is also encountered on all working environments (even 2 students arguing about their research is enough to make another student not able to work). So, bring your headphones and shut them out.
> ...listen to songs with the loudspeakers on all the time.
If that bothers you, you must ask them (ask not tell) to stop. You have the right to not wanting to listen to their music. If they lower the volume, this is also a logical compromise. Again, bringing your headphones might help.
> I do not know why they want to do a PhD, maybe they just want to delay the time joining the job market.
Probably they do not either. Still, it is not your business nor you are their supervisor to judge their performance. You must only be interested in YOUR performance.
> My supervisor seems ok with it and does not get angry at their slow and boring progress.
Again, it is not your business what your supervisor does with his other students. Focus on yourself and your research problems.
You should realize that in any job (in or outside academia), not all people show the same dedication or have the same motivation towards their work. Some are slow unintentionally, others slack and many will just do the bare minimum not to get fired. Of course there are also many other who do their best, in order to be the best at what they do. It is always a matter of choice (and abilities) and people have different degrees of motivation and dedication. Again, you should not let others dictate what you do with your life or PHD and always imitate / get influenced by those that you look up to (hard working people) and not people you do not want to be like (like your PHD co-students). So, it is not clear why those playing games on their PC, influence how you do your work. On the other hand, if your working environment is notoriously bad, consider to:
* Work some days per week from home if that is possible with your research and your supervisor is OK with that.
* Come at office hours, where it is less crowded (e.g. earlier than other students)
* Is there another shared office which you can use? Ask your supervisor about that but do it in a discrete way not to alienate yourself with the other co-students on a personal level.
Good luck
> 8 votes
# Answer
Flee or fight.
Flee is obvious. Fight means focusing on your goals and finding something rewarding.
I've experienced low motivation, I am at this precise moment suffering high temperatures and lots of noise, the work environment is very important and it will have a toll in your productivity (and your career) if it is not the right one.
The point is, either you leave to a better place (if possible, that depends on several factors) or if you decide to stay then you need to compensate from that toxic environment.
I read some time ago a blog post titled hack your motivation, which could be useful. In general what I find most motivating is keeping track of my progress, on a daily or even hourly basis, either writing a section of a paper, running/conducting an experiment, programming some class or complex method, or anything else. Anything that gives you the feeling of making some progress.
That's probably why your colleagues are wasting their time, games provide some fictional reward, some fictional and imaginary sense of achievement, games are like porn in that sense (no real sex, only fiction and imagination). What I mean, in short is: gamify your research. You all will be playing games, but you will be playing the right one (assuming you do the gamification right).
This site is a good example of gamification. I have 2093 points already! I would feel less sick with some A/C, though...
What you have to ponder are your chances in this flee or fight scenario. I can't tell you whether you will have more success running to a less toxic environment or reducing the toxicity for you. It depends on the opportunities that you can find to *flee* and how strong is your motivation and gamification to *fight* toxicity.
That's your decision and yours alone.
> 8 votes
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Tags: motivation, group-dynamics
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thread-24377
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24377
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Should chapter introduction and conclusion be included in the table of contents?
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2014-07-04T11:29:35.450
|
# Question
Title: Should chapter introduction and conclusion be included in the table of contents?
In my thesis, I have five chapters, each of which includes sections and subsections. Each of the five chapters has an introduction and conclusion.
Should chapter introductions and conclusions be included in the table of contents?
If yes, should they be formatted as a first heading, like that of the APA style?
# Answer
> 5 votes
The overriding response here has to be "consult your supervisor, or any documentation that you university says on how they want things to be formatted".
However, if neither of those gives useful information, I would simply include them if you are including other headings at the same level. So if each chapter has multiple sections of which the introduction and conclusions are examples, I would format them the same as other sections and include all of the sections in the ToC.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Yes, *Introduction* and *Conclusions* are core parts that need to be included in a ToC. Note that it is not necessary that the chapters have these titles although in the vast majority of cases they do.
The *Introduction* sets the perspective for the chapter and the *Conclusions* summarizes the important conclusions reached in the discussion. Hopefully the *Conclusions* tie in with the perspective(s) set in the *Introduction* since they constitute the head and tail of the chapter and the partial conclusions reached therein.
In cap off, if you have a heading within the main part of the thesis it should be in the ToC and this includes *Introduction* and *Conclusions*. In the case of a chapter, it may be worth providing a more meaty, descriptive title for the introduction that ties in with the theme of the chapter. This is in my opinion less so concerning conclusions.
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Tags: publications, thesis, writing, writing-style, formatting
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thread-24375
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24375
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How to increase PhD funding chances when MA is in a different field?
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2014-07-04T10:23:42.927
|
# Question
Title: How to increase PhD funding chances when MA is in a different field?
I have been offered a PhD position in Cultural Geography at one of University of London's Geography departments. Unfortunately, I missed out on funding for a start in 2014 so I will not be capable of kicking off. I already have a MA in the field of media studies, but this is potentially too distant to the field of my PhD intentions to receive funding. I was advised by my future supervisor to self-fund a Masters in the field of Cultural Geography, to enhance chances of ESRC funding for 2015.
As my financial capacities are very limited at the moment, are there any other ways of increasing funding chances during the upcoming year instead of pursuing such MA degree? I will soon be co-publishing my first article in a highly relevant journal but am afraid this would not suffice without the relevant MA degree.
# Answer
Your future supervisor has almost certainly already given you the advice that is most likely to be successful: self-fund a relevant Masters. However, in your position, it sounds like that's not an option.
There are some other options, and you could try one or more of these:
1. Continue publishing good research articles in your target field.
2. Go inter-disciplinary into a well-funded area; as I wrote in an answer to another question, find a multi-disciplinary centre for doctoral training, where you can better apply the knowledge and skills you've already got.
3. Pick a funded university where the battle for funding would be less competitive. The University of London is a peculiar beast, which contains some very highly-rated, competitive universities, and some less so.
Have a think about those, and discuss with your potential future supervisor. They'll be in a far better position than I am, and possibly in a better position than anyone else here, to assess your options.
> 2 votes
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Tags: phd, masters, funding, united-kingdom, changing-fields
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thread-24317
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24317
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Central Publication Repository
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2014-07-03T08:37:54.450
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# Question
Title: Central Publication Repository
I was wondering if there is a central or an updated repository of various university publications (like ieee, but a bit more updated). I am using a university network, and I should have access to most of them.
Thanks
# Answer
Not Quite an Outsider has given the definitive answer in a comment. But answers belong as answers, not as comments, so I'll reproduce it here:
> "No, not really." Consult your librarian for details.
There is no single definitive store. There are several authoritative stores, and then a few that are broader but contain a lot of junk too, like Google Scholar. Part of being a post-graduate researcher is acquiring (if you haven't already), these skills & knowledge of the whens, wheres, whats, whys, and hows of search.
Work with your supervisors and fellow students to develop your own search skills.
**And talk to your librarians**. Seriously.
> 2 votes
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Tags: publications
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thread-24286
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24286
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How to get rid of annoying graduate student "supervisor"
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2014-07-02T15:57:56.240
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# Question
Title: How to get rid of annoying graduate student "supervisor"
I am an undergraduate student who has developed a novel new model which according to my PI (principal investigator) will have a high impact.
My PI assigned a grad student to supervise me. Supervision consisted of meeting once a week to update him on my progress so far. Sometimes he would provide certain helpful suggestions(none that are actual innovations just slight fixes/alterations that would improve the model).
During the course of the year he (the grad student) has become more and more annoying. Unhelpful suggestions/requests, etc.
During our last meeting the grad student made some bold claims on the model developed by me claiming to be an equal author/developer. He made it clear he wanted to get a large amount of credit for the model (co-authorship).
I do not think that he has done enough meaningful work to deserve credit for the model (although he would be listed in acknowledgements). Knowing his intentions I wish to distance myself from him(including not having him review the paper), as to lower his chance of becoming a co-author.
I would like to achieve this in such a way that does not negatively impact my relationship with my PI, as grad schools require reference letters.
**EDIT:** I don't think I have been very clear and for that I apologize. I acknowledge that he has contributed to the work. I also understand that having more authors doesn't reflect badly on me(I didn't even know about the score system). I just have problems with his claims of equal authorship. As we are nearing final results/submissions of paper and he has better relation with the professor he may try to take the first authorship position.
*Additional:* By my university guideline policies about co-authorship he has not done enough to deserve even a co-author position.
# Answer
> I am an undergraduate student who has developed a novel new model which according to my PI (principal investigator) will have a high impact.
Great!
> My PI assigned a grad student to supervise me. Supervision consisted of meeting once a week to update him on my progress so far. Sometimes he would provide certain helpful suggestions(none that are actual innovations just slight fixes/alterations that would improve the model). (...) Knowing his intentions I wish to distance myself from him(including not having him review the paper), as to lower his chance of becoming a co-author.
Less great. Much less great. Let me make something clear here: this is not **your** project alone, this is the project of you, your advisor, and the PhD student. The guy has invested a serious amount of time into this project (not as much as you, clearly, but still a significant amount), and now you have unilaterally decided that he is to be cut out when the time comes to publish your results? Likely, this is not to be going over well either with him or the advisor, and for good reasons.
Deteriorating professional relationships are never fun, but it is simply not feasible to decide midway through a project that you now would rather not have another researcher on board. If he has already made contributions to the project, and it certainly sounds like he has, it would be unethical to publish without him now.
**EDIT:** to make it clear, I am not saying that he should get *equal* credit to you. But it certainly sounds like he should get *some* credit.
The very least you need to do is follow user11192's recommendation:
> it is best to meet with your advisor (and possibly the grad student) to discuss an authorship plan.
Finding a "sneaky" way to get rid of the grad student before publication time is not particularly ethical, and has a pretty high possibility of backfiring on you.
> 54 votes
# Answer
It looks to me like the coauthorship decision is being clouded by the graduate student supervisor's annoying behavior, including his claims of being "an equal author/developer". Whether this graduate student should be a coauthor is not a part of the question -- rather the question is how "to get rid of" him. But based on what you've said I think this is wrong: you do need to consider the case for his coauthorship. To my mind it rests on two things:
1) He was assigned at the beginning by your PI, whom you say absolutely did supervise you and was crucial in the creation/implementation of the model, and whom you will be including as a coauthor. Well, part of your PI's supervision was to assign this graduate student to you, whom you met with much more frequently than the PI. Thus the three of you entered into a collaboration.
2) There seems to be no doubt that the graduate student followed through with the process of supervising you. You write:
> Supervision consisted of meeting once a week to update him on my progress so far. Sometimes he would provide certain helpful suggestions (none that are actual innovations just slight fixes/alterations that would improve the model).
So he met with you regularly -- more regularly than your busy PI. Regular weekly meetings are amazingly helpful in keeping people on track (especially at the junior level...but also at the senior level, honestly). He didn't just listen to you but provided helpful suggestions. And not just suggestions that sounded helpful but some which actually *improved the model*. Thus he made an intellectual contribution to the work.
The confluence of 1) and 2) makes your desire to have the graduate student supervisor not be a coauthor look unreasonable to me. Coauthorship is a convenant that people enter into: it is an agreement that they will do certain work and as a result be part of the final product. There is a certain base level of involvement that various professions and journals require for coauthorship: that seems to be safely met here. Collaborators are also free to impose higher standards, but these standards should be made clear in advance. It is very uncollegial for you to turn around after work has been done of the form that was specified and try to shut someone out of coauthorship.
In general, I would say that if someone does what they were asked to do *procedurally* for coauthorship but comes up a bit short *intellectually* -- i.e., it turns out in retrospect that their contributions are not so valuable or essential to the final paper -- then the decision on whether to withdraw from authorship rests with them and not the other collaborators. If you feel that someone else didn't pull their intellectual weight, then the time to bring this up is in a discussion of whether the collaboration should continue. (I should say that most people I know have a very acute sense of "not pulling their intellectual weight", and it is rather rare to see a math paper with a coauthor who could not point to a theorem or proof in a paper and say "I did this part". But other fields may differ.) This is still a delicate conversation, of course.
I think what you are really trying to say is that you want to be first author. Based on your description of the work, it sounds reasonable that you would be either first author or co-first author with the PI. That is a discussion for the three of you to have.
> I would like to achieve this in such a way that does not negatively impact my relationship with my PI, as grad schools require reference letters.
Yes, be careful about this. I am going to guess that the PI will not be pleased at an attempt to cut out his own student from the paper: that is going against the plan for the work that he set up. Finally: "...as grad schools require reference letters". Hmm. True gratitude is golden, but knowing which side of your bread is buttered has got to be worth something.
> 39 votes
# Answer
I'm confused on why you wouldn't want to have him as a coauthor ? Does it some how diminish the work you did? On the contrary, publishing work with coauthors is not only expected, but essential to survive in academia.
My suggestion? Relax. If you publish as an undergraduate you are already golden. You can get letters from both the PhD student and the PI, glowing letters as you published. It certainly seems like both the PI and the graduate student deserve credit, making them 3rd and 2nd authors respectively seems very reasonable.
Before you go on destroying professional relationships, at least build them up first.
> 22 votes
# Answer
> During the course of the year he (the grad student) has become more and more annoying. Unhelpful suggestions/requests, etc.
Since I don't know you personally, I hope you won't mind a candid question. Is it possible that the graduate student is pointing out correct suggestions based on greater experience that you are stubbornly ignoring? I've seen this happen several times, especially with bright undergraduates.
> I do not think that he has done enough meaningful work to deserve credit for the model (although he would be listed in acknowledgements). Knowing his intentions I wish to distance myself from him(including not having him review the paper), as to lower his chance of becoming a co-author.
As far as I can read from the tone of your question, you appear to trust the PI ... why not go directly to him/her with your concern? Let the PI decide how to handle it, or, if you're not comfortable with that, why not approach a neutral third-party professor who could understand the work and give *you* a candid assessment?
> I would like to achieve this in such a way that does not negatively impact my relationship with my PI, as grad schools require reference letters.
Ultimately, it does not hurt you to have co-authors on a paper, as long as they have actually contributed to the intellectual merit of the work. However, if, even after impartial third-party assessment, you feel that the work is rightfully yours, fight for it wholeheartedly and directly. Tell the graduate student and the PI what you think, and insist that you should be the sole author.
Academia is a place where you have to fight for your ideas, or be trampled by the herd.
> 14 votes
# Answer
Something to keep in mind, Academia involves politics and some things cost you little.
Your PI wants his grad students to do well too. That means getting their names on research papers.
Even if he's annoying, you said yourself: he's contributed.
If there's 2 other names following yours then that's fine. 3 or less names on your paper doesn't hurt you in any way.
Getting published as an undergrad is already great.
Your only concern as the person who did the majority of the work is that your name come first. That's it. First name in the list is what you want. That is your one and only goal.
If it makes your PI happy to give a little boost to the career of one of his grad students that is perfectly reasonable (also, other people you'll want him to recommend you to will want to know you're easy to work with and willing to play the game of politics because they're all doing the same).
> 7 votes
# Answer
Start writing the paper now, make a preliminary draft and send it out to all of them. In the draft, put yourself as first author, add the phd guy as second and the PI as senior author. If at one point the phd guy thinks he should be first author, you can ask why he thinks he deserves it (do that in front of the pi). Then tell him that you respectfully disagree.
These kinds of things happen but as long as your, rightfully so, first author, everything is ok. I heard of people being removed from author lists even when they had done the majority of the work.
> 2 votes
# Answer
If this is copyright infringement, or intellectual theft then get a lawyer. At least call one, consultation is generally free. In fact, the lawyer will know more than the school as to how to proceed here anyway... Good luck.
> -6 votes
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Tags: research-process, authorship, collaboration
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thread-21938
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/21938
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Take a few courses in another university
|
2014-06-04T13:23:37.267
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# Question
Title: Take a few courses in another university
I'm a foreign (non-EU) student enrolled at the CS master's program in a European university. I would like to take 2-3 courses that my university doesn't offer, and the first idea that came to mind was to take them at another university (preferably also European) in another country. Obviously I want these courses to be counted in my diploma (assuming that they fit my program).
What you would do if you were in my place? Is there any "general" approach to my problem?
From what I've found there are a few ways:
* Go as a free mover and enrol to the courses individually (seems that not all universities offer this option)
* Go as an Erasmus student (not sure if I qualify being non-EU citizen)
* Go by direct exchange program to the university that have bilateral agreement with my university (in my case, I'm not satisfied with offered transfer destinations, so it's not really an option)
* Something else?
UPD: I assume there are 2 general cases:
1. My university and the university I wish to go are "partner universities", i.e. they have some sort of mutual agreement
2. They are not "partners universities"
# Answer
> 2 votes
> Go by **direct exchange program** to the university that have bilateral agreement with my university (in my case, I'm not satisfied with offered transfer destinations, so it's not really an option)
That would be the easiest way.
> Go as an Erasmus student (not sure if I qualify being non-EU citizen)
If you are not qualified for **Erasmus**, you are certainly qualified for **Erasmus Mundus**. Just talk to the Erasmus coordinator at your university. If you are going with Erasmus they (should) have already taken care of the getting credits problem.
If all that does not work out, you could also **organize it yourself**. That is more work but sometimes worth it. Then you have to take care of most of the things yourself:
* Funding: 3 possible sources come to mind: the country you want to go to (for Germany that would be DAAD, but similar options also exist in most EU countries, e.g. France or Belgium BAEF), the country you are comming from, or your home country.)
* Credit: Talk to the director of your program/ the dean of student affairs / international relations person
* Enrollment in the foreign university. You also have to apply there.
# Answer
> 1 votes
You should ask your dean of student affairs (or whatever this is called at your institution), if your university will accept these courses. Usually they should (if these courses fit in the curriculum) but this, of course, depends.
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Tags: masters, europe, student-exchange
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thread-24400
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24400
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Can I use text from my dissertation in a manuscript?
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2014-07-04T18:31:58.123
|
# Question
Title: Can I use text from my dissertation in a manuscript?
There has been general discussion of whether one can use a published work in their dissertation, with the consensus being 'of course'! The first two chapters of my thesis will be published works. I'm interested in the reverse now; I intend to write the third chapter of my thesis as a draft of sorts for a publication. Now I'm wondering whether including text and figures from my dissertation in a \[future\] manuscript constitutes 'self-plagarism'.
A fellow graduate student advised me that it's only 'self-plagarism' if I formally copyright my thesis, however, I'm skeptical of that being the important distinction.
# Answer
In the context of a university, self-plagiarism (or auto-plagiarism, as it tends to be known) generally only refers to submitting the same work for two or more different credit-bearing assignments within the institution, or submitting work which has been awarded credits at another institution.
There's generally no restriction on using work submitted for a university degree in a publication, unless the university specifically expresses its ownership of that work (which sometimes happens if the work was involved in a commercial or collaborative project).
You can get into trouble for publishing the same work in more than one publication, but because the contract you sign with the publishers will specifically prohibit you from doing this (or will specifically allow it) this is not plagiarism as much as it is fraud. Even then, providing they know in advance, most publishers will allow authors to include chapters in monographs that are based around previously published articles, providing the initial copyright holder gives their consent (which in academic work they usually will, as long as the original publication is cited).
> 4 votes
# Answer
In general this is OK or, in some fields, even recommended. It does not make any difference if the dissertation comes first and then the publication or vice versa.
However, I would reference the thesis/paper(something along the line: this paper was part of my dissertation ... or this chapter was published as ...) and you should talk to someone (your supervisor? the postgrad coordinator?) in your department about that. There might be some rules regarding that practice (I never heard of anything like that but just to be on the safe side).
Btw: Self-plagarism has nothing to do with copyright violations.
> 5 votes
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Tags: thesis, plagiarism, self-plagiarism
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thread-24346
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24346
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Is it considered cheating to ask a friend or tutor to proofread your thesis before submission?
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2014-07-03T20:23:41.513
|
# Question
Title: Is it considered cheating to ask a friend or tutor to proofread your thesis before submission?
Even after having proofread my thesis many times, I think asking another person to proofread it before submission is necessary.
Is it considered cheating to ask a friend or tutor to proofread your thesis before submission?
# Answer
> 53 votes
I can't imagine why it would be cheating: So long as you're producing the majority of the content, it wouldn't be cheating to have someone check for the problems that are now invisible to you!
# Answer
> 41 votes
Definitely not. In fact, I wish more students in my department would do this!
# Answer
> 15 votes
No. The purpose of your thesis review is not to test your ability to use a word processor or to compose text in a social vacuum. It is a test of your ability to conduct research and communicate those findings to others. Treat it like you would treat any publication, and get feedback from your peers in order to make it as good as possible.
# Answer
> 10 votes
**No, not at all!** Every writer needs readers, and the purpose of those readers is, as already mentioned, to find the errors, typos, and unclear sections that are now invisible to the writer who has seen the manuscript a thousand times.
Obviously, if your friend or tutor is actually providing content for you, and you are not acknowledging their contribution, then that **IS** cheating. When you ask someone to read for you, be sure to tell them exactly why you need another set of eyes on the manuscript. I usually ask my friend (or supervisor, if willing) to simply flag all typos and mark the margin where a paragraph is less than clear to them. I can usually figure out what is wrong without having them actually give me any content.
I find that writing--at least good writing!-- is usually not a solo effort, and I am always indebted to at least one person for taking the time to read my manuscript and flag the problem spots for me.
# Answer
> 2 votes
It is normal practice in the UK to have your thesis read by your supervisor and, probably, others. However, you should check the rules for your own institute as they may vary on what exactly is permitted.
# Answer
> -4 votes
If your thesis is in math, by all means have others proofread it. Once it is released, it will no longer be possible to correct an error!
However, if your proofreader finds something more substantial than a typing or simple mistake, you must not only credit him with his ideas on the acknowledgement page, but also in a footnote. No harm in this. It is better to get it right and give credit than to get it wrong and take the credit for that for yourself! The quality of your work also reflects on the reputation of your project director and your committee members, you have to respect them by turning out a high quality product.
However, I have found that the probability of a totally error-free thesis is equal to or less than the smallest positive number.
I cannot advise those whose who are English majors; that is a foreign language to an engineer!
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Tags: research-process, thesis, ethics
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thread-24390
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24390
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How do I communicate my research with a general audience more effectively?
|
2014-07-04T15:07:36.710
|
# Question
Title: How do I communicate my research with a general audience more effectively?
I really enjoyed my research but it happens that whenever I tell somebody about it, I have the impression I'm making it sound boring, unimportant and not exciting.
Americans have a way of telling a story, I know this kind of "performance" does not suit my habit. I'm more the continental European, a bit reserved, a bit technical. Not everything I did immediately is about curing cancer, I admit it.
I started by adapting a kind of top-down approach, first I say "Simulations", usually people feel they can relate to that. And if they wish to know more, then I can start going into some details.
I think this approach makes sense, but still, I find others can induce interest by the other person immediately from the start of their explanations.
Question: **How can I communicate my research to a general audience in a way that is more exciting and interesting?**
# Answer
Try lots of different things. You've tried one thing, and it hasn't worked.
Treat it like any other kind of experimental research. Try new things, monitor the results, adjust your approach accordingly.
Some things that can work:
* **use specific examples**: identify a very specific problem that they can understand, and show how you're trying to address that problem
* **use analogy and metaphor**: find out something about what interests them, and draw parallels between that and what you're doing
* **be passionate**: talk about the aspects of your work that you really care about, and why you are passionate about them; even if they don't understand the words, they'll understand your emotions.
> 19 votes
# Answer
Perhaps the real problem is that you're not describing your research *clearly*, and at the *appropriate level* for the person you're talking to. This is a skill that definitely takes practice to get good at. You'll know you're doing it right when the other person asks good questions; that's proof that they are engaged. So I suspect if you focus on being clear and getting the level of explanation right, you'll end up making the research sound more interesting without even trying!
I take advantage of every opportunity I can to explain it to adults and children, academics and non-academics, and so on. I've definitely improved with this practice. The number one mistake I (and probably most people) tend to make is to explain at too high a level. I always have this fear that I'm going to insult the other person's intelligence by explaining things too simply. But that doesn't happen. If the other person does want more detail, they'll ask.
Another possibility is that you're trying to sound professional when you explain your research, and that's inhibiting your natural style. But it's perfectly OK to sound like an excited kid in this situation, if that's how you feel. A lot of well-respected academics sound like kids when they start talking about something they're interested in, because they do feel passionate about it, and that makes the audience more interested too.
> 12 votes
# Answer
Switch focus from the hows and whats to the whys and do a top-down break-down from there. Your peers will be able to follow your break-down for longer than laymen, but all will be more interested in what you do.
> 0 votes
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Tags: research-process, presentation, communication, projects, research-dissemination
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thread-24403
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24403
|
Will graduating a semester early hurt applications to grad schools?
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2014-07-04T18:58:06.963
|
# Question
Title: Will graduating a semester early hurt applications to grad schools?
I am a math major who will be a senior next year and hope to graduate a semester early for financial reasons. During my semester off, I plan to continue my (mostly trivial) research in algebra and independently work through three graduate level texts. However, I am going to apply to grad schools for pure mathematics in the fall and worry this may ultimately hurt my graduate school applications.
Will this have a negative effect on my math grad school applications? How can I best communicate that I will not slack off in the spring semester, but will continue working?
# Answer
Your application will be essentially complete by the end of fall term, but it should *very pointedly* mention what *further* work you will be doing in the spring term, whether or not you are paying tuition for the privilege of studying and thinking about mathematics.
There really needn't be a formal structure imposed on your work/study/research, and it needn't have any official label "research" versus "study". But *do* write what you plan to do, and *do* mention the guidance you hope/expect to have from more-experienced mathematicians (as opposed to just doing whatever strikes your fancy off in some closet). That is, do be sure to make the point that you will be *engaged* with actual contemporary mathematics, arguably more intensely, and at a more serious level, than the usual homework-exam model would encourage or allow.
If you can describe your plans for "spring term" in vivid and enthusiastic detail, you can make it sound far better than "taking classes". I'd not worry about hype-ing "research" too much, although, yes, it would be intellectually dishonest to not follow one's curiosity. But, of course, one's personal discoveries, however novel to oneself, may be old news to experienced professionals, so one should not presume.
Just tell your plans!
> 10 votes
# Answer
Volunteer to do a research project with a professor in the department. This will demonstrate a continued effort in the field. Ultimately, however, what matters most is your grades and recommendations. If they say you're good, a semester off won't hurt.
> 5 votes
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Tags: phd, graduate-admissions, mathematics
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thread-24396
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24396
|
Academic home page with low maintenance burden
|
2014-07-04T16:33:50.097
|
# Question
Title: Academic home page with low maintenance burden
It's been mentioned before on this site how important it is to have a webpage.
Most academics don't have a lot of experience with web development, and do not realistically have time to learn it *and keep the knowledge up to date*.
What are some good ways/tools to create and *maintain* a professional website when the priority is *minimizing long term maintenance burden*?
My experience is that it's not uncommon that people will put in the effort to build a very nice website once, but they simply won't be able to maintain it long term. Either it's too much effort to add new content (too busy to do it), or they change institutions and it's too much effort to migrate the site (because e.g. the new institution's hosting doesn't support some of the necessary tools, such as PHP, etc.) Even if I put in the effort to learn a bit about web development today, I won't be using this knowledge contiually, so I'll forget how to do it. At that point it might become too much of a burden to keep a website up to date, so eventually I'll neglect it.
This question is about how to avoid this situation, and what tools or hosting methods to use to minimize maintenance burden so a home page can realistically be kept up to date.
The simplest solution seems to be to only use basic (static) hand-written HTML and maybe a simple CSS stylesheet. Many (most) academics are doing this. The result will probably not be very beautiful and will look like webpages 15 years ago, but it can serve the purpose. Are there any better ways? (Typing all that `<p>` and `<em>` and `<pre>` and `<ul>` *is* in fact still rather tedious and error prone compared e.g. to writing MarkDown here.)
# Answer
**tl;dr**: Wordpress (installing a Markdown plugin), if you are a techie, Jekyll.
(My website is in Wikidot, I created for my group with Wordpress.
**EDIT**: Now I use Jekyll; here's why)
See Software for Scientists: Website tools:
For personal homepages, lab notebooks and conference websites.
>
> 20 votes
# Answer
The main thing that needs frequent updating is your bibliography. Some people don't try to maintain a bibliography list; instead they put a link to their DBLP search results. For example:
http://dblp.uni-trier.de/pers/hd/h/Holland:John\_H=.html
This may not show extremely recent publications, but it may be more accurate than one you maintain manually and forget to update!
Another option is to link to a Google Scholar search. For example:
http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wfAPzPQAAAAJ&hl=en
Aside from the bibliography, I don't think there are any requirements that are specific to academia. There are so many options for creating and maintaining websites. Which one is right for you depends on how computer-literate you are, among other things, and would really be a boat programming question.
---
EDIT: To avoid dealing with the HTML directly, there are the usual suspects: Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal.
A "hand-built" website doesn't have to look old-fashioned. If you decide to go this route, you can find some attractive, free templates here: http://www.oswd.org/
---
EDIT: If you have a GitHub account, you can create a website for it using GitHub Pages. You can write your pages using markdown (there are other options as well), and you can have your own custom domain.
> 9 votes
# Answer
It's really not that hard to analyse the options.
**1. Self-managed page**
You certainly don't want PHP or anything server-side here, probably your university (institute or whatever) will provide you some web space that you *"should"* use and it's not going to run anything as fancy as PHP (let alone Python or Java). Which means that you have either:
a. some HTML with Javascript, possibly parsing BibTex files, should be feasible.
b. some script/program that generates the static web pages (and possibly updates them via FTP) and here you can program in whatever you want and do really cool things like updating your CV in PDF using LaTeX at the same time. But it's going to take a while to program it, unless you find it already done or you find someone else to do it (paying helps in finding, usually).
Everything is client-side, nothing on the server, no different reasonable options in this regard...
**2. Linked page**
If you are really worried about maintenance time then you can link to another page from the static HTML page, it may be updated automatically, which is great. Options are dblp and google scholar, among others. (e.g. Microsoft Academic Search)
The maintenance is zero, so there isn't anything more to reduce. This option works with static HTML with no Javascript, as opposed to the previous one.
**3. Third party managed page**
If you don't want to use that webspace provided by your organization, if you don't ever want to see any of the ugly HTML code, make design decisions with CSS, etc. and you don't want to do anything that even slightly resembles to programming but still have a nice webpage with your personal information, publications, etc. then let the professionals do the job.
There are several portals that can offer such a thing. Research Gate is the first one that comes to my mind, but I think LinkedIn provides a reasonably good page for academics and sure more people will be able to provide more examples.
**And that's pretty much it.**
We all would like to have robots that do everything for us, but the closest to that is option 2, with the robots that crawl the web and index the publications for their authors. Beware, though, that they may fail at finding some of the publications (specially when moving between institutions, and publishing with disjoint sets of authors).
> 2 votes
# Answer
From my experience, I can recommend to stay away from both hand-made sites and general-purpose CMS.
OpenScholar seems to be a good fit. It is open source (based on Drupal), allegedly "easy to create and maintain" and certainly designed exactly for your/our use-case.
> 1 votes
# Answer
I'd discourage you from using any CMS backed by database --- keeping software stack up to date, coping with backup and migrations might be very cumbersome. Of course you can leave outdated CMS version or don't do backups... but this will bite someday, as someone break in. So really you need to keep the software up do date whether you change content or not.
I had some success with using a tools like pelican or sphinx (this documentation generator for python projects but works well for course materials, etc.). Both tools take input in reStructuredText and produce static HTML from it. You might code something similar from scrath using for example pandoc or docutils, that will take care for conversion between input format and HTML.
I like these tools because:
1. Input format is user readable, text based and easy to learn
2. I backup wepbage using tools I know (like git), or really just zip everything and store on some disk.
3. I don't need anything from website administrator --- just a plain webserwer.
It specifically decreases maintenance because:
1. Zero maintenance costs if you don't change the webpage, no need to update CMS and so on.
2. Very low maintenance costs when you just add some content to the webpage --- just regenerate HTML and you're done.
3. You can safely use outdated (but working) version of generator --- since there are no security bugs whatsoever.
> 1 votes
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Tags: productivity, tools, website
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thread-24420
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24420
|
How to quote or summarise text from a reference that includes citations in Harvard Style?
|
2014-07-05T17:15:02.147
|
# Question
Title: How to quote or summarise text from a reference that includes citations in Harvard Style?
I am very much confused on referencing a paragraph and have tried to find an answer on YouTube but that didn't help!
So here is my question:
1. The lines from an article (author = aaa bbb) says: (example)
> Birmingham is a beautiful city as it sits in middle of the country (ABC, 2010), has people from a lot cultures (DEF, 2012), has nice food (GHI, 2011) and etc (FGH, 2013).
Now can I reference it like this?
> BBB (2014) highlights that birmingham is a beautiful city as it sits in middle of the country (ABC, 2010), has people from a lot cultures (DEF, 2012), has nice food (GHI, 2011) and etc (FGH, 2013).
Or can I just copy paste the original text as it already contains the references?
# Answer
You have two options. The first option is to quote the paragraph and include all it's citations. But you must include these cited works in your own bibliography.
The second option is to quote the paragraph and omit it's embedded citations. But you should add this note at the end of the quotation: "\[citations from original have been omitted\]"
Using your example, option 1 looks like this:
> As described by BBB (2014): "Birmingham is a beautiful city as it sits in middle of the country (ABC 2010), has people from a lot cultures (DEF 2012), has nice food (GHI 2011) and etc (FGH 2013)."
>
> BIBLIOGRAPHY
>
> ABC (2010), ...
>
> BBB (2014), ...
>
> DEF (2012), ...
>
> GHI (2011), ...
>
> FGH (2013), ...
Option 2 looks like this:
> As described by BBB (2014): "Birmingham is a beautiful city as it sits in middle of the country, has people from a lot cultures, has nice food and etc." \[citations from original omitted\]
>
> BIBLIOGRAPHY
>
> BBB (2014), ...
---
The preferred choice depends on the purpose of your writing, including the formality, the nature of the material you are quoting, and the reader. Generally, choose option 1 if you are writing formally (in a dissertation or journal article) and if the citations in the original are very important to your reader. Choose option 2 of omitting the citations improves readability and none of the embedded citations are relevant or important to your reader or your purposes.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: citations, writing-style, cross-referencing
---
|
thread-24417
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24417
|
Is it common to put a quote from interviews in the epigraph page of a thesis as long as research ethics are not violated?
|
2014-07-05T11:01:53.457
|
# Question
Title: Is it common to put a quote from interviews in the epigraph page of a thesis as long as research ethics are not violated?
I want to put something that one of my participants said in the epigraph page of my thesis, but I have seen researchers mostly quoting authors.
Is it common to put a quote from interviews in the epigraph page of a thesis as long as research ethics are not violated?
# Answer
> 4 votes
No, it is not common to use quotes from interviews as epigraphs in theses. However, that doesn't mean that you *cannot* do so. So long as the quote contributes materially to your purposes in terms of highlighting it as an epigraph, then it should be fine.
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Tags: citations, thesis
---
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thread-24433
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24433
|
Undergrad seeking information about PhD/Masters in Economics math requirements
|
2014-07-06T02:47:17.480
|
# Question
Title: Undergrad seeking information about PhD/Masters in Economics math requirements
I am currently a Senior undergrad at a small school in the US. I have pretty good grades and have yet to take the GRE. I am a double major in Accounting and Business Management. I love economics (all parts I have encountered) but I am not sure if economics programs are for me.
I have heard that PhD/Masters Economics programs are very math intense, and without the proper courses you will be lost. I am not that great at math maybe because I never was that interested in it (I do like numbers if that makes sense). I did take Econometrics this past semester and really loved it and understood it. I do like behavioral economics; I find the psychology side very interesting.
**Summary:** I am not great at math. I love how economists think. I love being able to explain things with data. And I like how psychology can explain irrational acts. I want to further my education.
**Questions:** What program(s) should I be looking into based on my interests and capabilities? How math heavy are economics programs (PhD & Masters)? Is it mostly econometric math? Is there a similar field without the crazy math but with econometrics? Is the US the best place for me (where I am now)?
# Answer
> 3 votes
Before you make any decisions, ask yourself very seriously: What do I want from a PhD/Masters in Economics?
If you want to qualify for a certain type of job, then this will inform your strategy. If you want to master certain skills, or to explore what interests you, then you may have a different strategy. If you want an academic job in Economics, then you'll have another strategy, different from the first two.
I suggest you consider three things:
First, you should understand that PhD and Masters in Economics are *very* different. Basically, a Masters in Economics will qualify you do to certain types of empirical data analysis. (I've never heard of a Masters that involves theoretical economics.)
Second, I believe its true that nearly all top or upper-echelon graduate programs in Economics require strong proficiency in mathematics before the will admit you. This is true even for programs that are no explicitly quantitative (e.g. Austrian). The math you need is Calculus, Probability and Statistics (based on Calculus), and preferably Ordinary Differential Equations. You'll need a high GRE math score. It's very hard to read most Econ papers with out significant math proficiency.
In my opinion, if you really want a PhD in Economics, then you'll bite the bullet and do what it takes to learn this math. It doesn't require a "gift" or special aptitude. If it doesn't come easy to you, it does require dogged persistence and diligence.
Third, given your interests, I'd strongly suggest that you investigate PhD programs that have a specialty in Experimental Economics. My University, George Mason, is one of them. There's very interesting and fruitful work going on in this area, including links to neuroscience and cognitive science, but it requires very strong skills in statistics and behavioral sciences.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Yes, a PhD program in economics is very math-intense.
To get into a competitive program, you essentially need to score 800 on the math portion of the GRE (not as hard as it sounds, since an 800 is only the 94% percentile or so). Typical minimum math requirements for admission are two years of calculus, a course in linear algebra, and a statistics course. Some background in reading and writing proofs is also a good idea, and many PhD students will have taken a course in real analysis. (If you want to pursue theoretical econometrics, you would want to learn some measure theory at some point, too. But you could do that in grad school.) You will make heavy use of multi-variable calculus and linear algebra in your first year of coursework, so hoping to "pick it up as you go along" is not a great idea. (The one piece of good news I can offer on this front is that you can safely forget all of the trig you ever learned. I have.)
The most competitive master's programs (e.g. LSE) will have similar requirements, but there are others where you wouldn't be expected to have as much preparation in math. A solid semester or two of calculus and some kind of exposure to linear algebra might be enough to start with, though you should still expect to do a fair bit of math once you get to grad school. (Basically, constrained optimization out the wazoo!) So, if you're not keen on math, an economics degree might not be a great match for you.
Here's a good site for more info about PhD programs and admissions (though be warned that sometimes there's a bit of blind leading the blind): http://www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/
In any case, I wouldn't wander into a PhD program in any subject without a clear idea of why you want to spend 5+ years of your life as a poor, overworked grad student. It's pretty much a requirement for any good academic job (and for some not-so-good ones!), but not necessarily for work in the private sector. I would advise thinking hard about what you want to do *after* grad school, then talking to someone who is doing that to figure out how to proceed.
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Tags: phd, masters, economics
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|
thread-24421
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24421
|
How can I find the first researcher who wrote about a specific subject
|
2014-07-05T17:19:54.787
|
# Question
Title: How can I find the first researcher who wrote about a specific subject
I am writing my thesis in computer science and I am looking to include some references. I need to include though the researchers who first wrote about a specific subject and not others who expanded the original ideas.
I use Google Scholar for searches but there isn't an option to search for this criteria.
How can I find the first researcher who wrote about a specific subject?
# Answer
> 14 votes
I'm a little unclear about why you might want the very first, but at least in CS you have a limited history to work with.
The most detailed way to find this is to start with current papers (maybe a good review article) on the subject and to track back the references until you find the first one, paper-by-paper. If you already have a few early papers, obviously looking at their references is a better place to start. You haven't given us the topic area, but you might just ask for the earliest papers on the CS Theory Stackexchange. You might also try searching on Google by year if you are certain that you know the right keywords--binary searching the years back to 1900 or so will probably be most efficient.
Finding the right paper might be a little challenging, especially if the topic has changed names a few times since it started.
Edited to add: If you are at a university with a good library system, you might find a research librarian who does this kind of thing for a living and ask them for help.
# Answer
> 5 votes
While your question was already anwered by Bill Barth, I want to try and answer the question that you should have asked:
> How to find the right paper to cite for well established facts / problems / theorems / etc.
If this is what you actually intended, than the first paper ever published on the topic is only one possibility. Often a better option is to look for a good review paper on the topic and cite that. A reader is much more likely to gain knowledge from a good review than a (probably decades old) first publication.
Have a look around, how others cite this specific subject and immitate them if you want to make sure not to violate unwritten etiquette. There are basically three possibilities
* No citation: The subject is assumed common knowledge and can probably be found in any standard textbook.
* citing the original paper: this is what you intended. Even if the first publication on the subject will likely not include all of the knowledge on the subject that you have and the reader might thus need to look at other publications as well, this is often done to acknowledge the work that the original author put into this. Make sure that you reference any further work that is needed to understand your work, e.g. during your own summary of the subject.
* citing a recent paper or review article: a) The subject is likely already well established and almost assumed common knowledge. The citation helps the reader to either catch up on some recent developments (paper) or to get a general overview (review). b) The subject has a long and active history. The subject in the formulation that you use probably has no clear first author. Due to numerous modifications / the natural evolution of notation etc. the original publication on the topic is probably of no use to the reader. In this case either a paper with a good introduction or a review can be cited.
Of course combinations of the above are possible as well. E.g. citing the original paper to acknowledge the first author as well as a review article such that the reader might catch up on any results that are already available prior to your work.
Unless you are currently writing a review though, you are not required to dig through generations of publications to find the first paper on a subject. If nobody in your field cites it, you can safely stick with one of the other two options.
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Tags: publications, thesis, citations
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|
thread-24452
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24452
|
Professor won't comment on research in his recommendation
|
2014-07-06T14:27:17.357
|
# Question
Title: Professor won't comment on research in his recommendation
I asked a professor who is my research co-supervisor for a recommendation letter and he said "OK I can write that you are my student and you are good, but I can't comment on your research until you complete your thesis." When I first asked him he asked me to stay and do PhD with him. Now he won't comment on my research which would really hurt my chances of being admitted. I mean when I have completed my thesis I would have missed the deadlines and would have to wait for another year (supposedly as a researcher with the same professor).
My question is, should I take his recommendation or ask someone else based on what he said?
# Answer
> 8 votes
If you are applying for positions where you need recommendation letters, it's going to look pretty strange if you don't have one from one of your co-supervisors if it's possible to tell who they were. You don't say what degree you are currently working on, but I'm guessing it's either your undergraduate or master's degree since you appear to be applying for a PhD. I wouldn't recommend saying the following directly to this person, but refusing to write a letter of recommendation in order to try to prevent a student is highly unethical.
I recommend you talk to your other co-supervisor and see if you can get them to help you talk the recalcitrant co-supervisor into writing you a letter. It is very common for students to move from group to group and institution to institution while getting their successive degrees. In fact, most institutions in the US have a preference towards moving around like this. While losing a good student is hard, it's very inappropriate for a professor to try to prevent a student from moving on.
If the professor is having trouble coming up with things to say about your research progress, you can help him out by writing some text about what you've done so far and the good progress that you've made. Faced with some true statements about how good your research prospects are and the progress you've made to date, they may cave easily and write you the letter you need. If you show your resolve to apply elsewhere, they should hopefully give in.
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Tags: recommendation-letter
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thread-24443
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24443
|
Acknowledgement of submission to the Annals of Mathematics
|
2014-07-06T10:45:29.903
|
# Question
Title: Acknowledgement of submission to the Annals of Mathematics
Does the *Annals of Mathematics* always to reply every submission within a few days? I submitted a few times to them before, and every time I hear back from the editorial office very soon (within three days). But this time there has been no response to my submission for more than one week.
Is this normal? Or I should inquire about the status of my paper?
# Answer
> 7 votes
A week is not so different from three days, especially if that week includes the July 4th holiday in the U.S. If several weeks pass and you still have been given no indication that the paper was received, then it would be worth asking if they got it, but in the meantime I don't think you need to worry.
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Tags: publications, paper-submission
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thread-24276
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24276
|
Does diversity in undergraduate research topics look bad on my graduate school application?
|
2014-07-02T10:37:52.243
|
# Question
Title: Does diversity in undergraduate research topics look bad on my graduate school application?
I have done 5 different projects in my undergraduate course and all of them are from different areas/fields. My project work during High school is from a different area still. The reason of working in different fields is that I was trying to figure out what exactly interests me. Having found that, I am interested in doing grad school after I finish my bachelors. Does the fact that I have done all my research projects in different areas say that I'm not sure what interests me?
**UPDATE**:If this is sounding vague, I'll clarify. My major is chemical engineering. I've done projects on Synthesis of nanoparticles, Bionanotechnology-Tissue Engineering, Analysis of a thermodynamic cycle, Microreactors and Reaction Engineering. I intend to apply for a program in Bioengineering/Bioprocess Engineering
# Answer
> 6 votes
Trying out several projects in different areas does not necessarily say that you do not know what interests you. You have to show them that you are interested in several areas and that you wanted to get an insight in order to obtain a wider range of possibilities.
I think that there are few people who immediately find the right area that fully interests them. It is important that you present it that way. Working on different projects brings more extensive experience in any case. If you have then found the right area, you can deal with it more intensely.
# Answer
> 2 votes
When applying to grad school in ecology, I had research experience in stream restoration, dynamical modeling of HIV infection, and a NASA internship where I worked on bioregenerative life support. I had also done a research project in cultural geography (cosmopolitan thought in Cold War America) and completed two internships in which I had done a number of different projects. While I only got into one program (out of the three I applied to), it was one of the top programs in my field and came with the best fellowship the university could award. Now, I had good GRE scores but a so-so GPA (3.2), so I'm sure the research projects (and the variety of letters of recommendation that came with them) really helped my application. The lab I got accepted into was highly integrative, so my broad background made me a good fit.
Also, as the other commenter said, nobody really expect an undergrad to immediately know what they wanted to specialize in. I'd be concerned if they did!
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Tags: graduate-admissions, graduate-school, masters, undergraduate, research-undergraduate
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thread-23803
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/23803
|
What are the important factors I must consider while applying to a CS program for an MS after majoring as a mechanical engineer in my undergrad?
|
2014-06-22T18:41:02.213
|
# Question
Title: What are the important factors I must consider while applying to a CS program for an MS after majoring as a mechanical engineer in my undergrad?
I have a master's in mechanical engineering from a pretty decent college in my country with a GPA of 7.9/10. I'd like to know what constitutes a good application to a Master's program in CS (ML, to be precise) and how I must choose my Universities that are safe and in those I have a chance.
# Answer
Overall, your MS in ME will be viewed positively when you apply for MS in CS with Machine Learning specialization. What will matter most are how many computer science courses you have taken (and grades you received) and how many relevant math classes you have taken -- calculus, probability & statistics, linear algebra, numerical methods, optimization. The project work you have done in simulations could be very relevant and helpful, too, if the software you wrote was something more than procedural programming or deterministic simulation.
In your Statement of Purpose, it would be to your advantage to make a strong link between your ME education and work experience and your goals in CS-ML. Are there applications or problems that arise in ME that you want to address with ML methods? Are there particular methods of optimization or classification that you've encountered in ME that you want to explore further in other settings?
Regarding what schools to which you might apply: I would suggest that you aim at CS departments that are part of an institution with a strong "engineering" culture or focus. In the US there are many colleges, universities, and institutes that have an engineering focus, including the Polytechnics, Case Western Reserve, Harvey Mudd, Carnegie-Mellon, and many others. In contrast, the CS departments at Yale, Harvard, etc. have less orientation toward engineering.
> 1 votes
# Answer
One thing that stands out in your question is your mechanical engineering background. That suggest a leaning toward more "theoretical," and less "applied" areas of computer science.
Computer science programs come in many varieties, and in your shoes, I would give the most weight to the ones "heavily oriented toward theory and simulations." Those are probably the "safest" and "best chances" for you.
**Note**: I have amended my original response based on comments below.
> 0 votes
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Tags: graduate-admissions, masters, computer-science, engineering, changing-fields
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thread-24449
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24449
|
Why does the APA style call it 'the footnotes page' even though the notes are not placed at the bottom of pages?
|
2014-07-06T13:04:10.197
|
# Question
Title: Why does the APA style call it 'the footnotes page' even though the notes are not placed at the bottom of pages?
The APA style recommends the use of either footnotes or endnotes.
The term 'endnotes' means notes are placed in a separate page in the back matter.
The term 'footnotes' means notes are placed at the bottom of relevant pages.
However, I have seen official sample APA papers with a page in the back matter entitled 'Footnotes.'
Why does the APA style call it 'the footnotes page' even though the notes are not placed at the bottom of pages?
# Answer
> 2 votes
The APA publication manual describes the way you should submit your manuscript, not the way the paper will ultimately be typeset. For APA journals, footnotes are grouped at the end in the manuscript but they appear at the bottom of the relevant page (actually at the bottom of the right column) in the final published version. Similarly, you would traditionally put tables and figures at the end of your manuscript, one-by-one on separate pages but once published in a journal, figures and tables will be embedded in the article.
If you are working on a student paper, you should first and foremost follow the instructions from your instructor but there is no reason to put footnotes at the end of the document. The APA publication manual provides useful guidance regarding language or statistical reporting but it's not a typography textbook. In fact, some publishers ask authors to follow (some) APA guidelines for the submission even if the final publication will have a different layout than APA journals.
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Tags: citations, thesis
---
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thread-24480
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24480
|
Returning to a different field in academia after industry
|
2014-07-07T11:50:52.707
|
# Question
Title: Returning to a different field in academia after industry
After a PhD in Particle Physics with a decent publication count and citations, I went into industry, where I've been for the last 3 years or so.
I had several motivations for not continuing in academia at the time: some PhD burnout, being unsure of the path I wanted to follow, curiosity about the world outside academia, and other personal reasons. However, after three years in industry I feel that the intellectual freedom and challenge offered by academia is something I miss deeply, and that's ultimately worth more than the money I can make in industry. In addition, I've become more and more interested in certain topics of Pure Mathematics that I'd like to devote more time delving into.
So at the moment I am considering several (not necessarily exclusive) alternatives:
* Keep studying in my spare time, and spend a year doing a MSci or similar once (if) I can afford to take a year or two off. Then consider a PhD from there.
* Apply for a PhD programme in Pure Math.
* Find a researcher or group that would be sympathetic to the situation and start a collaboration with them with views to apply for a postdoc.
* Apply for a postdoc in my desired areas directly.
* Apply for a postdoc in an area that's not as removed from my previous field (say, Mathematical Physics), and take it from there.
How feasible would these options (or others I haven't considered) are? How could I maximise my chances of success in this situation?
# Answer
> 3 votes
One of the problems that I see is that you are going to struggle more to get subsequent postdoc positions, since some (many?) of them are limited by the number of years since you finished your -first- PhD.
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Tags: phd, career-path, postdocs, industry
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thread-24489
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24489
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Correspondence articles, do you put them in the CV?
|
2014-07-07T17:36:02.667
|
# Question
Title: Correspondence articles, do you put them in the CV?
Some journals have correspondence articles that vary in size and format. More importantly, they can be peer-reviewed or not (even in the same journal, like Nature Genetics for instance).
Do you write these publications in the CV? If so, do you put them in a separate category or together with your regular academic publications?
# Answer
> 6 votes
The following assumes that you do not have to follow strict guidelines for your CV (in which case you would most probably have consulted them already).
You put stuff on a CV for a reason, usually to showcase your achievements or experience. When deciding what to put on a CV, this should be your main criterion, i.e., do you think that whoever reads your CV will be positively impressed reading this – in contrast to being annoyed by having to read about every tiny thing you ever published? Whether the article in question is sufficiently noteworthy, is something that only you and people who are familiar with your work (such as a supervisor) can decide.
It might help to ask yourself the following questions:
* Are you at a stage where you list every publication, talk and poster on your CV or are you only listing “selected publications“?
* Is the correspondence relevant and can you expect the reader to know or see this? Did you, e.g., find a serious flaw in a publication that was considered seminal until your correspondence? Has your correspondence been cited?
* Did your correspondce require a noteworthy effort and can you expect the reader to know or see this?
* Are you the main contributor to the correspondence?
Considering where to put this correspondence, I would try to avoid creating a new category for one item only, i.e., I would put it in some fitting category or choose the categories such that it fits in one of them. Either way, I would ensure that the correspondence cannot be mistaken for a regular publication. If your correspondence does not have a title like ”Reply to …“, which makes this obvious, you can, e.g., append “(correspondence)” to the entry.
<sup>Disclaimer: The above is based on thought only. I have no experience in putting correspondce on a CV.</sup>
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Tags: cv, correspondence
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thread-24439
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24439
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How should I take a potential PhD supervisor's age into account, when planning to follow PhD with habilitation?
|
2014-07-06T07:17:22.233
|
# Question
Title: How should I take a potential PhD supervisor's age into account, when planning to follow PhD with habilitation?
I plan to apply for PhD in Finance/Statistics next semester, and hence searched for potential supervisors.
An issue I have is that many interesting candidates are above age 60, and in Germany Professors retire at 65, such that a subsequent post-doc/habilitation would most likely require a different supervisor after PhD. One Professor just started his position at age 40, but so he has not many notable publications and I am unsure whether he might change university soon (he just changed it from another 4 years position).
Could someone advise me on the importance of age for selecting a PhD supervisor in context of a long-term future academic career?
The time for PhD would be 4-5 years, and PostDoc/Habilitation/AssociateProf usually again 4-6 years, with goal of potentially becoming Full Professor in Finance/Statistics.
# Answer
> 14 votes
First: a few people commented that thinking about your postdoc/Habilitation before even starting your Ph.D. is premature. I disagree. I have seen too many people coast along during their Ph.D. time without ever knowing what they are going to do afterwards, and certainly not preparing for their post-Ph.D. time, whether in academia or in industry. So I would say you demonstrate good long-term thinking. Already thinking about your academic career will help you prepare to work out a research program, network (more on this below) etc.
Second: there is no problem whatsoever with changing advisors between the Ph.D. and the postdoc period. To the contrary! If you stay at the same place for almost ten years, you will need to explain why you never moved, never checked out other places to work, other approaches to research. Many, many (most?) people will switch advisors at least once, or possibly even do postdocs in two different places.
Incidentally, this is why I think it is a good thing you are already thinking about your long-term future *now*, because it is never too early to start meeting people at conferences with your future in mind. You may just meet someone at your first conference who you could collaborate with or spend your postdoc time with.
So I would definitely recommend that you consider the older potential advisor. He sounds like he could introduce you to lots of people, and you will likely not need to pack up and move somewhere else *during* your Ph.D. period, which seems possible with the younger professor and which could somewhat mess up your personal life.
Of course, these considerations are all not the highest priority. You should definitely keep other aspects in mind in choosing where to do your Ph.D., like the kind of project you would be doing for either of the two professors, or whether the two of you "click" on a personal level, or what financing there is, or lots of other things you should discuss with your potential advisor ahead of time.
Finally, there is no Habilitation in Germany any more. Nowadays, Germany has moved to a more American style in academic careers. You will do a Ph.D., then a postdoc, then usually a *Juniorprofessur* (roughly, assistant professorship - not tenured and limited to six years), then get your *Ruf* to a tenured position. It's quite possible to skip the *Juniorprofessur*, though.
# Answer
> 2 votes
As others have mentioned, planning the trajectory of your academic career past your PhD is very premature at this point. (After all, one of the jobs of your PhD advisor is precisely to help you with this.)
Something that -- surprisingly -- has not been mentioned so far: *Talk to the professors*. Taking on a PhD student is a serious commitment no advisor will make lightly, so if they have any doubts whether you can complete the thesis with them (either because they plan on retiring completely from academic life, or moving next year to a different continent), they will tell you so. We can only guess at the likelihood, but they will (hopefully) have a much clearer idea.
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Tags: phd, advisor, supervision, age, habilitation
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thread-24490
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24490
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Are there any journals or conferences that take into account the availability of the source code when selecting the papers to publish?
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2014-07-07T20:33:08.157
|
# Question
Title: Are there any journals or conferences that take into account the availability of the source code when selecting the papers to publish?
Quite too many times I have read in a research article claiming that the source code will be made available, and, when I look for it, it turns out that the source code still hasn't been released.
Are there any journals or conferences that take into account the availability of the source code when selecting the papers to publish? By availability I mean present availability, not some vague promise of code release sometime in the future somewhere on Internet.
Now code availability is one thing, clarity is another. I have seen a lot of emphasis on the papers' clarity in the paper selection criteria, do some publication venues pay attention to code clarity during the paper selection process?
Obviously, I have the same issue with datasets, so I am wondering the same for them, i.e. are there any journals or conferences that take into account the availability of the *dataset(s)* when selecting the papers to publish?
# Answer
> 9 votes
I can confirm the answer given by amlrg in comments. I have recently published a paper in Computer Physics Communications and the referees pay significant attention to the code. There was no requirement, however, to upload the code as Supplementary Material with the paper — the referees were happy to consider our public github repository. It was probably the first time in my practice when referees have actually bother themselves to reproduce the results claimed. We had a number of comments regarding the clarity of the run files in the code (but not in the rest of it), and even a suggestion on design.
# Answer
> 8 votes
There exist at least one journal, Ipol, where it is mandatory to provide the source-code related to the paper. In fact, they raise the bar much higher: the authors must implement the code in a given language, so that the algorithm is available for experimentation on line. You can actually test and try the algorithms of all published papers right now, in a few clicks.
It is a specialized journal in image processing, but it could (should) inspire other fields to do the same.
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Tags: journals, conference, open-science
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thread-24505
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24505
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How to cite multiple sections of book using IEEE Citation Style
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2014-07-08T06:58:17.210
|
# Question
Title: How to cite multiple sections of book using IEEE Citation Style
I'm currently writing my bachelor thesis in computer science and use the IEEE Citation Style with LaTeX. There already exists a good BibTeX style file. However this question is not about the style rather the usage.
Let's keep this simple: I use a book for my thesis. There are two possibilities to add it to my bibliography. Either as `@book` or `@inbook`. If I use the first I cannot add a pages reference to it and would just cite it as \[1\] in my thesis. The later allows me to add pages to this entry. However, I only saw entry like pp. 100-200.
This is fine if I would use this book only for one reference, but I use the book all over. My question is: How do I cite this book / the sections of this book correctly. Should I add multiple @inbook entries for each page reference or should I add a @book entry and cite like \[1, pp. 100-200\]. Using the `\cite[pp. 100-200]{bookID}` allows me to do that. But is that allowed by IEEE?
# Answer
If youe thesis is going to be published by an IEEE journal or conference, then you should look at that venue's site for instructions on such details. Otherwise, look to your institution's guidelines. If there are none, then you may do what you want. Personally, I would avoid cluttering my BibTeX files with multiple @inbook citations which only differ in the referenced page numbers and use the latter citation reference you suggest if it is supported by the IEEE style file.
> 0 votes
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Tags: citations, ieee
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thread-24514
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24514
|
Improve software code when reviewing paper
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2014-07-08T11:58:53.313
|
# Question
Title: Improve software code when reviewing paper
When reviewing a manuscript describing a new software tool, reviewers are often asked to assess its utility, quality, novelty, ...
I was wondering if, in addition to the classic comments on the manuscript, it was appropriate to make suggestion to improve the software functionality in itself (if the code is provided with the manuscript)?
This would be in the case of a software that is not good enough for publication (basically it does not do enough), and for which small additions will make it better. The comment on the code would therefore not be related to the coding "grammar" but ratter to improve the software tool usability for the final user.
# Answer
> 7 votes
In my opinion, if the authors emphasise the developed code as one of their research outputs, and make it public, the reviewers not only can, but should consider it as a material for review, and comment on it. There is a delicate balance, though, to strike.
It is important to check that the code does what is promised in a paper (*sanity check*). More importantly, it is essential to check if a typical reader of the journal can do the same, and can benefit from the code made public. This includes basic documentation, compile instructions (if any), well-written run-files for each of the examples from the paper, and clear guidelines how to adjust them for other problems.
On the other side, remember that not all academic researchers are necessarily as brilliant in code-dev, as the guys who read Stack Overflow. It may be not appropriate to request that the code is developed and maintained to the highest standards of the modern IT community.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I would suggest **not** to comment on code, unless:
* The code is broken in some way, such that it does not perform what it is supposed to do (e.g., a bug in code changes a critical algorithm)
* The program itself is unstable due to deep-rooted code smell
Commenting on code in a review seems to me akin to commenting on someone's mastery of a given language in a review. If their usage of the language is so poor as to make the paper unreadable, then you can suggest they use a proofreader or translator. However, in most cases, it doesn't affect the paper, it just makes it harder to understand. With code, it may not get them past a `<insert hi-tech company here>` interview, but if it works as advertised, it's good enough.
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Tags: peer-review, code
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thread-24495
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24495
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What should I do if a coauthor, who has contributed the most among my coauthors, declined to be listed as a coauthor?
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2014-07-07T22:28:31.070
|
# Question
Title: What should I do if a coauthor, who has contributed the most among my coauthors, declined to be listed as a coauthor?
For a paper with coauthors, what should I do if one coauthor, who I feel has contributed the most among my coauthors, declined to be listed as a coauthor and wished only to be acknowledged in the acknowledgements? The reason he gave for declining was that he did not think he has contributed significantly. The other coauthors knew this, but didn't say anything.
This happened once in the past, and at that time I did as requested by the coauthor, i.e. I removed his name from the list of authors and acknowledged him instead. The other coauthors still had their names as authors of the paper. I felt uneasy about it because I didn't think that it was right. I mean, if my second author did not think that he had contributed enough, why should the third and fourth authors stay? Of course the reader wouldn't know this, but I knew, and my third and fourth authors knew.
Now I am facing the same situation again.
# Answer
> 7 votes
I have previously asserted that a co-author has the right not to be recognized as a co-author, if that is her preference. If she is amenable to publication (as would appear to be the case here), then you may proceed with publication. (If not, then you would need to remove her contributions entirely, and then see if the paper is still salvageable in that form.)
However, you should make sure you have a *written* documentation of the coauthor's declining of credit. You should also make sure that you have explained *clearly* why you feel she should be co-author; perhaps you can include a list of the contributions of the other co-authors.
# Answer
> 6 votes
## Publish without him or not at all
Regardless of reasons, you don't have much of a choice - you can publish it as you did the previous time, simply acknowledging him, or not publish the paper at all.
If you can't get his permission, then you can't sign his name under this paper.
# Answer
> 2 votes
That happened with me, and my father (the retired civil engineering professor), when I published this book.
He actually did a lot of technical work and editing, but disagreed with its views. So I published "solo" and listed him in the acknowledgements.
Someone once said that "consideration" is really doing what the other person wants you to do. So if the second author declines you be listed, that's what you must do, legally and morally.
The fact that there were third and fourth authors involved in your case has "nothing" to do with it.
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Tags: ethics, authorship
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thread-10881
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/10881
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How to manage the structure of a masters thesis and what mistakes to look out for?
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2013-07-01T10:59:43.500
|
# Question
Title: How to manage the structure of a masters thesis and what mistakes to look out for?
I'm writing my master thesis at the moment in the area of cyber/computer security. However, I'm having real trouble in keeping a good structure in the thesis.
What I mean with structure is that my supervisor has commented on several occasions that the order of subjects should be changed and that some parts should be switched or explained in less/more detail.
Although my supervisor has been incredibly helpful and has provided good pointers, I was wondering if the community here could give some ideas on:
**How to keep the structure of a thesis in line and what mistakes to look out for?**
# Answer
> 12 votes
Other answers have suggested outlines, but even with such an outline it's not always clear what is the best order to discuss everything (whether it's the choice of section or ordering within a section).
One approach I have seen used is to print out the whole document, cut out each paragraph, and pin them on a pinboard. Then it's easy to adjust the order of the whole document until the whole thing is coherent. You'll probably want to have a pencil on hand while doing this, because you'll need to adjust the text a bit to fit the order.
# Answer
> 11 votes
Folk might have their own opinions on their favourite wording of the following sections, but here is a basic outline of the structure of a significant technical work, such as a thesis.
1. Abstract
2. Introduction / Literature review
3. Aims and Objectives
4. Methodology
5. Results and Data analysis
6. Discussion
7. Further work
8. Conclusion
9. Appendicies
10. References
I'm not going to express what the content of each section should be, because that will extend this answer too far.
My guidance for you is as follows: **try to tell the story of your research**. Lead the reader through your thought process. You could try posing your research as the **solution** to a **problem**, for example. Let's see how this works in practice.
You do some background reading - your literature review. You discover that there is an existing problem that no-one has answered, or their answer is lacking in some way. You express this in your introduction or literature review. You refine what you intend to do as a set of aims and objectives. You set out how you are going to achieve your aims and objectives in your methodology. You execute your method and report the results. You discuss your results and consider how you could improve your work. Then you draw your conclusions.
# Answer
> 6 votes
Have a look at good masters theses and good PhD theses in your area to get an indication of the structure. Borrow a book from the library on structuring a thesis. In any case, the structure will look something like the following (with variation possible):
* title page
* abstract
* acknowledgements
* contents page(s)
* introduction
* literature review
* materials/sources and methods (or this can be part of every chapter if these are different per chapter)
* themed topic chapters
* results
* discussion or findings
* conclusions
* references
* appendices.
Source
# Answer
> 6 votes
As you've discovered, everyone has a slightly different suggestion. I found this really confusing when I did my MSc thesis. As I wrote more of my thesis, my supervisors kept tweaking the structure. The changes they made were definitely for the better, and I was satisfied with the end result. But I felt like I should have (somehow) known the right structure to use.
So...when I started working on my PhD, I did a bit of research into thesis structure. I really wanted to understand "the rules" -- not so I would follow them slavishly -- but so that when I did deviate from them, I would do so knowingly and for good reasons. I started by reading the guidelines from lots of major universities. I found some suggested outlines, but they were all just different enough (in the terminology they used and the order they recommended) to be really confusing.
Finally I found this article, which discusses different ways of structuring a thesis: *Thesis and dissertation writing: an examination of published advice and actual practice Brian Paltridge. English for Specific Purposes 21(2):125 - 143 (2002)*.
From that article, and from other sources, I finally realised that there isn't "one thesis structure to rule them all". (It's not like the 5-paragraph essay that we learned to write in school!) Not only does it depend on your discipline, but *it depends on your particular research project*. Until all the bits are written, it won't be obvious what order they should go in. Even if you were an expert thesis-writer, you would probably need someone else's help to organise it so that it tells a coherent story. You're just too close to the project. (That's one reason why book authors have editors.)
So my advice is: Focus on writing, not on structure for now. You have a pretty good idea what you need to write, even if you're not sure where the bits you write will actually go. When your supervisor suggests a different order, realise that it's not because you "made a mistake". *Expect* that the structure of the thesis will evolve over time, as you write more of it.
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Tags: writing, thesis
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thread-24536
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24536
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What do the Dutch academic titles "prof.dr.dr.h.c.ir." mean?
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2014-07-08T20:41:06.813
|
# Question
Title: What do the Dutch academic titles "prof.dr.dr.h.c.ir." mean?
Some Dutch academics - I think probably full professors with chairs - have a rather confusing string of abbreviated titles.
One example is prof.dr.dr.h.c.ir. M.J. Plasmeijer, but many other examples can be found by searching for that string.
What do these titles actually mean, individually and collectively?
# Answer
Here you go:
* *prof* is short for professor.
* *dr* is short for doctor, which signifies either MD or PhD.
* *dr. h. c.* stands for *doctoratus honoris causa*, which is an honorary title.
* *ir* stands for engineer (*ingenieur*).
In this case it means a professor (with a PhD) with an engineering background, who got an honorary title at some point.
> 27 votes
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Tags: professorship, titles
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thread-24535
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24535
|
Should you cite somebody's Transfer Report? (Confirmation Report)
|
2014-07-08T20:01:09.863
|
# Question
Title: Should you cite somebody's Transfer Report? (Confirmation Report)
*Context: At UK universities at least, before progressing from the first year of your PhD (or transferring from an MPhil to a PhD), it is required to write a fairly substantial report detailing the research done so far and the outline the research direction over the remainder of the PhD. It's usually known as the Transfer/Confirmation/Upgrade Report.*
Is it appropriate to reference these kinds of reports when writing: a) Your own Transfer Report, and b) Published research articles? I have never come across one referenced in a paper before, whereas I have seen references to PhD theses, Masters, and undergraduate dissertations.
# Answer
> 4 votes
If it is published somewhere, then you should feel free to cite it. However, if it's not, then you have a challenge. You might cite it as, more or less, "Author. Title. Transfer Report, University, Year. (unpublished personal communication)" Which indicates that you friend or colleague gave you a copy in which you first found the information you are referencing.
I think such an approach gives your colleague credit and gives readers at least some hope of being able to track down a copy if they want to verify your claims about what it says.
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Tags: phd, citations, thesis, grey-literature
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thread-24538
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24538
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Is there a pre-print server for building physics papers?
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2014-07-08T21:29:14.823
|
# Question
Title: Is there a pre-print server for building physics papers?
I recently submitted a pre-print (about heating control algorithms for buildings) to arXiv.org, under General Physics, but it was rejected as being off-topic for that server.
I tried to find a pre-print server specialising in Building Physics research but couldn't find any. Wikipedia doesn't list anything.
Is there a pre-print server that is suitable for that kind of publication?
# Answer
No, there isn't yet a pre-print server for building physics, although some people have successfully smuggled such papers onto arxiv.
Furthermore, there aren't really any heavyweight open-access building-physics journals, and established journals in the field haven't been quick to embrace open-access.
There is the option of producing internal working papers and circulating it without publication, to get some of the benefits of pre-print, without risking a publisher's refusal. However, it's not easy to reach a very broad audience this way, nor a new audience.
Building-physics papers do often span multiple subjects - we often cross-over, for example into health, for example, when we look at condensation and mould, radon, or dust mites; so there might be other pre-print archives that we can use.
And, although it's a completely different thing, there's always the possibility to air early thoughts on the building-physics tags on the Physics and Sustainability Stack Exchanges, which can be a way to get a bit of an airing, and reach a different audience to that reached by circulation of working papers.
> 2 votes
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Tags: preprint
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thread-24561
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24561
|
Writing a thesis: Is it a good practice to use personalized lists?
|
2014-07-09T15:01:11.047
|
# Question
Title: Writing a thesis: Is it a good practice to use personalized lists?
I am writing a master's thesis using Latex. I am attracted by pifont package that allows to use personalized lists as the ones this picture shows:
**My question:** is it a good or bad practice to use such symbols as personalized lists ?
# Answer
> 5 votes
The advantage of using a simple round bullet is that it's such a familiar device that people don't notice the symbol itself. The brain recognises that it's a list structure, and immediately starts reading the items.
If, on the other hand, you use a less-common symbol, the reader will notice it, and possibly be distracted by your icon choice. That's not what you want.
There are some cases where it could be useful to distinguish the items on the list in some way. For example, you might have a list of features, and use checkmarks and Xs to indicate which are supported. But even then, I would use better icons. Most of the ones you've shown look ugly and old-fashioned, in my opinion.
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Tags: thesis
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thread-24554
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24554
|
Overlapping sentences in methodology descriptions in separate journal articles - plagiarism?
|
2014-07-09T11:01:44.883
|
# Question
Title: Overlapping sentences in methodology descriptions in separate journal articles - plagiarism?
*Disclaimer - I'm neither in favor of, nor endorsing plagiarism with the following question. I'm only hitting on the fact that sometimes, the interpretation of self-plagiarism can be quite stupid*.
Given the well-deserved emphasis on controlling the menace of plagiarism these days, various journals and even academic institutions have insisted on various cross-check measures. Mostly, this amounts to necessitating a clean chit from some anti-plagiarism software, which (I imagine) works by comparing string lengths of some x-words in the article, with its existing database. So, if some dumb guy didn't rephrase himself, there would be common sentences, which earns him disrepute and he gets tagged as a self-plagiarist.
Now, as a ''responsible'' author, I would try to minimize such overlaps, ideally to zero. But sometimes, you can't help it. Take this context for example. (*Sidenote - I'm basically a Physics.SE user.*) We have used one model in two different contexts, so there is no question of overlapping content between two articles. But, since it is the same model, when I describe it, in one place I write -
> The free parameters of the *wawa* model, p1, p2 and p3 are fitted to baryon masses and vacuum characteristics in the *wawa* limit.
(*''wawa'' = whatever*)
Now, I don't see any self-plagiarism in repeating this one sentence in the second article, but if I don't, maybe I'm being the ''dumb guy'' in the previous paragraph. So, I'll try to work around this, finding synonyms, trying alternative descriptions, but even with all my maneuvering, that sentence was the best way to describe it.
My opinion is that, even though I'm not plagiarizing anywhere in the above context, this process is turning out to be a nuisance for me. Am I supposed to sit down and waste so much time rephrasing my sentences, when I have some meaningful information to communicate to the scientific world? (Worst still, I could've been investigating some hot problem in my discipline, where urgently communicating is invaluable.)
Also, as @mhwombat hit on in a comment, am I not compromising on the best way of putting it across, when I deliberately rephrase it, just because there is a ''plagiarism'' checker in place? That's surely not what the purpose of plagiarism check was?
# Answer
I think the focus on self-plagiarism here is overwrought when it comes to describing a methodology that may be reused from paper to paper. You are going to cite the first place you wrote that sentence, and you shouldn't need to worry about changing the wording in the series of papers that use the same methodology.
Methodology descriptions should be clear and exactly the same when the underlying methodology is exactly the same from work to work. Any editor who used software to flag your words should see your self-reference/citation and give you a pass. "Self-plagiarism" of this sort is a bad label and no crime.
Edited to add: *At most,* you may need an prefatory clause to the effect "Following our prior methodology described in \[1\], the free parameters of the wawa model, p1, p2 and p3 are fitted to baryon masses and vacuum characteristics in the wawa limit." Or something similar. But that won't fool the detector software. You need to trust that an editor will understand this for what it is.
> 16 votes
# Answer
Just because two sentences are identical does not mean that the person who wrote the sentence second plagiarized the person who wrote it first. For your example sentence:
> The free parameters of the wawa model, p1, p2 and p3 are fitted to baryon masses and vacuum characteristics in the wawa limit.
If you copy and paste that sentence from a previous publication (it doesn't matter who wrote it originally), that is a clear case of plagiarism. If you thought about the model and how the parameters were fitted and you happen to come up with the identical wording, it is not plagiarism. If you don't want to think about the best way of saying something and you want to use the words/ideas of someone else, then you need to provide proper credit (i.e., quote them).
> 5 votes
# Answer
What StrongBad says about it not being plagiarism if you come up with the same wording independently is technically right, I suppose, but what you really have to worry about is whether certain other people (e.g. editors) *think* you've plagiarized, and those people are probably not going to be receptive to the argument that you came up with the same sentence twice. At least in theory, a sentence which is long enough to count as plagiarism is long enough that you can find a different way to phrase it. So I would say yes, you have to rephrase the sentence.
At least, this is standard practise in my field, theoretical particle physics, and I've been told that expectations are the same in other branches of physics and other hard sciences.
> 0 votes
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Tags: publications, plagiarism, science, self-plagiarism
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thread-24571
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24571
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Can post-doc inquiries be parallel?
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2014-07-09T16:33:15.070
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# Question
Title: Can post-doc inquiries be parallel?
I am a Computer Science PhD student in the US about to graduate this year and want to contact a few professors; say, A and B; in my field to know if they have a post-doc position available.
Should I wait until A replies before sending out inquiry to B?
My concern is that if I ask A and B at the same time and end up securing a post-doc with A, and B later says yes he has an open position, will B regard me as unprofessional since the inquiry is a waste of time for both him and me? If yes, I have to send out inquiries sequentially, which greatly reduces the efficiency of the hunt process.
# Answer
You should apply all at once. Everyone else will be, and professors and labs know that you will apply to multiple jobs at the same time. Once you *accept* a postdoc somewhere, you should immediately withdraw your other applications that are still pending. You may find yourself needing to get an extension of time from one organization that has made you an offer while you wait on your pending offers. Hopefully, you will be able have several offers to consider at once in order to make the best choice, but you may have to decline an offer if better ones are probably coming down the line and an extension of time isn't available.
> 4 votes
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Tags: career-path, postdocs
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thread-24568
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24568
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Is it acceptable that a teacher assistant encourage students to read his authored materials too?
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2014-07-09T16:02:15.357
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# Question
Title: Is it acceptable that a teacher assistant encourage students to read his authored materials too?
During my leisure time, I used to prepare some pamphlets in the topic of courses I always wanted to teach. Each, full of examples and solved problems which I designed and solved myself, not photocopying from books and papers; that are so helpful to the engineering students.
If one day, I have the chance to teach in a TA class, is it ethical to ask the students to read my prepared materials too? Or the teaching assistant should only solve the problems of the reference book which is told by the professor of the course?
# Answer
> 18 votes
Your role as a teaching assistant is to further the educational goals of the course (as determined by the instructor and/or the department).
If encouraging your students to read these materials furthers the educational goals of the course, then you should do so. If not, then you shouldn't.
Since the instructor and/or the department determines what the educational goals of the class *are*, you should check with them first, and use your extra material only with their approval. (Besides for the issue of making sure your material is consistent with the goals of the course, it also makes sense for them to be aware of what is going on.)
# Answer
> 3 votes
The above answer is good but I would like to add one thing. If you are a TA in one section of a larger class make sure that you are being fair. Your students should not be receiving significantly more work than students in other sections, especially when one curve is applied to all sections. That being said, optional material is also helpful (although not as much as required meterial).
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Tags: ethics, teaching-assistant
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thread-24549
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24549
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Extended scientific abstract: should it include full results?
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2014-07-09T09:58:16.910
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# Question
Title: Extended scientific abstract: should it include full results?
I'm writing an extended abstract for a conference prize. There are few instructions and it's the first time ever that I write one so I'm a little woried about it. The only restriction regards the length, but other than that no instructions are given.
My question is: am I expected to give my full results? I'd rather not give my analytical results of my analysis since I still have to publish them.
# Answer
> 3 votes
If the organisers required an extended abstract to assign a prize, try to make their job easier. :)
I would include a specific section called `Results` or `Preliminary Results` in which you gently introduce some of the most significant results you obtained so far: objective/numerical evidences that your work is reliable, has reached a mature stage to deserve a prize.
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Tags: research-process, conference, abstract
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thread-24387
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24387
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What PHD program to choose if my bachelor degree is in Business and Master degree in Computer Science
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2014-07-04T14:37:14.657
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# Question
Title: What PHD program to choose if my bachelor degree is in Business and Master degree in Computer Science
I have my Bachelor's degree in Business and Marketing and my Master's degree in Computer and information Science.
This year I have applied to 3 different universities in Germany for taking another Master degree in Computer Science and have been told that my bachelor's degree does not correspond to the one I am applying and have been rejected for those 3 universities with the same reason
Next year I am planning to apply for PHD program and would like to have advise from experts, some people say there are specific PHD programs which require both Business and Computer Science degrees. I was wondering if anyone could give some resources where I could find best matching universities for my case.
Thanks in advance :)
# Answer
I believe that there are different approaches when someone goes towards a Phd program. You either are fascinated about a research topic and try to find phd programs which treat this topic, and you stubbornly try to get a position there. On the other hand, you are not that much fascinated about the topic and the science behind it, instead you like the letter which will stand in front (or at the end of your name) when you obtain the Phd.
First define in which group do you belong. Being in the first group is more enjoyable, but it is limits your selections when you will look for programs and professors for certain topics. Being in the second group will gives you more options when applying, but bear in mind the Phd is a marathon (different than an exam), it is something that you will have to deal with for at least 3-5 years of your life. And what's next then? Do you go to academia or industry? Have you thought about that?
I see that you have applied only to German universities, but why not others.
Regarding you background, I could see you fitting in any program that does Business Informatics. Run a search on that topic and see if there is something useful for you.
Good luck!
> 0 votes
# Answer
Doing a PhD is an investment of energies, efforts and time. Choosing it on the base of national legal constraints/requirements is a big mistake, in my opinion. You should choose your PhD according to what you want to study.
My experience is that in UK we don't have such strict checks on your degrees. I am a PhD student in Computer Science and I work everyday with epidemiologists, biologists, statisticians, mathematicians, logicians and also people with business degrees. **Cross-disciplinary** PhDs here are well considered.
Focus on what you would like to study. Do you want to go deep in business (maybe using your computer science skills) or do you prefer to contribute, hopefully, to computer science? Which one do you feel suits more you? You can start filtering universities, schools and countries only after you find the answers to those questions.
Good luck. ;)
> 0 votes
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Tags: phd, university
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thread-24593
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24593
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Is it common to include foreign terms in the title of a thesis?
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2014-07-10T00:28:09.667
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# Question
Title: Is it common to include foreign terms in the title of a thesis?
I'm writing a cross-language thesis. In other words, my thesis is about a foreign culture.
Is it common to include foreign terms in the title of a thesis?
If yes, should I include the translation of the term (in parentheses, for example)?
# Answer
In anthropology, it's pretty common to use local terms in both the title and subtitle. Almost everyone romanizes the terms rather than using the native script. And they leave explanations and glosses to the body of the dissertation itself.
That being said, when it comes time to submit to a book publisher, they're more hesitant about local terms in titles. The issue is that they are legible only to people who already know the local language or culture, so you've automatically limited the appeal of your book. But there have been some notable exceptions:
*Travesti : Sex, Gender, and Culture Among Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes*
*Toms and Dees: Transgender Identity and Female Same-Sex Relationships in Thailand*
*The Soul of Anime: Collaborative Creativity and Japan’s Media Success Story*
In the examples above, the exceptions prove the rule by either being obvious to English speakers ("travesti" =? transvestite?), close to English ("Tom" is obvious, "Dee" adds an element of curiousity), or already a loan word in English ("anime").
> 7 votes
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Tags: research-process, thesis, translations
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thread-24589
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24589
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How to verify academic history and degree?
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2014-07-09T22:30:12.210
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# Question
Title: How to verify academic history and degree?
**TL;DR:** How does one verify the academic credentials (degree earned, date of graduation) of an individual without their permission or knowledge.
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I'm trying to verify the academic history and degree of an individual. I'm new to verifying academic histories and achievements, so understanding the process and responses below would be very helpful to me (and likely others in the same situation).
The individual states he attended University Maryland University College (UMUC) form 1992 to 1995, and earned a MBA degree. Its public information and published in his Linkedin profile.
I attempted to verify though UMUC's alumni services. The alumni service did not respond to my emails or calls. Next, I called the registrar at the University and they instructed me to go to degreeverify.org. degreeverify.org directed me to the National Student Clearinghouse.
I placed an order for the verification with the National Student Clearinghouse. It cost me 10 or 20 dollars. I received a "Thank you" email from them and an email address to use in the future (degreeverify@studentclearinghouse.org).
I believe I am getting a run-around from National Student Clearinghouse. After a few days, I sent an email to degreeverify@studentclearinghouse.org requesting the results. National Student Clearinghouse responded back *"The verification results you received came directly from the school and they based their research on the information you provided in your initial request"*:
I have ***not*** received results or an answer from UMUC or National Student Clearinghouse. Additionally, the National Student Clearinghouse stated I should *"fax or email a copy of the students transcripts or diploma for verification \[sic\]"*. That's what I paid National Student Clearinghouse to do!
I used National Student Clearinghouse's website "Contact Us" page to request their phone number so I could speak with someone. In addition, I made the same request via email. I have not received a reply to the request for their telephone number!
I'm new to verifying academic histories and achievements, and I surely don't understand the run-around I am getting from UMUC and National Student Clearinghouse. My questions are:
* Why won't UMUC provide me with a Yes/No answer to the Verify operation?
* Why won't National Student Clearinghouse provide me with a Yes/No answer to the Verify operation?
* Why won't National Student Clearinghouse provide me with a telephone number to speak with them?
* Is this run-around typical for folks who verify academic history and degree?
* Do I have any additional options to to verify the academic history and degree?
I'm beginning to wonder if National Student Clearinghouse is a legitimate service. I know National Student Clearinghouse is not BBB accredited. I discovered that after the run-around began.
Thanks in advance.
# Answer
> 6 votes
What you are trying to do is rather unusual. In most cases where a degree needs to be verified (admissions, jobs, etc), the person doing the checking has the subject's consent, and normally the subject would just have the university send an official transcript. In that case the university's "customer" is their own alumnus and they have some interest in being responsive. In contrast, they have no particular incentive to be responsive to you, and so I'm not too surprised that the process they have is not particularly convenient.
That said, I don't see what you can do except to keep following up with NSC and using their support system. Or, you could get your lawyer involved, and see if a letter from her can speed things along.
I would note that, while federal privacy laws *allow* universities to release "directory information" including dates of attendance and degrees, as far as I know, nothing actually *requires* them to do so.
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Tags: university, degree, academic-history
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thread-25600
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25600
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Convention for excerpting from the middle of a paragraph in another work?
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2014-07-10T04:52:40.390
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# Question
Title: Convention for excerpting from the middle of a paragraph in another work?
A project of mine involves meticulously tracing the source material for a work of literature constructed from an author's unpublished notes. I have established a system for referencing the notes themselves, but to precisely trace the material that constitutes the finished work, I'm following the format:
\[ Note # \] \[ Page(s) \]
\[ Headwords of first paragraph \]
**"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..."**
\[ Footwords of paragraph, either the same one or the end of the last if the passage spans multiple paragraphs \]
**"...fermentum eu velit quis iaculis."**
However, there are some instances where the material was taken from the middle of a paragraph, continues unbroken through several subsequent paragraphs, and stops in the middle of another paragraph. In order to proceed with my work, I've been using this format:
If the source begins in the middle of a paragraph, include the headwords to that paragraph then include the beginning of the actual excerpt:
**"Lorem ipsum dolor \[...\] Maecenas mattis erat in metus..."**
If the source ends in the middle, include headwords in addition to the conclusion of the excerpt itself:
**"Lorem ipsum dolor \[...\] tincidunt dui urna nec diam."**
This example supposes material is taken from a single paragraph, so another example spanning multiple paragraphs might look like:
**"Lorem ipsum dolor \[...\] Maecenas mattis erat in metus..."**
**"Vivamus nec sodales neque \[...\] quis lobortis nibh porttitor."**
Essentially I'm wondering if this system is too confusing, or if there is an existing standard already in use that I can adopt. Including the headwords serves as a way to navigate through the material using paragraphs as an easy visual reference. I've considered assigning each paragraph a section number and referencing them by section marks (§) which would serve as an alternative to including the headwords (**"§52 Lorem ipsum dolor..." through "§55 ...nunc sollicitudin lectus."**), but I'd like to avoid that if possible.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
# Answer
> 2 votes
I don't do this sort of research, so I can't answer if there is a 'standard approach'. I have read analytic works on the writings people such as Charles Sanders Peirce, who was notorious for having both a vast and an unorganized body of writing, including personal letters. Yours might be similar, though in your case it seems even more important to be very precise about what source material you are referencing and quoting. To my eye, it resembles Biblical analysis in this way.
I *like* the idea of assigning paragraph numbers to all your source material, but I would suggest using them differently. In your quotes, I suggest quoting *only* the relevant words, using ellipses as appropriate to indicate omitted text, and also new lines or paragraph marks to indicate a break in paragraph. But at the end of each quote, in square brackets, you could add the paragraph numbers of the sources, plus any qualifying remarks, such as "spanning both paragraphs" or what ever.
Using your example:
> **"... Maecenas mattis erat in metus ..."** \[*citation*, starting mid-pargraph in §52 "Lorem ipsum dolor..." and ending mid-pargraph in §55 "...nunc sollicitudin lectus."\]
This approach has two advantages. First, your quote includes *only* the text relevant to your exposition and analysis. This will make it easier to read and understand. Second, exact and detailed context information is given in the square brackets following, including the citation if needed. This will serve you as researcher or a reader who needs to follow along in the source documents.
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Tags: citations
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thread-24550
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24550
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Is it appropriate for a prospective PhD student to contact phd students at a target school?
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2014-07-09T09:59:37.897
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# Question
Title: Is it appropriate for a prospective PhD student to contact phd students at a target school?
I am a prospective phd student. I wish to know if it is fine to contact the phd students of my target schools?
If answering this question requires more information, please feel free to state that.
# Answer
> 38 votes
It is absolutely fine to contact current PhD students of programs and departments that you are interested in. On an average, I get about 1 email of this sort everyday and I make my best effort to reply intelligently.
Keep in mind though that many PhD students will simply not reply to your email. Sometimes folks are inundated by too many emails and commitments to respond to any additional emails and sometimes people just have bad emailing tendencies in general.
# Answer
> 16 votes
We had great success when we extensively supported a PhD student who asked for a contact:
While doing my PhD we had a last year undergraduate student, who contacted my supervisor and asked if he can meet some of the PhD students. We decided to organize some shadowing for him, so he spent several days with me in the university.
I told him all I could think of in relation to my PhD experience, answered all his questions, and he did some real work - helped finding research publications in a specific area. At the end we asked him to write a short report about his shadowing experience - was it useful, pros and cons from his point of view, etc.
The experiment was so successful that the department decided to extend it and provide similar opportunities for other prospective PhD students.
So, by all means, do it - contact the supervisor or the PhD student. The worst thing that could happen is that they will say 'no'
# Answer
> 7 votes
I have received tens of such e-mails so far in the first two years of the PhD program. 70% from India, 20% from other parts of Asia, 10% other.
Since I hate when people ignore my emails, or even reply unnecessarily late, I was trying at first to give some customized advice. After the first dozen of e-mails, I realized that I was being asked almost the same type of questions over and over, so I now simply reply with a template e-mails pointing to the main resources.
To answer your question, I would say it is totally fine but:
1. The more specific questions, the more likely you are to receive an interesting answer.
2. It is hard to be 100% frank with people we don't know. As a result, the answers you get are likely to be biased (typically "how good is the advisor?" kind of questions). As Pierre Beaumarchais said, where there is no freedom of blaming, there can be no genuine praise. The only solution is to know people personally or be referred by some common friend. Talking face-to-face can help reducing the bias.
# Answer
> 4 votes
I never ever got this kind of email during my Ph.D. program, but when we had some prospective students visiting the campus, I was eager to answer any questions they might have. Nobody asked me, though.
We are all in this life together. If you want to know something, just ask. If you are sincere, it is fine to ask.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I am a PhD student in a really small department, and the only student in my particular research group. When we have students interviewing for a PhD in my group, I always spend some time with them answering questions about what it is like in the department and group, and what it is like working with my supervisor (very important!). I always give them my email address so they can ask me any other questions they may not have thought of at the time.
If anyone was to email me directly before applying, I would take time to answer their questions, but only if they genuinely seem interested in the specific PhD topic on offer. If it seemed like a really generic email that had been sent out to loads of people (obvious give away is if it isn't actually addressed to me!), then I wouldn't take time out of my busy schedule to respond.
In my research group, PhDs are offered based on a specific topic that we have got funding for. I know other big departments in the UK interview for PhD students generically and then they get to choose their topic from scratch, pick one from a list, or they are matched with a specific topic after their interview depending on their skills. I don't know how it works in other countries or other fields (I am in the climate/meteorology field).
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Tags: phd, graduate-admissions, etiquette
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thread-9388
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/9388
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What level of knowledge and expertise is usually expected from someone just entering a PhD in computer science?
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2013-04-16T12:58:01.313
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# Question
Title: What level of knowledge and expertise is usually expected from someone just entering a PhD in computer science?
If someone has bad grades and limited programming experience, can they afford to rely on their first year of coursework to come up to speed with the field? Or is it a better idea to take some time off before starting your PhD and improve your skills?
# Answer
> 7 votes
This is phrased as a question about first-year coursework, but it's actually a question about admissions. Specifically, a department won't offer admission to someone they feel has inadequate preparation, so this situation should not arise (assuming the admissions process works well).
From this perspective, the reformulated question is: if you have bad grades and limited programming experience, is admission to a CS PhD program still possible, or do you need to take some time off to improve your skills?
At this level of detail, there's no way to say for sure. If your application shows nothing but bad grades and lack of programming experience, then admission is presumably out of the question. On the other hand, why would you even want to enter a PhD program without some other background that indicates it's a good idea? In which case the admissions decision comes down to what that background is and whether it outweighs the grades and programming experience. It would take something impressive, but it's possible in principle.
# Answer
> 3 votes
I came into my PhD in CS (JHU) with a solid background in mathematics (12+ graduate courses, 8 undergraduate courses) but little programming experience (I had data structures and theory of computation). I worked a few hours a day just on catching up. It was difficult my first year. If you feel confident about your ability to learn and are able to work extra hard (zero other responsibilities) then I would just begin.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Current CS PhD student here, I can at least speak to the content of coursework. It does depends a lot on what sort of programming experience you have, and what field you are planning to go into - e.g., if all you've done is some web dev and you want to work on compilers, you're going to have a lot of catching up to do. But if you wanted to do HCI and you can pick up new syntax relatively fast, you'd probably be fine.
Personally, while I had both decent grades and a fair amount of programming experience in undergrad, I was primarily a physics major and hadn't taken any courses on topics that everyone already seemed to know about, like parallel computing or crypto or even networking - starting out with grad courses on those topics was one of the hardest things for me, not learning a new language. Classes move a lot faster and assume a lot more background knowledge at the graduate level vs. undergrad. For example, in my programming language course, we spent two days on an introduction to OCaml, where the undergrad level course spent about two weeks. It's certainly possible - and schools do admit people with limited CS experience but demonstrate promise in other ways! - but it will mean you have to work a little harder to catch up. As an example, in my "advanced database manangement systems" course last semester, I was in a project group with two other CS PhD students, one of whom knew only MATLAB (he was going into theory), and the other had a some experience (an intro class or two) with Java. However, they were both either planning to or taking undergrad-level programming courses. So that is one option, although of course it'd be more work on top of your classes. I would say the most important factor in deciding to take time off to "get up to speed" would be whether or not you feel you know enough about your desired field. If it's just "wow \[x\] sounds so cool, I wanna work on that!", you might want to take time to get your feet wet and see if you really do like it before committing to a Ph.D. program. But if you are sure enough, apply away, and be confident in knowing that an admission offer means they think you're ready to go!
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Tags: phd, computer-science
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thread-13304
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13304
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Research advice needed: How to make a move from web development to PhD research?
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2013-10-10T05:14:20.427
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# Question
Title: Research advice needed: How to make a move from web development to PhD research?
I am a web developer reasonably proficient in PHP and front-end development. I had completed my Masters (by coursework) more than 6 years ago and have been working as a web developer. My Masters' grades weren't very good (pass in average with few distinctions and credits). When I did my Masters, rather than focusing in one area, I was pretty much experimenting with different subjects such as natural language processing, multimedia, visual info processing, distributed programming, etc 'cause I wasn't too sure what direction to take.
I contacted few research supervisors after completing my Masters but didn't hear anything positive from them. Then I pretty much gave up and started pursuing career and moved into web development.
I am not sure how to go into research now and whether it is even possible for me. How do I prepare myself?
# Answer
> 6 votes
Here are a few suggestions (not necessarily in this order):
1. Read up on the latest research in your area(s) of expertise and interest.
2. Narrow the research interests down to a few and make contact with the academics involved - make contact with them, asking good questions about their research.
3. Contact the admissions offices of your selected universities, explain the situation truthfully - put an emphasis on the experience you have gained through your employment, which is now an area of expertise, despite your masters going in many directions.
4. In your readings, you should be able to find an area that is in need of more research, where something new can be contributed.
Remember, your situation is different than it was when you completed your Masters, you have several years of specialised work experience behind you now.
Good luck.
# Answer
> 6 votes
One thing you don't mention, and I'm quite confused about, is what your PhD would actually be in. Web development and php, while important and valuable skills, do not prepare you for any sort of research I can think of.
On top of this, 6+ years is a long time to have been out of a field. Natural language processing, visual info processing and distributed programming have moved on **tremendously** in that time. Unless you've been doing something day to day which keeps you up to date with the cutting edge, you're going to be very behind.
On the other hand...
Research isn't about getting grades - it's about being able to publish work that is useful to others. When you applied before, all people had to judge your potential to achieve this was your (average) grades. Now though, you've been out in the wild for a few years doing stuff. If you can present things you've done which will convince a potential supervisor that you can come up with novel solutions of a quality high enough to get into a journal, then you've got a shot at it. My (wild) guess would be you should aim for a lab that does applied stuff rather than theoretical stuff, where your prior day to day coding experience might shine through.
~~~
As an aside, have you considered applying to get chartered status in your field rather than a doctorate? It's challenging to get so generally highly thought of (this varies country to country and profession to profession though) and more closely based on industrial experience. If you have six years of that under your belt, along with a relevant masters degree, then you may be well on the way already. The yearly fees once you have it can be expensive, but worth checking out if you haven't already.
# Answer
> -3 votes
In your situation would do the following:
1. Learn assembly thoroughly.
2. Learn theory of computation thoroughly.
3. Learn algorithms thoroughly.
4. Explore specializations (read papers).
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Tags: phd, research-process, computer-science
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thread-2254
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2254
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What is an "author's novelty file" in journals?
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2012-07-02T07:03:46.197
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# Question
Title: What is an "author's novelty file" in journals?
Recently I submitted a paper in a journal then after a few days I got following comments:
Your submission of the manuscript has been unsubmitted. This is because your "Author's Novelty File" was not detailed enough. In order to proceed, please briefly describe, in a few lines, the new contributions of your paper to the field. Do not repeat for this purpose the content of your abstract. Instead, provide a brief itemized list of these contributions in a separate file.
I don't understand what I have to write now. What he is asking for? I need help with this.
Thanks for giving me time.
# Answer
It sounds like the journal wants you to identify in what manner your paper has expanded the state of knowledge in your field. Have you contributed a new experimental method? Or perhaps you've provided new insights into some sort of phenomenon, or measured data for a new material, or so on. These contributions should be collected in this "novelty file."
> 12 votes
# Answer
I recently submitted a paper to IJNME. In the 'File Upload' section, it states the following:
> "Author's Novelty File" - All Authors are now required to supply an additional file. Please briefly describe, in a bullet pointed list, the new contributions of your paper to the field. Do not repeat for this purpose the content of your abstract. Instead, provide a brief itemized list of these contributions in a separate file.
I hope this helps.
> 6 votes
# Answer
I think they're asking for an "explanation for non-experts". Often, the abstract of a paper gives only enough information to be fully understood by an expert in the field (or at least in that problem). Part of your job in explaining your work is **explaining why it's important**. Think about how you would explain your work to a student with roughly the same background as you, but who hasn't thought much about your project. Now think about how you would explain it to a researcher working in a completely different field... in 5 sentences or less. Your novelty file should say something like that. Emphasize **here's what we added**.
> 3 votes
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Tags: publications, journals
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thread-25631
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25631
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What is considered a good GPA for studies in Germany
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2014-07-10T14:48:14.640
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# Question
Title: What is considered a good GPA for studies in Germany
Coming from a different schooling/grading system, I have very little feeling about what actually is considered a good grade for studies in Germany.
Here the passing grades are given in the range of 1.0 to 4.0 and there are non-passing (failing) grades, which basically tell how hard you failed. Needless to say, 1.0 is the best possible and tells that the student performed perfectly, but what about the other grades. What does 2.0 mean? It is translated as "good" but is that average actually. How does the teacher/professor "see" that grade.
Moreover, what is the typical GPA average which gives a student a chance to be considered for a Phd position? Of course, the higher the better, but what gpa (in the german grading system) would be considered OK-ish for a phd application?
# Answer
Given that "grade inflation" is often much less rampant in Germany than in other nations (it is not unusual, for instance, for the *majority* of students to fail an exam in a core subject), the standards inside of Germany tend not to be as stringent as in other places I've seen. For instance, anything better than 2.0 (on a 5.0 scale, not a 4.0 scale!) would generally be considered "competitive."
Obviously, there are limitations—if you get a 2.0 because you've gotten 1.0's in the general courses and 3.0 in the courses in your subdiscipline, you're not likely going to be an attractive candidate to an outside group.
However, I think much more important than the exact GPA is the quality of the master's thesis. If you have a very strong master's thesis, you will likely get some interest from the group in which you did the thesis work to continue on for a PhD, if there is an open position available. A weak grade on the thesis (anything below a 1.3) usually is a sign of substandard performance, which is likely to result in *not* being considered for a position, even if your GPA is a 1.1 or 1.2 (it's unlikely to be a 1.0 under such circumstances).
> 7 votes
# Answer
I am doing a PhD in a graduate school funded by the German Research Foundation and I was graded 2.0 in my master's thesis (mainly because it was written in English and my grammer was not 100% perfect). What I am trying to say, is, that beyond just the grade of your master's, it can be important to have some kind of experience in the respetive field of your desired PhD. In my case, I was holding several positions as a student assistant in my former university. Also first publication experience might come handy (even though I would not like to support this ongoing trend). It would likely not help you, to score very high on your GPA but having no (work/research) experience beyond studying.
> 5 votes
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Tags: phd, graduate-admissions, graduate-school, germany, gpa
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thread-24461
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24461
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Things to focus on in a model lesson
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2014-07-06T19:45:55.163
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# Question
Title: Things to focus on in a model lesson
A model lesson is a usual element in interviews for the faculty level positions. Normally this is not a full lesson but a 15-minute version which is performed in absence of actual students for just a few professors from a hiring committee. It is supposed to demonstrate "your teaching style", but by design this is clearly a different enterprise: you should "act normal" doing "the same" things
1. in a different time-frame,
2. for a different audience,
3. with completely different motivation and
4. under exorbitant cost of failure.
Having said this, I also acknowledge the model lesson as indeed a much needed element of the interview, which helps to assess a candidate's set of relevant skills.
The question is how one can ideally prepare to give such a model lesson. Putting aside obvious things like "structure of the talk," "clear slides," "projection of the voice," and "body language", which normally should be already trained by experience, are there specific things that should be taken into account for the model lesson only? What about techniques like jokes, questions to the audience (e.g. *how many of you are familiar with the definition of the derivative*), work in pairs, which you probably use in a real classroom — is it a good idea to demonstrate them in a room full of senior professors? I am a little confused.
# Answer
> 24 votes
Having done this, I'd advise:
* Take it really seriously. In places where candidates are judged equally on teaching and research, the model lesson could really make the difference. Strong researchers may neglect it, relying on their publication/citation record.
* Make sure you prepare for the expected audience (in my case, 1st year students), not the actual audience (academics).
* Feel free to use techniques you would use in a classroom, but then use "time jumps" to indicate that the activity has taken place. The problem with this is that if you have follow up questions, there may be no answers and the lecture may fall flat.
* Don't forget "learning objectives" and "lecture structure" up front, and other guidelines for students throughout (though you probably can only show one such thing).
* Practice more than you would practice for an actual lecture.
* No corny jokes. If you cannot tell whether a joke is corny, then assume it is. In fact, beware of jokes. Relying on natural humour is probably better.
# Answer
> 8 votes
I participated to this kind of interviews, as an applicant as well as a committe member. For the exemple, I will assume that you are applying to a position as a maths teacher.
* As Dave Clarke mentioned, prepare for the expected audience. If your are expected to teach to maths major in a very good institution, it is not a big problem to show off your skills by lecturing at a level *a little bit* above the expected audience's level. But avoid this if your expected audience is notoriously weak or non maths majors. I got rejected once because I was "too good" for the position.
* To prepare the lecture, you should study the curriculum of the institution you will be teaching. You usually can find it on the institution's website. It is important since it helps you to do the lecture at right level, but also helps you to connect your lecture to other topics (especially when your expected students are not maths major) studied by your future students. It will make you more comfortable for the questions that usually follow the interview.
* Only do things you usually do in class. An interview is definitely not the place to experiment a new teaching method. Last month, a candidate with an impressive CV failed an interview in my institution by trying to use a computer and videoprojector, thing he obviously never did before. The result was pityful.
* Make sure your connect the lecture to the lectures sequence of a real course. So, take time to tell what students should have studied in the previous lectures, and which problems (related to the current lecture) they will solve in future lectures. This is something you probably already do in a normal lecture, but it is especially important here since the committee wants to know if you can organize a complete course.
* But putting your lecture in context does not mean reviewing the (expected) previous lecture, you have no time for being off-topic.
* I would not prepare a joke, as if it was a stand-up comedy. But, if an opportunity to make a joke, I would take it in order to make a more decontracted atmosphere. Beside hiring the best teacher, the committee wants to hire someone who they feel comfortable to work with. To sum up, your goal is to appear as a reliable, professional, open-minded and with team spirit person.
* Even if I do it in class, I would not prepare any activity where the audience participates -or only a very short one-, since it takes too much time (except for a foreign language teacher interview). But I would try to interact as much as I can with the audience through questions.
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Tags: teaching, presentation, interview, lecturer
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thread-24545
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24545
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How to get into research jobs after working in corporate technical jobs
|
2014-07-09T08:16:49.747
|
# Question
Title: How to get into research jobs after working in corporate technical jobs
I am Performance and Automation Testing engineer who recently moved into IT Security in Singapore. I hold a BSc in software system (full-time) and MSc in IT (distance learning program). I have 9+ years experience working in Testing projects where major contribution was into Performance and Automaton testing.
I wish to get into research jobs (specifically, academic research). I am looking for opportunities any place however my preference will be Germany, Singapore and USA. However whenever I have approached universities they aren't willing to consider me, stating that I don't have any research experience.
Can anyone help me with path to get into IT Security Research. I guess attending a part-time/full-time masters program (IT/INFOSEC) followed by PhD (INFOSEC) program should help. Is this an appropriate path? Will this suffice to give me a chance at getting hired into an academic research job?
# Answer
By Academic Research, I assume you mean Phd.
So, I am aware of cases where people chose to move back from industry to academia. A Phd student that I know, used to work for EA, and after 3 (or 5 years) of working as a programmer he switched to academia to the field of Computer Networks to pursue his Phd.
So basically, there is the possibility of getting to such a position directly from the industry even if you have worked on completely unrelated stuff. However, any professor from a medium - top ranked program in the academia will look at you research capabilities in order to accept you as a Phd student.
What I would do in this case, is to create a strategy to achieve the goal. First be realistic with what you really have in hand to offer. What are your pros/cons compared to any other Phd student that want to apply to a given program.
Define your target universities. Maybe you should do some research and look where is deficiency of Phd students. In which country people look less interested to pursue a Phd.
Then look at the specific program that you want to apply for. If you don't have a preferred topic, I suggest that you should apply in a place where your experience will give you the upper hand in the application process.
You say you are interested in the IT security research. Do you like the applicative side or the theoretical stuff (crypto)?
I think there are many variables that may affect your application. The fact that you hold a Masters degree from a distance program, maybe your age, and the fact that you want to switch to a completely new topic (academic-wise, assuming that your Master studies were not related to IT security) are the downsides. But, don't be discouraged, give it a try.
I would target the mid to low ranked programmes and send applications around.
Good luck!
> 2 votes
# Answer
As you have longterm industry experience, you have the vision towards special issues that industry faces. Try to find the most important issues, problems and disasters that industry really needs to be solved. Then, go to the net and read the academic publications around those unsolved issues. Then, in this ways you see that some of the problems need to be discussed academically and you feel that you can write a proposal around one or two industry based problems.
At this stage you can discuss those issues to the companies you have worked for or with the university professors who's research interests are near the problems you have brought in your proposal. You can try to talk to the industry to support you by funds and start an industry-based PhD project. If you do not find any industry support, do not be upset; because you still have the chance that the admission committee be interested in your point of view and a professor accept you as a research PhD student.
Another thing which is obvious, is that you should search for the minimum requirements of the universities you are aiming to apply for and prepare your academic documents during the period of time your searching for good research topics and narrowing your research interests.
By doing this, you will be also prepared for applying the research companies; because you have the problems in mind and you can do beneficial research projects for them.
> 2 votes
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Tags: career-path, academic-life, research-assistantship
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thread-25664
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25664
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From which level of education, is it better to choose teacher assistants?
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2014-07-10T20:40:35.463
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# Question
Title: From which level of education, is it better to choose teacher assistants?
I think that it is normal to choose teacher assistants for BSc courses from MSc or PhD students and TAs for MSc courses to be from PhD students;
In case that the PhD or MSc students are not interested or are not applying for a teaching assistant position of the lower courses (lets say a BSc course); is it a good idea to choose an assistant from the interested last year BSc students (with good academic records and background) or it is better not to have TA for the course for a period of time until a PhD student applies for the TA position?
# Answer
> 11 votes
Some universities have rules about what kind of student may be a TA. Assuming no such rules exist, the TA should be qualified to fill that role, whatever that means for a given course. That is, the TA should have both the domain knowledge and pedagogical ability that the job requires.
It doesn't matter what level of education the TA is at. In my own department it is quite common for TAs to be "peers" of the students in the class (B.S. students hired to TA the B.S. level courses, M.S. students and PhD students hired to TA graduate courses including both M.S. and PhD students.)
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Tags: teaching-assistant
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thread-25668
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25668
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Should I provide an opinion on a graduate school candidate without being asked by the candidate?
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2014-07-10T22:40:57.807
|
# Question
Title: Should I provide an opinion on a graduate school candidate without being asked by the candidate?
I've been contacted by email by another professor at a different institution, who is assessing a student for graduate school entry, for an informal opinion about the student's suitability. The student hasn't asked me directly for a recommendation or similar.
Is it ethical for me to provide that informal opinion without informing the student? Does whether the opinion would be positive or negative make a difference?
I'm reasonably sure there are no legal issues involved, so I'm just interested in the ethical considerations.
# Answer
> 10 votes
It does not make a difference whether your review would be positive or negative, and it is your duty to keep your discussions about the student confidential. Should you choose to review their application, you should not tell the student or anyone not involved in the process that you are doing so.
You are being asked to help your university, or maybe just a professor who trusts you, to help with their admissions and hiring process. You should take it seriously and give an honest review if you can. If you don't feel like you can be objective in your review (maybe the student is a friend or colleague), then you should decline to do so. But I don't feel like there's an ethical issue in the applicant not knowing that you've been asked about them.
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Tags: ethics, application
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thread-24592
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24592
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Email to a professor after long time for recommendation
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2014-07-10T00:17:58.517
|
# Question
Title: Email to a professor after long time for recommendation
I did my bachelor at university A in which Prof. X supervised my graduation project. I asked him for a recommendation when I was applying to university B for masters and he wrote me a great one. That was a year and a half ago, and now I am applying for PhD at university C. I need his recommendation again but I feel bad for not emailing him for a long time. I don't know how to write my email. I don't want to jump directly for the recommendation. Could you share your suggestions on what to write ??
# Answer
> 59 votes
After a decade of teaching, I get these quite often. While people use a variety of styles, the one that I am most responsive to is:
* Initial formal e-mail asking me if I remember them (with hints such as "I was the student who wrote the thesis on faster-than-light dog walking"), then telling me what they've been doing for the past X years (with a recent CV or resume as an attachment), and transitioning to their desire to move on to a new career or grad school and asking me if I could write a letter of recc for them. Close with an offer to talk on the phone (or come up to campus) to help refresh their memory of them.
Once you get the ok, make it as easy as possible for me to write the letter. If there are things you want me to emphasize, be blunt about saying it ("Please don't mention the folly of FTL dog-walking" or "Please emphasize my familiarity with temporal dilation and astrophysics").
# Answer
> 9 votes
If someone has already written you a recommendation letter in the past and you want them to write another one, the key question is: has the old letter become obsolete, or can it (in essential content, anyway) still be used?
If the answer to the above question is *yes*, I think you're golden: just thank the professor for writing the recommendation before and ask them if they are willing to write an updated copy. They will have the same question as above, so be clear to them that you are not looking for them to say anything they haven't already said.
If the answer is *no* -- significant updating is required -- then it becomes a "bigger ask". If the additional information is something that you feel like you can faithfully supply to them in the form of written documents -- e.g. updated CV, new papers -- then you should enclose them along with your email request. If you really need a qualitatively different letter, then an in-person visit is probably in order, and if that seems impractical and/or doesn't go well, then perhaps you should really be looking for someone more *au courant* to be writing your letter.
In your case, I suspect that the affirmative is more likely to apply: at least in my field and location (mathematics in the United States) applying for a master's program is essentially identical to applying for a PhD program. Even assuming you did a master's degree, getting a letter from someone who only interacted with you as an undergrad and who only addresses your undergraduate career would be totally appropriate. (You should however try to get at least one letter from your most recent program or job, if at all possible.) In this case, the letter is likely to begin by mentioning that the professor's interactions with you were limited to the undergraduate program at his university and mention that he can't speak to your master's program but that someone else will. After that he can really cut and paste the former letter, if he likes.
> I don't know how to write my email. I don't want to jump directly for the recommendation. Could you share your suggestions on what to write ??
If I have learned one thing in my time on this site, it is that the world is a big place and there are relatively few universal tenets of academic culture. But in the part of academia I am familiar with (again, mathematics in the United States), your request for an additional letter is absolutely standard. I would not view a year and a half as a "long time" -- as I mentioned above, the determining factor is not the number of years that have passed but to what extent the letter needs / is desired to be updated: that's what takes up the professor's time and effort -- nor do I see lack of contact in the interim as anything to be embarrassed about in the slightest. By not jumping directly to the recommendation request you risk taking up a busy person's valuable time by giving them more text to read. I would begin with a short paragraph of the "Hello there? Remember me? I hope you are well" variety -- two or three sentences would be sufficient. And then yes -- jump to the recommendation request. Writing these letters -- and rewriting them in the intervening years -- is part of our job, after all.
# Answer
> 0 votes
How about (drum roll) the truth?
Paraphrasing you: "Thanks for the recommendation letter you wrote me when I was applying to university B for masters. \[Tell him how it went and what you did.\] Now I am applying for PhD at university C, and I want to ask your recommendation again, but I feel bad for not emailing you for a long time."
Continue from then on. He may be good people and help you out. What's the big deal? Piece of advice: stop thinking of (lowercase) professors as the aristocrats of knowledge.
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Tags: recommendation-letter
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thread-24576
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24576
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What action to take when questions regarding a published paper are ignored by its author?
|
2014-07-09T18:20:14.530
|
# Question
Title: What action to take when questions regarding a published paper are ignored by its author?
Recently, our group is trying to reproduce the result reported by a paper whose authors are from an Ivy league university. We are unable to reproduce the results because there are several implementation details are not mentioned in the paper. Hence, we decide to write the first author, who is now already a faculty member in another university, an email.
At first, we asked for the code, which we consider is perfectly fine, as the paper has been published. We feel the code in a published paper is no longer a secret in this transparent research era where reproducibility is highly valued. However, he simply ignored our email (3+ weeks, no response).
Then, we thought, OK, seems that he is reluctant to share the code, so let's just ask him to clarify several implementation details so that we can implement the thing ourselves and hopefully, we can reproduce the result. So, we sent a second email which very clearly asks for clarifications. Again, he ignored the email (1.5 weeks+, no response).
We now feel angry and start suspecting the authenticity of their reported results. However, we cannot accuse them of anything, since we are not able to prove that they cheated, which would be a felony if they really did.
We always feel that upon the publication of a paper, its authors, or at least the correspondence author, hold responsible for any inquiries regarding the paper, especially when the authenticity is being doubted. What they chose to do - ignoring our email - is really irresponsible.
What can we do?
# Disclaimer
Thanks for the answers and comments! It is interesting that many start besieging me on my "bad" attitude in the email.
Just to clarify,
1. I wrote perfectly polite emails to the correspondence author;
2. I have **NOT** questioned his results or whatsoever.
# Answer
How do you know he ignored the email?
Maybe he never received it because it was filtered before he had a chance to see it. Maybe he hasn't read his email this month because he's on vacation. Maybe that email address was good when the paper is published but not good now, but it's also not bouncing.
If one channel of communication doesn't work, try a different one. Call his office phone or send a letter to him. Write to a different author saying you've been trying to reach the corresponding author without success and you want to check the email address. Don't assume anything when you have no information.
> 30 votes
# Answer
> We always feel that upon the publication of a paper, its authors, or at least the correspondence author, hold responsible for any inquiries regarding the paper, especially when the authenticity is being doubted.
Did you actually state that you do not believe in the results of the paper? If yes, this is disrespectful and plain rude. And most people ignore rude remarks from strangers in the internet. When requesting the help of any other human being, you should be polite and cautious. Also, in Academia you must be very careful when you refer to someone's work. Especially his PUBLISHED work. Because that means that the scientific community has already accepted his claims and you are the one who must prove that his results are wrong and not the other way around (if you ever get published on this subject which be hard to do without his help). So, acknowledge the fact that he has nothing to prove and he will be doing you a favor if he accepts to share his code.
Also, think of the possibility that he does not want to share his code. It is his code after all (and not public domain) and he still has the right to keep it for his personal use. He may also plan to expand on his work and sharing the code prematurely deprives him of the 3 months - 1 year time-advantage over you, since you still have to implement it yourself before expanding on the current state-of-the-art, i.e., his work. In this case, provide him with an alternative. Say that you are willing to send him your datasets and if he agrees to do the experiments for you and report to you his results, it should be good enough for 90% of the cases and everyone is happy. You have the necessary data to compare against your method and he did not have to share his code, which is a logical compromise.
Also, academia is a place that you need to use your social skills. You need collaborators and not enemies / antagonists. In that sense, ask for help politely and expect that NO is a very possible answer on the other party. Also, if he is an established researcher and you are not (perhaps you are famous too - I do not know) there is the case that he ignored the email, because he simply does not even know who you are, what you do and how you will use his code. Usually, telling little things about yourself in the introductory email, sending a link to your personal homepage and google scholar profile, suffices not to consider you a crank and reply to you.
Also, sometimes the first author is a graduate student and the student might not want to share his code because he feels threatened. So, check all the authors profiles. See who is the most senior in the paper and CC him as well in your emails. In that case, the senior professor might encourage the student to share his code despite his objections. Either way, it cannot do you any harm.
As you see, there are multiple reasons why he did not reply to your email. Also a little flattery works on most of the cases. Note that in a sense you find this work fascinating because otherwise you would not struggle to improve it. It is not bad to say so and usually this kind of politeness opens more doors and is more useful in the long term.
> 24 votes
# Answer
I just want to address one minor point:
> At first, we asked for the code, which we consider is perfectly fine, as the paper has been published. We feel the code in a published paper is no longer a secret in this transparent research era where reproducibility is highly valued.
It does not matter what your feelings are but rather what is the policy of the journal the article was published. Some journals require disclosure of data or source code but others do not. Also if the research was funded by the NSF there maybe mandatory disclosures policy. I suggest you to see if this is the case.
> 5 votes
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Tags: publications
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thread-25613
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25613
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Advisable to visit other labs?
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2014-07-10T12:39:30.830
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# Question
Title: Advisable to visit other labs?
Is it advisable to do a short (2-3months) visit to a different lab at a different university while doing a PhD? I would think that it would be good for setting up collaborations, but would a PhD supervisor be against this due to the time that would be lost doing so?
# Answer
> 14 votes
I am actually currently just preparing for such a collaboration/internship/exchange (leaving after summer). From day 1 of my PhD (both) my supervisors said that we should definitely look for such an opportunity during my second year.
Both of my supervisor think it is not a bad idea, moreover, they both think it is something **very important given several restrictions**:
* that you do it around the middle of your PhD.
This is important because in the beginning, you're still new to the topic and trying to get a grip on everything important. You can not "give" almost anything back to the lab you are visiting, so it is not a fair exchange.
* the project (3 months in my case), is something directly related to my PhD
Not just "has similarities", but maybe a sub-problem of the research direction I am currently on anyway due to my PhD. It is also important (mostly, for the grants), that it is something that the target laboratory is better suited for/equipped/has more experts than your own institution.
* that it is around 3-4 months
The point is, much shorter than that, and it becomes a purely social / networking visit where you can possibly present your research in person and have other people present theirs, but not much more. On the other hand, more than 4 months will indeed be too long, as I am not expected to spend much more than that on a single idea even when I am working in my lab.
So, these were the restrictions. The **benefits**, however, are much more numerous:
* obviously, **networking**. Especially if you plan to stay in academia, developing your own network of contacts as soon as possible is very important.
* **exchanging ideas**. In addition to papers, presenting your own (and your labs) work in person is another way to disseminate ideas. Also, being exposed to different people, different approaches and different ideas might just jog some clogs that would otherwise take much longer to click in place.
* strengthening the **collaboration (between the participating laboratories)**: in a sense, you became an "ambassador" from your own institution to the host institution. A successful internship will be good for you, but it can also hold a lot of benefits for both institutions (that includes your supervisors) as if it goes well, they will be more likely to collaborate (more) in the future.
* **international experience**. Where I am (France), people who plan to stay in academia and reach a permanent position are *more than strongly encouraged* to have an international experience. Basically, at least a few months internship abroad is a must for a permanent position, a year-long post-doc position or two abroad are much better. It is not a requirement, but always a person with international experience will get picked over the person with none.
* both of these boil down to: **post-doc**. If is not unheard of that such an internship might actually be "vetting" the place for a post-doc. And this goes both ways: your host institution/professor sees if he likes working with you, and you see if you like it there.
* **specific benefit of the hosting lab**. I have mentioned that there is many benefits of generally working in a different research environment and with different people for a while. But, specifically, there might be equipment, or test data, or an expert in the hosting lab that you just do not have in your institution.
* **diversity experience**. If you have decided to stay in academia only on the basis of your PhD environment (as I have), you might not see the whole picture yet. Seeing different research labs, different environments, can only be a benefit.
* **publication** While 3 months is not always enough to make a publication, you do want to get the most of the internship. Thus, most people get a publication out of it because they put a little bit extra effort (maybe not even consciously). And, your new publication will have a name of somebody other than your supervisor on it, which speaks to your ability to be able to work with different people successfully.
Now, of course, funding might be one obstacle. But other than that, if adequate funding is found, I see no reason for supervisors to object to such an idea.
# Answer
> 5 votes
The purpose of a PhD is to prepare you for doing independent research, and this will usually not be at the same place you did your PhD.
As such, having seen how they do things other places will better prepare you for how they might do things where ever you end up, so visiting another lab (or just another university if you are in a subject that does not use labs) will likely have a very positive effect on your PhD.
In fact, in Denmark, it is not just encouraged to visit another university as part of your PhD, it is mandatory (I am not quite sure what the minimum duration is, but 6 months is the most common).
At a recent study of the quality of the PhD programs at Aarhus University (http://www.au.dk/fileadmin/www.au.dk/kvalitetiphd/KVALITET\_I\_PHD\__UK\_.pdf), 60% answered that their stay abroad had strengthened their research project to a high degree, and 24% answered that it had to some degree. Essentially the same percentages answered that it had been worth the effort compared to their professional benefits (the part about the stay abroad starts at page 45).
Personally, I spend 6 months at UGA as part of my PhD (I do mathematics), and that stay has netted me a collaborator with whom I have recently submitted a paper, and with whom I will certainly do a lot more research in the future.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I did several months over summer and winter breaks at a US Department of Energy national lab during my PhD. It was my advisor's idea. I worked on things of mutual interest to us and the lab. It certainly didn't slow me down. I didn't end up working for the lab, but I keep those connections to this day.
# Answer
> -2 votes
The other answers are already very good. I'll add just one aspect that I haven't seen. I agree that visiting other labs for a couple of months is *very* useful... *for people who plan on staying in academia*. If you already plan on leaving academia after your Ph.D., the benefits that, e.g., Penelope lists are much less convincing compared to losing time - after all, what will you do with your improved academic network you will likely never use again?
Of course, that doesn't mean that such an external stay can't be productive even for people who leave for industry after their Ph.D. I'd just say that they might be better advised to either finish their Ph.D. quicker, or even try to spend some time in industry instead.
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Tags: phd, graduate-school, advisor, collaboration, visiting
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thread-25693
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25693
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Is acceptable for international conferences to use your own simulator in your paper?
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2014-07-11T07:12:47.583
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# Question
Title: Is acceptable for international conferences to use your own simulator in your paper?
I want to propose some approaches in wireless networks and I want to simulate it to prove that it is better than others; but I don't want use commonly-used simulators and I want to create new simulator according to requirements. Is there any difference in paper acceptance for international conferences to use your own simulator or famous simulators?
# Answer
The important thing is to use the right tool for the job, and justify it.
The existing simulators have the following advantage: a great deal of time and effort went into their development, and they have been used, debugged, and extended by many people. Therefore, they are likely to be more complete and/or more accurate than anything you could come up with on your own in a reasonable amount of time.
However, if you have a compelling reason why these are not suitable for the particular bit of research you want to do, by all means write your own simulator; but you should be able to justify this in your paper.
For some objective numbers, I refer you to this survey of papers published in MobiHoc from 2000-2005. 80 of the 114 papers that used simulations stated what simulator they used. From those, 22/80 said they used "self-developed or custom simulators" (27.3%).
> 3 votes
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Tags: research-process, publications, conference
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thread-25699
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25699
|
Asked editor for review prolongation to do further experiments, can't meet deadline. What do?
|
2014-07-11T09:26:37.840
|
# Question
Title: Asked editor for review prolongation to do further experiments, can't meet deadline. What do?
My paper received a good review, but we've been implicitly asked (interpretation of my supervisor, not mine) to do two experiments to verify a method I use. We then asked the editor for some time to perform these experiments, which the editor accepted. Then two things happened:
1. The experiments were messed up due to some unfortunate technical error and now I can't meet the deadline.
2. After some deep digging in preliminary experiments and literature, I found data that could replace these experiments just good enough in my opinion.
The question is now: Should I ask for more time to retry the experiments, or should I just send the literature/preliminary data to the reviewers? Which choice would be wiser?
# Answer
Based on the reviews and the willingness of the editor to provide an extension, your paper clearly is worth it for the journal. You should definitely contact the editor, briefly explain the problems (don't focus on excuses but on what remains to be done) you have had to meet the deadline and ask what can be done. It will be advantageous to provide a solid plan for the remaining work so that this is clear from the beginning to the editor. So assess the remaining work, make up a realistic plan for what is required and provide this to the editor. If all this requires the assistance of your advisor then plan it together. In the end, it will be up to the editor to provide an extension and a clear plan is necessary.
In my own experience as editor, I much more appreciate realistic plans than optimistic ones that fail. In your case it seems as a case of *force majeur* and such things happen. I am, however, always suspicious of long excusing accompanying letters since I really do not care about the reasons but need to focus on the timing of revisions for planning issues and the like.
> 2 votes
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Tags: publications, peer-review, editors
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thread-24255
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24255
|
How long do editor decisions take at Science/Nature?
|
2014-07-01T21:04:19.967
|
# Question
Title: How long do editor decisions take at Science/Nature?
What does the distribution of wait times for a editor decision look like for a manuscript submitted to Science or Nature?
(You are not allowed to say "Gamma" unless you give a shape and scale parameter)
# Answer
> 3 votes
Usually they decide in less than a week after the initial submission. Either rejection or sending it out for review. Sometimes they are more busy. For our last submission the decision took 25 days for which the editor apologized.
# Answer
> 0 votes
My experiences with these journals have not been this positive. It's true that editorial rejections can be very rapid based on scope and perceived 'gee whiz' factor. I've had Nature hold up papers for months and been forced out by a singe powerful reviewer with advice to publish the paper in another highly ranked (but not glamour mag) journal. These are very political journals.
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Tags: journals, peer-review, science
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thread-23116
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/23116
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How to increase my chance for being admitted to a PhD if my MSc is in a different topic?
|
2014-06-09T04:19:27.407
|
# Question
Title: How to increase my chance for being admitted to a PhD if my MSc is in a different topic?
I have a MSc degree in Computer Science from a well known university, but the problem is that my degree is, for example in Computer Graphics. Now I would like to study PhD in computer Science, but related to another topic such as Green Computing.
How I can convince the admission committee or the Professor in charge of the research group that I can be a good student in his group?
One friend told me that one important thing is the motivation letter others about the research proposal (which for me is somewhat not so clear, because for what I know one do a research proposal only when one is inside a group)
Any help will be valuable? I have applied to a lot of PhD positions and the frustration is getting higher with each rejection.
# Answer
> 0 votes
The change of topic should not be a serious problem as long as you have a solid CS background. What is more likely the problem is your choice of new topic, and whether the schools where you are applying have faculty working in green computing.
For PhD programs, your best bet is to send a targeted *and well-informed* letter to professors working in the field that interests you. I cannot stress the *well-informed* part enough - this is more than just looking at the faculty member's web page. Read some of his/her papers, think up of suggested research directions or potential improvements of the research. Demonstrate an ability to understand the professor's research and provide novel and meaningful ideas.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I doubt anyone will care about your master's degree field, because many top programs don't require a master's for admission. As long as you have a solid background and a good record you should be fine.
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Tags: phd, graduate-admissions, masters
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thread-23614
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/23614
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At the age of 27 is it worth shifting PhD. from strings to computer science?
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2014-06-18T14:19:48.743
|
# Question
Title: At the age of 27 is it worth shifting PhD. from strings to computer science?
Will the effort required to learn a completely new subject from scratch be outweighed by the better job prospects when one is looking for faculty positions?
# Answer
Will your degree actually say 'String Theory' rather than 'Physics'? If so, this is unfortunately narrow, and given the uncertain future of string theory as a field I'd rectify it as soon as possible. How close are you to finishing? I wouldn't dump a Physics doctorate a year from completion to start over in CS. If I wanted to change fields, I'd just do a master's afterwards.
> 1 votes
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Tags: graduate-school, job-search, computer-science, physics, age
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thread-5229
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5229
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Moving to Europe and seeking research assistant work after undergrad / masters - best approaches?
|
2012-11-10T09:39:45.693
|
# Question
Title: Moving to Europe and seeking research assistant work after undergrad / masters - best approaches?
I have just finished an honours degree in Psychological science in Australia - this is a 3 year bachelors with an additional selective entry 4th year involving 50% coursework and research. In addition to this I have about a year of research experience across a few different labs and areas. I'd like to move to somewhere in central / western Europe (e.g. Berlin). The aim is to eventually do a Phd there (although nobody there ever seems entirely certain whether my degree is eligible or if I need a masters), but ideally I'd like to get some involvement in a lab / institution first.
Does such an aim seem reasonable and achievable, or would I be generally expected to just pursue a Masters / Phd path? What is the best way to go about finding such a position?
I am pursuing the networking angle, but don't have many contacts in that direction. I have a sporadic collection of mailing lists and web sites I check, and will turn to 'cold emailing' academics of interest at some point.
# Answer
I came across this memorandum of understanding between Germany and Australia on academic degrees a while ago - among other things it says that Australian honours degrees *are* eligible to begin phd studies in Germany, and I did so last year after some time in an assistant like role.
http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/pdf/ZAB/Bilaterale\_Erklaerungen\_KMK\_HRK/austr.pdf
> 2 votes
# Answer
From my experience, EU citizen and familiar with Australian degree system, you will have a hard time getting into a PhD program. The honors bachelor cannot be considered at the same level of the Masters degree. Regarding employment in a lab in Europe your first hurdle would be getting a working permit. This might be hard unless you already have someone who can sponsor you. I think you are better off trying to find some field technician or volunteer position to collaborate with some of the labs and then perhaps start networking from there. Otherwise you could try and move to Germany with the tourist visa for 3/6 months and start network that way. However German professors seem quite reachable by e-mail, I would start contacting some of them for which you have an interest in their research and see what they suggest.
> 5 votes
# Answer
As somebody working in Germany, I can assure you that starting a doctoral program is **not** possible unless you have either a Master's degree or a degree considered "equivalent" to the Master's degree. In most cases, this means that you have to have a Master's degree. To enter a Master's degree program in Germany can also be tricky, because most "traditional" programs require proof of German skills as well as a bachelor's degree that is "equivalent" to the bachelor's degree as offered by three German university in which you wish to enroll. The qualification process for a foreign degree can be very tedious to complete.
However, there are a number of "non-consecutive" Master's programs in various disciplines at most universities. Admission to such programs is not contingent on having a bachelor's degree in the same field, and many of these programs are conducted in English. The DAAD can help you to find a suitable program.
If you are a Master's student, you will typically have to do a thesis project to complete your degree. Until then, however, you won't be able to do full-time research. However, you will be able to act as a part-time worker in a research group. What duties this entails varies greatly from research group to research group.
> 3 votes
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Tags: job, job-search, germany, europe
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thread-25755
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https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25755
|
Citing references consistently
|
2014-07-11T19:11:44.757
|
# Question
Title: Citing references consistently
Many of the journal references in the bibliography of my thesis contain bird names. Journals use birds names in the titles of papers in at least four different ways:
1. Titlecase, eg Teal
2. Titlecase plus scientific name, eg Teal Anas crecca
3. Lowercase, eg teal
4. Lowercase plus scientific name, eg teal Anas crecca
These different ways of using bird names makes my bibliography look untidy and inconsistent.
Should I adjust the titles of the papers in my bibliography so all bird names are used in a consistent way? Or should I use paper titles exactly as how they are given?
# Answer
> 7 votes
As a general academic principle you should *not* adjust the titles -- or other essential bibliographic data\*, e.g. the form and ordering of the authors' names -- of papers that you reference in any way, with the possible exception of necessary typographical concessions for "exotic" characters.
(For instance, in my branch of mathematics is it common to use the cyrillic letter Sha for something named after a Russian mathematician whose name begins with this character. If you simply don't have cyrllic characters available, you have to do something else. But even in this case it would be better to try to take a little trouble to "get cyrillic characters".)
So my answer to your question is **no**: it is obviously not your fault that different papers you cite refer to teals in different ways. So if there is any untidiness and/or inconsistency, you are simply faithfully replicating it, as you are obliged to do.
This answer comes from someone with precisely zero avian-specific academic knowledge. So it couldn't hurt to get a second opinion from someone in your field.
\*: I confess that I sometimes mess with "inessential" bibliographic data. For instance, most journals come with a volume number followed by a number of the issue within that volume, and I usually omit the second number: you simply don't need it to access the paper. I don't specifically endorse this practice and mention it only for "professional honesty", but in my defense I just checked around and I am far from the only one who does this.
Moreover in some fields there are different formats for referencing. In my field (mathematics), on the one hand we are not too picky about the format, and on the other hand we have standard repositories of all papers: MathReviews/MathSciNet and Zentralblatt, from which I assume that most contemporary authors simply copy the bibliographic data (and then the philistines among us delete the number of the journal within the volume). It *is* a good idea to choose a consistent format throughout all your bibliographic references: e.g. put last names first always or never, and so forth. But still: the title is not yours to monkey with, as far as I know.
# Answer
> 5 votes
You should never add or remove words from the title of papers you cite. The reason you add citations is so that your readers can find these papers, and the title is one of the most important pieces of information. While it might be obvious to you that "Teal" and "Teal Anas crecca" mean the same thing, this might not be the case for others, e.g. scientists outside your field.
The issue of capitalization is a little less cut and dry. Different citation styles treat titles in different ways (title case, sentence case, or even all-caps), so you have more freedom here to be internally consistent. In addition, some automated reference systems mess up capitalization, so in my experience this is frequently something you have to fix by hand. If there is no semantic difference between "Teal" and "teal", I would pick one and apply it consistently.
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Tags: citations
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thread-20950
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/20950
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Can I get into PhD in Physics with a high GRE score and an unrelated masters degree?
|
2014-05-14T16:09:09.053
|
# Question
Title: Can I get into PhD in Physics with a high GRE score and an unrelated masters degree?
I recently completed my MBA and have worked in the IT field for the last 7 years. I have an undergraduate degree in mathematics, and have completed 3 physics graduate courses (mechanics, E&M, QM) as an open university student. Is it realistic for me to self study for the physics GRE, get a great score, and then have a chance to be admitted to a physics PhD program?
The physics graduate courses I took were from a master’s school, but I had to pay for these out of my pocket. I though about continuing in that masters program but it is just too expensive given my situation (I have a family and a mortgage).
I want to know if I have a shot at a PhD program without going for the masters and only with a great physics GRE score and a mathematics undergraduate degree.
# Answer
Typically the only reason that PhD granting institutions in the US give out a master's degree en route to the doctorate is the existence of capitation money in some states that reward them for each advanced degree they grant. You don't need a master's degree. I never got one, and I could have for $50 and two weeks spent converting a couple of journal articles to thesis format. Nobody worth talking to expects you to have an MS when you apply.
> 3 votes
# Answer
To get admitted into a PhD program directly without MS, requires some research experience in the field(if you want admission to a good, competitive program). A really good GRE score might help substitute this factor but not always. An alternative to that may be, take admission in the MS program and then switch it to PhD after a semester or two. But you should join some research lab right in the beginning of your MS, in order to be successful in changing the program. Hope this helps.
Courtesy:
--MS candidate planning to switch to PhD
--Even after a good GRE profile and 3.96 gpa in pharmacy school, got rejected for PhD at UCSD(not enough research experience)
> 2 votes
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Tags: phd, graduate-admissions, masters, gre, physics
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thread-25765
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25765
|
How can I put myself in the best position to get a postdoc in a different field?
|
2014-07-11T21:46:55.257
|
# Question
Title: How can I put myself in the best position to get a postdoc in a different field?
Im a graduate student in my 3rd year studying theoretical plasma physics. I'd like to stay in academia but I think I would be better in an area of experimental physics where data analysis plays a more important role (such as High Energy Experiment). I wanted to know wether or not it was possible to get a postdoc in another field than the one I write my thesis in. I'd like to hear from anyone who has done this.
If this is a possibility (a realistic one), what can I do to prepare myself in the remaining 3 years of graduate school? Thanks!
# Answer
I'm in the same boat as you, but then for my thesis I added a few elements of the thing that I want to do later in my career, so I can use it as background. If you can incorporate something related to experimental physics in your plasma physics research, that'd help. Otherwise, you may join some research lab that works in the field of exp. physics, that'd look good on your resume.
> 1 votes
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Tags: graduate-school, postdocs
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thread-25757
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25757
|
I have an accepted conference paper with a major error in it, should I ask for it to be changed?
|
2014-07-11T19:41:01.783
|
# Question
Title: I have an accepted conference paper with a major error in it, should I ask for it to be changed?
I have submitted a paper to a conference with a scientific error in it.
Essentially I have a concept and I have claimed it works in two conditions. Actually it only works in one of them. Technically, my experimental results are correct, but its only a small test and when extrapolated to full scale the error can be found and also actually predicted theoretically. The overall concept is still correct however for the other condition and I am still working on it in future research.
Should I ask for the paper to be changed? The conference isn't until 25th August but the submission deadline has passed.
I don't want a public document where people will repeat my experiments and find that some of what I have claimed is incorrect.
# Answer
> 4 votes
Yes!
Better to get it corrected than to be questioned/rejected later.
# Answer
> 1 votes
In my opinion you have enough days, to change your paper.
But, before contacting read about the policy the conference have on erratum. If not, available, you should just write directly ask the organizing committee about it.
International conferences are very respected (and mostly filled with critics), this kind of error can hamper your credibility in future endeavors. It's better left unsaid.
Best of Luck.
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Tags: publications, conference
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thread-25775
|
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/25775
|
When is it proper to add someone to your research paper?
|
2014-07-12T02:23:49.507
|
# Question
Title: When is it proper to add someone to your research paper?
I am an undergraduate working on a research project that is going to be published. My research adviser wasn't completely able to help with a certain portion of the research, so I contacted another professor (in a completely different department) at my university who was more than willing to help.
It seems that this other professor is going to be providing a huge amount of help. Should I offer inclusion in the paper? Should I bring this up with my main adviser and/or should I be upfront with the secondary adviser?
# Answer
You should discuss the issue with both faculty members. I would bring it up with your primary advisor first...if only for linguistic reasons (i.e., the meaning of the word "primary").
When you say that the project is "going to be published", do you mean that it has already been written and accepted for publication? (If not, how do you know?) In general it is a good idea to discuss issues of coauthorship as early as possible. If you are already writing the paper it is on the later side, and if you have already submitted it then it is very late (but maybe not too late).
That's all I can think to say on general principles. It depends a lot on the field and what kind of work has been done.
**tl;dr**: As an undergraduate, you can't know the subtle expectations regarding coauthorship in your discipline. So err on the side of graciousness and inclusivity. The worst that can happen is that you get a "Aw, how cute: he thinks I want to publish with him" type of reaction. If so, you will definitely *not* have offended the faculty member and you'll probably engender a lesson about how publication culture works in your field: no problem there.
> 9 votes
# Answer
A good starting point is to consider the points set up in the Vancouver protocol and augmented by, for example the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal editors) stated as
> * Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;
>
> AND
>
> * Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
>
> AND
>
> * Final approval of the version to be published;
>
> AND
>
> * Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Note the *AND* in this list. It is well worth noting that these points indicate how things *should be* but some field-related traditions and, more commonly, personal opinions differ.
I think the above should make for a good basis for assessing whether or not anyone, the professor you have solicited included, should be on the paper. A gut feeling from your explanation says he should be asked. Not to discourage you, but authorship questions can be among the hardest questions you encounter in academia since authorship is such an important aspect for assessing *excellence*, *success*, or whatever you want to call it. This is also why the list quoted above has been assembled so that inflation in authorship can be combated. Please look at other posts under the tag to get more aspects of this issue.
> 3 votes
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Tags: research-process, publications, etiquette, authorship
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